For the most part Gray’s Anatomy Actors and line-ups were left in the dark about the miraculous return of Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, who passed away at the end of the Season 17 premiere on Thursday. In fact, it led them to believe Another Favorite character that Meredith meets on that beach.

“We added the name ‘Ellis Gray’ to the script we read on the table,” reveals showrunner Christa Vernoff Time limit, Refers to Meredith’s mother, played by former actor Kate Burton. “I had [Ellen Pompeo] Sit at the table and say ‘Mom’. So we got there that day and never told anyone what was going on… I was like a madman with this secret. Bone and I spend hours every night asking, ‘Who knows?’

As mentioned in our premier recap, Meredith was found wrecked in the hospital parking lot between the tense and tough hours of the epidemic. As colleagues rushed to her side, we spotted Meredith, dressed in white, on a goose beach where she was staying in a cool open space. The second form appeared on shore – of her beloved, dead McDreamy (see moment above).

“I have to say that keeping this secret is a legendary achievement,” Vernoff admitted. “I did not send the wounds to the studio and the network that contained the final scene. For the past few months I have had no writers ‘assistants in the writers’ room. There were writers on that staff who didn’t know we were doing this. Most actors don’t know we do this. When the day was shown the staff did not know we were doing this. ”

Meanwhile, Dempsey’s comeback will extend to next week’s episode, Vernof confirms, “This is more than just a scene you saw.”