Grey’s Anatomy: The Dark Reason Izzie Saw Denny When She Hallucinated

One of the most heartbreaking and unforgettable storylines in Grey’s Anatomy was that of Izzie Stevens and Denny Duquette, and while the series explained why she started hallucinating him after he died, there’s a darker, more tragic reason for her hallucinations. Medical drama is one of the most popular genres in TV, and one of the most successful and popular titles from this branch is Grey’s Anatomy, created by Shonda Rhimes. Grey’s Anatomy shows no signs of stopping soon, and it has become infamous for saying goodbye to its most beloved characters, and they don’t always get good endings.

Grey’s Anatomy follows the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they try to balance their professional and personal lives, and its led by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Meredith’s journey started as an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital (now Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital) alongside other characters who quickly became fan favorites, among those Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl). Unfortunately, Izzie became one of those characters that didn’t get a proper goodbye and whose arc came to a full end when another character’s did, which was unfair given everything she had gone through, starting with her arc with Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

Izzie met Denny Duquette in Grey’s Anatomy season 2, as he was a long-time patient of Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington). Denny spent a long time in the hospital, where he got to know Izzie quite well and they fell in love. Izzie’s feelings for Denny led her to cut his LVAD wire so he could get a heart transplant, and while the surgery was successful, he died of a stroke soon after. Denny left a big amount of money to Izzie, which she used to fund the free clinic Miranda Bailey wanted to open, named “Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic”. Denny returned in Grey’s Anatomy season 5 when Izzie started having hallucinations, and while it’s generally accepted it was due to the trauma of losing him, Denny appeared to Izzie because he was the person she associated most with death.

Izzie’s arc took a turn in Grey’s Anatomy season 5, where she started hallucinating Denny and initially thought it was due to residual grief and trauma, but after examining her body, she grew suspicious of her being seriously ill. It was eventually discovered that Izzie had Stage IV metastatic melanoma with metastases to the liver, brain, and skin, which is why she was having visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations. While it’s understandable that, of all people Izzie had met and seen die in front of her, Denny was the one who appeared to her as they had an emotional connection, it was also because he was the person she closely associated with death, and at that point, Izzie was dying too, and had only a 5% of survival. Denny disappeared once she had the brain tumors removed, but when he returned she knew she had new tumors.

Denny Duquette went from patient to Izzie’s fiancé to an omen of death for her, and even though he won over the hearts of the audience, not many Grey’s Anatomy fans were on board with the “hallucinations” storyline. Their biggest complaint is that Izzie, being the experienced doctor she is, should have known that those hallucinations weren’t normal, not even out of trauma and grief, but it might help seeing it from the perspective of Denny being a figure associated with death as Izzie was dying. Izzie and Denny are one of the most memorable couples in Grey’s Anatomy, so much so that they are still a topic of debate among fans.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3267 Articles Published)

See also  Dragon Ball Z Criticized By Florida Congressional Candidate For Being Too Sexualized

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

More From Adrienne Tyler