Meredith is arguably the central character of Grey's Anatomy, and she has been long loved by fans for a good reason. Not only does she fight the good fight and stand up for others, she's also a talented surgeon, a reliable friend, and a great mother to her children.
Yet, over the years, some of the things that Meredith did don't quite hold up today. Throughout her time on the show, she has clashed with a lot of people, and made more than one mistake that looking back, haven't aged well.
Her Resentment Towards Richard
Meredith's history with Richard has always been complicated, but, as of season 18, it seems like the two have finally figured out their differences. However, this wasn't always the case - for a long time Meredith harbored feelings of resentment towards Richard because of his affair with her Mom, and how he sometimes tried to act like a father to her.
While Richard could be overbearing at times, in hindsight, Meredith's treatment of him feels unfair and slightly childish. This is especially true when considering the number of times that she disobeyed his orders as Chief, and how she took advantage of their history to get away with things that others wouldn't, like in "Losing My Religion," when she got out of being questioned about who cut the LVAD wire by bringing up Richard relationship with Ellis.
Rejecting Maggie's Friendship
When Maggie arrived at Grey Sloan Memorial, she was an instantly likable person to everyone except Meredith, it seemed. Immediately upon learning that Maggie was her half-sister, Meredith rejected her advances of friendship, and acted rude and dismissive towards her.
Despite the fact that Meredith and Maggie grew to have a great bond, Meredith's treatment of her in season 11 was unfair, and Meredith shouldn't have been so cynical towards her straight away. The news that Maggie's birth Mom was Ellis was a shock for Maggie too, and Meredith's reaction nearly forced her to quit her job, which could have all been prevented had Meredith been even just a little bit more welcoming.
Disappearing For A Year
Losing Derek was understandably difficult for Meredith, especially considering the avoidable circumstances of his death. Yet, in retrospect, Meredith's decision to leave behind her friends and family in favor of running away for a whole year was a thoughtless act, especially as she didn't tell anyone where she was, or even if she was okay.
Aside from not telling anyone where she was going, the act of vanishing for a whole year with her children was the most problematic part of her leaving. Whilst Meredith was obviously her children's main carer, in the wake of Derek's death, it was a selfish decision to take them away from Derek's family, who probably would have appreciated having them around.
Sleeping With George
Sleeping with George was truly one of the most shocking things Meredith did, and it hasn't gotten any better with time. George had been hopelessly in love with Meredith since the moment he first saw her, so when he finally built up the courage to tell her about his feelings it was long overdue. However, Meredith should have never accepted his advances as she knew that she didn't reciprocate his feelings.
The episodes that detailed these events showed Meredith and George sleeping together, with Meredith crying in the middle of it and she realized that she couldn't go through with it. Considering the depths of George's feelings for Meredith, and their friendship, Meredith should never have even kissed George as she knew all along that all she really wanted was Derek.
Her Jealously Towards Cristina's Career
Season 10 of Grey's Anatomy was tough for Meredith's and Cristina's, as two fought over who's career was more important, and constantly tried to out-do the other. While Cristina's attitude towards Meredith wasn't perfect, how Meredith treated her was definitely worse, and considering all that Cristina was dealing with at the time, Meredith's behavior was out of line.
After a lot of passive aggression between them, Meredith and Cristina finally came head to head in "Man On The Moon." Meredith acted unfairly to Cristina, suggesting that she only got to be a brilliant surgeon because she was a "shark," who only cared for herself. In retrospect, it is clear that Meredith was only acting out of jealousy because she hadn't achieved the same feats, but it was still sad that Meredith couldn't just be happy for her friend.
How She Treated Deluca
When Andrew Deluca arrived on the scene, he seemed like the perfect partner for Meredith. Deluca proved himself time and time again to be a reliable boyfriend to Meredith, even going as far as to take the fall for her when she committed insurance fraud.
And yet, Meredith messed him around greatly due to her apparent lack of respect for their relationship and often sidelined their relationship when other things came up. The two went through a lot in the short time they had together, before Deluca tragically died while Meredith was still in a coma. In hindsight, had Meredith been more open to the idea of her and Deluca's relationship from the beginning, the two could have had a brilliant relationship.
Pushing Derek Away
Throughout season 3, Meredith and Derek took their time on their path back to each other, with Meredith even continuing to date Finn. Eventually, the couple realized their feelings for one another and decided to give their relationship a real go, but still, Meredith continued to push Derek away.
Known for being "dark and twisty," Meredith refused to let Derek in and fully trust him, even when he was giving all of himself to her. An example of this was shown in "Walk On Water," when Derek saved Meredith from drowning in her bathtub, and persisted in asking if she was okay, to which Meredith only responded that he's not her "knight in shining whatever." Given the fact that Derek had proved to be there for her, in retrospect it feels out of place for Meredith to have pushed him away so much when he was just trying to help.
Not Calling Derek's Family When He Was Dying
Derek's death was heartbreaking for everyone on Grey's Anatomy, and just as much so for fans. However, in hindsight, the way Meredith handled the situation was extremely impulsive and unfair, even if she was in shock. Considering Derek came from a family of doctors, they would have all been well versed in the process of turning off someone's life support, but they never even got the chance to see him.
Meredith's decision was rash, and would have been made easier if she had called Derek's family, or even any of her friends, to help her through it. The worst part about the whole situation is the fact that no one other than Meredith even got to say goodbye to Derek, and his family really should have been given that opportunity.
How She Treated Amelia After Derek's Death
The narrative arc that followed the aftermath of Derek's death was gut-wrenching, and Meredith's treatment of Amelia only made it worse. The episode "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," showed Meredith and Amelia's relationship at its worst, when Meredith screamed at Owen to get Amelia out of her house before she killed her.
Understandably, Meredith was riddled with grief (only made worse by Penny's arrival at her dinner party), but her treatment of Amelia doesn't sit right, especially as Derek was very important to Amelia too. Meredith's coldness is one of her worst personality traits, and when directed towards her sister-in-law it was genuinely off-putting to watch, and is even worse in hindsight.
Messing With The Alzheimer's Trial
Whilst Meredith's tinkering with the Alzheimer Trial may be viewed as a noble act for trying to help Adele, it was also highly irresponsible and unfair to the other participants. As a doctor, Meredith should have known better than to mess with something as important as this trial, even if she did have good intentions.
Meredith's actions ultimately ruined the whole validity of the trial anyway, which she would have been aware would be the consequences should she get caught. Not to mention the fact that Meredith's meddling with the trial also got Derek blacklisted from any further trials with the FDA. Upon reflection, despite the goodwill behind them, Meredith's actions were rash and impulsive, and should have led to more repercussions for her.