Hot Take: Grey’s Anatomy’s McDreamy Was Never All That Dreamy
Meredith deserved better.
It's hard to argue that Grey's Anatomy is a very entertaining show. However, under no circumstances should it be used as a life guide to help you fix friendships, relationships, or even work issues. Just like people in real life, all the characters are deeply flawed, but unlike real life, there is no way to avoid them.
The romance between the titular character Meredith Grey and the superstar neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd, which many viewers proclaimed to be the greatest, didn't start off on the right note. The first red flag was the moment his wife showed up in Seattle.
Though they were technically separated, and Addison should’ve been the last person to ask Derek for an explanation after cheating on him with his best friend, the chaos of this man's love life should have been a warning to young Meredith. It's not surprising that the impressionable woman in her 20s chose to ignore those signals.
However, as the years went by, they got into more and more fights, but Meredith never learned to stand up for herself in the moments of clear manipulation or undeserved ridicule.
One of the cruelest things a loving partner can say to a person who has parent-related childhood trauma is that they're just the same as their parent.
By comparing Meredith to Ellis when the road to adopting Zola turned out to be harder than expected, Derek ruined years of Meredith’s work on her self-esteem. By adding that she would not be a good mother, he ensured that her confidence in her parenting skills would never return.
Grey's Anatomy never intended to show Derek as the perfect man, which they clearly emphasized in the scenes where his interactions with Meredith call for criticism. However, the fandom tends to turn a blind eye to any and all flaws in their relationship.
If you want to see where the story takes Meredith Grey next, keep an eye out for the upcoming 20th season of Grey's Anatomy on ABC. The release date has not yet been announced, but you can expect news from the network as soon as the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved.