Fewer TV characters have endured more misfortunes than Meredith Grey. Fans can't help but feel that the writers of Grey's Anatomy enjoy torturing her. During her time on the series, she has been diagnosed with COVID, seen a couple of lovers and friends die, been a victim of a plane crash, been to jail, and had a miscarriage, among many other things.
No matter what life throws at her, Meredith never hesitates when it comes to taking action. She is more of the "leap now and look later" type. While this trait has been beneficial to her, it has also proved problematic. A good number of the decisions Meredith has made in the 17 seasons so far have left viewers shocked and confused.
She Tried To Stop A Bomb By Herself
In one of the most engrossing moments in the medical drama, Meredith went all Jack Bauer while trying to save a patient who had an explosive device in his body. According to the man's wife, the device had become lodged inside his abdomen as he tested a homemade bazooka.
Eager to save the man's life, Meredith insisted on trying to stop the explosive from detonating despite the fact that the entire floor was being evacuated. What made the moment tenser is that Meredith had told Cristina in the morning how she had a feeling she'd die. The explosion only knocked her unconscious but Dylan died. Though Meredith had good intentions, she could have easily lost life.
She Tampered With Derek's Alzheimer's Trial
Drawing inspiration from Ellis, Derek worked hard to find a cure for Alzheimer's. Richard also wanted his wife Adele to be put on the trial but she didn't qualify because her Alzheimer's hadn't progressed far enough yet. Meredith still felt that Adele deserved the treatment so she switched envelopes to enable Adele to get the active agent instead of the placebo. By doing this, she ruined the trial. This action not only caused her to get fired but Derek also got blacklisted by the FDA.
Meredith's actions ruined something that the love of her life held dear. It also jeopardized the couple's adoption of baby Zola. As a top doctor, she should have refrained from showing favoritism, aware that proper procedures needed to be followed at all times.
She Didn't Call Amelia Before Pulling The Plug On Derek
This was something Meredith eventually admitted she was wrong for. After nothing more could be done to save Derek's life, all that was left was to pull him off life support. A devastated Meredith not only made the hard decision but also decided to sell the house and move to San Diego.
Amelia wasn't happy about this. Being Derek's sister, she deserved to be there when he finally died. It wouldn't have cost Meredith anything to wait a little longer before pulling the plug on Derek.
She Rejected Lexie
Lexie was very enthusiastic about hanging out with her sister. At one point, she even ate breakfast that Meredith had prepared yet she knew she was allergic to it. Unfortunately, Meredith didn't reciprocate feelings of adoration. She ignored her and the reason behind it wasn't so convincing.
Meredith was still mad at Thatcher Grey for abandoning her as a child. That was understandable but Lexie had nothing to do with it. Meredith was channeling her anger to the wrong person. It also wasn't Thatcher's fault that the marriage fell apart. It's Meredith's mother who asked him to keep off after she cheated on him and divorced him.
She Agreed To Be With George, Only To Cut Him Off
Meredith's relationships follow the same pattern. She starts seeing someone only to realize she can't do it because she still loves Derek. While some of her partners are understanding, others get hurt and feel used. Such was the case with George O'Malley.
When George confessed his feelings to her, she figured that he was the man for her. She went on to sleep with him only to start crying as they made love. She then cut off. The incident left George feeling humiliated and heartbroken. Obviously, Meredith should have gone on a few dates with him first to see if she really liked him before decided to bed him.
She Took Off With Baby Zola
The Alzheimer's Trail period saw Meredith at the peak of poor decision making. Her actions had led to her getting fired, something that led the social worker to question her suitability as a parent. Regarding the news of her firing, Derek had the perfect response: “What’d you think was going to happen?”
Sensing that she might not be granted custody of Zola due to her career and marriage woes, Meredith decided to take off with the baby. Hours later, she changed her mind. Though this action stemmed from motherly instincts, it could have not only prevented her and Derek from getting custody forever but also made her catch a case.
She Dated Finn & Derek At The Same Time
After taking her dog Doc to be treated, Meredith began seeing the veterinarian Finn aka McVet. At the Seattle Grace prom, Finn promised that he had great plans for Meredith only for her to cheat on him with Derek. Finn was devastated when he found out but was mature enough to want to work things out.
Instead of choosing to be faithful going forward, Meredith began seeing both Finn and Derek. No one likes sharing, so Derek let her go. And instead of sticking with Finn now, she dumped him and tried to get back with Derek. Well, all roads lead to Derek but this love triangle kinda made viewers uncomfortable.
She Ignored Her Friends For A Whole Year
Meredith's friends definitely need to stage an intervention and call her out for the manner in which she treats them. For example, why has she never visited Cristina ever since she left for Europe? Getting Sandra Oh back for a cameo shouldn't be that hard. And even if it is, Meredith simply mentioning in a season finale that she'll be visiting Cristina would be nice.
Perhaps the worst thing Meredith did to her friends was ignoring them for a full year after Derek's death. Yes, she was grieving, but everyone was worried sick about her. People close to Meredith could have helped her deal with her grief too.
She Told Nathan To Reject Maggie
Many viewers weren't fans of the whole Meredith-Nathan pairing. At first, Meredith wanted to be nothing more than friends. She made this clear but still went on to act possessively over Nathan.
When Maggie told her that she had feelings for Nathan, Meredith never told her that she also had feelings. Maggie had to find out on her own, something that caused friction between the two. The real shocker came when Meredith asked Nathan to reject Maggie. After that, she still pushed Nathan to be with his long-lost fiancé, Megan.
She Begged Gary Clark To Shoot Her
During the infamous hospital shooting, Gary Clark was hellbent on finding Derek and killing him. A pregnant Meredith happened to encounter Gary and knowing what his intentions were, she begged him to kill her instead of Derek.
It was the classic "catch a bullet for you" act of love but it wasn't so wise. It's hard to back Meredith up for wanting to die together with her unborn child just so Derek could live.