Back in 2009, the legendary television couple Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) from Grey’s Anatomy simultaneously set the highest and lowest standards of romance when they wrote their wedding vows on a post-it note in the resident’s living room. Throughout their marriage, Post-it has been a symbol of MerDer’s enduring commitment, but since Derek’s death, it has also become a constant, bright blue reminder of a love story cut short by tragedy. When Meredith’s house caught fire during a thunderstorm in the fall season 19 finale Grey’s Anatomy shortly before her move to Boston, the iconic Post-it note was saved from a fiery death. A surviving favorite Post-it note reminded Meredith that while her love for Derek would always be a part of hers, it was time to choose herself.
Where did the Post-it note on Grey’s Anatomy come from?
The origin of Post-it dates back to Season 5, Episode 24 “Now or Never” when Meredith and Derek plan to go to City Hall to get married but can’t seem to find the time. Lost in a purple haze before anyone knows John Doe is George O’MalleyTR Knight), Meredith and Derek write their vows on a sticky note using a stack of sticky notes and Christina’s slip of paper (Sandra Oh) favorite pen, like their stuff is old, new, borrowed and blue. Later, at the end of season 7, they officially got married to adopt Zola, but the sticker continued to be a real symbol of their commitment to each other.
In Season 6, when Derek draws his patient’s inoperable spinal tumor on the wall above his bed and Meredith’s, the camera pans to their framed wedding sticker as Meredith observes Derek’s intelligence and passion and reminisces about all the reasons she loves her husband. Through Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith and Derek can also “call Post-it”, meaning that even when they’re at odds, they have to choose each other above all else. For example, when Derek wants to report Richard (James Pickens Jr.) to the blackboard due to his alcoholism, Meredith “calls Post-it” and tells Derek that he can’t betray her friend. Later in the series, when Derek wants to continue his career in Washington and force Meredith to leave her, leaving their marriage in limbo, Derek “calls the Post-it” and chooses to live with Meredith and their children.
Post-it stickers symbolize the love of Meredith and Derek.
Speaking of DC, while their sticker vows may have survived the fire, we all know that Meredith and Derek’s love story has been throughout history. Grey’s Anatomy was not so indestructible. Although Derek was a brilliant surgeon and devoted husband, he had a huge ego, and this, combined with Meredith’s penchant for taking risks, led to them having many tumultuous moments. Meredith fell in love with Derek when she was a young intern, and when she later found out he was married to tough bombshell surgeon Addison Montgomery (Keith Walsh), she felt abandoned and unprotected.
In season 2, episode 5, we get one of Grey’s AnatomyThe most quoted scene is when Meredith corners Derek in the bathroom and lays out all the reasons why he should be with her and not with Addison. She ends her speech with “Choose me, choose me, love me” and the idea of shrinking herself to be with Derek has become a recurring troubling theme. Throughout her marriage, Meredith, as a confident and fiercely independent woman, also had to constantly fight to make her career feel important. Derek’s arrogance left no room for her ambition, and Meredith often had to justify her desires.
However, Meredith and Derek’s love was strong and they eventually resolved their issues (hello sticker) when Derek agreed to stay in Seattle after another trip to Washington. As we all remember, this turned out to be an unfortunate outcome. trip and Derek was hit by a semi trailer, he later died in an unprepared emergency room. After her husband’s death, Meredith returns home and lays down in her half-empty bed, staring at the sticker on the wall and feeling an overwhelming urge to run away (which, of course, she does). Upon her return to Seattle almost a year later, Post-it lies on her dresser until she falls in love with new trauma surgeon Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson) and hides his vows in a drawer to allow himself to move on.
The return of the Post-it sticker helps Meredith realize she needs to put herself first.
Fast forward to season 19 and Meredith finds herself at a crossroads as she is torn between moving to Boston because of Zola (Aniela Gumbs) education and promising Alzheimer’s research, as well as a stay in Seattle with his new love interest, Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman). While Nick is arguably her best boyfriend since Derek, Meredith is once again asked to choose between her own desires and those of her partner, and ultimately decides to make a move. Shortly before leaving, Sister Meredith Maggie (Kelly McCreery) finds the sticker while helping to pack in Zola’s room, and then manages to take it with him when the house catches fire during a terrible thunderstorm. When Meredith arrives on the scene, Maggie hands her a framed sticker and Meredith holds it to her chest as she watches forty years of family history go up in flames.
While this moment is devastating (although we later learn that the house survived the fire with little or no damage), Meredith’s reunion with Post-it is also incredibly symbolic. While the sticker reminded Meredith of the potential for great love stories, it also reminded her that she should put herself first. In a beautiful moment of reference to the “choose me, choose me, love me” scene from 18 years ago, Meredith goes to the hospital and finds Nick in the bathroom. She further tells him that although she wants him in her life, she is going to choose herself and her children and she is not going to beg him to love her. At this point, we are shown how much Meredith has grown since her internship, and that while romantic love is beautiful and powerful, that’s not all.
When Meredith leaves Seattle in Season 19, she is not avoiding injury, but rather moving on from where she grew up. Was pretending not to hear Nick’s declaration of love on the phone the best way to end their relationship? No, but we must remember that while Meredith may have grown a lot since we met her, she’s still our complicated (but beloved) perverted sister. The return of the sticker was vital to show that Meredith made the right choice in leaving Seattle and reminded her that while her marriage to Derek was filled with love, she would never have to sacrifice her dreams for a man.
Source: Collider
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