<P> Dane auditioned for the role during the casting of the pilot and ultimately received the role, which was only later introduced in the show . He initially appeared as a guest - star in the episode "Yesterday" of the second season, becoming a series regular from the third season episode "Sometimes a Fantasy", first broadcast in October 2006 . Casting director Linda Lowy gave the insight: "You can't forget about McSteamy . We cast (Dane) for one episode, and I think the women across the nation went kind of crazy . Everyone was talking about him, so we decided to make him a regular ." In July 2012, TVLine announced Dane would leave the show after the first two episodes of the ninth season . Rhimes said she and Dane decided to end Mark's storyline after much discussion . She added: "It was a thing that Eric had been thinking about for a while, but it felt like the right time to him ." However, E! Online reported that Rhimes had been forced by the network to reduce the cast for budget reasons and that Dane had not asked to leave the series . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . (June 2013) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . (June 2013) </Td> </Tr> <P> The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) characterized Sloan as "charming", "confident", "smug", "smarmy", and "great with his hands". Shonda Rhimes said of the character: "Mark, the original bad boy, is struggling with his own demons . He brings a healthy serving of mystery and potential conflict to Seattle Grace ." Actress Kate Walsh said: "He's the guy you shouldn't go out with but you can't help yourself ." Carolina Paiz, one of the writers of the series, wrote: "he can be impertinent and evil and demeaning ." </P>

What episode does lexie and mark die in grey's anatomy