Derek witnesses a horrible car accident and springs into action to save lives.
"How to Save a Life" is the first episode to be written by Grey's Anatomy series creator Shonda Rhimes since the Season 8 finale - aka that time Meredith, Derek, Cristina, Arizona, Lexie and Mark were in a plane crash. That was the first indication that this episode was going to very traumatic and emotional. And indeed it was, as it featured the death of male lead Dr. Derek Shepherd and the departure of series regular Patrick Dempsey. It's a stunning tragedy. Just a year ago Dempsey signed a new contract to remain on the show for two more seasons. Sure, it was obvious throughout the year that a part of that new deal was a lighter workload. Derek wasn't as big a focal point as in seasons past. He didn't necessarily need to be either. And yet, now that the audience has the knowledge that this was his final season on the show, it does feel a little lackluster because he spent so much of his time either fighting with Meredith or away in Washington, D.C.However, death is the only justifiable way to write Derek off the show. That's just a horrible, sad and tragic fact. The love story between Meredith and Derek has been the backbone and heart-and-soul of the show since they first met in the bar way back in the pilot. They finally got together with their perfect post-it wedding and had two wonderful children. They were even just talking about expanding their family even more. Their love was far from over. Even though they have spent a lot of time fighting this season over whether or not he should take the job in D.C. and what happened with his research assistant once he got there, their marriage was strong. They wanted to be there for each other as supportive spouses. He had just returned home with some clarity over what he wanted in his life. He no longer needed to change the entire world. He just needed to make a difference in one person's world every single day. That's one of the most rewarding feelings about being a doctor and Derek got that passion and drive back in his last few episodes.
That's why his death is so tragic and sudden. As Meredith has noted throughout her time worrying about where he is, she just got him back. And now, he is suddenly and violently taken away from him. Their love story was not over. Derek could not have just left town permanently. That would not have been a satisfying way to write out the character. It would have been a disservice to the fans who have kept the show going for eleven seasons now. Death isn't much better. What is the show going to be without MerDer? That's a mystery that the show will have to answer soon. The show has killed off several characters before as a way to write out actors - T.R. Knight, Chyler Leigh, Eric Dane, etc. It's not the typical go-to for cast departures. Cristina is still alive and thriving as a surgeon but just living in a different part of the world. But it was the appropriate sendoff for Derek. It's simply the only way that could make any sense despite the tragedy of it all. He would simply not abandon Meredith and his family no matter what kind of contrivance Rhimes might have possibly came up with.
The Grey's ensemble is so widespread that the show can and will continue without Derek. It has survived so many cast turnovers throughout its lengthy run. It's remarkable that up until this point five original characters (Meredith, Derek, Alex, Bailey & Richard) have still been on the show. That longevity does bring a certain stability while other cast additions have created new relatable and interesting characters - Callie, Arizona, Owen, etc. Derek's death is hard. It will present a fundamental shift to the show unlike any other cast departure. It will be a huge risk figuring out the next stage of the show's life. Grey's Anatomy is still flourishing for ABC. It's a lock for renewal next season. Ellen Pompeo and the rest of the originals have contracts for one more year. The show will be able to keep on living without Derek. It's just really sad right now that this will be the end for the character. Both the show and the audience are in mourning.
While death is appropriate for the character, the actual circumstances of how it happened were a tad awkward. Derek is allowed to be the hero one last time. He, along with everyone else who works at the hospital, has been through so many traumatic experiences over the course of the show. They've survived bomb threats, ferry explosions, drownings, a crazed gunman, a plane crash and more. As doctors, they see a ton of crazy and traumatic accidents. They do their best to help the people in pain. And yet, it's much harder when they are the ones going through the accidents and the pain. That's a part of the show's DNA. Putting these characters in the situations that change people on an emotional and spiritual level. They have pledged an oath to saving lives. That's why Derek's catchphrase has always been "it's a good day to save lives." That quote has meaning and he gets to say it one final time as he's able to save four people following a horrible car crash - but is unable to save himself.
That, of course, is very emotionally ironic. Derek knows how to analyze and treat trauma but is unable to communicate with the doctors tasked with saving his life. He's not the one in the initial accident. He's right behind it when it happens and is able to spring into action immediately when the ambulances won't be able to get there quickly. He assesses the situation and is able to make a connection with all four victims. It really is just an accident. But one, that will have lasting impacts on everyone involved. The three injured will be able to live because of the medical skills Derek brought into field while the uninjured little girl (Sydney from Parenthood!) had an inspirational figure in a time of need. She was able to be there for him when the tables were turned and he was the one injured. That brought nice symmetry to the whole experience all of them went through out there alongside the road.
And yet, it was problematic and melodramatic that the only other vehicle to be driving down that road after the accident occurs is simply there to strike Derek when he's carelessly parked in the middle of the road. He was just trying to find his phone one last time as it started ringing. It was a mistake he would instantly regret. But in the context of the episode it was too predictable. It was tragic but made Derek seem too careless. He knows better than to be parked in the middle of the road. Sure, he wouldn't figure another vehicle would be right there since none had been on the road after the initial accident. But there it was. Ready to strike and severely injure him. It's a storytelling trope that has become a cliche over the years. It's melodrama at its finest. So it shouldn't be all that surprising considering Grey's Anatomy has embraced the melodrama as its main narrative drive for the last few years of its life.
That mistake put Derek in the hospital. What happened next ultimately took his life as he ended up in a place that wasn't a trauma center. The doctors there weren't experienced enough with the severity of cases they get hit with. Everyone from the field ends up there. Though unconscious, Derek points out everything that the doctors treating him are doing wrong. The show brought so much attention to how badly they handled this situation. As soon as that vehicle hit him, he was basically dead. The episode just had to drag it out. That's possibly even more tragic. Knowing that it's coming and there's nothing to do to stop it. The hour can pull a fake out and have Meredith imagine finding Derek alive and well in the hospital. And yet, that's simply not the case as the hospital staff were so completely incompetent. First, they didn't order a head CT before taking him to surgery. Even worse, the on-call neurosurgeon was at a dinner and it took him over an hour to get to the hospital after responding to the page. It's a malpractice lawsuit waiting to happen. Why else would the episode feel the need to point out this series of unfortunate mistakes that all culminate in the death of Derek Shepherd? In fact, it may only bring about more fear in the audience that the surgeon treating them should something horrible happen to them isn't competent enough to actually save their live.
All of that doesn't take away from the emotional moment of Meredith having to make the decision to take Derek off of life support. But it does lessen the episode's overall impact. It's a fantastic emotional sequence at the end as Meredith has to say goodbye to the love of her life while her children are just outside the room. And yet, her speechifying that the doctors who treated Derek needing to take his death as a learning experience to get the next trauma right didn't feel completely earned. This moment is suppose to be about their love and how it is tragically coming to an end. Not about her needing to teach her fellow doctors how to do their jobs and handle the emotional realities of their actions. This is a truly devastating moment for Meredith. Derek is gone and she will have to figure out how to keep on living. She's the only one who knows about what has happened. She doesn't call Cristina or Owen or Amelia. Derek's death will have a profound effect on the whole hospital. That's likely what the final few episodes of the season will be about. "How to Save a Life" is about Derek being a nice, strong and brilliant man and Meredith dealing with a tragedy that she wasn't expecting to happen for several more years. McDreamy is gone. It is devastating. But his legacy - both on and off screen - will not be forgotten any time soon.
Some more thoughts:
- "How to Save a Life" was written by Shonda Rhimes and directed by Rob Hardy.
- It's great and unexpected that the song playing as Derek is removed from the life support machines is Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" and not The Fray's "How to Save a Life." Both are monumental songs in the show's history. But it would have been too on-the-nose to name the episode after the song that plays during its emotional climax.
- I wish there would have been a scene of Meredith seeing the car crash survivors who Derek helped. That would have provided some nice thematic symmetry even though her entire world is being upended.
- It was surprising to see Meredith bringing Zola and young Bailey into the hospital with her. It was a numbing experience for sure, but this is also the last time the family will ever be together. Also, Zola is going to break our hearts when she starts asking about Derek, right?
- 11 seasons is a long time to stay on one show as one of the leads - especially one that averages 24 episodes a season. I'm incredibly grateful for all these years of a fantastic performance by Dempsey. This episode is rough to get through. It's incredibly emotional as it pays tribute to his history on the show. But it is also a remembrance of all the good moments the show has created between Meredith and Derek. Their story may be over. But their journey together was rewarding for 11 seasons. How much better could that have been?
