Meredith Grey is awful

[milesmachine]

I’ve been unwell and recovering from major surgery for the last few weeks. My sister in law has always been into Greys Anatomy and recommended it as something to watch.

So firstly, I’m hooked and bombing my way through it. But it’s sort of turned into a hate watch as I find so many of the characters are just TERRIBLE people!

I’m on early season 5 so no spoilers if possible! But so far, my issues are:
-Cristina is an absolute bitch. I mean, a horrible, selfish, gives no shits person.
-How did her and Burke go from casual dating to moving in and nearly marrying in a matter of months? She was HORRIBLE to him and barely admitted any feelings-I do not get this relationship!

-Crisitna and Meredith are classic ‘mean girls’ to Izzy…they tease George, ice out Izzy and barely tolerate Alex. They’re like the popular kids at school who waltz around stuck up

-All the girls are just nasty to Callie who hasn’t done anything wrong. They laugh openly at their relationship and repeat confidences. And we’re supposed to be rooting for these girls?

-Derek and Meredith are ridiculous. She wants him, she doesn’t, she’s annoyed at him, constantly whining… then I realise the first 3 seasons are over 8 months (Addison mentions in series 3 she would have given birth if she had kept the baby she terminated 8 months earlier when she was living in NY)…! Whatttt?

-Meredith. Just insufferable! Whining all the time, indecisive, treats George awfully, is now terrible for Lexie and openly spiteful to her. Is she really the main character?

However, I am in love with Miranda Bailey-please tell me I won’t be let down!!!

And yet, I continue to watch!!

Is it just me?

I don’t think I got past s2. My teenage daughter tried to get me hooked while I was on maternity leave but I hated so many of the characters it was a struggle. Agree about Meredith and Derek both fucking dreadful, on the fence about Christina and Alex, couldn’t stand George and his Nice Guy bollocks. Izzy and her cheque annoyed me and that little speech in the locker room when she stripped down to her bra made me cringe my arsehole inside out.

Dr Miranda Bailey and maybe Addison were the only ones I could stand. The former I possibly liked because she couldn’t seem to stand the rest of them.

Cristina is great.

The musical episode is by far the most uncomfortable moment in my life.

I love Miranda. Straight to the point.
Callie is nice.

Couldn’t stand George or Izzy. George was spineless wimp and Izzy too dramatic

Preston and Derek fighting over the top dog position were ridiculous.

Pleasant to watch however the drama sometimes was exaggerated.

I loved the music.

I thought they actually got together as a couple after Derek left, so whilst it might have been 8 months earlier than they were together, they were actually together for a while in between Derek leaving and Addison coming to Seattle Grace.

Tbf given the earlier seasons happened years ago it's also very easy to get confused as to what happens and when

Yes, she appears at the end of season 1 and I guess that meant the 8 month time span could be anytime from start season 1 - mid season 3.

But Internship lasts a year and they are still interns and taking their tests at the end of season 3. So seasons 1, 2 and 3 play out over a year. Which is MADNESS when you look at the relationship progression, let alone everything else

Keep going.
I would LOVE to be watching it for the first time again.
Meredith will grow on you- she does mature - but my big love is Christina . Shes fantastic. You will grow to understand her, took me till about series 8
There are so many WOMDERFUL moments and you’ve got them all to come.
You need to understand Meredith’s past to understand her and youve got a long way to go. ( Ellis btw is played by Kate Burton, the Late Richard Burtons daughter by his first wife, Sybil).
And if Meredith annoys you, wait till you meet Maggie. Now she drive me bonkers!!
I watched 15 series during first lockdown . I was convinced I was a general surgeon by the end of it and could quite easily have done an appy.

The joy of Greys is simply that all of the characters are deeply flawed and yet we still see wonderful humanity and humour.
Bailey and Christina give the best humour btw!
((My daughter and I still say “mama took my eyebrows” when either of us has had a bit of a harsh waxing!!) .

It's also easy to just not say something so major just in case you are confused.

''I stopped watching after something big happened that I didn't like'' etc

Others have managed to do it.

I’m not saying anymore, because that would be spoilers. But come back to me when you’ve watched it.

I had to give up for all the reasons you’ve listed. SO much whinging

I'm jealous you've still got so much to watch.

I do think its tailed off a bit in recent times but love Greys overall. I go back and forth about Meredith's character.

Cristina is one of my favourite characters in any TV series, ever!

Eta Also love Bailey.

Meredith never grew on me. I got to season 20 (I think) and I hated her all the way through. She is whiny and selfish and no amount of having Ellis Grey as a mother excuses how awful she is. OP is on season 5. I actually think the worst of Meredith is yet to come...

DD and I have made it to season 21, grimly determined to complete it, although our withers have been so wrung by this point that we have no emotions left. We could watch the whole shower be dropped into a volcano without flickering an eyebrow. It's about the only thing that hasn't happened yet. Or has it? It's all starting to blur.

The whole point of GREY'S Anatomy is that nothing is black or white. There is no good v evil, everything is shades of grey. So people have good sides and bad sides, not one or the other. You might be responding only to the bad and not looking for the good bits. And the patient dilemmas each have a positive/negative options, or shades of grey. This was what was brilliant about the series - its art imitating life.

BUT all that changes around 10 series in when they all get really preachy and "one answer is the right answer" (often woke) which was I think a cultural reaction to Trump's election around that time. I would stop watching at that point, although I did not and suffered through all final series.

If you are only looking for nice, kind, likeable people, Grey's is not for you.

Yes. All the rage.

Station 19 is great, it fits in around Season 14 of Greys though, so I'd maybe not watch it until finishing that and then you might need to take them in turns.

Private Practice is about the same timeline as season 4-9 of Greys.

There is also a little web series about the interns which fits in with season 14 (B-team which was directed by April)

Slightly different opinion to everyone else, I think Meredith does redeem herself a bit. Then relapses. Redeems herself a bit again. Relapses again and becomes insufferable. There are a lot of storylines (really big ones) that happen to Meredith that just seem to be a prop for it all being about her.

All of the characters have moments where they are likeable and moments they aren’t (although not equal - Bailey is always far more likeable than Hunt). I think that’s human nature and yes it’s exaggerated but I think, despite the implausibility of most storylines, the writers do a good job of demonstrating we aren’t linear as people. We do shitty things, sometimes we realise it’s shitty and try to correct it and sometimes we don’t.

Some of the characters will grow on you and you’ll be really fucked off because they don’t have a “worthy” exit. Some of the characters you’ll really struggle with and wonder how whatever implausible thing hasn’t killed them off. There are a few good characters who get good exits but that’s not many.

I ended up loving alex! He ended up my favorite. Meredith only gets worse In my opinion 🤣

((My daughter and I still say “mama took my eyebrows” when either of us has had a bit of a harsh waxing!!) .

Yes - this was so funny! I love that you reference it like that!

I take your point but I've not ever really watched something where the protagonist is so unlikeable -and so many of the other main characters are too. Another poster suggested it's like SATC which I agree with but I think at the time, Carrie was likeable...it's only watching back that you can see how selfish she was. Perhaps the same is true for Greys?

I think Grey's was definitely of its time.

'Pick me girl' literally comes from Meredith saying to Derek ''pick me, choose me, love me''.

im watching greys for the third time and I can say cristina is one of not my favourite character. I do not rate Derek or Meredith but do like her slightly in season 12 onwards. I don’t like Izzy I don’t know what it is about her. I like Callie, George, Bailey and Mark. I won’t say any more as your on season 5. I hate Derek the more I watch it lol!!

My bad OP. Genuinely thought my spoiler happened before season 5.

Ugh, yes I cringed so hard at the scene. And it’s delivered soooo badly too. No passion or emotion at all.

But then he does pick her and she pushes him away and around we go again!

i do get the dislike for Derek. I’ve just watched the episode where he sort of forced her to let him move in and then announces everyone else has to move out. But at this point, he’s not totally unlikeable-I guess that will change!

WANG IS A LEGEND!!!!

I will not hear a bad word said about her.

I'm so jealous of you, getting to watch the earlier series for the first time.

Also, I need you to come back when it happens.

You'll know when it has.

The actress who plays Meredith fought so hard against that scene but ultimately lost.

I feel like Derek is more and more unlikeable each time you watch the show.