'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16: Derek 'McDreamy' Shepherd still makes fans emotional after Zola and DeLuca remember him in Episode 6
One of the longest-running medical shows on TV, 'Grey's Anatomy' has seen several characters die. Many new surgeons and interns have replaced them through the years, but they can't take the place of the original cast, can they?
That is why fans were left heartbroken when Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) left the show in 2015 near the end of the show’s season 11.
Derek's name resurfaces every now and then — and viewers still feel his absence from the show. One such touching moment on the series was during the Halloween special when Zola remembered her late father.
In Episode 6 titled 'Whistlin' Past the Graveyard', Meredith and Derek's daughter Zola (Aniela Gumbs) lashes out at Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) when he tries helping her fix her butterfly wings. "Don't! You're not my dad!" she tells him.
DeLuca still tries his best to break the wall between the two and talks to the little one again. Zola then helps him understand why she reacted strongly – Derek was the one who fixed her butterfly wings before he died.
She is concerned that if someone else does the same, she will forget him. He reassures her, "Zola, you're not going to forget your dad. No-one's forgetting your dad. He was a legend."
DeLuca also goes on to narrate a story about the time Derek performed surgery on a patient named Isaac, who had an inoperable tumor on his spinal cord and saved the man's life.
The entire conversation brings back memories of his presence on the show and fans can't stop themselves from posting how much they miss him.
One Twitter user wrote, "Zola still has the butterfly wings that Derek fixed for her years ago and she wears it for her Halloween costume now."
Another posted, "Deluca telling Zola story of her father and brain tumor. I remember that episode only OG #GreysAnatomy fans know of it. He even draws the tumor on the wall. Derek was legendary!!!"
"I really do miss Dad Derek, he was such a good father #GreysAnatomy," one tweet read and another said, "When DeLuca started to talk about Derek, I was drowning in my own tears."
Another fan wrote, "The episode where Derek sewed Zola's wings was so sweet! It's no wonder Zola misses her Dad and with her Mom away in jail & doing community service it makes sense that she's upset and acting out #GreysAnatomy."
It seems like this season is about remembering old characters. Episode four of 'Grey's Anatomy' hinted at how an old cast member is alive when Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) gets a text message from Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh).
With 17 more episodes to go, there may be more references to old times, so it's time to hold your heart. Episode seven titled 'Papa Don't Preach' will air on Thursday, November 7 on ABC.
