Summary SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Grey's Anatomy is one of the longest-running shows on TV, but I'm starting to think it wouldn't have thrived as long without killing off Derek Shepherd. The series was starting to show its age before Patrick Dempsey's exit during Grey's Anatomy season 11. Due to that big departure, season 11, episode 21 was one of Grey's Anatomy's most important episodes.
Derek Shepherd's Death Was Haunting Grey's Anatomy Season 11 Featured A Massive Twist Derek's final episode started with him saving victims of a road traffic accident, but he was punished for his good deed when a semi-truck knocked him down. The episode was powerful because Derek knew what had to be done to save his life, even though he couldn't articulate as much to the people at the hospital.
Grey's Anatomy staged a return to form in season 12 as everyone felt the after-effects of such a life-changing development. Meredith's storylines were fresh and engaging, while Amelia's downward spiral gave Caterina Scorsone some of the best material of her career. Without Derek's death, many of the plots from season 11 would have carried over to season 12 and likely sent the show further down the wrong path.