Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Forces The Return Of Derek’s Original Family

Warning! SPOILERS about Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 8 ahead.

Derek’s death in Grey's Anatomy season 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 in Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s midseason finale made Derek’s family’s return more likely. Amelia’s permanent move from Private Practice to Grey’s Anatomy changed 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.

Visits from the Shepherd sisters in Grey’s Anatomy always 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 Anatomy season 21 midseason 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 throughout Grey’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 both Grey’s Anatomy and Private 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 in Grey’s Anatomy. Nancy appeared for the first time in Grey’s Anatomy season 3 with exactly that objective, and while she didn’t succeed, Derek listened to her and took some time to listen to what he wanted.

The next Shepherd to appear was Liz in Grey’s Anatomy season 9 when Derek needed a nerve transplant if 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 in Grey’s Anatomy season 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.

Nancy and Kathleen’s appearances in Grey’s Anatomy season 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 mistake and 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 in Grey’s Anatomy season 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 in Grey’s Anatomy season 19, it took his class of interns little input to attribute his gains to his name.

However, despite Lucas notoriously being a Shepherd in his being Amelia and Derek’s nephew, his parents are nameless in Grey’s Anatomy. Lucas’s story was central in Grey’s Anatomy season 19 with Nick recognizing his ADHD and pushing him toward an assessment, and yet nothing was revealed about who were the doctors in his immediate family who missed that. Lucas shared something about his father and his advice in Grey’s Anatomy season 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 them characters who need to return in Grey’s Anatomy season 21. While trying to reconcile with Amelia again wouldn’t work, Lucas’s arrival to Grey Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy season 19 gave them an ulterior reason to return, with him being the son of one of them. This became even more imperative after Grey’s Anatomy season 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 in Grey’s Anatomy season 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 the mystery of Lucas’s parentage in Grey’s Anatomy season 21, and it would make sense because Lucas risked his life in the altercation with the robber. This all points to Grey’s Anatomy season 21 finally bringing back the Shepherd sisters or part of them.