How to Save a Life (Grey's Anatomy)
| "How to Save a Life" | |
|---|---|
| Grey's Anatomy episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 11 Episode 21 |
| Directed by | Rob Hardy |
| Written by | Shonda Rhimes |
| Featured music |
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| Original air date | April 23, 2015 |
| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"How to Save a Life" is the twenty-first episode of the eleventh season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and is the 241st episode overall. It aired on April 23, 2015 on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by showrunner Shonda Rhimes and directed by Rob Hardy, making it the first episode Rhimes has written since the season eight finale "Flight". The episode marked the death of the series’ male lead character, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), who had starred on the series since its inception.
In this episode, Shepherd is involved in an accident while attempting to help the victims of a car accident. He is later pronounced brain dead, in part due to the surgeons not providing him with a timely CT scan. The episode also has the fewest series regulars appearing in an episode, with only six regular cast members in it: Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Chandra Wilson, Kevin McKidd, Sarah Drew and Caterina Scorsone. This episode also marks the first appearance of Dr. Penelope Blake (Samantha Sloyan).
The episode's original broadcast was watched by 9.55 million viewers and registered the show as the week's highest rated drama and third-highest rated scripted series in the 18–49 demographic. It received mixed reviews from the critics who were divided on the show's handling of Shepherd's death. However, they were largely laudatory of Pompeo, with critic Rick Porter deeming it the best performance of her career.
The episode opens with a flashback of a five year old Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) lost in a park. The Chief of Neurosurgery at Grey-Sloan Memorial, Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), leaves Grey and their two children to go to Washington to resign from the President's brain mapping project. While she is at Grey-Sloan, Grey returns a call from Shepherd as he drives to the airport, and the two speak briefly until his phone loses its signal. Shortly thereafter, Shepherd witnesses a road accident and stops to help the victims. He rescues a young girl named Winnie (Savannah Paige Rae), and helps her mother who has a dislocated leg. With assistance from Winnie, he rescues another couple from their car right before it explodes, and offers them emergency medical care.
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