'Grey's Anatomy' Fans Have Tons of Theories About What Derek Shepherd's Return Means

From Good Housekeeping

• The season 17 premiere of Grey's Anatomy ended with a shocking twist: Derek Shepherd — yep, McDreamy — made a comeback.

• In this scene, he appears in Meredith's dream, leaving some fans to worry what this means for the character's fate.

• It's unclear how long Patrick Dempsey, who plays Derek, will stick around for, but the showrunner confirms that there are more McDreamy moments on the way.

It's a beautiful day to be a Grey's fan!

The two-hour season 17 premiere of Grey's Anatomy was packed with tons of heartbreak and uncertainty. The whole episode sets the scene with the entire crew at Grey Sloan Memorial, who are adjusting to their new normal amid the coronavirus pandemic.

There's one moment that has everyone talking, though: When Meredith, played by Ellen Pompeo, passes out in the hospital parking lot at the very end of the episode, viewers are taken into her dream state. Seconds later, Grey's fans hear a familiar voice calling out to Meredith — none other than her late husband, Derek Shepherd a.k.a. McDreamy. As the two lock eyes —the first time in six seasons — the episode concludes, leaving fans to wonder exactly what's ahead for the couple.

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After fans recovered from this long-awaited moment, they took to Twitter to share their predictions. Many think this dream sequence is alluding to the fact that Derek and Meredith are on the brink of being reunited, which means only one thing: Meredith's days on Earth are numbered.

One fan believes that this moment may merely be a tease of what's to come later this season.

Another fan supported that theory, even pointing out that the show is setting up Meredith's death in a number of ways, including showing Amelia and Link caring for her three children.

But then there's the possibility this is just a two-episode arc, as one eagle-eyed fan explained on Twitter after scouring the Grey's Anatomy IMDB page for answers.

A number of fans are holding out hope that this won't be the only reunion in season 17. Maybe, just maybe, Cristina Yang, played by Sandra Oh, will have to make a comeback to save her best friend's life?

Not all fan theories are centered on Meredith's death: One person thinks that this may be another Izzie and Denny situation, where Meredith sees her late husband's ghost whenever she needs him most.

At this time, it's unknown how the show will move forward, but Grey's showrunner Krista Vernoff confirmed that Derek is here to stay — for a few episodes at least. When asked by Variety how long fans can expect to see Derek on the show, Vernoff responded: "It’s more than the one scene you saw ... and it was just joyful. I really want to echo that." In that same interview, Dempsey said that he's down to appear in more episodes because he's a fan of "the message of what the dynamic is in this story." Fans are holding you to it, McDreamy!

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