Eric Dane’s iconic shirtless scene in Grey’s Anatomy was a career-defining moment that left a lasting impression on audiences and cemented his character, Dr. Mark Sloan, as a fan favorite.
Hunky bad boys may come and go, but Dr. Mark Sloan is forever. In 2006, Eric Dane, who died last week from complications from ALS, made his debut on Grey’s Anatomy. The network television hit, fresh off its first season, had already injected much-needed life into the overly saturated medical genre, with a tumultuous, season-spanning will-they, won’t-they workplace romance and a roster of interns, residents and attendees hooking up in on-call rooms while juggling all sorts of medical cases — few mundane, most anxiety-inducing.
Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan, appeared in just one episode in Season 2, as Dr. Derek Shepherd’s (Patrick Dempsey) former best friend, before returning early in the show’s third season. Only, Mark wasn’t supposed to come back, at least not initially. Dane’s character was meant to be a momentary antagonist as Derek navigated Addison’s (Kate Walsh) betrayal.
Allow me to reintroduce you…
In the Season 3 episode “Yesterday,” Derek shows up at Addison’s hotel room unannounced. He asks if they can talk, which is a pretty big deal considering how infuriatingly uncommunicative he’s been with her.
Derek and Addison end up mutually agreeing to end their marriage, and all seems cordial, that is, until Mark waltzes out of Addison’s really steamy bathroom in literally the teeniest towel ever. Mark is shirtless and freshly showered, Addison is in a robe and freshly showered, the bed is unmade and the champagne has been flowing… and Derek immediately pieces it all together: His estranged wife and ex-best friend hooked up… again.
Listen. I am not alone in loving Dane’s Grey’s Anatomy reintroduction, OK? I mean, Rhimes said that Mark “wears a towel better than anyone can wear a towel in the history of wearing towels on television.”
Dane also previously said of filming the now iconic scene, “It was an entrance. It was definitely an entrance. It was a brand new towel, and an unwashed towel has a hard time staying together.
(Vivian Zink/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
The 20-second shirtless scene functions on so many levels. Of course, there’s the very obvious surface-level, which is that, yes, Mark Sloan is obviously hot — and this scene is proof of that.
But then there’s the deeper, more satisfying level on which the 20-second shirtless scene works: It paints a specific picture. It tells us what we’re supposed to think — and how we’re supposed to feel about this man we barely know.
McSteamy was Dane’s career-defining role. That’s not a bad thing. See, Mark Sloan is one of the good guys. His shirtless reintroduction in Season 3 sets up a moving, six-season character arc.
(Adam Taylor/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
As seasons progress and Mark’s presence on Grey’s is cemented, we’re invited to see more tender sides to him: He mends his relationship with Derek; he steps up as a dad after learning he has a teenage daughter; he becomes a doting, hands-on father to his baby girl Sofia; and he falls deeply in love with Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh).
Even in his final moments, before succumbing to injuries sustained in a plane crash, Mark speaks boldly and unapologetically about love — and how wildly you should submit to it: “If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it’ll cause problems. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground. You say it, and you say it loud.”
It’s impossible for Grey’s Anatomy fans to ever forget Mark’s shirtless scene — and with reason. I wouldn’t want it any other way, truthfully. It’s a distant but distinct memory — a charming catalyst for the very real, actually deep character growth that would come.
Perhaps Rhimes said it best: “Dr. Mark Sloan left an indelible mark on the series and on audiences around the world.” I couldn’t agree more. A shirtless saunter may have piqued my interest, but it was Mark’s show of heart that kept me seated. McSteamy forever.
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