TV Romance
Derek Shepherd’s 12 Most Romantic Moments on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ Ranked
Need a pick-me-up? Maybe it’s time to binge Grey’s Anatomy from the beginning… again.
Granted, there are plenty of heartbreaking deaths, fraught relationships, and traumatic backstories, but the love story that developed between Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), aka McDreamy, and Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) brought some light to the otherwise dark show.
These two didn’t have it easy in the first couple of seasons, but the complicated duo proved to be true soulmates — in and out of the OR. When Derek died in Season 11 after a car crash, fans of the series had to mourn the neurosurgeon and the loss of MerDer.
With the 20th anniversary of the Grey’s Anatomy series premiere on the horizon, Swooon thought it was time to look back at the Derek Shepherd moments that made us swoon. Yes, he has that luscious hair, charming smile, and quick wit, but his unbreakable bond with Meredith is the epitome of romance.
Scroll down for a ranking of Derek’s most romantic moments on Grey’s Anatomy. Let us know in the comments down below if you agree.
12. Meredith and Derek's first hookup (Season 1, Episode 1)
Remember the very Grey’s episode? Of course you do. The rushed morning after talk, Meredith’s raspy voice when she explained that she was running late for her first day at work, and, of course, Derek’s pleas to get her back into bed.
Although this scene was over much too quickly, once it’s revealed that they will also have to work together at the hospital, you just know it’s going to be a love story for the ages. With plenty of twists and turns about to follow, the first page of MerDer’s love story deserves a shoutout.
11. McDreamy's jealousy (Season 2, Episode 18)
The Dirty Mistress Club never went further than a couple of flirt sessions at the beginning of their friendship, yet that’s definitely not how Derek saw it at first.
After his best friend Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) had an affair with his wife, Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), the relationship between the two buddies became fraught. To make matters worse, Mark rubbed salt in the wound by flirting with Meredith. Seeing this flicker of jealousy might not be romantic to some, but others get the vision. It’s romantic in the sense that Derek was willing to ruin his million-dollar hand because of Meredith.
10. Meredith and Derek's prom night (Episode 2, Episode 27)
Are we going all the way back to his high school prom days? No, we’re talking about the hospital prom Derek and Meredith attended with other partners. That look between them on the dance floor should be in the history books. After weeks of tension and tears, Meredith and Derek’s feelings boiled over into a steamy hospital room hookup. Despite this being an act of cheating on both their parts, this Season 2 scene made everyone realize it was always going to be MerDer.
9. Baby Bailey is on the way (Season 9, Episode 7)
Derek was the cutest dad. Never forget when he just had to go look at the newest T-shirt Meredith had bought for Zola. Derek had grunted about how men don’t love baby clothes as much as women, but his theory was proven wrong when he read the words on Zola’s latest addition. The light in both of their eyes was one of true adoration and love. Growing their family was important to the couple, and MerDer’s baby bliss will always make us swoon.
8. Derek & Cristina's relationship
Derek always understood that Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) was Meredith’s “person.” He realized that there was space for both Cristina and him in Meredith’s heart. Despite not always seeing eye to eye with Cristina, he did his best to forge a relationship. After the hospital shooting, he made sure she was taken care of. Derek’s bond with Cristina showed the depth of his love for Meredith. Also, it wouldn’t be a Derek Shepherd list if the iconic line — “Doctor Yang and my wife sometimes have sleepovers in my bed with me in it.” — was left out.
7. Derek saves Meredith (Season 3, Episode 16)
A true hero’s moment. When Derek realized Meredith was missing, he went on a frantic search to find her. He didn’t hesitate to jump in the freezing water. The look of pure devastation as Derek wondered if Meredith would live or die was gut-wrenching to watch. After the near-death experience, he made the difficult decision to take some space from his future wife. Derek realized that Meredith needed to get better before he could go back into her life. His tactic worked. He truly saved her life.
6. Derek checks on Meredith (Season 2, Episode 17)
Meredith went through it in Season 2. She nearly lost her life after putting her hand on a bomb in some guy’s chest cavity. When the bomb went off, Derek was frantic for news about Meredith. His “Where is she?” plea to Richard was heartbreaking, and Adele clocked Derek’s true feelings when Addison showed up to comfort him and not Meredith. Despite their messy breakup, Derek couldn’t resist checking on Meredith. He had to see she was okay for himself. He walked away when Meredith brought up that she couldn’t remember their last kiss, but he didn’t leave her hanging. He walked back through the door and recalled the memory as if it just happened. The beauty of this scene was how simple it was and showed Meredith that, even though he was back with Addison, Derek’s love for her hadn’t wavered.
5. MerDer's official wedding (Season 7, Episode 20)
Sure, it wasn’t the grandest of weddings on Grey’s Anatomy, but it might have been the most heartfelt. In a rush to get their marriage certificate in order, the two didn’t even have time to get rings, but none of that mattered once they become parents to Zola. The twosome needed to be a union before becoming the adoptive parents of their first child. Jumping at that opportunity, Meredith and Derek didn’t need to twice about their decision. So infatuated by each other since the beginning of the series, this “I do” was a pretty simple one. Derek’s twinkling eyes when he held Zola? The best.
4. Elevator proposal (Season 5, Episode 19)
Meredith and Derek’s lives were intertwined with the hospital. Never truly getting a break from their demanding job, they also formed many beautiful memories there. It was no surprise when Derek popped the question at the hospital. Using X-rays of the important surgeries they did together, this moment proved that medical lingo had the ability to be swoonworthy. To end the speech, he brought it back to an operation performed on Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), Meredith’s friend. As he announced that she was tumor-free, Derek went into the proposal speech. He didn’t get down on one knee and didn’t ask her to marry him, Derek just simply said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That was all she needed to hear.
3. "I love you." (Season 3, Episode 1)
After what seemed like an eternity — okay, three seasons — Derek confessed that he was in love with Meredith. The couple had to deal with many twists and turns. Their rollercoaster of a relationship always seemed promising, and yes, everyone saw this one coming, but when he finally said those three famous words, it actually became real.
Although, this wasn’t the end of their turbulent timeline, this confirmation made the fans believe that MerDer was in it for the long haul. All of their struggles evaporated when he finally said the words Meredith had been waiting to hear.
2. Post-It wedding (Season 5, Episode 24)
Meredith and Derek did have a properly planned wedding, but they weren’t the ones who took center stage on the day that it happened. Letting Izzie and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) tie the knot instead was a grand gesture on their part.
Sure, it was Izzie who originally planned almost everything, but the ferry adventure was still intended for the golden couple. In the midst of the prep, Izzie’s condition worsened, so MerDer gifted their nuptials to Izzie and Alex.
Not needing all the commotion, the two came up with another plan: a Post-it ceremony. They wrote their vows on sticky notes and promised to stay together forever. It wasn’t an official wedding, but MerDer treated it as such.
1. Derek & Meredith reunite on the beach (Season 17)
Years after Derek passed away, he returned as a figment of Meredith’s imagination. After slipping into a coma induced by COVID-19, she reunited with her husband on the beach. As dreamy as ever, he bestowed some wisdom onto Meredith. Welcoming her into a version of the afterlife, his big smile still had same effect on her as it once did. Never fully being able to move on from her husband’s sudden death, this was a conclusion all the fans deserved. When it was time for Meredith to go back to the land of the living, you almost didn’t want her to leave. Knowing Meredith and Derek will be reunited at some point is the romantic moment of all.
