McDreamy Was One of Grey’s Anatomy’s Best Characters

Written by Mischa Jackson

When Patrick Dempsey left Grey’s Anatomy in 2015, many fans were left with a McDreamy sized hole in their hearts. The actor, who famously played the world-renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, traded in his scrubs and went on to star in Bridget Jones’s Baby and The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair.

His departure from ABC’s hit medical drama, caused such a stir that fans joined forces and created a petition to get him back on the show. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, and much to their dismay, the show, now in its 15th season, carried on without him.

Earlier this year, old wounds were re-opened for those in the fandom when a BuzzFeed article surfaced labelling Derek the show’s worst character. So, here are five reasons why they’re wrong!

1. “It’s a beautiful day to save lives.”

Let’s start with the obvious: Derek was one of the best neurosurgeons in the country. Spearheading life-saving clinical trials and the hot topic in medical journals and texts, the level of care he provided his patients encouraged people from all over the country to travel to Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital to have him take on their cases. He cared so much about saving lives that his death was partially caused because he stopped on the side of the road to assist people who had been in a car accident.

2. “I’m gonna tell you. All right. My mother’s maiden name, Maloney. I have four sisters. I have, uh, nine nieces. Five nephews…”

He was big on family. From the very first season, we knew how tight-knit the Shepherd family was because of how Derek would talk about them in passing. It wasn’t until we met them in later seasons that we learned how much he cared for his siblings and his widowed mother. It was also his love of family that gave him the idea to adopt Zola, a patient who travelled to Seattle from an orphanage in Malawi for medical care, when Meredith was having trouble conceiving.

3. “I will be Derek Shepherd, the former neurosurgeon who is now a research librarian.”

Ever the supportive partner, he always put Meredith and their family above his own needs and ambitions—even if that meant taking a step back in his own career so that she could solidify her spot in the surgical world. For instance, when it came time for her to pick a hospital for her fellowship, he was on board with relocating to Boston. And when she needed more time to focus on her research after their second child was born, Derek decided to stay home with the kids to give her the room she needed to grow.

4. “You’re making this decision with Cristina. You should be making it with me. Your Husband.”

Being in love with Meredith Grey was no easy task, but Derek was incredibly patient with her most of the time. She would push him away, run in the opposite direction at the first sign of commitment, and put her friends before their relationship. Given that he had his own unique set of issues, he understood that she was dark and twisty, had abandonment issues, and “severe emotional limitations.”

5. “This is the happy ever after part. And in the happily ever after, the guy is there all the time, saying things and the girls love it!”

Never one to shy away from telling Meredith how he felt, Derek had the perfect speech for every occasion. Over the years, there have been so many speeches, it’s hard to pinpoint which one was his best. There was the speech after Meredith had her hand on a bomb; and one when he finally told her that he was in love with her; and another one when he asked her to marry him; and the one below is pretty good, too.

The truth is: Derek wasn’t always the picture-perfect guy. Sometimes he was cold, uncompromising and pushy—but he owned his flaws. Some people might have forgotten that his moniker was given to him by Cristina, he never claimed he was the quintessential dream guy or less problematic than his counterparts. What made him interesting to watch was that he was a constantly evolving and holding himself accountable for the mistakes he made (and there were many). His refreshing honesty, raw emotion, ability to love without reservation, coupled with Patrick Dempsey’s acting chops—those are the things that made him dreamy.

Do you agree? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!