‘Grey's Anatomy’ Season 17 Episode 3 ‘My Happy Ending’: Meredith is NOT dead! 5 theories to shut down ALL rumors
‘Grey's Anatomy’ fans just had a minor heart attack! One of the most beloved characters, Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd — who died in a tragic twist in an April 2015 episode — made a surprise entry after 15 long years. Meredith Grey's lover appeared in a dream sequence on a beach seconds after she collapsed in the parking lot of Grey Sloan Memorial. Now many questions are circling around in heads: Is Meredith Grey dead? Will Covid-19 take her life? And will she reunite with Derek in heaven with flashes appearing in more episodes in the future?
It's quite possible that the deadly virus got to her as she struggled to cope with the ever-increasing Covid-19 deaths at the hospital. There are too many questions and not many answers. What will happen in the next episode ‘My Happy Ending’?
A 30-second promo begins with the same dream sequence where McDreamy can be seen on a beach waving at Meredith Grey. The narration then goes: “No, you're not McDreaming. This is happening.”
When Meredith spots Derek, she calls his name with a hint of surprise, “Derek...” The scene then shifts to Meredith in the emergency room as Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) tells her: “God forbid, this gets any worse.” Meredith then says, “If I fall asleep, I'm afraid I might not wake up.” The next scene shows how doctors call out her name, “Mer? Mer?! Hey?!” And we go back to the beach. As waves come crashing in, she screams out loud to Derek, “I miss you!” He replies back, “I know...”
Now, after that shocker, many fans are wondering if Meredith is dead. “McDreamy is back!! But I hope Meredith doesn't die!” one commented with a crying emoji. Another wrote, “No way that just happened shes the last of from MAGIC they cannot kill her.” A third chimed in, “Bro if she dies, I’m done with Grey’s Anatomy! Y’all killed McDreamy, McSteamy, Little Grey, and George. Y’all better not kill Mer.” We feel Meredith is not dead yet. After all, there's another season of ‘Grey's Anatomy’ that we need to binge on.
Here are five fan theories that explain how she could still be alive and why Derek could still be a part of the show.
Is it closure?
Hinting at how meeting Derek could be closure for her so she could finally move on, one fan wrote, “Perhaps this is the way they'll finally give Meredith closure in that Derek will say something that reassures her that she can both love him and properly move on without him.” Possible, isn't it? After all, they didn't introduce McWidow for no reason on the show, did they? Her conversation with Derek could help her steer her relationship with pediatric surgeon Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood) ahead.
Is this how ‘Grey's Anatomy’ will end?
One fan posted, “Remember that season when Meredith was battling between life and death because she almost drowned?? She saw dead Denny, her dead mommy, dead Doc (the dog) and someone else that I can’t remember- Alright so now that we know that, we have to remember that Meredith almost died because of water. Her near-death scenes usually involve some sort of bath, pool, or ocean so since this last scene in the episode involved a whole beach full of water AND she saw Derek, will this be the way that Grey’s Anatomy finally comes to a close at the end of the season? We know that she can’t die now because a) the season JUST started and b) we saw teasers of the upcoming episodes sooo... is my theory logical?” Perhaps, this sequence could drag on till the end and lead to the final ‘Grey's Anatomy’ scene.
Is this a hallucination?
One fan pointed out: “She has what Izzie had. They both had hallucinations of their loved dead ones.” Isobel Katherine Stevens (Katherine Heigl) was Alex Karev's lover, the one who he went back to, leaving Jo alone. Back in Season 4 and 5, Izzie lent her support to Alex when he discovered his girlfriend had psychiatric problems and then they rekindled their relationship. Soon after, she began hallucinating Denny. Stage 4 metastatic melanoma which spread to her liver, skin and brain was the main cause of the hallucinations. Could something similar be the cause?
One fan concurred with the thought and posted, “When I saw this I was shook... My theory is she has Covid and was near death before treated and saw Derek as a sort of comfort on the beach.” Another said, “Seriously, does nobody remember Meredith saw dead people when she drowned?”
Will Derek tell her to go back to her kids?
One fan predicted, “What if after the scenes with Derek. She has a choice to live or to die and Derek tells her to go with the kids. They need a parent in their lives. This is just a prediction.” That could be quite possible too! After all, Meredith is the soul of the show and the glue that brings everyone in Grey Sloan together. Perhaps, Derek will tell her to go back and be the shining light she has always been.
Is Meredith showing early signs of Alzheimer’s?
Some fans believe Meredith is not dead but is showing early signs of Alzheimer's. “Is DeLuca dead? is Meredith showing early signs of Alzheimer's? Why was Meredith the only one interacting with present-day DeLuca?! I NEED ANSWERS,” one said and another posted, “Having Meredith end up with Alzheimer's and possibly dying is such a lazy and obvious way to end the show. After so many tragedies, Meredith deserves a happy ending! I want to see her become chief!!!”
While we keep scratching our heads, let's take a look at the summary of the next episode. “The doctors continue to face their new Covid-19 reality and deal with a familiar and stubborn patient; Koracick is put in charge of the interns; Link operates on a sex therapist; Maggie finds comfort in Winston's virtual presence,” the official synopsis reads. No mention of Meredith or Derek, but we know MerDer will be a major part and maybe we'll finally find out how Derek came back in Mer's dreams.
The next episode of ‘Grey's Anatomy’ Season 17 will air on ABC from 9 pm ET to 10 pm ET on November 19, 2020.