Warning! SPOILERS about Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 8 ahead.
Derek’s death inGrey’s Anatomyseason 11 ensured the only connection to the Shepherds in the medical drama would have been Amelia, but Lucas’ arrival changed things, and his latest developments inGrey’s Anatomyseason 21’s midseason finale made Derek’s family’s return more likely.Amelia’s permanent move fromPrivate PracticetoGrey’s Anatomychanged the connection the medical drama had to the Shepherds, as her relationship with her sisters was the opposite of Derek’s. Indeed, Amelia’s bond with Nancy, Liz and Kathleen had always been fractured, making it less likely for them to visit Seattle just for Amelia.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 21’s Amelia Story Honored 1 Of Derek Shepherd’s Best Case From 15 Years Ago
Amelia can finally honor Derek through “impossible” surgeries in Grey’s Anatomy after her and Meredith’s Alzheimer’s research made Derek’s obsolete.
Visits from the Shepherd sisters inGrey’s Anatomyalways brought some level of drama, although when Derek was involved, the conflict more often than not hit Meredith rather than the Shepherd brother. While the beginning of Meredith and Derek’s relationship gave the Shepherds enough ammunition,Amelia’s difficult relationship with her sisters and mother meant even more animosity, making their disappearance from the medical drama make sense. However,Grey’s Anatomyseason 21midseason finale’s shocking ending endangering Lucas can finally bring all the Shepherds back, or at least the part of them that is related to both Lucas and Amelia.
Derek Shepherd’s Sisters Haven’t Been In Grey’s Anatomy For Years
Nancy & Kathleen Have Been Absent For 5 Years, But Liz For 12
All of Derek’s sisters appeared throughoutGrey’s Anatomy. Amelia visited the most and even remained, however, Derek’s three other sisters showed up in different patterns, with some only appearing once and one visiting bothGrey’s AnatomyandPrivate Practice.Their visits’ intent more often than not had been to reunite the Shepherds as a big family, but that was rarely implemented more constantly inGrey’s Anatomy.Nancy appeared for the first time inGrey’s Anatomyseason 3with exactly that objective, and while she didn’t succeed, Derek listened to her and took some time to listen to what he wanted.
[Liz’s] objective was also to get Derek and Meredith’s family to be part of hers, but the next time the Shepherds reunited, it was clear that hadn’t happened.
The next Shepherd to appear was Liz inGrey’s Anatomyseason 9 when Derek needed a nerve transplantif he wanted to operate again. Her objective was also to get Derek and Meredith’s family to be part of hers, but the next time the Shepherds reunited, it was clear that hadn’t happened. Finally,Kathleen was introduced inGrey’s Anatomyseason 15, episode 21 at Nancy’s dinner party with Amelia and Link, and the event fully highlighted why Amelia struggled with keeping in touch with her mother and sisters, showing how harsh her family could be in their perception of Amelia.
The Shepherd Family’s Only Purpose Was To Remind Amelia & Derek To Keep In Touch
Their Interactions Still Showed A Disinterest In Getting To Know Derek & Amelia
Nancy, Liz and Kathleen never forgot to remind Derek, Meredith and Amelia that they were a family, and as such they should have kept in touch. However, the Shepherd sisters were the first not to behave in a welcoming way. From using a derogatory adjective to discuss Meredith to only seeing Amelia as the sum of her faults,Nancy and Kathleen gave Derek and Amelia so many reasons not to be in touch. Amelia’s past might have given Derek reason to worry sometimes, but he rarely saw Amelia only through her mistakes, having a genuinely encouraging, stable bond with her.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 21’s Tragedy Brought Back Meredith & Cristina’s Forgotten Replacement
The tragedy of the aftermath of Mika’s car crash can make the bond between two interns more similar to Meredith and Cristina’s in Grey’s Anatomy S21.
Nancy and Kathleen’s appearances inGrey’s Anatomyseason 15, episode 21 perfectly explained why Amelia avoided any possible contact with them, going to extreme lengths not to let them know she was in New York.The dinner party Nancy threw for Amelia was the epitome of everything that didn’t work in their relationship as sisters, with Nancy and Kathleen not seeing who was in front of them, instead thinking back to past Amelia’s every mistakeand behaving horribly with her. The dinner wasn’t nonetheless a failure because it prompted a heart-to-heart between Amelia and her mother Carolyn, giving her closure.
Grey’s Anatomy Has Still To Reveal Which Shepherd Sister Is Lucas’s Mother
Lucas Is Established As Amelia’s Nephew, But Who His Mother Is Was Never Revealed
Lucas being a Shepherd was a contentious issue inGrey’s Anatomyseason 19, as his wish to make a name for himself at Grey Sloan Memorial even brought him to let his colleagues think he was sleeping with Amelia instead of saying she was his aunt.Having always been in the Shepherds’ shadow, Lucas longed not to be associated with them, instead wishing to appear as yet another reject like his colleagues. When Amelia forced Lucas to reveal their connection inGrey’s Anatomyseason 19, it took his class of internslittle input to attribute his gains to his name.
Grey’s Anatomydidn’t hide Lucas’s connection to Meredith and Amelia, but it also never fully disclosed it, as it didn’t share which Shepherd sister is Lucas’s mother.
However, despite Lucas notoriously being a Shepherd in his being Amelia and Derek’s nephew, his parents are nameless inGrey’s Anatomy. Lucas’s story was central inGrey’s Anatomyseason 19 with Nick recognizing his ADHD and pushing him toward an assessment, andyet nothing was revealed about who were the doctors in his immediate familywho missed that. Lucas shared something about his father and his advice inGrey’s Anatomyseason 21 too, but the medical drama has failed to disclose the names of Lucas’s parents, making the midseason finale’s developments the perfect opportunity for Lucas’s parents to be introduced.
Lucas Potentially Getting Shot Is The Perfect Chance To Bring Back The Shepherd Sisters
It’s Unrealistic For Lucas’s Mother Not To Appear If He Got Hurt
The Shepherd sisters’ absence since season 15 makes themcharacters who need to return inGrey’s Anatomyseason 21. While trying to reconcile with Amelia again wouldn’t work, Lucas’s arrival to Grey Sloan inGrey’s Anatomyseason 19 gave them an ulterior reason to return, with him being the son of one of them. This became even more imperativeafterGrey’s Anatomyseason 21, episode 8 ended with the gun firing as Lucas and the robber struggled for it, so season 21’s second half has no reason to keep the Shepherd sisters away, especially if Lucas were to be hurt.
Lucas had already gone through some major struggles inGrey’s Anatomyseason 20, and his family bar Amelia was nowhere to be seen.For a family so focused on getting Derek and Amelia to keep in touch, it would be extremely out of character not to try something similar with their son. This would finally reveal themystery of Lucas’s parentage inGrey’s Anatomyseason 21, and it would make sense because Lucas risked his life in the altercation with the robber. This all points toGrey’s Anatomyseason 21 finally bringing back the Shepherd sisters or part of them.
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June 07, 2025
Grey’s Anatomyseason 21 returns to ABC at 10pm on Thursday, July 26, 2025.
Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama series revolving around surgical interns, residents, and attendings at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The show features the professional and personal lives of these medical professionals, led initially by Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. Created by Shonda Rhimes, the series highlights the complexities of medical cases while delving into the interpersonal relationships among the hospital staff.
