More than just McSteamy: Eric Dane was brilliant on Grey’s Anatomy – the real man everyone dreams of | television

eRick Dane, one of the most handsome men whose DNA has ever been created, has died at the age of 53, just a year after announcing his ALS diagnosis. We just lost Dawson Leery, and now this. It’s a tough time to be a millennial.

Needless to say: the Dane was very handsome. Even in the 2000s, in which we were greeted with an abundance of ridiculously handsome TV stars (Chad Michael Murray, Jared Padalecki, Milo Ventimiglia), he was breathtaking. Sound. The eyes. Soul patch. Sorry.

But here’s the thing: this was the least interesting thing to him. Eric Dane was a great actor, and that was never more evident than in his absolute triumph over the other guy on Grey’s Anatomy.

Dane’s most famous character, plastic surgeon Mark Sloan – AKA McSteamy, AKA McSleazy, AKA Man Candy – arrived at Seattle Grace Hospital in season two.

At that point, the series was all about Dr. Derek Shepherd: McDreamy, played by Patrick Dempsey, who was portrayed as a heartthrob but was actually a crybaby whose story was one of being loved by two amazing women at the same time for nearly 900 seasons.

The problem is that it was a false hypothesis. Even though Dempsey looked better than you and me, he simply wasn’t handsome enough to get away with being that terrible.

Dane was initially contracted to appear in only one episode. His job was to come over and flirt with one of McDreamy’s (younger) girlfriends, then get punched in the face. But 45 minutes was all he needed to convince producers that the world deserved better than Derek Shepherd. Such was his charisma/jaw/acting ability that McSteamy went on to appear in another 138 episodes.

While Dempsey was only given one placement in the role of a shepherd (too tough to live in), Dane soon showed real acting skills. He had perfect comedic timing. He was a persuasive crier. He had huge, manly hands that he used to hold surgical instruments, collarbones, hips, and feminine faces.

But acting too.

To those lucky enough to not have “the one guy you can change,” Mark Sloan may have seemed one-dimensional. His mission was, effectively, a square-jawed womanizer. But as the seasons passed and McDreamy became something of a very sad Ken doll, Eric Dane turned his one-time guest spot into a starring role. He was not the wet, floppy-haired leading man we were tricked into liking, but damaged goods with a dream. A man who can use a scalpel and your heart. A man who can be convinced to settle down as soon as he met you. A man who wanted to be a better man.

The scene-stealing Dane revolutionized the show. What was sad for overachievers learning how to socialize became a story about how ridiculous people can also change.

McDreamy repeated the same two mistakes endlessly. It’s too boring to even write about. But McStimmy learned and evolved. He stepped up to support his baby mamas. He was very loyal to his friends. He worked to become a better doctor.

And he loved it. Boy, did he. His on-and-off romance with intern Lexie holds up even in the face of the most immortal of soulmates (Romeo and Juliet, Seth and Summer, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi).

And it was really devastating to lose him.

Spoiler alert: In this show everyone dies except the immortal Meredith Grey. McSteamy’s death is often ranked among the saddest moments in Grey’s history, which isn’t a bad effort considering this list also includes Katherine Heigl in a ball gown crying over the lifeless body of Denny “Snow Patrol” Duquette.

In Season 8, Lexie and Sloan (“Slexie”) looked like they would finally have a real breakthrough, despite her being so young that he once called her a “foetus.” But Shonda Rhimes gives and she takes, and when both characters boarded the same plane, viewers knew what was coming (I’m watching Eric Dane).

I only make jokes because the reality is so sad. Lexi was killed on impact. Mark Sloan – reformed plastic surgeon, devoted father, ally and friend – later died of a broken heart (as well as actual injuries). Artax’s levels were terrible. The McSteamy era ended the way it began: showing us that great guys sometimes have other skills, too.

As an actor, Dane contributed a lot to Charmed. trance. The last ship. He had a leaked sex tape and was suffering from depression. He raised awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was charming, troubled, and brave.

But I will always remember him as the man actor so great that we sometimes forget how charismatic he was.