Ellen Pompeo Doesn’t Want McDreamy To Come Back — & She Has A Good Point

Fans were devastated by Derek Shepherd's death on Grey's Anatomy. They even started a Change.org petition asking creator Shonda Rhimes to bring back Patrick Dempsey's character. Over 108,200 supporters have backed the petition, but there's one person who definitely won't be signing: his TV wife, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). In this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly, Pompeo told the magazine that not only does she think Grey's can go on without Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd, she's "personally offended" by the notion that there's no point in Meredith Grey's story moving forward without him. "Let's keep it really real for a second, and say this is really difficult for my ego," Pompeo confessed during a round table with Rhimes, Kerry Washington, and Viola Davis. "It's like, Annalise Keating carries [How to Get Away With Murder], Olivia Pope carries [Scandal]. But somehow, Meredith Grey needs someone. Why can't I just be the lead of the show the way Annalise and Olivia can? Why can't I be on that poster by myself?" Pompeo's ego is coming on a little strong here, because even though the show is called Grey's Anatomy, it's always been an ensemble drama, and wouldn't be the same without its large cast of characters. We get what she's saying, though. She doesn't want Meredith Grey to solely be defined by whether or not she's with a man, or to rely on a relationship for personal happiness and satisfaction. Rhimes spoke to EW about having Meredith come to the realization that Derek compliments her, rather than completes her. "It was so interesting for me to discover that audiences, especially women, are so conditioned to believe that there’s a singular fairy tale that nobody stops to think that that might not be the definition of happiness," Rhimes shared. So, it looks like Dr. Derek Shepherd really is going to stay dead, and Rhimes has a good reason for it. Meredith Grey's story will continue on without him, though he'll always be a part of it. Now, someone cue up Snow Patrol while we mourn. (Entertainment Weekly)