Derek Shepard and Meredith Grey are the ultimate power couple, no ifs, ands, or buts. Their love story may be long and it is unquestionably emotional, but it kept you on the edge of the seat every step on the way.
It’s almost impossible not to get emotionally invested. How could you not dwell on the ups and downs of a relationship of someone as perfect as McDreamy? Or as relatable as Meredith?
Their relationship is a rollercoaster of love, laughs, tears, drama, and tragedy. By the end of the 11th season you’ll identify as a third party in the relationship, and that’s OK. It would be weird if you didn’t.
Derek and Meredith share a complicated, unfathomable love that will break your heart, warm your heart, and everything in between. If we’re being honest, there were a few times I considered visiting Grey Solan Memorial Hospital because of the heart palpitations they were giving me. Heck, there were a few times they even made my heart stop completely.
Like the first time they met? Seriously, I’m pretty sure these two are the only people who can romanticize a drunken one-night stand. Derek makes it hard to breathe as he reintroduces himself to Meredith the next morning. His flawless smile and flirty commentary will have you running to the nearest bar wondering where your Derek Shepherd is. Let's be real, we were doomed from the beginning.
And, the classic "Pick me, Chose me, Love me" scene. Is it really love if you don’t have to fight for it? Certainly, isn’t a love like Meredith and Derek's? Derek has a past and Meredith fights to overcome it. Despite her dark and gloomy exterior, Meredith finds the strength to admit to loving Derek in a “really really big, pretend-to-like-your-music” kind of way, and if you weren’t team Meredith before, there’s something wrong with you if you aren’t now.
Finally, Derek admits that he loves Meredith, not Addison, and you're lucky if you don’t faint. This steamy interaction between the two will have you feeling some type of way. If you’re even conscious to feel anything at all. This scene leaves you so mesmerized that you won’t even have time to envy Meredith. If you can maintain a steady heartbeat during this one, I’m going to have to question whether or not you have a soul.
While the physical connection is enough to send to you Grey Sloan’s ER, the emotional connection will fill you with an equal amount of love. When Meredith’s mom dies, your heart will probably break, but it will be quickly mended by Derek’s successful attempt to comfort her. Whatever Derek did in the past to piss you off, you’re going to forgive him. Derek’s tight embrace and gentle hair strokes while Meredith hyperventilates into a bag is going to leave you running for an air bag yourself.
Seriously, does this one even need an explanation?
Who else could make you want to get married via a Post-It note? Doubtfully anyone but Derek and Meredith. She doesn’t even need a high-end wedding dress or breath-taking vows to make you envy her wedding. Derek Shepherd vowing to love Meredith for the rest of his life is going to be emotional in any fashion, the framed Post-It note above their bed was just the icing on the cake.
Ah, the shooter episode. Who could ever forget? Unless it caused you so much anxiety that you actually blacked out, because that’s likely. As if an episode full of innocent characters getting shot while a man is on a rampage to find Derek isn’t enough to send you into cardiac arrest, Meredith steps in front of the gun and pleads for him to shoot her and not Derek. We all joke about “taking a bullet for someone,” but man does Meredith take it literally. I didn’t know whether to cry because of how much Meredith loves Derek or because one of the two was about to be shot. I guess crying over both would have sufficed.
If your heart doesn’t melt watching McDreamy’s face light up after officially becoming the father of an ill African child, then I definitely hate you. As if Derek and Meredith weren’t perfect enough, adding Zola into the mix made them flawless. Daddy Derek is better than any other Derek there ever was, and that’s a promise.
Imagine your dream house. Now imagine it on-looking the city of Seattle. Now imagine it being built by Derek Shepherd. Yeah. Can’t beat it.
The Mer-Der combo led us to one last emotional breakdown towards the end of season 11 when Derek passes away. Watching it happen was bad enough, but watching Meredith’s reaction was pure torture. The hopelessness in her eyes as she watches the nurse pull the plug on Derek will send shivers down your spine. Don’t worry Meredith, you’re not alone. We all lost a loved one that night.
RIP Derek Shepherd.
RIP to the greatest relationship there ever was.
