đ„ Epic Love Revisited! 15 MUST-Watch Greyâs Anatomy Episodes for Meredith & Derek Fans
When âGreyâs Anatomyâ premiered back in 2005, no one could have predicted what a sensation it would become â or how long it would end up airing. And part of the reason why fans fell in love was because of the twisty, long-haul love story between Ellen Pompeoâs Dr. Meredith Grey and Patrick Dempseyâs Dr. Derek Shepherd.
Eighteen years later, we can admit that perhaps their romance didnât have the best start; Derek was literally her bossâs boss when they first met, even if they didnât realize that the very first time they slept together. But their will-they-wonât-they romance â full of obstacles medical, mental, and romantic â is still one of TVâs greatest. And even though it technically came to an end when Dempsey left the show in 2015 and Derek was killed in season 11, episode 21, the legacy of their love continued on the show (and Dempsey briefly returned as the character in 2021). Pompeo herself left the show in early 2023, though sheâs left the door open for a comeback.
Ahead, we rounded up some of our favorite MerDer episodes. Some feature iconic declarations of love. Some feature the lowest moments in their lives, in case you really want to cry. And some have important developments in their relationship as they find their way back to each other over and over again. These are 15 of the best âGreyâs Anatomyâ episodes for Meredith-and-Derek fans.
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Season 1, Episode 1: âA Hard Dayâs Nightâ
Say what you will, but Shonda Rhimes reinvented the meet-cute with the funny, romantic pilot episode of the series. Meredith gets wasted the night before her first day as an intern and wakes up next to a devastatingly handsome stranger whoâs none other than Derek Shepherd.
She soon learns that Derek isnât only her boss â heâs her bossâs boss. Awkwardness ensues as sparks fly between them at work and Derek tries to ask her out. Our dark and twisty heroine rejects his advances. Despite an entire day of banter, they manage to crack a medical case together, foreshadowing what will end up defining the rest of their lives.
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Season 2, Episode 5: âBring the Painâ
This episode gives us perhaps the most defining moment of the entire MerDer romance. As theyâre searching for a shaman for their patient, Meredith and Derek find themselves at a crossroads in their relationship. Addison, Derekâs estranged wife, is settling down at Seattle Grace, and Derek hasnât signed divorce papers yet, unsure if he should forgive her for her infidelity or move on with Meredith.
After they finish a surgery, Meredith gives Derek the infamous and disarmingly sweet âpick me, choose me, love meâ speech and tells him to meet her at Joeâs after work. Meredith gets terribly drunk by the end of the episode, and it looks like Derekâs a no-show. Unfortunately, Meredith doesnât know thereâs a lot more heartache to come.
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Season 2, Episodes 16 and 17: âItâs the End of the Worldâ and âAs We Know Itâ
âGreyâs Anatomyâ debuted a blockbuster two-part episode in February 2006, with âItâs the End of the Worldâ playing after the Super Bowl and âAs We Know Itâ debuting a week later. In the episode, a patient comes to the hospital with an unexploded bazooka rocket in his chest. What follows is the most intense operation in Seattle Grace history, with Cristina, Meredith, Burke, and Derek all in on the action and the bomb squad in the OR. Eventually, they get the bazooka rocket out â though two members of the bomb squad die. At the end of the second part, Derek and Meredith share a romantic moment, and even though theyâre not together at this point, itâs clear their love isnât really in the past.
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Season 3, Episode 16: âDrowning on Dry Landâ
Season three fleshes out Meredithâs relationship with her Alzheimerâs-ridden mother, the great surgeon Ellis Grey. It stands out as one of the seriesâ darkest seasons as it explores Meredithâs struggle with depression and suicidal ideation. In episode 15, the hospitalâs interns respond to a mass casualty event where a container ship has crashed into a ferry. At the end of that episode, Meredith falls into the water.
In episode 16, Derek pulls Meredith out of the water. His rescue is more heartbreaking than heroic. For most of this episode and the next one, Meredith looks dead (although we all knew that she was going to make it out alive, because duh, sheâs the main character).
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Season 4, Episode 17: âFreedom, Part 2â
Also known as the candle house episode, this might be the best MerDer episode of all time, and it undoubtedly includes the showâs greatest romantic gesture. Leading up to this episode, Meredith and Derek have broken up again, and Derek briefly dates Rose, a nurse. The former couple remain professional as they run a clinical trial together. However, after their last patient pulls through, showing their trial is working, Derek runs to Meredithâs house looking for her, but sheâs actually at the land heâs bought. She creates a blueprint of their home together out of candles and â slightly angry that he was late showing up â tells him her plans for them and their life together. âI believe that we can be extraordinary together, rather than ordinary apart,â she says, and he finally kisses her â but stops when he remembers he still has to break up with Rose. Rose never stood a chance.
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Season 5, Episode 19: âElevator Love Letterâ
Derekâs elevator proposal marks a relatively bright spot in an otherwise sad and complicated episode where we see Cristina grapple with Owenâs PTSD and Izzie and Alex confront the possibility of Izzieâs death. Richard proves to be a pretty great wingman, refusing to move until Meredith hops onto Derekâs elevator, which is decked out with all of the cases that he and Mer have worked on together.
While brain scans arenât as picturesque as candles, itâs exceedingly difficult not to cry when you hear Derek propose to Meredith. Derek tells Meredith that her âdark and twistyâ tendency isnât a flaw â itâs a strength.
Season 5, Episode 24: âNow or Neverâ
Listen, weâre probably ridiculously invested in Meredith and Derekâs relationship because of how unrealistically dramatic it can be sometimes. Itâs too hard to keep count of how many times Derek has pulled off a romantic gesture and even harder to keep track of how many times heâs thrown Meredith the signature Derek smolder. But sometimes the quiet moments between them are the most special, like their understated wedding vows.
After giving their planned wedding to Alex and Izzie, Meredith and Derek make promises to each other on a Post-It note. âGreyâsâ fans look back at this intimate moment with immense gratitude because of how emotionally devastating things become by the end of season five.
Season 6, Episodes 23 and 24: âSanctuaryâ and âDeath and All His Friendsâ
These episodes hurt on so many levels. In the season six finale, Gary Clark goes on a shooting spree at the hospital after his wife dies under Derekâs care. Meredith, whoâs pregnant, witnesses Gary shooting Derek. With the hospital still on lockdown and an active shooter loose, Cristina takes on a life-saving surgery on Derek. Gary shows up again while Cristina operates on Derek, so she and Jackson mimic pulling the plug to make him think that Derek is dead. Meredith ends up miscarrying in the middle of Derekâs surgery. Derek lives, but this episode introduces us to a whole new level of tragedy in the âGreyâsâ universe.
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Season 9, Episode 7: âI Was Made For Lovinâ Youâ
By season nine, most of us found comfort in Derek and Meredithâs rock-solid relationship as drama sparked between all the other couples on the show, like Cristina and Owen. Meredith and Derek find themselves attached to baby Zola in season seven and eventually adopt her. Without really expecting a baby, Meredith finds herself pregnant in season nine, despite her doctor telling her that her uterus is âhostile.â She buys an adorable âWorldâs Best Big Sisterâ shirt for Zola and mischievously asks Derek to look at it.
This moment reminds us that good things can still happen in the âGreyâsâ universe, even after terrible things like the horrendous plane crash in the season eight finale.
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Season 9, Episode 24: âPerfect Stormâ
In the season nine finale, Meredith gives birth to her son. When Meredith hemorrhages after her C-section, Bailey performs life-saving surgery, so Meredith names her son Derek Bailey. Despite all the pain (including a major storm that puts the hospital on the brink), Meredith and Derekâs first moments with their family of four are super sweet.
Season 11, Episode 17: âWith or Without Youâ
Meredith and Derek are going through a hard time in their marriage as he spends increasing amounts of time in Washington DC for work. But Derek has another grand romantic speech in him. âMeredith, I canât live without you. I donât want to live without you. And Iâm gonna do everything in my power to prove it,â he says. She responds, âI can live without you. But I donât want to. I donât ever want to.â Alas, they donât know whatâs coming for them.
Season 11, Episode 21: âHow to Save a Lifeâ
While on his way to make one last trip to DC, Derek witnesses a car accident and rescues the victims, only to be involved in a horrific car accident of his own shortly after. The paramedics take him to a less-than-equipped hospital, and by the time the doctors figure out that he needs a CT scan, he is brain dead. Sleeping at Lastâs melancholy cover of âChasing Carsâ plays as Meredith takes Derek off life support, and it will destroy you.
Season 17, Episode 8: âItâs All Too Muchâ
In season 17 â which includes a fictional version of the COVID-19 pandemic â Meredith tests positive and falls into a coma. During this, she experiences life on a beach and is visited by many of her dead friends and relatives â including Derek. Itâs very, very emotional.