Grey’s Anatomy’s McDreamy Deserved More Than This

RIP, George O’Malley, who died after heroically jumping in front of a bus; Denny Duquette, who died after a heart transplant; Lexie Grey and Mark “McSteamy” Sloan, who both died in a plane crash. This is just the short list of characters show runner Shonda Rhimes and her staff of writers have killed off over 11 seasons of the medical drama, understandably, for the most part. This show mostly takes place in a hospital — people are going to die. But even on Grey's, major players typically don't die without a fight or (at least!) a full-season arc before their deaths. Last night, without reason, we lost Dr. Derek Shepherd.


With little preparation or lead-up, Rhimes (who wrote the episode herself) viciously killed off one half of Grey's golden couple. Dr. Derek Shepherd, known as “McDreamy,” or the "Der" part of “MerDer” (an adorable 'shipping name), was hit by a truck, and after Rhimes twisted the knife with a bit of medical sloppiness, he died. Died. Just like that! No drawn-out back-and-forth, no will-he-or-won’t-he (die). It felt sad, sure, but it wasn't just the fact of his death that disturbed viewers. It was how upsettingly random it felt, even within Grey’s universe, where emotional builds are to be expected. When has Grey’s ever killed anyone so important, so quickly? Fans were pissed: “Shonda just killed him off in that rushed episode, mid-season, completely out of the blue, with no proper build up or reasoning ... I feel cheated and betrayed and [sic] as a viewer,” wrote swanshope on Tumblr. The tweets came hard and fast: 

I feel really bad for all the fans who invested their time and emotions in this show. What a massive betrayal. #GreysAnatomy
— Kara (@NamasteRead) April 24, 2015

I'm actually nauseous. I can't believe something so ridiculous has been done to the Grey's fans. This is personal. #GreysAnatomy
— Nicole Diane Parker (@nicoleyoley159) April 24, 2015

#GreysAnatomy I'm done. I'm not ever watching this show again. I'm not going to school. good bye.
— Kelby (@kelbyh8) April 24, 2015

“Is Patrick Dempsey Leaving Grey’s Anatomy After Season 11?” Us Weekly asked last week, and went on to report rumors that the actor “clashed” with Rhimes, which was allegedly one of the reasons she sent his character to take a job in D.C. earlier this season. It's not the first time an actor has left the series after personal drama: T.R. Knight (George O’Malley), Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke), and Katherine Heigl (Izzie Stevens) all departed after similar rumors. But at least Rhimes let them go with a little fanfare: George’s death had him jumping in front of a bus to save a woman’s life. He was an unidentifiable “John Doe” until, in a very dramatic and perfectly sad turn, he was able to trace his nickname, “007,” into Meredith’s hand and identify himself. It was devastating, sure, but a twist worthy of George's importance to the show.