When the promo for episode 21 of "Grey's Anatomy" season 11 came out, fans were sure that McDreamy is alive and out playing hero, saving victims of a car accident he witnessed. But that episode titled "How to Save A Life" took a dark turn and Meredith's worries and fears were realized.
"It's highly possible that we might not see Derek for a while. There will be a time when you see him again, yes, but it's probable that you don't see Derek for a while," creator Shonda Rhimes earlier told Entertainment Weekly.
Fans did not realize how meaty this statement would become by the end of the aforementioned episode.
Funny how fate played Derek who got himself in another car accident that eventually took his life. The doctors in a nearby hospital where he was rushed were not able to save him, a deed which he did very well each and every day, even before he breathed his last.
But now that everyone's neurosurgeon is gone, the show checks back on Meredith and the unimaginable pain brought by her husband's untimely death. Left all alone and in excruciating pain, she decides to get out of Seattle.
Titled "She's Leaving Home," the two-hour episode will show the entire Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital grieving as Meredith tells the surgeons of her husband's tragic fate. It is somewhat an ongoing déjà vu for the doctors, who are not new to such dreadful losses.
Needless to say, Derek's death and Patrick Dempsey's departure from the long-running series caused an uproar, with fans still not believing that McDreamy is no longer walking the hospital halls doing what he does best.
Rhimes must be bombarded with questions about the character's exit from the series. Derek has been in "Grey's Anatomy" since day one and fans did not see his death coming, and some can't bring themselves to believe it just happened.
It is likely that the next episode will be a tribute to Derek as well as Meredith's disposition about the tragedy. By the end of the episode, fans may formally say goodbye to the character.
"Grey's Anatomy" season 11 episode 22 titled "She's Leaving Home" will air on April 30.
