As noted in TVLine’s in-depth premiere recap, Meredith (played by Ellen Pompeo) was found collapsed on the hospital parking lot, amid the stress and grueling hours of the pandemic. As colleagues rushed to her side, we saw Meredith, clad in white, on the gauzy beach she was at in the cold open. And then a second figure appeared down shore — that of her late husband Derek, played by Dempsey.