15 Essential "Grey's Anatomy" Episodes For Meredith-and-Derek Fans

Season three fleshes out Meredith's relationship with her Alzheimer's-ridden mother, the great surgeon Ellis Grey. It stands out as one of the series' darkest seasons as it explores Meredith's struggle with depression and suicidal ideation. In episode 15, the hospital's interns respond to a mass casualty event where a container ship has crashed into a ferry. At the end of that episode, Meredith falls into the water.

In episode 16, Derek pulls Meredith out of the water. His rescue is more heartbreaking than heroic. For most of this episode and the next one, Meredith looks dead (although we all knew that she was going to make it out alive, because duh, she's the main character).