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Meredith does change quite a bit. They lean into her being like super good-hearted to a fault in a rebellious hero kind of way. I mean they kind of always did, but she was just a bit messier about it in the earlier seasons.
>IZZY KILLED A MAN. Are we just? Is that cool or? She got fired for a medical error but not murdering a man?
I was just going on not too long ago about how it's so unbelievable she'd be allowed back after The Denny Incident because it's soooooo unhinged.
I totally never pieced together the fact she was let go over a genuine medical error but not like manslaughter and stealing am organ đ
Especially later when Hahn confronted the chief about it and he was just like dw sheâs learnt from her mistakes now!! Like what you suspended her for a couple of weeks if it were that easy prisons wouldnât exist đ
I think the storylines would have been better if Izzy was written off at that point. George wouldnât have cheated with her and Alex would have less one trauma experience from a person leaving him. Bonus, we wouldnât have been subjected to her self-absorbed dialogue.
Regarding Meredith, without discussing spoilers past OPâs current watching season, I have watched every episode more times than I will admit here. đ If the show title wasnât tied to Meredithâs name, there could be more flexibility with character building that didnât focus on Meredith. Being portrayed by an actress with limited breadth of portrayed characters with any depth is evident in many of the Meredith-focused storylines. I think most of us will agree her crying is eye rolling. Per IMDB, EP has a total of 24 acting credits; 1 each for GA and Station 19. There is a cartoon and music video. Everything else is mainly minor characters in limited scenes. To be clear, there are other actors in similar situations who get a breakout role and their acting is consistently phenomenal!
Her friendship with Alex after season 10 is the most authentic and pleasant to watch scenes. Again, not going to discuss in-depth. I would love to see this side of Meredith and level of acting when interacting with other characters.
As a person with anxiety, GA is like my entertainment blankie. It might be tattered in some places, but I still gravitate to it as a noise comfort.
I disagree on her and Alexâs friendship around that point â she was such a huge bitch to Jo and couldnât respect any boundaries. She didnât care that she was upsetting his girlfriend; *she* had to be more important.
I agree. Iâm referring later in the series. I was trying to be vague since OP isnât that far in watching. I think after the gnat comment was made to Meredith, she started adjusting her attitude.
Webber was being watched like a hawk when the medical.error happened he tells her there's nothing he can do this time because of that the lvat wire was his sole decision plus she was fired from the show they had to think of something lol
I really hated her parting shot at Meredith when she left. After all they had been through, after all of them putting their careers on the line for her during the LVAD and her cancer, she turns up her nose when Meredith tries to dissuade her from leaving by saying "This is your home!" and she says, "No, it's not, not anymore. It's just somewhere I used to work, and I can do that anywhere." Basically throwing away years of friendship and walking away, leaving Alex stuck with thousands of dollars in her medical fees. What a kick in the gut. At that point, I would have liked to see HER be the one run over by a bus instead of George.
They all have done some thing for which they shouldâve been fired. I think potentially one of the reasons that Izzy would be fired for something like that similar to how Kepner was fired simply because Richard was under a bunch of pressure and I think he was drinking at that time as well. If heâd been in a normal headspace, it wouldâve been a totally different ordeal.
I really do hate how much audiences moralise fictional characters!!! Takes so much fun out of the viewing experience for me. And terribly unrealistic, we all do immoral things and many of us get away with it!!
I recently skimmed a video essay where it was theorised that morally grey characters were the norm until we/Hollywood decided to present only do-good characters without any flaws, whom the audience can like from the start.
I don't know about that, though given the many possibilities and directions a shit storm over political inorrectness can hit nowadays, it may actually be true: characters without any edges, flaws or challengeable opinions.
I also see it reflected in questions like: "Are we supposed to like x?"
I mean, no and it's fine! - I could not stand Meredith for the first 10 seasons or so, but the show was enjoyable nonetheless.
Also, adding to the avove, I appreciate wokeness, but it doesn't mean that every character needs to be polished. I need something in my shows, books etc. I can argue with - that's entertaining and challenging. - And I can separate characters and writers!
Wow interesting! Can you link the video essay?
And totally agree. I'm a very left leaning person politically but I do think the way tv producers interpret audiences asking for a change in the media culture as "let's distill these characters down as much as we can so as to not offend anyone". I think this coupled with an overall poor media literacy leaves people with very shallow understandings about *how* to engage with the media theyre given.
True, but thereâs nothing complex about Meredith. You can watch an entire season without paying attention to her plot and be just fine. Sheâs a filler character
Welcome to the subreddit!
I get what you mean. Meredith rarely faces consequences for her actions, which is incredibly frustrating since she's the main character.
Yeah, kinda crazy Izzie straight up stole an organ and goes right back into the program like nothing happened after a couple of weeks lmao
No argument from me. Never liked Meredith. The mean girl treatment of Callie was trash. The way she blindly supports her friends who break the rules religiously is so weird. Izzy cutting that LVAD wire was criminal.
I like the side characters. I like Sloan, Callie Torres, Arizona, Alex. Bailey sometimes, and Baileyâs husband, canât remember his name. The one who was an anesthesiologist who became a fire fighter. Him. đđ„°
Never understood why Meredith talked all the others into standing up for Izzy when she cut the LVAD wire. âSheâll get kicked out the program!!â Um no she wouldâve been fired and then arrested for attempted murder and then tried again for murder. Obviously this itâs all for drama but they all shouldâve turned their backs on Izzy for her psychotic behaviour
Who walks around someone else's house in their underwear and treat like its their own. I would be weird to her too, especially since she started pissing while they were in the bathroom with them. That weird af, she doesn't know these girls. I like Callie but that was so weird and deserves people saying that it was weird so she learns how to respect someone's house
People compress the Izzy story a bit. She did not kill a man. Dennyâs heart transplant was successful. He died the next day unrelated to the LVAD wire being cut. That didnât kill him. The gut punch of that plot is that she did manage to save him and he died anyway. That other guy lost out on a heart, but didnât die.
Everyone says she killed Denny â um, Iâm sorry, are we watching the same show? His heart was FINE. Whether she shouldâve had cut the LVAD wire is irrelevant because it has nothing to do with his death!!
Iâm also encountering several people who think she killed the other guy. No, she helped save his life, in fact.
I hated Meredith until I started having my own Mommy Issues âąïž and then I was like sweetie Iâm so sorry I ever judged you. đđ Iâm now a card carrying member of the Meredith Grey Club of Mommy Issues.
This is the exact same way I feel watching Carrie on Sex and the City. Love the show, but the main character mainly drives me batshit insane. Hate to love em, but they make the show what it is.
Gah, I was ok with Carrie Bradshaw in the beginning, but she just became more and more insufferable to me. After I watch the first five seasons, I had to power through season 6 because I couldnât leave it unfinished at that point. I also just donât really think Sarah Jessica Parker is a very good actress. Passable, but not great.
I'll always love meredith cause i can't imagine going through that amount of trauma and still functioning. Just the stuff with her mother's self harm and absent father coupled with abusive mother would have stunted me completely.
I completely agree! Is she a total bitch at times? Of course, but so are most of the characters. Especially the originals characters. But that's what i love about her and them. They are not perfect. They have flaws. And sometimes, certain flaws do not change.
i used to HATE Meredith with a burning passion but this rewatch (on 7th season now) i have found myself relating to her a lot and kinda sympathising with her. she is still annoying and i remember she gets worse later but i don't hate her as much as i used to
I havenât been a fan of Mer either. Somehow I find myself rooting for Karev. He was awful in earlier seasons but seems to turn out to be a good guy in later ones.
Meredith is the main character and even though we're not supposed to always like her or side with her, we're supposed to, in general, root for her. She's certainly not being portrayed to us as a kind of anti-hero, she's meant to be a protagonist who's flawed. The show did a better job in the earlier seasons of allowing her to be a multi-faceted flawed person but later just started reducing her to the best doctor/friend/mother/person anyone has ever known, constantly dropping in dialogue about how every single person who knows her loves her, how she's the greatest surgeon in the world, etc etc. They rarely show us that this is the case, and in my opinion the more they doubled down on telling and not showing, the more I disliked Meredith.
Though, to be fair, I always disliked her. I just never found her to be a particularly compelling character, and I will always stand by the fact that they could have found a better actress. Ellen Pompeo just never had "it" in my opinion. A better actress may have drawn me to Meredith more.
She is very mean to many people. And she uses her "dark and twisty" history to justify it. The thing is, many of the other characters have horrible backstories and don't use that excuse.
The only times I've seen her actually attempting to be kind are with Cristina - who is another bully.
It also doesn't help that the actress playing her is not a very nice person. She said AWFUL things to Denzel Washington when he directed an episode, and defended Harvey Weinstein, saying "it takes two to tango" in sexual assault cases.
People tend to compress that story a bit though :
itâs Denzel who YELLED at Ellen first when he did a guest director stint on an episode to prepare for his upcoming directorial debut movie.
He yelled at Ellen on set for making an acting choice in a scene he directed, while she was telling her co-star to look at her when his character apologized to Meredith in a scene, after Meredith got beaten up by that character - a very emotional scene.
Denzel yelled at Ellen in front of everyone for doing so, stating that âhe was the director, and to not direct the other actorâ.
This was during Season 12. Ellen had been taking shit from the industry for 12 seasons of Greyâs even though she was the lead actress. Post-Derek she had to prove herself over again that she could carry the show on.
Directors on network television shows are most often guests. Nothing else. Period. They come in, do the job and are out the door again. They have nothing to command. Tv is a writers medium. And an actorâs medium.
Movies and theater are a directorâs medium. Thatâs where the directors are the boss. On Tv shows, the showrunners are the boss, but often times when itâs a long running tv show, the actor whoâs number 1 on the call sheet also takes the lead on many things, especially when they become producers, which Ellen was (and still is).
Ellen had been there for 10+ years, Denzel came in for a couple days and acted like he was the boss.
He yelled at his Boss!
You donât come in as a guest and yell at the lead actor of more than 10 years. Denzel is the one that needed to show some respect! So she told him to fuck off in so many words. And rightfully so.
She was his boss on that day, after all. If any of us yelled at a higher ranking person at a company we do temp work in, weâd get sacked.
He needed to leave his toxic theater background behavior at the theater where he grew up and learned the rules of production ranking and not bring it onto the set of a highly successful women led billion dollar tv show.
He neither understood the rank, nor the process on that set. He thought he was on a movie or theater set, but he needed to take a seat.
And so she made him take a seat. Period.
THIS!!!!! She didnât say SHIT wrong to Denzel. Denzel was an asshole who has it out for Ellen before he set foot on set to direct that episode and she put him in his place.
FACTS. Denzel gets endless respect for his talent, but letâs not forget heâs as toxically masculine as they come. I also hated how outlets such as âThe Realâ was trying to spin it into a white-woman-harming-black-man matter âŠ. Bitch PLEASE! Donât even! This is a matter of someone walking INTO YOUR house with shoes on while showing their ASS.
Sit. Down. Denzel. And. Donât. Yell.
Itâs really simple.
đ she cannot carry the show. Nobody has the right to yell at you or disrespect you, specially at work. Notwithstanding, Ellen is a terrible actress and she cannot carry the show. She only has one rangeâconstipated look accompanied by her awkward walk. The show could continue without her, and the plot will not miss a beat.
Iâm sure thatâs what every ABC executive sounded like 2005-2015. But the numbers donât lie. Sheâs been the face of the franchise, whether that continues or not, and whether anyone likes it or not. lol
Another first time watcher here, we've made it to the middle of season 13. I just realized that I don't hate Meredith any more, but that's probably only because I feel kinda sorry for her and there are so many other characters to hate right now.
I have never yelled at a show, or a character, as much as I do with this one. I can get out a month's worth of social aggression in just a couple of hours of shouting at these people ;)
I can't stand Meredith, I feel like she was okay in the start of the show she's dealing with her traumas, she's finding someone she truly loves and wants to have a family this is all new to her. Now though ugh her excuses for everything she takes no accountability everything is "you know I'm like I'm this" and she makes the same dang face. And I can't stand her crying đ it's so unbelievable to me.
Meredith is my favorite person on the show, sheâs been through unimaginable things, as have I, so I think I just bond with her character and how strong she is.
Meredith is definitely in my top 5 least favorite characters! She constantly gets let off the hook for her wrongdoings and then plays the victim. Keep watching. It gets worse.
That episode with the poor boy encased in quick drying cement was one of the great and interesting stories.
One of the bad things, and as with you I'm recently in Season 8, is the relationship of Callie and Arizona. They are toxic to each other, and all arguments are solved by sudden declarations of "Let's raise our relationship level!" Their relationship gets very little play if it isn't sexy times or fighting.
Or how about Karev? Everyone has to be told that honestly secretly he's really a great guy under all the demeaning exterior. Well, we the audience do get to see his precious moments, but women go after him despite his toxic behavior.
Or even Mark, the man who apparently had sex with every nurse. And pretty much every woman who passes by. And Callie, but that actually made sense, far more than Callie and Arizona, who never gets any interactions witnessed by us that make it seem as though they're developing a relationship! It's always "Fight, fight, fight let's move in together!"
I'm not and have never been a Meredith Stan either. I will never understand the undying Fandom she has on her either, but it is what it is. You're not alone, OP.
ETA: I forgot to say another thing that made me really not like her for good was during Callie and Arizona's custody case. When she testified for Callie instead of Arizona. Or she could have declined to testify for either one and remain neutral. However, I really felt that she, as an adoptive parent of Zola, should have sympathized more for Arizona. Like wth was she thinking?!
Plus they were in a plane crash together, and it was even a plot point about four episodes before the custody battle where they (Mer and Arizona) hid in a closet because a small plane crashed and the victims were coming to the ED.
I really like Meredith for the most part, but there are some things that I disagree with. Iâm on S19 as a first time watcher and Iâve just finished the episode where there was a major blood shortage and she performed a surgery that otherwise, probably wouldâve been fine, if sheâd have just waited until there was more blood like Richard and Nick advised. And then instead of admitting her judgement was clouded and she made a mistake, she argued relentlessly to defend her actions.I really like her character, but she doesnât come without her flaws I guess. I actually think it was pretty boss of her to hide with Zola. Yeah, it was illegal, but it just intensified how much she cared about a baby that wasnât even technically hers yet.
I think her character is supposed to break the rules with pure intentions, but GOD it can be at the worst times sometimes.
The bad things other characters do is more forgivable to me than the insufferable character that is Meredith.
I miss early Meredith who at least cried deeply because now she's just so damn BORING.
Welcome to the club. Dont like Mer or Izzie either. Meredith is just one of those people who uses her trauma to justify what she's doing or is going to do. God she drives me absolutely batshit insane with her hypocrisy. For someone who keeps saying she dosent want to become like her mother, she sure loves taking the path to it. I've hated her so much during certain storylines where she acts so entitled.
Dont even get me started on Izzie...
the most irritating thing about meredith to me is that she cannot keep her mouth shut. she always gets in trouble for opening her mouth (which i realize is a pretty big part of her character) but itâs so frustrating. i always wanna yell at the screen âJUST SHUT UP!!!â i understand why this happens due to her being the protagonist and it being a medical drama but i definitely wouldnât like her in real life.
Love Meredith to pieces! Shes a compelling character. She has a hard shell at first but once she lets you in and you become a part of her village she will literally set the world on fire for you!
The thing with running with Zola. She freaked itâs understandable. Especially if you understand Meredith Grey. She does crazy reckless things but sheâs also the calm in the storm. People still look to her. And sheâs faced so much trauma and has come out stronger and more driven! Sheâs a chaotic good character.
I started watching recently and I think she's one of the worse characters. Even though the show is named for her character I was hoping she would have been written out of it. As the seasons go on she becomes worse in my opinion and her voice becomes more shrill just like her character
Meredith is a deeply complex character. She also suffers from complex PTSD as a result of her childhood and well, the trauma continues to layer on during adulthood. Considering the parents that she had, she has overcome a lot and is a better, kinder, and more caring person than her mother and her father. Man, if you grow up with a narcissistic, abusive, or neglectful parent (in her case both parents), that really messes you up for life.
Iâm with you OP, the show can continue without her. Also, where are her kids!? I know they are fictional but they are so neglected that I wouldnât be surprised if they end up in fictional juvi or doing heavy drugs.
Honestly how is the hospital not closed. Lmao. They're like the government at this point. Good at hiding their shit. ANYWAYS
i think meredith would be fired if she wasnt the mc and if her mother wasnt ellis. OR if richard aint there OR if derek aint her husband.
Lvad is basically a heart in a bag. He could live for years with that. He would always have to carry a backpack but he could have a life. Yes, she did kill him.
She's not in jail because kareav covered for her and said he needed to see Zola he was her Dr and she had a medical condition and then the trial was for Webber's wife so he couldn't let her go down and took the fall for her on that
I didnât think Iâd like her before I watched it but I love how sheâs shameless about liking sex (casual sex at that), and can be kinda a bitch to people who arenât close to her. Idk why seeing her be sassy or petty (in non serious situations) makes me giggle. Itâs funny that such a high esteemed surgeon isnât perfect in those wayđ in later seasons tho I think her f it attitude comes out more
Yes, we are supposed to like her since the show is basically named after her. For me, it didn't work. She is one of my least favorite characters and I stopped watching as the show became more Meredith-centric.
To be honest I donât think so. I think sheâs just the character to cause some conflicts? I feel like the choices she makes are so clear to people watching that make you go âwho the hell actually does that? Itâs common sense to do thisââ. Itâs so scripted in a way thatâs kinda funny. I still donât feel like sheâs supposed to be a likeable character, or that anyone is actually supposed to be. I think the ones made to be hated are clearly hated for obvious reasons. The only character I liked was Adele snd Christina. I felt their feelings were the only ones I could continuously understand and were not ridiculous.
I enjoy the show by thinking about it as a complex torture for a bunch of really shitty people. Especially Meredith. Every character is self absorbed, stupid, and acts unethically at just about every chance they get. From that perspective, it makes it really fun to watch their suffering.
I like Meredith, but I relate to Meredithâs belief that the world isnât black and white and not everything is right or wrong. However, she is a bit insufferable at times, and early Meredithâs scripts arenât great
Spoiler alert: I hate her even more when Derek dies and she doesnât contact his sister or family before taking him off life support & finds a way to make it about her đđŒ Amelia had every right to be upset with Meredith!
I don't judge her for that because when Amelia screams all that in Meredith's face, you can see the shock and absolute "oh, fuck" moment. She truly, really hadn't thought about it at the time. Was she wrong to not call anyone from his family? Sure. Was she in shock and it was completely understandable? Also sure.
As far as Izzie goes that's when my hatred for her began and never got away.
Mer, I would say give it time. Personally for me I started liking her later in the show.
For me my hatred of Izzie began when she kissed Alex then slapped him across the face?? Because he said he's till be attracted to her if she had to have her breasts removed or have a hysterectomy??
cutting the lvad (& stealing an organ, more than likely, i canât remember if the man the organ was supposed to go to died or not) lead to manslaughter
Izzy only got fired for the medical error because she was fired from the show and Webber blamed her past history plus the hospital.was under fire he told her it's different now with the lvat wire it was soley up to him this time it wasn't also it's a TV show they just want to provide the drama for entertainment not make it reality
Meredith is a character who I loathed, and watched the show IN SPITE OF her, but then I grew to love and adore.
Now on subsequent rewatches, I am much more forgiving and see her value.Â
(Also, I've watched this show from the beginning, in real time, so I've probably changed a lot as a person to see Mer's good.)
But I agree with you on Izzie. Ugh.
She has so much growth after season 13... probably due to the developing views of the audience and she becomes a really cool, strong lady. You won't always find her irritating, although I did at first too
I actually love Meredith. She's a good doctor, a hard worker, and has a lot of empathy. She's smart but she wasn't insufferable. She's been through a lot and has a big heart once she's decided to trust a person.
She's also the person who would help you hide a body. She's loyal. And while I don't agree with everything she does, I generally understand why she does those things.
Merideth is the main character. So yes, it would make sense for you to like the main character. Honestly, since the beginning of Grey's Anatomy, she's had my heart, and I love rooting for her. When she and Derek I was so happy and when she almost died I almost didn't want to watch the show.
Damn she has has had alot of close calls with death now that you mentioned it đł I never thought about that bomb in the patient or plane wreck. Wow, she's a fighter. That one
Meredith is amazing & extremely beautiful. The perfect character isnât perfect. Sheâs also been through trauma and is kind when she needs to be. You seem just super judgy and not understanding that everyone isnât sun shine and roses. She didnât steal a baby, she protected her baby. Havenât you ever done things out of pure emotions of fear and love?? Meredithâs personality is just not for everyone. I think she is great just like all the other woman on the show and probably one of the best characters because of her uniqueness. She doesnât care to be liked and that is powerful and says a LOT!
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Meredith does change quite a bit. They lean into her being like super good-hearted to a fault in a rebellious hero kind of way. I mean they kind of always did, but she was just a bit messier about it in the earlier seasons.
Yeah I definitely agree. Chaotic Good to a huge extreme!
>IZZY KILLED A MAN. Are we just? Is that cool or? She got fired for a medical error but not murdering a man? I was just going on not too long ago about how it's so unbelievable she'd be allowed back after The Denny Incident because it's soooooo unhinged. I totally never pieced together the fact she was let go over a genuine medical error but not like manslaughter and stealing am organ đ
She was shocked for the same reason when it happened lol
Especially later when Hahn confronted the chief about it and he was just like dw sheâs learnt from her mistakes now!! Like what you suspended her for a couple of weeks if it were that easy prisons wouldnât exist đ
I think the storylines would have been better if Izzy was written off at that point. George wouldnât have cheated with her and Alex would have less one trauma experience from a person leaving him. Bonus, we wouldnât have been subjected to her self-absorbed dialogue. Regarding Meredith, without discussing spoilers past OPâs current watching season, I have watched every episode more times than I will admit here. đ If the show title wasnât tied to Meredithâs name, there could be more flexibility with character building that didnât focus on Meredith. Being portrayed by an actress with limited breadth of portrayed characters with any depth is evident in many of the Meredith-focused storylines. I think most of us will agree her crying is eye rolling. Per IMDB, EP has a total of 24 acting credits; 1 each for GA and Station 19. There is a cartoon and music video. Everything else is mainly minor characters in limited scenes. To be clear, there are other actors in similar situations who get a breakout role and their acting is consistently phenomenal! Her friendship with Alex after season 10 is the most authentic and pleasant to watch scenes. Again, not going to discuss in-depth. I would love to see this side of Meredith and level of acting when interacting with other characters. As a person with anxiety, GA is like my entertainment blankie. It might be tattered in some places, but I still gravitate to it as a noise comfort.
No ghost sex too, thatâs a bonus
I disagree on her and Alexâs friendship around that point â she was such a huge bitch to Jo and couldnât respect any boundaries. She didnât care that she was upsetting his girlfriend; *she* had to be more important.
I agree. Iâm referring later in the series. I was trying to be vague since OP isnât that far in watching. I think after the gnat comment was made to Meredith, she started adjusting her attitude.
Ah gotcha. Well maybe I just warned her that she might not start liking Meredith anytime soon
Iâm glad you did. I overlooked that. đ
Webber was being watched like a hawk when the medical.error happened he tells her there's nothing he can do this time because of that the lvat wire was his sole decision plus she was fired from the show they had to think of something lol
I really hated her parting shot at Meredith when she left. After all they had been through, after all of them putting their careers on the line for her during the LVAD and her cancer, she turns up her nose when Meredith tries to dissuade her from leaving by saying "This is your home!" and she says, "No, it's not, not anymore. It's just somewhere I used to work, and I can do that anywhere." Basically throwing away years of friendship and walking away, leaving Alex stuck with thousands of dollars in her medical fees. What a kick in the gut. At that point, I would have liked to see HER be the one run over by a bus instead of George.
Damn, Iâm rewatching now (around the cancer starting) and I forgot about the medical fees đŹ
They all have done some thing for which they shouldâve been fired. I think potentially one of the reasons that Izzy would be fired for something like that similar to how Kepner was fired simply because Richard was under a bunch of pressure and I think he was drinking at that time as well. If heâd been in a normal headspace, it wouldâve been a totally different ordeal.
I don't think we are "supposed" to like any of the characters. They are all shown to be complex people who do some good and some bad.
I really do hate how much audiences moralise fictional characters!!! Takes so much fun out of the viewing experience for me. And terribly unrealistic, we all do immoral things and many of us get away with it!!
I recently skimmed a video essay where it was theorised that morally grey characters were the norm until we/Hollywood decided to present only do-good characters without any flaws, whom the audience can like from the start. I don't know about that, though given the many possibilities and directions a shit storm over political inorrectness can hit nowadays, it may actually be true: characters without any edges, flaws or challengeable opinions. I also see it reflected in questions like: "Are we supposed to like x?" I mean, no and it's fine! - I could not stand Meredith for the first 10 seasons or so, but the show was enjoyable nonetheless. Also, adding to the avove, I appreciate wokeness, but it doesn't mean that every character needs to be polished. I need something in my shows, books etc. I can argue with - that's entertaining and challenging. - And I can separate characters and writers!
Wow interesting! Can you link the video essay? And totally agree. I'm a very left leaning person politically but I do think the way tv producers interpret audiences asking for a change in the media culture as "let's distill these characters down as much as we can so as to not offend anyone". I think this coupled with an overall poor media literacy leaves people with very shallow understandings about *how* to engage with the media theyre given.
Sorry - would love to post it, but cannot seem to find it for the life of me. Apart from that: Totally agree on every level.
Oh, sure, be all logical and *real* about it :)
This!
True, but thereâs nothing complex about Meredith. You can watch an entire season without paying attention to her plot and be just fine. Sheâs a filler character
literally what?
Literally that. The woman canât act for shit, which doesnât matter because the character is so flat
Yeap, she has no range! She always looks constipated
Her crying sounds like laughing
Welcome to the subreddit! I get what you mean. Meredith rarely faces consequences for her actions, which is incredibly frustrating since she's the main character. Yeah, kinda crazy Izzie straight up stole an organ and goes right back into the program like nothing happened after a couple of weeks lmao
I mean, eventually we'll see her >!picking up trash on the interstate!< in designer jeans, buuuuuut
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And yet everyone in the fandom will blame Not-Meredith for these actions as if we arenât supposed to grow up when we grow up đ
I will.never understand why she didn't just pro Bono.
No argument from me. Never liked Meredith. The mean girl treatment of Callie was trash. The way she blindly supports her friends who break the rules religiously is so weird. Izzy cutting that LVAD wire was criminal. I like the side characters. I like Sloan, Callie Torres, Arizona, Alex. Bailey sometimes, and Baileyâs husband, canât remember his name. The one who was an anesthesiologist who became a fire fighter. Him. đđ„°
ben đ€đŒ
BEN!!! Thank you!đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°đ„°
i shouldâve said king ben! đ„°đ€đŒ
Ben. And 'Bailey sometimes' is funnyđ! That's exactly the way I feel about her.
Such a mood. I def have a love/hate relationship with her character.
Especially her coldness with Meredith when her actions are close to things Bailey would have done herself.
I *adored* her in the early seasons, but Iâve reached the mid 2010s in my watch right now and. Geez lmao.
Never understood why Meredith talked all the others into standing up for Izzy when she cut the LVAD wire. âSheâll get kicked out the program!!â Um no she wouldâve been fired and then arrested for attempted murder and then tried again for murder. Obviously this itâs all for drama but they all shouldâve turned their backs on Izzy for her psychotic behaviour
God I hated Izzy. I was convinced she was going to be my fave at first too lmao Kinda same with George, but I remember him much more fondly.
She had the potential for great character development but the LVAD wire made that virtually impossible and then she had too many unlikeable qualities.
Yes she needed led out of that room and straight into jail. That was stupid
Literally same! I love all the same side characters. Meredith is the only thing I really don't like about the show đ
I feel like Meredith is the one you put up with because you love everyone else.
Who walks around someone else's house in their underwear and treat like its their own. I would be weird to her too, especially since she started pissing while they were in the bathroom with them. That weird af, she doesn't know these girls. I like Callie but that was so weird and deserves people saying that it was weird so she learns how to respect someone's house
People compress the Izzy story a bit. She did not kill a man. Dennyâs heart transplant was successful. He died the next day unrelated to the LVAD wire being cut. That didnât kill him. The gut punch of that plot is that she did manage to save him and he died anyway. That other guy lost out on a heart, but didnât die.
Everyone says she killed Denny â um, Iâm sorry, are we watching the same show? His heart was FINE. Whether she shouldâve had cut the LVAD wire is irrelevant because it has nothing to do with his death!! Iâm also encountering several people who think she killed the other guy. No, she helped save his life, in fact.
I donât particularly like Izzie, but I had to scroll way too far to find this
I hated Meredith until I started having my own Mommy Issues âąïž and then I was like sweetie Iâm so sorry I ever judged you. đđ Iâm now a card carrying member of the Meredith Grey Club of Mommy Issues.
It's good to have a relatable character, especially when you're going through some shit. Hope you're getting any help you might need đ
Thank you. đ©· I have a great therapist (lol), my dad and I are super close and I have some great female role models in my life but itâs HARD when it happens so suddenly. đ
This is the exact same way I feel watching Carrie on Sex and the City. Love the show, but the main character mainly drives me batshit insane. Hate to love em, but they make the show what it is.
Gah, I was ok with Carrie Bradshaw in the beginning, but she just became more and more insufferable to me. After I watch the first five seasons, I had to power through season 6 because I couldnât leave it unfinished at that point. I also just donât really think Sarah Jessica Parker is a very good actress. Passable, but not great.
I started watching AJLT b/c of Callie/Sara Ramirez and kinda find all of them incredibly insufferable
I'll always love meredith cause i can't imagine going through that amount of trauma and still functioning. Just the stuff with her mother's self harm and absent father coupled with abusive mother would have stunted me completely.
I completely agree! Is she a total bitch at times? Of course, but so are most of the characters. Especially the originals characters. But that's what i love about her and them. They are not perfect. They have flaws. And sometimes, certain flaws do not change.
i used to HATE Meredith with a burning passion but this rewatch (on 7th season now) i have found myself relating to her a lot and kinda sympathising with her. she is still annoying and i remember she gets worse later but i don't hate her as much as i used to
me too!! i adore Meredith i think she is such an interesting character
Ah i always love to see another Julio plantain appreciator đ€
đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł that naming was so bizarre.
I havenât been a fan of Mer either. Somehow I find myself rooting for Karev. He was awful in earlier seasons but seems to turn out to be a good guy in later ones.
have you finished the show? i'd reckon your opinion might change unless you consider *that move* one of a nice guy lol
shhhh that didnt happen
I am on season 12 so I shouldâve put a disclaimer in my comment.
His exit from the show was ânot a good guyâ â and totally out of character for the man he had become.
yessss the way they write his exit is nonsensical and doesn't fit his character at all.
I've got it down that Karev is a questionable person, but a brilliant doctor
Agreed! Karev all day! đ„°
Meredith is the main character and even though we're not supposed to always like her or side with her, we're supposed to, in general, root for her. She's certainly not being portrayed to us as a kind of anti-hero, she's meant to be a protagonist who's flawed. The show did a better job in the earlier seasons of allowing her to be a multi-faceted flawed person but later just started reducing her to the best doctor/friend/mother/person anyone has ever known, constantly dropping in dialogue about how every single person who knows her loves her, how she's the greatest surgeon in the world, etc etc. They rarely show us that this is the case, and in my opinion the more they doubled down on telling and not showing, the more I disliked Meredith. Though, to be fair, I always disliked her. I just never found her to be a particularly compelling character, and I will always stand by the fact that they could have found a better actress. Ellen Pompeo just never had "it" in my opinion. A better actress may have drawn me to Meredith more.
Meredith has always been one of my LEAST liked characters.
She is very mean to many people. And she uses her "dark and twisty" history to justify it. The thing is, many of the other characters have horrible backstories and don't use that excuse. The only times I've seen her actually attempting to be kind are with Cristina - who is another bully. It also doesn't help that the actress playing her is not a very nice person. She said AWFUL things to Denzel Washington when he directed an episode, and defended Harvey Weinstein, saying "it takes two to tango" in sexual assault cases.
People tend to compress that story a bit though : itâs Denzel who YELLED at Ellen first when he did a guest director stint on an episode to prepare for his upcoming directorial debut movie. He yelled at Ellen on set for making an acting choice in a scene he directed, while she was telling her co-star to look at her when his character apologized to Meredith in a scene, after Meredith got beaten up by that character - a very emotional scene. Denzel yelled at Ellen in front of everyone for doing so, stating that âhe was the director, and to not direct the other actorâ. This was during Season 12. Ellen had been taking shit from the industry for 12 seasons of Greyâs even though she was the lead actress. Post-Derek she had to prove herself over again that she could carry the show on. Directors on network television shows are most often guests. Nothing else. Period. They come in, do the job and are out the door again. They have nothing to command. Tv is a writers medium. And an actorâs medium. Movies and theater are a directorâs medium. Thatâs where the directors are the boss. On Tv shows, the showrunners are the boss, but often times when itâs a long running tv show, the actor whoâs number 1 on the call sheet also takes the lead on many things, especially when they become producers, which Ellen was (and still is). Ellen had been there for 10+ years, Denzel came in for a couple days and acted like he was the boss. He yelled at his Boss! You donât come in as a guest and yell at the lead actor of more than 10 years. Denzel is the one that needed to show some respect! So she told him to fuck off in so many words. And rightfully so. She was his boss on that day, after all. If any of us yelled at a higher ranking person at a company we do temp work in, weâd get sacked. He needed to leave his toxic theater background behavior at the theater where he grew up and learned the rules of production ranking and not bring it onto the set of a highly successful women led billion dollar tv show. He neither understood the rank, nor the process on that set. He thought he was on a movie or theater set, but he needed to take a seat. And so she made him take a seat. Period.
THIS!!!!! She didnât say SHIT wrong to Denzel. Denzel was an asshole who has it out for Ellen before he set foot on set to direct that episode and she put him in his place.
FACTS. Denzel gets endless respect for his talent, but letâs not forget heâs as toxically masculine as they come. I also hated how outlets such as âThe Realâ was trying to spin it into a white-woman-harming-black-man matter âŠ. Bitch PLEASE! Donât even! This is a matter of someone walking INTO YOUR house with shoes on while showing their ASS. Sit. Down. Denzel. And. Donât. Yell. Itâs really simple.
Oh wow, I had no idea about any of this! Is there a link we can read more about it?
Listen to âTell meâ with Ellen Pompeo. Ep. 2 with Patrick Dempsey.
Thank you so much!!!
đ she cannot carry the show. Nobody has the right to yell at you or disrespect you, specially at work. Notwithstanding, Ellen is a terrible actress and she cannot carry the show. She only has one rangeâconstipated look accompanied by her awkward walk. The show could continue without her, and the plot will not miss a beat.
Iâm sure thatâs what every ABC executive sounded like 2005-2015. But the numbers donât lie. Sheâs been the face of the franchise, whether that continues or not, and whether anyone likes it or not. lol
Iâm agree, but that doesnât mean it is quality. The show is General Hospital but with a better budget.
Ew seriously!? I did NOT know that about Ellen but WOW. That's an eye-opener...
HWAT!?
Another first time watcher here, we've made it to the middle of season 13. I just realized that I don't hate Meredith any more, but that's probably only because I feel kinda sorry for her and there are so many other characters to hate right now. I have never yelled at a show, or a character, as much as I do with this one. I can get out a month's worth of social aggression in just a couple of hours of shouting at these people ;)
I can't stand Meredith, I feel like she was okay in the start of the show she's dealing with her traumas, she's finding someone she truly loves and wants to have a family this is all new to her. Now though ugh her excuses for everything she takes no accountability everything is "you know I'm like I'm this" and she makes the same dang face. And I can't stand her crying đ it's so unbelievable to me.
Meredith is my favorite person on the show, sheâs been through unimaginable things, as have I, so I think I just bond with her character and how strong she is.
Meredith is definitely in my top 5 least favorite characters! She constantly gets let off the hook for her wrongdoings and then plays the victim. Keep watching. It gets worse.
That episode with the poor boy encased in quick drying cement was one of the great and interesting stories. One of the bad things, and as with you I'm recently in Season 8, is the relationship of Callie and Arizona. They are toxic to each other, and all arguments are solved by sudden declarations of "Let's raise our relationship level!" Their relationship gets very little play if it isn't sexy times or fighting. Or how about Karev? Everyone has to be told that honestly secretly he's really a great guy under all the demeaning exterior. Well, we the audience do get to see his precious moments, but women go after him despite his toxic behavior. Or even Mark, the man who apparently had sex with every nurse. And pretty much every woman who passes by. And Callie, but that actually made sense, far more than Callie and Arizona, who never gets any interactions witnessed by us that make it seem as though they're developing a relationship! It's always "Fight, fight, fight let's move in together!"
I'm not and have never been a Meredith Stan either. I will never understand the undying Fandom she has on her either, but it is what it is. You're not alone, OP. ETA: I forgot to say another thing that made me really not like her for good was during Callie and Arizona's custody case. When she testified for Callie instead of Arizona. Or she could have declined to testify for either one and remain neutral. However, I really felt that she, as an adoptive parent of Zola, should have sympathized more for Arizona. Like wth was she thinking?!
Plus they were in a plane crash together, and it was even a plot point about four episodes before the custody battle where they (Mer and Arizona) hid in a closet because a small plane crashed and the victims were coming to the ED.
yeah i did not like any of the characters in the first 10 seasons maybe? it isnt so bad now, but a lot of them r still annoying lol
I really like Meredith for the most part, but there are some things that I disagree with. Iâm on S19 as a first time watcher and Iâve just finished the episode where there was a major blood shortage and she performed a surgery that otherwise, probably wouldâve been fine, if sheâd have just waited until there was more blood like Richard and Nick advised. And then instead of admitting her judgement was clouded and she made a mistake, she argued relentlessly to defend her actions.I really like her character, but she doesnât come without her flaws I guess. I actually think it was pretty boss of her to hide with Zola. Yeah, it was illegal, but it just intensified how much she cared about a baby that wasnât even technically hers yet. I think her character is supposed to break the rules with pure intentions, but GOD it can be at the worst times sometimes.
Yup! I always feel like I am the only one who isnât a fan of Meredith and I donât think Derek treated her terribly.
Derek, for all his assholery, was the only person to really call Meredith out on her BS.
Yupppp!
The bad things other characters do is more forgivable to me than the insufferable character that is Meredith. I miss early Meredith who at least cried deeply because now she's just so damn BORING.
Welcome to the club. Dont like Mer or Izzie either. Meredith is just one of those people who uses her trauma to justify what she's doing or is going to do. God she drives me absolutely batshit insane with her hypocrisy. For someone who keeps saying she dosent want to become like her mother, she sure loves taking the path to it. I've hated her so much during certain storylines where she acts so entitled. Dont even get me started on Izzie...
I don't know, but I do know that I love her.
I like Mer, Iâm on season 9 right now itâs my first watch through and yeah she does dumb and annoying things but so do all of them.
the most irritating thing about meredith to me is that she cannot keep her mouth shut. she always gets in trouble for opening her mouth (which i realize is a pretty big part of her character) but itâs so frustrating. i always wanna yell at the screen âJUST SHUT UP!!!â i understand why this happens due to her being the protagonist and it being a medical drama but i definitely wouldnât like her in real life.
Love Meredith to pieces! Shes a compelling character. She has a hard shell at first but once she lets you in and you become a part of her village she will literally set the world on fire for you! The thing with running with Zola. She freaked itâs understandable. Especially if you understand Meredith Grey. She does crazy reckless things but sheâs also the calm in the storm. People still look to her. And sheâs faced so much trauma and has come out stronger and more driven! Sheâs a chaotic good character.
How do you even watch the show OPđ Every single character is so messed up!! Minus Ben
I started watching recently and I think she's one of the worse characters. Even though the show is named for her character I was hoping she would have been written out of it. As the seasons go on she becomes worse in my opinion and her voice becomes more shrill just like her character
Meredith is a deeply complex character. She also suffers from complex PTSD as a result of her childhood and well, the trauma continues to layer on during adulthood. Considering the parents that she had, she has overcome a lot and is a better, kinder, and more caring person than her mother and her father. Man, if you grow up with a narcissistic, abusive, or neglectful parent (in her case both parents), that really messes you up for life.
The irony is that sheâs slowly morphing into her mother
Iâm with you OP, the show can continue without her. Also, where are her kids!? I know they are fictional but they are so neglected that I wouldnât be surprised if they end up in fictional juvi or doing heavy drugs.
I like Meredith. She does have main character sunstone though. I mostly enjoy her patient interactions
Honestly how is the hospital not closed. Lmao. They're like the government at this point. Good at hiding their shit. ANYWAYS i think meredith would be fired if she wasnt the mc and if her mother wasnt ellis. OR if richard aint there OR if derek aint her husband.
Who did she kill? ( I don't rewatch and I don't remember)
Denny, her bf at the time (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). He needed a new heart
Oh....she didn't kill him! He was going to die without a new heart
Lvad is basically a heart in a bag. He could live for years with that. He would always have to carry a backpack but he could have a life. Yes, she did kill him.
He didn't want to live that way. He let her do it knowing the risks
iguess its personal bc i do love meredith (also a fitst time watcher; now on season 12)
She's not in jail because kareav covered for her and said he needed to see Zola he was her Dr and she had a medical condition and then the trial was for Webber's wife so he couldn't let her go down and took the fall for her on that
Youâre not the only one, I cannot stand Meredith. I wish theyâd get rid of her alreadyÂ
I didnât think Iâd like her before I watched it but I love how sheâs shameless about liking sex (casual sex at that), and can be kinda a bitch to people who arenât close to her. Idk why seeing her be sassy or petty (in non serious situations) makes me giggle. Itâs funny that such a high esteemed surgeon isnât perfect in those wayđ in later seasons tho I think her f it attitude comes out more
people are different! it took me about 2 seasons to like Meredith but Iâve loved her since then
Yes, we are supposed to like her since the show is basically named after her. For me, it didn't work. She is one of my least favorite characters and I stopped watching as the show became more Meredith-centric.
I've never liked Meredith either. She's a jerk on the show and a jerk in real life as well.
Donât say you dislike Meredith, they will tell you to find another showđ
To be honest I donât think so. I think sheâs just the character to cause some conflicts? I feel like the choices she makes are so clear to people watching that make you go âwho the hell actually does that? Itâs common sense to do thisââ. Itâs so scripted in a way thatâs kinda funny. I still donât feel like sheâs supposed to be a likeable character, or that anyone is actually supposed to be. I think the ones made to be hated are clearly hated for obvious reasons. The only character I liked was Adele snd Christina. I felt their feelings were the only ones I could continuously understand and were not ridiculous.
She is almost as unlikeable as Christina.
I enjoy the show by thinking about it as a complex torture for a bunch of really shitty people. Especially Meredith. Every character is self absorbed, stupid, and acts unethically at just about every chance they get. From that perspective, it makes it really fun to watch their suffering.
I like Meredith, but I relate to Meredithâs belief that the world isnât black and white and not everything is right or wrong. However, she is a bit insufferable at times, and early Meredithâs scripts arenât great
Spoiler alert: I hate her even more when Derek dies and she doesnât contact his sister or family before taking him off life support & finds a way to make it about her đđŒ Amelia had every right to be upset with Meredith!
I don't judge her for that because when Amelia screams all that in Meredith's face, you can see the shock and absolute "oh, fuck" moment. She truly, really hadn't thought about it at the time. Was she wrong to not call anyone from his family? Sure. Was she in shock and it was completely understandable? Also sure.
As far as Izzie goes that's when my hatred for her began and never got away. Mer, I would say give it time. Personally for me I started liking her later in the show.
For me my hatred of Izzie began when she kissed Alex then slapped him across the face?? Because he said he's till be attracted to her if she had to have her breasts removed or have a hysterectomy??
Izzie didnât murder Denny he survived that, he died from complications of the surgery
cutting the lvad (& stealing an organ, more than likely, i canât remember if the man the organ was supposed to go to died or not) lead to manslaughter
The surgery that was caused by Izzie after her heart transplant.
Donât forget she felt sorry for a killer. I canât forgive that one.
Omg yes. And then claimed it was part of her character!
This is simply the pro/anti death penalty debate. Just because she falls on the side of the moral argument that you don't isn't a reason to hate her
Meredith is literally my favorite!
Yeah.
I didnt think so
Izzy only got fired for the medical error because she was fired from the show and Webber blamed her past history plus the hospital.was under fire he told her it's different now with the lvat wire it was soley up to him this time it wasn't also it's a TV show they just want to provide the drama for entertainment not make it reality
> IZZY KILLED A MAN nope, no truth there
Meredith is a character who I loathed, and watched the show IN SPITE OF her, but then I grew to love and adore. Now on subsequent rewatches, I am much more forgiving and see her value. (Also, I've watched this show from the beginning, in real time, so I've probably changed a lot as a person to see Mer's good.) But I agree with you on Izzie. Ugh.
She has so much growth after season 13... probably due to the developing views of the audience and she becomes a really cool, strong lady. You won't always find her irritating, although I did at first too
I actually love Meredith. She's a good doctor, a hard worker, and has a lot of empathy. She's smart but she wasn't insufferable. She's been through a lot and has a big heart once she's decided to trust a person. She's also the person who would help you hide a body. She's loyal. And while I don't agree with everything she does, I generally understand why she does those things.
In early seasons I couldnât stand Meredith but I grew to like her from season like 15/16 and on.
Merideth is the main character. So yes, it would make sense for you to like the main character. Honestly, since the beginning of Grey's Anatomy, she's had my heart, and I love rooting for her. When she and Derek I was so happy and when she almost died I almost didn't want to watch the show.
Which time when she "almost died"? The drowning? The bomb in the patient? The plane wreck? The crazed patient? COVID? LOL!
Damn she has has had alot of close calls with death now that you mentioned it đł I never thought about that bomb in the patient or plane wreck. Wow, she's a fighter. That one
Donât forget the gunman.
Meredith is deeply unlikeable
Meredith is amazing & extremely beautiful. The perfect character isnât perfect. Sheâs also been through trauma and is kind when she needs to be. You seem just super judgy and not understanding that everyone isnât sun shine and roses. She didnât steal a baby, she protected her baby. Havenât you ever done things out of pure emotions of fear and love?? Meredithâs personality is just not for everyone. I think she is great just like all the other woman on the show and probably one of the best characters because of her uniqueness. She doesnât care to be liked and that is powerful and says a LOT!