What role did Samantha Sloyan play in Grey's Anatomy? Character details explored 

In 2005, ABC aired Grey's Anatomy as an enduring medical TV drama in America. The series explores everything surgical interns, residents, and attendings do at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle through their professional tasks and personal relationships.

In Grey's Anatomy season 11, Samantha Sloyan played Dr. Penelope "Penny" Blake, a surgical resident involved in Dr. Derek Shepherd’s care after his car accident. She later joined Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and dated Dr. Callie Torres.

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Samantha Sloyan's role as Penny Blake in Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy season 11 introduced Dr. Penelope "Penny" Blake as a surgical resident at Dillard Medical Center. In episode 21, How to Save a Life, she was involved in the management of Dr. Derek Shepherd following his car accident.

She argued that a head CT scan should be done because of possible brain damage. Her attending dismissed her suggestion and instead focused on other injuries. This caused a significant gap in identifying Derek's head injury. As a result, he was later diagnosed as being brain dead.

After the Dillard Medical Center closed, Penny moved to Seattle, where she became a surgical resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. There, she started dating Callie Torres, an attending surgeon at Grey Sloan.

In season 12, episode 5, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Penny is shown going with Callie to Meredith's house for dinner, only to be introduced as the doctor responsible for Derek's death. That fact turned out to greatly affect the environment during the dinner.

Meredith Gray and Amelia Shepherd actively expressed their displeasure with Penny because she had treated Derek Shepherd during his final moments. However, she successfully demonstrated her skills and commitment to work, which helped her win respect from her colleagues.

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Penny Blake's departure from Grey's Anatomy

The show presented Dr. Penelope "Penny" Blake's exit through connected sequences that showed her growing medical successes and professional relationships.

The Preminger Grant allowed Penny to do research in New York City, which advanced her medical career and made her consider relocating with Dr. Callie Torres.

Callie decided to move to New York with Penny, which led to a custody battle for her daughter with her ex-wife, Dr. Arizona Robbins. Dr. Arizona won the custody battle, marking the end of their relationship.

Penny's final appearance was in season 12, episode 23, At Last. In this episode, Penny comes to Meredith Grey with news of her decision to expedite her New York relocation, ending her story in the show.

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Samantha Sloyan's perspective on her role

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on November 4, 2014, Samantha Sloyan explained how Penny deals with the hardships. Regarding Penny's first day on set at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Sloyan said:

"Penny is understandably nervous, given the circumstances. But first and foremost, Penny is a doctor, and I think right now more than ever, she is focused on being the best doctor she can be."

Samantha explained about the complications between her and Dr. Callie Torres:

"The doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial are like family. I think that Callie and Penny have real feelings for each other, but their relationship is new. How do you choose between family and something that has true potential but is still basically unknown to you?"

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New episodes of Grey's Anatomy air every Thursday on ABC at 10 pm ET. The episodes can be streamed on Hulu the following day.