Where Does the Latest Grey's Anatomy Death Rank Among All Its Other Tragedies?

Deaths, breakups, accidents...will anyone ever get a happy ending on this show? NOPE.

By Sydney Bucksbaum Apr 24, 2015 10:30 PMTags
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McDreamy, noooooo!

It's been almost a full day since we watched Patrick Dempsey's final Grey's Anatomy episode (ugh, and we're still in denial about that!), and now that the initial shock has worn off, we. Are. Pissed.

Not only was Derek Shepherd, aka Dr. McDreamy, our fictional TV husband of choice, killed off the show he was the core of for over a decade, but the way in which he was axed from the series was so unnecessarily brutal and cruel, that we feel like we were cheated.

If you didn't get a chance to watch the heartbreaking and gutwrenching episode, ironically titled "How to Save a Life," catch up with our full (and indignant) recap, and check out what Shonda Rhimes, Dempsey himself and ABC had to say about the unforgettable episode here.

ABC

We've already discussed in full why we're not okay with how Dempsey was written off the show, but we're going to have to accept it, especially since next week's episode is going to be dealing with the fallout of Derek's death in massive amounts. We are so not prepared for his funeral. Someone hold us? Can we all watch together for moral support? Please?

And yes, as diehard fans of Grey's Anatomy who have been watching ever since the pilot aired over 10 years ago, we know that ABC's long-running medical drama is no stranger to tragedies. But this one...just felt different. Other characters, way more minor than half of the show's heart, got multiple-episode arcs devoted to saying goodbye. Hell, Sandra Oh, who was arguably just as important as Dempsey to the show, got an entire season devoted to servicing her exit. For Derek to get half an episode, and to have his onscreen death come out of nowhere just hurt like crazy.

So where does McDreamy's sudden and emotionally jarring death rank among all the other tragedies we've witnessed over the past 11 seasons on Grey's Anatomy? Click through our gallery below to find out, and prepare to cry even more.