He may not be McDreamy anymore, but that doesn’t mean Patrick Dempsey doesn’t have a favorite episode of the show that made him a household name. According to Entertainment Weekly, Dempsey has chosen his favorite episode of Grey’s Anatomy – and it may not be what you think.
Over the years, Dempsey had been involved in many memorable episodes, including the episode where he proposed to Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) in one of the elevators, when he was shot by the husband of a patient who died and when he met his untimely death in an April 2015 episode.
But while all of those episodes hold special places in the hearts of Grey’s Anatomy fans, they’re not his favorite episode. That honor, he said, goes to the pilot episode.
“That’s hard — there were 250 episodes I was in over 10 years. I have to say my favorite really was the pilot because we didn’t know what was going to happen, and then there was that sense of discovery. When I saw it for the first time, I thought the music was incredible and it was fun to be a part of such a strong ensemble. That was special,” Dempsey said in a Facebook video by Cosmopolitan UK while promoting Bridget Jones’s Baby.
He also said the whole first season was special to him and that, in general, it was “remarkable.”
The pilot does hold a special place in the lives of many people, as it’s where fans were introduced to Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) as the newest batch of interns at Seattle Grace Hospital.
It was also the episode where Meredith and Derek first slept together before she realized he was her boss and fans started hoping the couple, known as MerDer, would be a couple.
Dempsey also reminded fans that Derek Shepherd is dead and isn’t coming back from the dead any time soon. “People keep asking me to come back to life and come back to the show. I think, unfortunately, he has passed.”
Even if McDreamy is no more, Dempsey is happy that the show is doing well without him and reflected on his time away from the show. “It was an incredible ride. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and what it’s given me. And (fans) still continue to love it. It’s nice to see that it’s continued to do well.”
Dempsey is referring to how the show experienced a ratings renaissance in the 12th season, where it finished the top drama on ABC, a rare feat for a show in its 12th season.
Season 13 of Grey’s Anatomy premieres on Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.