Grey's Anatomy's 11th season was emotionally draining and went through a bit of a time jump after Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) died.

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For months, fans have been wondering why the time jump happened. The time jump was about a year ahead between the episode that played as tribute to Derek dying and the two that followed concluding the season.

The ABC medical drama's showrunner Shonda Rhimes told TVLine exactly why the time jump needed to exist. It has a lot to do with how Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) was coping with the loss of her husband.

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"I couldn't imagine a world in which Meredith could go a month and be able to speak or breathe - or [even] six months," Rhimes explained, adding, "I needed time to pass for her to even be in a place where I felt like she could have a conversation."

It makes sense since sometimes people take a long time when it comes to grieving. Plus, Pompeo has admitted that moving forward with season 12 her character will be finding her way as a single mom who lost the love of her life.

The actress told E! News that "the story of losing a loved one... the idea of losing a spouse is such a significant story to tell."

So Meredith will transition as the upcoming season airs and she clearly needed the time jump to grieve.

Grey's Anatomy returns to ABC on Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET for its season 12 premiere.

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