Dr. Meredith Grey: The Sun

[Lisin]

I'm happy Mer is happy. 

[KnitsWithRaceCars]

I know that Buzzfeed isn't the greatest media source, but I thought this article might make a good springboard for discussion, and it did come directly from EP...

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/ellen-pompeo-doesnt-see-herself-acting-after-greys-anatomy#217akhd

 

 

 

[choclatechip45]

I'm not surprised. She has not done very many outside projects since she has been on Grey's.

[KnitsWithRaceCars]

Recently I've read a number of Facebook and Instagram comments in which people are saying that this is EP's last season on Grey's.  The last I heard officially was late last year that, except for Sandra Oh, all of the "originals" plus Sara Ramirez had signed new contracts to stay on through the end of season 12.  That was assuming that ABC would renew the show for that long, of course.  Has there been a more recent change that I missed?

Edited October 5, 2014 by KnitsWithRaceCars

[CofCinci]

What a difference a year makes....  Fair to assume a very dark and twisty widow?

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Maybe they'll get Melissa George to return, what were their nicknames?

Dead and Deader?

[StaceyNotStacie]

It seems like with Derek's death, she will literally become her mother.  Single mother, extraordinary surgeon.  She won't have to move around or anything like that because of Derek's career.  The only difference is that instead of an ex-husband, she has a dead husband, which will probably make her even more extraordinary than her mother because she overcame the obstacle of Derek's shocking and untimely death.

[funnygirl]

 

Dead and Deader?

Death and Die

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Death and Die

Okay I was close, thanks.

[limecoke]

Ok, thanks to the wonders of Netflix, I've been binge-watching GA for the past few weeks.  Never saw it before, never really wanted to but, hey, summer is long and I was bored.  Try as I might, I cannot like the character of Meredith.  I was actually warming to her a little in the middle seasons but halfway through season 11, I find myself tolerating her less and less.  It started when Christina left and she glommed onto Alex.  There are a few warmish moments with her husband and children but they are few and far between.  Derek is the hands-on parent and sadly, he'll be gone soon (so I've heard).  Yes, Meredith, you ARE your mother no matter how hard you to try and fight it.  Arrogant, selfish and with a strange sense of what is really important in life.  Her friendship with Christina is the only genuine thing I can find in her character.  At least Christina was honest about who she was.  Meredith is not.  There, I feel better.

[upperco]

I understand the Meredith hate, but I appreciate it when she's unlikable. The more flawed the protagonist, the more narrative mileage. I'm just bothered by the way the series has handled her, so to speak, in the past. Not only is her personality inconsistent, but her role as the center has fluctuated -- making for, in my opinion, an unbalanced and unfocused series.

[Nobodysfan]

I understand the Meredith hate, but I appreciate it when she's unlikable. The more flawed the protagonist, the more narrative mileage. I'm just bothered by the way the series has handled her, so to speak, in the past. Not only is her personality inconsistent, but her role as the center has fluctuated -- making for, in my opinion, an unbalanced and unfocused series.

She has her flaws as any other character, but for me it is not her inconsistent personality that bothers me but it is sucking her friends Cristina at first and now Alex by meddling into their lives or using them to treat her own problems and  having ZERO respect for her friends´ personal lives. That deleted scene fom last season is just a little example of that and there are plenty more.

 

I do love Meredith as a surgeon, she is great, she matured into a well-experienced very qualified surgeon who treats patients with dignity. Too bad she can´t do it with her own best friends.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Season5OwenHuntfan

[upperco]

She has her flaws as any other character, but for me it is not her inconsistent personality that bothers me but it is sucking her friends Cristina at first and now Alex by meddling into their lives or using them to treat her own problems and having ZERO respect for her friends´ personal lives. That deleted scene fom last season is just a little example of that and there are plenty more.

I do love Meredith as a surgeon, she is great, she matured into a well-experienced very qualified surgeon who treats patients with dignity. Too bad she can´t do it with her own best friends.

Sure, in real life that behavior would be annoying. But Meredith is the lead of the series and frankly, if I had my way, no story would exist without some connection to her character. Furthermore, I believe that characters without an immediate link to Meredith have no point on the series besides filling screen time and giving other irrelevant characters scene partners. We all have our favorites, but the show IS Meredith's trajectory -- and I've been saying this long before Rhimes used this as her justification for axing Dempsey.

But this narrative focus is easier noted than practiced. I get that. It's an ensemble show and everyone must be serviced. I get that too. But at the very least, any storyline that doesn't concern an original member of MAGIC is an obvious deviation from the core premise. Thus, it's less worthy of my emotional investment, no matter how much the show wants to reinvent itself. In this regard, I can understand frustration at Alex's lack of meaty material this past season. As the only other member of MAGIC left, he should have more than just a story centered entirely around Meredith. No doubt. But I blame the construction of the season and the shallowness of the depiction (textually and physically) of Jo for his sidelining. If his love interest was less two-dimensional and their pairing was not as forced, Alex likely would have had more to do -- even amidst the recent Derek hokum. So why would I fault Meredith, the character, for the show's failure to deliver on behalf of Alex?

Okay. Even if I were to blame Meredith for Alex not being treated correctly, the strength of having her character in the center -- observing and interacting in the others' arcs -- is worth the others not getting commensurate material. And if this design means that she needs to be a nosy intrusive busy body, I am okay with that -- as long as logic persists and she doesn't feel out-of-character (and I grant you that sometimes this happens). Either way, this insensitivity does not prevent me from investing in her emotionally, although it may preclude you and others from following suit. She's been disliked by a large and vocal part of the audience for almost a decade now. Yet, she's still the lead . . .

Edited August 26, 2015 by upperco

[BaseOps]

Sure, in real life that behavior would be annoying. But Meredith is the lead of the series and frankly, if I had my way, no story would exist without some connection to her character. Furthermore, I believe that characters without an immediate link to Meredith have no point on the series besides filling screen time and giving other irrelevant characters scene partners. We all have our favorites, but the show IS Meredith's trajectory -- and I've been saying this long before Rhimes used this as her justification for axing Dempsey.

But this narrative focus is easier noted than practiced. I get that. It's an ensemble show and everyone must be serviced. I get that too. But at the very least, any storyline that doesn't concern an original member of MAGIC is an obvious deviation from the core premise. Thus, it's less worthy of my emotional investment, no matter how much the show wants to reinvent itself. In this regard, I can understand frustration at Alex's lack of meaty material this past season. As the only other member of MAGIC left, he should have more than just a story centered entirely around Meredith. No doubt. But I blame the construction of the season and the shallowness of the depiction (textually and physically) of Jo for his sidelining. If his love interest was less two-dimensional and their pairing was not as forced, Alex likely would have had more to do -- even amidst the recent Derek hokum. So why would I fault Meredith, the character, for the show's failure to deliver on behalf of Alex?

Okay. Even if I were to blame Meredith for Alex not being treated correctly, the strength of having her character in the center -- observing and interacting in the others' arcs -- is worth the others not getting commensurate material. And if this design means that she needs to be a nosy intrusive busy body, I am okay with that -- as long as logic persists and she doesn't feel out-of-character (and I grant you that sometimes this happens). Either way, this insensitivity does not prevent me from investing in her emotionally, although it may preclude you and others from following suit. She's been disliked by a large and vocal part of the audience for almost a decade now. Yet, she's still the lead . . .

 

AMEN. I've been saying it for years.. whether you like Meredith or not, I don't understand how anyone can believe that the show doesn't work best when she is at the centre. It now feels like a series that revolves around a bunch of random doctors in a disaster-prone hospital, whereas it used to be a very distinct story about this woman and her group of people. I can't fathom why Shonda thinks it's necessary to keep characters like Stef around, who has been on for 3 years now and we know nothing about her. She isn't tied to anyone, she has never been a fan-favourite or contributed anything to the story. Why is she here? 

 

If anything, when Dempsey left they should have cleaned house. Bye-bye Jo, bye-bye Stef, Bye-bye Owen and Amelia. Set up Alex with Maggie, and give him a real, grownup storyline... let Meredith start healing on her own, give Bailey a decent story (chief of surgery!), and get back to the basics of the show. Richard could be relegated to recurring, because he honestly doesn't serve much purpose. Have Callie and Arizona dating other people, give Jackson a real storyline and potentially a new love interest. There's so much going on that I just don't care about, and the stories I am interested in are given such small attention that I find it harder and harder to care about the series as a whole. 

Edited August 27, 2015 by BaseOps

[Nobodysfan]

Sure, in real life that behavior would be annoying. But Meredith is the lead of the series and frankly, if I had my way, no story would exist without some connection to her character. Furthermore, I believe that characters without an immediate link to Meredith have no point on the series besides filling screen time and giving other irrelevant characters scene partners. We all have our favorites, but the show IS Meredith's trajectory -- and I've been saying this long before Rhimes used this as her justification for axing Dempsey.

But this narrative focus is easier noted than practiced. I get that. It's an ensemble show and everyone must be serviced. I get that too. But at the very least, any storyline that doesn't concern an original member of MAGIC is an obvious deviation from the core premise. Thus, it's less worthy of my emotional investment, no matter how much the show wants to reinvent itself. In this regard, I can understand frustration at Alex's lack of meaty material this past season. As the only other member of MAGIC left, he should have more than just a story centered entirely around Meredith. No doubt. But I blame the construction of the season and the shallowness of the depiction (textually and physically) of Jo for his sidelining. If his love interest was less two-dimensional and their pairing was not as forced, Alex likely would have had more to do -- even amidst the recent Derek hokum. So why would I fault Meredith, the character, for the show's failure to deliver on behalf of Alex?

Okay. Even if I were to blame Meredith for Alex not being treated correctly, the strength of having her character in the center -- observing and interacting in the others' arcs -- is worth the others not getting commensurate material. And if this design means that she needs to be a nosy intrusive busy body, I am okay with that -- as long as logic persists and she doesn't feel out-of-character (and I grant you that sometimes this happens). Either way, this insensitivity does not prevent me from investing in her emotionally, although it may preclude you and others from following suit. She's been disliked by a large and vocal part of the audience for almost a decade now. Yet, she's still the lead . . .

 

I am an original Meredith fan,and MerDer fan, I really liked her S1-S3  but somehow I stopped,you know when Owen came - I started to like Cristina with him, and dislike Meredith for meddling into Crowen´s relationship and later marriage, which was so so uncalled for many many times. 

 

I do have a love/hate relationship with Meredith, I love her as a surgeon but I dislike her as a person. I can´t bring myself to like her although I would want,but there is something about her that I now find really off-putting.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Season5OwenHuntfan

[Deanie87]

AMEN. I've been saying it for years.. whether you like Meredith or not, I don't understand how anyone can believe that the show doesn't work best when she is at the centre. It now feels like a series that revolves around a bunch of random doctors in a disaster-prone hospital, whereas it used to be a very distinct story about this woman and her group of people. I can't fathom why Shonda thinks it's necessary to keep characters like Stef around, who has been on for 3 years now and we know nothing about her. She isn't tied to anyone, she has never been a fan-favourite or contributed anything to the story. Why is she here? 

 

If anything, when Dempsey left they should have cleaned house. Bye-bye Jo, bye-bye Stef, Bye-bye Owen and Amelia. Set up Alex with Maggie, and give him a real, grownup storyline... let Meredith start healing on her own, give Bailey a decent story (chief of surgery!), and get back to the basics of the show. Richard could be relegated to recurring, because he honestly doesn't serve much purpose. Have Callie and Arizona dating other people, give Jackson a real storyline and potentially a new love interest. There's so much going on that I just don't care about, and the stories I am interested in are given such small attention that I find it harder and harder to care about the series as a whole. 

 

I am fine with Meredith being in the center of things, in that this is her workplace and each character should relate to her in some capacity, even if it is second hand, but I don't need her in every storyline.  She used to be a sounding board for the other characters, even if they didn't affect her personally, but she has become so self-centered and selfish, that she now  ignores or redirects every conversation that isn't about her and what she needs.  I really don't need any more of that.  I also think that the show did a really poor job of integrating newer characters with her and so it seems like we have all of these characters that have nothing to do with Meredith having their own storylines.  Which doesn't have to be the case.  Jo, Stephanie and Ben are her residents, so there should have been more interaction there besides Meredith just shitting all over Jo every chance she got.  Jackson is her quasi-step brother, but that has been completely ignored and she can't even manage an iota of compassion when his child dies.  

 

At the same time, when she is put with older characters, such as Callie or Arizona (who have been on the show for half of its run or more), it seems completely forced because we know she is only taking to them because Cristina isn't there and because she can only monopolize Alex for so many hours in a day.  Meredith never wanted anything to do with Callie until she had kids and Callie could help take care of them, and still barely wants anything to do with Arizona, and yet the writers now have them bond as though its second nature.  In seasons 6 & 7, they did try to make a MAC + Jackson and April scenario work and I really wish that they had stuck with that because they were all going through residency together, but they didn't.  

 

As much as some of the newer characters try my everloving nerves, some new blood is necessary.  The show was getting (and in some respects still is) stale, stale, stale.  MerDer, Calzona, Owen and a perpetually single, horndog Alex were acting out the same storylines and arguments again and again and again.  I find Stephanie and Jo's friendship to be fresh and funny and they don't have the kids and the responsibilities that the older ones do.  They are still learning medicine so their conversations don't all revolve around sex and relationships like seemingly every other woman on the show.  April and Jackson are just starting to get interesting because their issues aren't the same issues we have seen again and again on this show.  The actors are going to come and go, except perhaps EP, so if the show now wants to continue on for years (which I don't believe it should but it will), then it really needs to integrate the characters better and more organically.  If Meredith is going to be the center like she used to be (which may be impossible at this point), then they need to have her pull her head out of her ass every once in awhile and give a damn about someone besides herself.  And, believe it or not, I say this as someone who used to really like Meredith and wants to again. 

Edited August 27, 2015 by Deanie87

[maasa]

 

She's been disliked by a large and vocal part of the audience for almost a decade now. Yet, she's still the lead . . .

I don't think a large part of the audience disliked Meredith or have been all that vocal about it. I've never liked her and always have felt in the minority. Until this PTV forum you would be instantly jumped on if you posted anywhere that you didn't like her. She'll always be the defacto lead and I've never had a problem with that because I just FF through her scenes when I get bored. Bored has probably been my main issue with Meredith. I can be interested in characters I don't like if I find their storylines compelling but Meredith's have been so repetitive. Its been all about her Mommy and/or Daddy issues for seasons on end, she's died or almost died multiple times, breakup/makeups with Derek & has siblings show up. Lather, rinse, repeat. I've often felt that Meredith is shoved into others' storyline just to keep her as the lead. It feels forced because she doesn't interact with characters then she's suddenly there all up in another's story.

 

I think the stories started branching out from being connected to Meredith in late season 2 and the show became more of an ensemble than about just Meredith. I think there were a few reasons for that - the show exploded and all characters had fanbases with fans clamoring for more. Other actors were receiving acclaim and award nominations. Also, Meredith's relationship with Cristina being so co-dependent it made it Meredith/Cristina and every one else. Meredith showed little to no interest or concern towards anyone other than Cristina and Derek.

If anything, when Dempsey left they should have cleaned house. Bye-bye Jo, bye-bye Stef, Bye-bye Owen and Amelia. Set up Alex with Maggie, and give him a real, grownup storyline...

I can understand why someone who loves Meredith would prefer this - it gives Meredith more screen time and will make Alex's relationship all about Meredith. Sorry, not interested. I do like Maggie but she's the kind of personality Alex would run from not be in a relationship with. I agree that Jo needs development but I want to see Alex and Jo continue. Its a relationship that has been building (well not last year when it was ignored with the BTS drama) and I don't want it cut just to have Alex with Maggie so its more connected to Meredith. Alex was stuck all last season with Meredith, its time to free him and let Meredith's new half sister be her person. Alex has been established for years as Meredith's friend so there will always be that connection (if that's so important to people) but it doesn't have to be shown in every episode at the expense of Alex as a character.

 

+1 to everything Deanie87 posted.

 

I'm actually a bit interested in Meredith's story for next season because it should be something new for her and not something we've seen 100 times. I may never like her but I always hope for interesting story for everyone because that makes the show better and more enjoyable to me.

Edited August 28, 2015 by maasa

[Greysaddict]

This is a really excellent discussion, and as a Meredith fan I definitely appreciate both sides.  So thank you Upperco, BaseOps, Deanie87, etc.  

 

I don't want to rehash too much of what has already been said but, I too have always found GA to be a series that revolved around Meredith and her relationships (romantic, friend, work and family).  Its been discussed many times, that one of the (many) problems with S11 was the storylines were so scattered and inconsistent.  So I definitely don't mind a "full circle" movement where the show goes back to being more about Meredith and friends rather than a bunch of random doctors.

I am fine with Meredith being in the center of things, in that this is her workplace and each character should relate to her in some capacity, even if it is second hand, but I don't need her in every storyline.  She used to be a sounding board for the other characters, even if they didn't affect her personally, but she has become so self-centered and selfish, that she now  ignores or redirects every conversation that isn't about her and what she needs.   

 

If Meredith is going to be the center like she used to be (which may be impossible at this point), then they need to have her pull her head out of her ass every once in awhile and give a damn about someone besides herself.  And, believe it or not, I say this as someone who used to really like Meredith and wants to again.

I pulled this quote out specifically because I believe this was a huge fault of the writers.  It was most apparent in S11, when they really turned Meredith into a completely inconsistent character but it seemed like poor writing rather than a true change in character/personality.  I may have blinders on because I am fan, but Meredith's complete lack of caring about Jackson/April's baby was so out of character.  When she fought with Amelia over Owen, I'm still not sure what her point even was.  Was she trying to protect Amelia since she's not a fan of Owen, was she trying to protect Owen since she promised Cristina she'd look after him?  These are just two examples of poor writing for Meredith.  It's almost like they didn't know what to do with her last season, which is odd since they weren't new writers.  

 

I've always found her to be sympathetic and caring towards her friends.  She always stood up for Alex when he was the "hated" intern, fought for Izzie with Alex multiple times, she got Derek to operate on Izzie.  Of course she has been selfish at times (but who isn't?).

[Deanie87]

I've always found her to be sympathetic and caring towards her friends.  She always stood up for Alex when he was the "hated" intern, fought for Izzie with Alex multiple times, she got Derek to operate on Izzie.  Of course she has been selfish at times (but who isn't?).

 

Yes, she was always the most sincerely compassionate doctor and friend (I know that George and especially Izzie THOUGHT that they were, but they both turned judgmental and petty in a heartbeat when things didn't go their way.)  She was good at her job and kind of neurotic, but she always had time to check in with other people to see how they were doing, even Addison, for god's sake.  Season 11 was the worst as far as Meredith's behavior but it really started a couple of seasons before that, and I hate to say that it was mostly after they gave her kids but that seems like when it started.  Maybe that's a coincidence.

 

After thinking about it, it seems that having Meredith be aligned so closely with Cristina and Derek hurt her character in the long run.  Nearly every other original character has other friends (outside the original five interns) except Meredith.  Cristina got close to both Callie and Teddy, Alex got close with Arizona and Jackson and April at one time.  Callie had friendships with Teddy, Bailey, Addison and Cristina and Arizona has Alex and April.  Meredith was sort of close to Lexie for a bit, I guess, but not really anyone else and that is strange and bad writing for someone who is supposed to be the lead and the glue that holds it all together.  She still isn't really close to anyone who has been on the show for more than a season, other than Alex and now Callie (which I just don't find very believable.)  Maybe its because she is the only one who has been with the same love interest since the very beginning and so she never had to find outside friends, or maybe because Shonda fell so in love with Cris/Mer dynamic.  I don't know, but with Derek and Cristina gone, Meredith has become a shell of herself and not really very interesting to me.  She seems bitter and arrogant and competitive with everyone and not in a funny way.  

 

So this season should be very interesting.  She will now have to interact with other characters (and I hope its more than Alex and the Gals.)  I hope that she softens some (as most people do after marriage and children) and gets back to being a good doctor (but not necessarily THE BEST) and a good friend.  If they really intend to keep the show going for 3 or more years, then they need to start showing rather than telling us why Meredith deserves to have all of these people rally around her all the time.  If Meredith stays this unlikable and this isolated, the show is going to become even worse than it is now.

 

ETA - I remembered that Meredith has been close to Richard (although that relationship has been rocky at times).  That sort of counts, but he was someone in her life from before and is also semi-parental, so its not quite the same.  Same with Bailey.  She is friendly with Bailey most of the time, but I wouldn't say more than George, Izzie or Cristina.  

Edited August 28, 2015 by Deanie87

[upperco]

I am fine with Meredith being in the center of things, in that this is her workplace and each character should relate to her in some capacity, even if it is second hand, but I don't need her in every storyline.  She used to be a sounding board for the other characters, even if they didn't affect her personally, but she has become so self-centered and selfish, that she now  ignores or redirects every conversation that isn't about her and what she needs.  I really don't need any more of that.  I also think that the show did a really poor job of integrating newer characters with her and so it seems like we have all of these characters that have nothing to do with Meredith having their own storylines.  Which doesn't have to be the case.  Jo, Stephanie and Ben are her residents, so there should have been more interaction there besides Meredith just shitting all over Jo every chance she got.  Jackson is her quasi-step brother, but that has been completely ignored and she can't even manage an iota of compassion when his child dies.  

 

At the same time, when she is put with older characters, such as Callie or Arizona (who have been on the show for half of its run or more), it seems completely forced because we know she is only taking to them because Cristina isn't there and because she can only monopolize Alex for so many hours in a day.  Meredith never wanted anything to do with Callie until she had kids and Callie could help take care of them, and still barely wants anything to do with Arizona, and yet the writers now have them bond as though its second nature.  In seasons 6 & 7, they did try to make a MAC + Jackson and April scenario work and I really wish that they had stuck with that because they were all going through residency together, but they didn't.  

 

As much as some of the newer characters try my everloving nerves, some new blood is necessary.  The show was getting (and in some respects still is) stale, stale, stale.  MerDer, Calzona, Owen and a perpetually single, horndog Alex were acting out the same storylines and arguments again and again and again.  I find Stephanie and Jo's friendship to be fresh and funny and they don't have the kids and the responsibilities that the older ones do.  They are still learning medicine so their conversations don't all revolve around sex and relationships like seemingly every other woman on the show.  April and Jackson are just starting to get interesting because their issues aren't the same issues we have seen again and again on this show.  The actors are going to come and go, except perhaps EP, so if the show now wants to continue on for years (which I don't believe it should but it will), then it really needs to integrate the characters better and more organically.  If Meredith is going to be the center like she used to be (which may be impossible at this point), then they need to have her pull her head out of her ass every once in awhile and give a damn about someone besides herself.  And, believe it or not, I say this as someone who used to really like Meredith and wants to again. 

 

I don't disagree with anything you wrote. The introduction of new characters on this series has never been well handled, especially when they started coming on to replace those who were departing. Most of them didn't have any relation to Meredith, and this was one of several contributors to her decline in the series' relevance, particularly in the middle years (6-9). I suppose where we differ a bit is in our reaction to the presentation of Meredith's character during this most recent season. I grant that she's been drawn more selfishly over the past two years, and I am absolutely bothered whenever she (or any character) comes across as contrived and/or inauthentic. But I think giving her more to do -- and no doubt, this is at the expense of some other characters having full story lines of their own -- is the first basic step in improving the show's quality. Of course I hope that Meredith is the center of the series AND that all the other characters are treated with respect and given their own arcs, but GREY'S ANATOMY isn't well written and hasn't been for a while. So in the meantime, I champion anytime Meredith returns to prominence, because there's a tangible difference in the show's potency. I'd rather her be a bitch and have a lot to do (Seasons 10-11) than be a saint and have very little (6-9). 

 

I don't think a large part of the audience disliked Meredith or have been all that vocal about it. I've never liked her and always have felt in the minority. Until this PTV forum you would be instantly jumped on if you posted anywhere that you didn't like her. She'll always be the defacto lead and I've never had a problem with that because I just FF through her scenes when I get bored. Bored has probably been my main issue with Meredith. I can be interested in characters I don't like if I find their storylines compelling but Meredith's have been so repetitive. Its been all about her Mommy and/or Daddy issues for seasons on end, she's died or almost died multiple times, breakup/makeups with Derek & has siblings show up. Lather, rinse, repeat. I've often felt that Meredith is shoved into others' storyline just to keep her as the lead. It feels forced because she doesn't interact with characters then she's suddenly there all up in another's story.

 

I think the stories started branching out from being connected to Meredith in late season 2 and the show became more of an ensemble than about just Meredith. I think there were a few reasons for that - the show exploded and all characters had fanbases with fans clamoring for more. Other actors were receiving acclaim and award nominations. Also, Meredith's relationship with Cristina being so co-dependent it made it Meredith/Cristina and every one else. Meredith showed little to no interest or concern towards anyone other than Cristina and Derek.

 

Our memories really differ, because I definitely recall a backlash against the character that started in Season Two and exploded in Season Three after the misguided drowning arc. The majority of posters online (and we've discussed before on TWOP that maybe this isn't representative of the entire viewing audience) did not like her character. And I think there was a correlation between this growing Meredith disfavor and the opening up of the show as an ensemble. Certainly, other factors contributed as well -- other characters catching on, more stories means less hours for the stars, backlash against Meredith's off-again/on-again relationship -- but the hate was everywhere, and I don't think it went unrecognized by Rhimes. You can google for past articles/forums/blogs all about the Meredith hate.  

Edited August 28, 2015 by upperco

[represent]

Meredith just never stood out for me. I actually didn't mind that she was the "center" of the show until I felt that her relationship with my fav. Cristina took precedence over any other personal relationship in Cristina's life. I liked her narration, but when it always came back to Meredith for Cristina, I started to resent Meredith, thanks to Shonda's hard-on for this friendship.   No matter what, Cristina was always left with Meredith when shit didn't work out in her relationships with men, that was like her only close tie. Meanwhile Meredith had tons of other connections, which would have been fine with me as long as Cristina could have at least  one fucking long lasting connection other than Meredith Grey. But no that never happened, heck they even had Cristina say as much to Meredith in episode, that she, Meredith had all these people who would have her back, but that she Cristina did not have that. I think it was an episode in season five.

 

See there are viewers of this show who don't see Meredith as truly the lead because they don't watch for her and never have. So if she disappeared they'd still be able to watch even though the center character would no longer be there. I was one of those viewers. The show just had too many other interesting characters that commanded the screen moreso than EP as Meredith Grey IMO. There have been too many characters but that may have been all to compensate for the lead character that they felt may not be able to hold on to half the audience for all these years. I know I wouldn't have continued to watch this show past the first episode without characters like Cristina, Burke, Bailey and in the second episode Alex. Because I had absolutely no interest in Mer/Der, they just never were dreamy to me at all.

[Nobodysfan]

Meredith just never stood out for me. I actually didn't mind that she was the "center" of the show until I felt that her relationship with my fav. Cristina took precedence over any other personal relationship in Cristina's life. I liked her narration, but when it always came back to Meredith for Cristina, I started to resent Meredith, thanks to Shonda's hard-on for this friendship.   No matter what, Cristina was always left with Meredith when shit didn't work out in her relationships with men, that was like her only close tie. Meanwhile Meredith had tons of other connections, which would have been fine with me as long as Cristina could have at least  one fucking long lasting connection other than Meredith Grey. But no that never happened, heck they even had Cristina say as much to Meredith in episode, that she, Meredith had all these people who would have her back, but that she Cristina did not have that. I think it was an episode in season five.

 

See there are viewers of this show who don't see Meredith as truly the lead because they don't watch for her and never have. So if she disappeared they'd still be able to watch even though the center character would no longer be there. I was one of those viewers. The show just had too many other interesting characters that commanded the screen moreso than EP as Meredith Grey IMO. There have been too many characters but that may have been all to compensate for the lead character that they felt may not be able to hold on to half the audience for all these years. I know I wouldn't have continued to watch this show past the first episode without characters like Cristina, Burke, Bailey and in the second episode Alex. Because I had absolutely no interest in Mer/Der, they just never were dreamy to me at all.

You can bet. Especially, in the scene when Addison came  - S1 finale. She pinned Meredith onto the wall,and Kate Walsh was FANTASTIC in that scene. "You must be the woman who has been screwing my husband." The best line ever.

Edited August 28, 2015 by Season5OwenHuntfan

[Greysaddict]

Our memories really differ, because I definitely recall a backlash against the character that started in Season Two and exploded in Season Three after the misguided drowning arc. The majority of posters online (and we've discussed before on TWOP that maybe this isn't representative of the entire viewing audience) did not like her character. And I think there was a correlation between this growing Meredith disfavor and the opening up of the show as an ensemble. Certainly, other factors contributed as well -- other characters catching on, more stories means less hours for the stars, backlash against Meredith's off-again/on-again relationship -- but the hate was everywhere, and I don't think it went unrecognized by Rhimes. You can google for past articles/forums/blogs all about the Meredith hate.  

Yes, I 100% agree that the Meredith hate really kicked in high gear after the drowning arc.  Between the drowning and the on-off relationship of MerDer I think a lot of people were turned off from her.  I was only an occasional lurker on TWOP but I seem to remember Meredith not being a favorite over there either (not just the general public).  I could be totally off base though.  

 

See there are viewers of this show who don't see Meredith as truly the lead because they don't watch for her and never have. So if she disappeared they'd still be able to watch even though the center character would no longer be there. I was one of those viewers. The show just had too many other interesting characters that commanded the screen moreso than EP as Meredith Grey IMO. There have been too many characters but that may have been all to compensate for the lead character that they felt may not be able to hold on to half the audience for all these years. I know I wouldn't have continued to watch this show past the first episode without characters like Cristina, Burke, Bailey and in the second episode Alex. Because I had absolutely no interest in Mer/Der, they just never were dreamy to me at all.

I get what you are saying, but I disagree that Meredith as a lead character couldn't hold on to the audience.  I mean, the cast has been pretty revolving since the end of season 8 and the ratings have been great by today's standards.  Yes, the ratings are down but so is everything and in comparison to most its doing extremely well.  Just about the only thing that has been consistent since season 9 is Meredith.  I will agree that the SHOW hasn't been nearly as good from S9-11 but the audience is still there.  

 

However, I do agree that characters like Cristina, (early) Bailey, Alex, Addison really helped the show, but that was the beauty of GA in the beginning....how well all the characters interacted and storylines weaved together.  

Edited August 28, 2015 by Greysaddict

[Greysaddict]

You can bet. Especially, in the scene when Addison came  - S1 finale. She pinned Meredith onto the wall,and Kate Walsh was FANTASTIC in that scene. "You must be the woman who has been screwing my husband." The best line ever.

This is interesting because I loved Addison as well and that WAS a fantastic scene....but you know what, it was still all about Meredith.  Addison's arc was never meant to be about Addison but about Meredith (and Derek) and her lack of trust.  In fact the Private Practice spinoff was introduced because of how liked Kate Walsh was, but in reality Addison was never meant to stick around.  And funnily enough, as much as people like Addison on GA she couldn't sustain Private Practice long term.  (sorry getting way off the Meredith topic here).  

[upperco]

See there are viewers of this show who don't see Meredith as truly the lead because they don't watch for her and never have. So if she disappeared they'd still be able to watch even though the center character would no longer be there. I was one of those viewers. The show just had too many other interesting characters that commanded the screen moreso than EP as Meredith Grey IMO. There have been too many characters but that may have been all to compensate for the lead character that they felt may not be able to hold on to half the audience for all these years. I know I wouldn't have continued to watch this show past the first episode without characters like Cristina, Burke, Bailey and in the second episode Alex. Because I had absolutely no interest in Mer/Der, they just never were dreamy to me at all.

 

I completely understand your point, and I know the show could go on without Meredith. I also believe that the series' initial success was not really due to Meredith, but to the combination of well-defined and smartly crafted characters. In fact, in the early years, I was more drawn to Burke and Cristina than the Meredith/Derek/Addison triangle. My point-of-view, however, is that the show needs the Meredith character as its anchor, and I offer some of the disappointing middle seasons, in which she did nothing but the boring "MerDer" milestone stuff (proposal, post-it wedding, miscarriage, real wedding, adoption, pregnancy) and was defined by her STORY and not by her CHARACTER, as evidence of the series' mindless lack of textual weight. 

 

Now, I do believe the show declines in quality a little bit every season, even when Meredith has more to do, but I attribute that to the loss of characters about whom we care, the addition of characters who never are properly developed, and the continual influx of new writers who increasingly morph all of the character's established voices. So, while I think Seasons Ten and Eleven have been better for Meredith the character and the show's initial raison d'être, I wholeheartedly acknowledge that GREY'S loses a bit of itself every year, and becomes an overall less appealing show as a result.

Edited August 28, 2015 by upperco

[Greysaddict]

I completely understand your point, and I know the show could go on without Meredith. I also believe that the series' initial success was not really due to Meredith, but to the combination of well-defined and smartly crafted characters. In fact, in the early years, I was more drawn to Burke and Cristina than the Meredith/Derek/Addison triangle. My point-of-view, however, is that the show needs the Meredith character as its anchor, and I offer some of the disappointing middle seasons, in which she did nothing but the boring "MerDer" milestone stuff (proposal, post-it wedding, miscarriage, real wedding, adoption, pregnancy) and was defined by her STORY and not by her CHARACTER, as evidence of the series' mindless lack of textual weight. 

 

Now, I do believe the show declines in quality a little bit every season, even when Meredith has more to do, but I attribute that to the loss of characters about whom we care, the addition of characters who never are properly developed, and the continual influx of new writers who increasingly morph all of the character's established voices. So, while I think Seasons Ten and Eleven have been better for Meredith the character and the show's initial raison d'être, I wholeheartedly acknowledge that GREY'S loses a bit of itself every year, and becomes an overall less appealing show as a result.

this is a 100% spot on analysis of the 11 season (to date) run of Grey's Anatomy.  Excellent post!

Edited August 28, 2015 by Greysaddict

[represent]

I simply saying that I didn't mind her being the center character, I think she was needed but she was never enough to hold my interest. If you got rid of the other characters and pretty much just had her and Derrick I would not have tuned in for that. Then the writing just started to suck IMO at the end of season two with that LVAD shit and Izzie written to return. It never really recovered fully for me but Cristina kept me there, then Callie but again the writing never really recovered and inserting Grey into every damn thing was annoying because this viewer didn't need to see her. The best part about her was actually her narration. She for me was almost like the character on Desperate Housewives who committed suicide so we never see her alive from the very beginning of the show but she's the one who is telling the story. We see her in some flashbacks and I liked her narration but I didn't need to see her all the time and she definitely didn't need to be in every character's damn story, every week.

 

You know Shonda can just be an annoying writer after a short time. I haven't even watched every eppy of Scandal and KW and her leading man annoy me. They annoy me like Mer/Der annoyed me. I'm over it and I just started paying attention this past season. I mean where is it really going and then what? These all encompassing love stories that she writes between her leads on her shows  are just too much stand for too long, ugh.

 

I won't be watching but Meredith as a single mother without her "better half" might actually make her interesting for the first time in this series.

Edited August 28, 2015 by represent

[windsprints]

The majority of posters online (and we've discussed before on TWOP that maybe this isn't representative of the entire viewing audience) did not like her character.

 

I think every character has fans and people that hate them and TWOP was certainly no exception. I don't like Meredith and have generally felt in the minority, especially on twitter, that old fansomething board and tumblr but YMMV.

She was good at her job and kind of neurotic, but she always had time to check in with other people to see how they were doing

Meredith was among my favorites in S1 and early S2 and that is how I saw her. By the end of S3 I couldn't stand her and have found her to be self centered and not caring towards anyone other than Cristina (at times) with a few exceptions.

My point-of-view, however, is that the show needs the Meredith character as its anchor, and I offer some of the disappointing middle seasons, in which she did nothing but the boring "MerDer" milestone stuff (proposal, post-it wedding, miscarriage, real wedding, adoption, pregnancy) and was defined by her STORY and not by her CHARACTER, as evidence of the series' mindless lack of textual weight.

I'm curious what you think Meredith should have been given in terms of character development & story that she didn't get. Along with MerDer she had family story, friendships & professional development. What do you think was missing? (genuinely curious, not trying to argue your point).

 

Agree with Deanie87 who said it all so well.

Edited September 1, 2015 by windsprints

[upperco]

I'm curious what you think Meredith should have been given in terms of character development & story that she didn't get. Along with MerDer she had family story, friendships & professional development. What do you think was missing? (genuinely curious, not trying to argue your point).

 

In the aforementioned middle seasons, I think that Meredith had more to do in theory than she actually ever had to do on the screen. More importantly, I think the series treated her as one among an ensemble instead of as the lead of an ensemble. For instance, I remember what a supposed big deal it was to have her headline 7x15 "Golden Hour." But, if you go back and watch Season One, almost every episode was that focused in on Meredith and what her day was like in the hospital. To me, that illustrated just how much the series' structure had changed. I'm not advocating for character-centric episodes at all (as I am really against the regular usage of storytelling gimmicks), but as the character around whom the show was initially built, I want to see Meredith as a major player, if not THE major player, in pretty much every installment. We've discussed this in the past on this forum (and TWOP) -- but how could the series do a musical episode without giving a song to its title character? If Pompeo couldn't or wouldn't sing, it shouldn't have been done. I think that was the lowest moment with regard to the utilization of Meredith's character (in my eyes), excepting the stretch of shows when Pompeo was on maternity leave.

 

But I think Derek made Meredith a difficult character for the writers to script. I believe the intention was to keep them on-again/off-again for as long as possible, but fan outcry convinced Rhimes to make their relationship permanent. (In fact, I think Rhimes' repeated assurance that they were endgame killed all of the tension and opportunity for genuine drama in their relationship. For instance, the mini-breakup when Meredith screwed up the trial -- did anyone not expect them to be fine?) Also, I think we could all agree that Rhimes and company never knew how to write Meredith and Derek as a happy couple, and this was part of the reason that she got routine arcs. The 'trying to get pregnant' storyline from Season Seven is a prime example of a dull and unoriginal premise. When it was given play, it was boring -- and so it wasn't given much play. On paper, she had a full arc; on the show, it was in fits and starts -- far from befitting the lead. 

 

As to what could have been done differently, I can give you two general responses. The character needed to be around more, and more attention should have been given to organic growth. To the first part, if Meredith was simply in more scenes per episode, we'd get to follow her development more closely, as the series initially promised in its first three seasons. Instead, every so often, we would hear from Meredith (or one of the other characters) about how much she's grown. But did we ever see it? No. One example I cite often is her relationship with Lexie. In 5x08, Meredith can barely call Lexie her sister, but by 5x20, Meredith cheerfully tells Lexie, "Of course you're in the wedding! You're my sister." (I paraphrase, of course.) When did that bonding happen? It didn't. The writers squandered Lexie's purpose by pairing her with Mark instead of committing to exploring her already established connection to Meredith. Ultimately, I find this to be more of a Lexie problem than a Meredith problem, but it further illustrates the decentralizing of Meredith as the fulcrum around which the rest of the ensemble fluctuates. 

 

I also think Rhimes got less bold with what she threw at Meredith. The show had made her so "dark and twisty" in early seasons, then people complained, and they self-corrected her too much. Now she became nicknamed on the boards "Mary Sue Grey" because she was all sunshine and light and could do no wrong. In my opinion, Meredith could have suffered more -- increased agony with Lexie, multiple miscarriages, more strife with Derek following the trial. Pain is drama, and because this darkness so defined Meredith in her early years, when that stuff was removed, she lost a LOT of her personality. I think this allowed the writers to sort of do whatever they wanted with her in Seasons Ten and Eleven, which made her less consistent, and ultimately, as unlikable to some as she had been in the beginning (when she was otherwise more consistent and better written).  

 

Frankly, it just comes down to more attention to detail and a constant recognition of her position as the lead. She really wasn't treated as such for a while.

[Nobodysfan]

In the aforementioned middle seasons, I think that Meredith had more to do in theory than she actually ever had to do on the screen. More importantly, I think the series treated her as one among an ensemble instead of as the lead of an ensemble. For instance, I remember what a supposed big deal it was to have her headline 7x15 "Golden Hour." But, if you go back and watch Season One, almost every episode was that focused in on Meredith and what her day was like in the hospital. To me, that illustrated just how much the series' structure had changed. I'm not advocating for character-centric episodes at all (as I am really against the regular usage of storytelling gimmicks), but as the character around whom the show was initially built, I want to see Meredith as a major player, if not THE major player, in pretty much every installment. We've discussed this in the past on this forum (and TWOP) -- but how could the series do a musical episode without giving a song to its title character? If Pompeo couldn't or wouldn't sing, it shouldn't have been done. I think that was the lowest moment with regard to the utilization of Meredith's character (in my eyes), excepting the stretch of shows when Pompeo was on maternity leave.

 

But I think Derek made Meredith a difficult character for the writers to script. I believe the intention was to keep them on-again/off-again for as long as possible, but fan outcry convinced Rhimes to make their relationship permanent. (In fact, I think Rhimes' repeated assurance that they were endgame killed all of the tension and opportunity for genuine drama in their relationship. For instance, the mini-breakup when Meredith screwed up the trial -- did anyone not expect them to be fine?) Also, I think we could all agree that Rhimes and company never knew how to write Meredith and Derek as a happy couple, and this was part of the reason that she got routine arcs. The 'trying to get pregnant' storyline from Season Seven is a prime example of a dull and unoriginal premise. When it was given play, it was boring -- and so it wasn't given much play. On paper, she had a full arc; on the show, it was in fits and starts -- far from befitting the lead. 

 

As to what could have been done differently, I can give you two general responses. The character needed to be around more, and more attention should have been given to organic growth. To the first part, if Meredith was simply in more scenes per episode, we'd get to follow her development more closely, as the series initially promised in its first three seasons. Instead, every so often, we would hear from Meredith (or one of the other characters) about how much she's grown. But did we ever see it? No. One example I cite often is her relationship with Lexie. In 5x08, Meredith can barely call Lexie her sister, but by 5x20, Meredith cheerfully tells Lexie, "Of course you're in the wedding! You're my sister." (I paraphrase, of course.) When did that bonding happen? It didn't. The writers squandered Lexie's purpose by pairing her with Mark instead of committing to exploring her already established connection to Meredith. Ultimately, I find this to be more of a Lexie problem than a Meredith problem, but it further illustrates the decentralizing of Meredith as the fulcrum around which the rest of the ensemble fluctuates. 

 

I also think Rhimes got less bold with what she threw at Meredith. The show had made her so "dark and twisty" in early seasons, then people complained, and they self-corrected her too much. Now she became nicknamed on the boards "Mary Sue Grey" because she was all sunshine and light and could do no wrong. In my opinion, Meredith could have suffered more -- increased agony with Lexie, multiple miscarriages, more strife with Derek following the trial. Pain is drama, and because this darkness so defined Meredith in her early years, when that stuff was removed, she lost a LOT of her personality. I think this allowed the writers to sort of do whatever they wanted with her in Seasons Ten and Eleven, which made her less consistent, and ultimately, as unlikable to some as she had been in the beginning (when she was otherwise more consistent and better written).  

 

Frankly, it just comes down to more attention to detail and a constant recognition of her position as the lead. She really wasn't treated as such for a while.

 

Well-written, I have my issues with Meredith here and there but your arguments are on point.

[Marni]

Very interesting discussion, so many good points.

 

Sure, in real life that behavior would be annoying. But Meredith is the lead of the series and frankly, if I had my way, no story would exist without some connection to her character. Furthermore, I believe that characters without an immediate link to Meredith have no point on the series besides filling screen time and giving other irrelevant characters scene partners. We all have our favorites, but the show IS Meredith's trajectory -- and I've been saying this long before Rhimes used this as her justification for axing Dempsey.

Even early on I don't think Meredith was ever truly the lead in the traditional sense. At the start the core of the show was the five young interns entering the competitive world of surgery, their triumphs and failures, their romantic lives and the friendship between them. That was where the show was best creatively and the bond between the group was what kept the show grounded with the crazy disasters and melodrama. The screen time and stories was pretty evenly shared between the five of them. If you take the voice over away from season 1 it’s hard to see Meredith as the clear lead.

 

I think the structure of the show that tied everything together was less based on Meredith alone but more the hierarchy in the hospital (interns, residents, attendings, chief). That put everyone in a group and made their relationships with each other clear (peers, student/teacher etc). Now everyone is on the same level resulting in the already discussed lack of cohesion.

 

See there are viewers of this show who don't see Meredith as truly the lead because they don't watch for her and never have. So if she disappeared they'd still be able to watch even though the center character would no longer be there. I was one of those viewers. The show just had too many other interesting characters that commanded the screen moreso than EP as Meredith Grey IMO. There have been too many characters but that may have been all to compensate for the lead character that they felt may not be able to hold on to half the audience for all these years. I know I wouldn't have continued to watch this show past the first episode without characters like Cristina, Burke, Bailey and in the second episode Alex. Because I had absolutely no interest in Mer/Der, they just never were dreamy to me at all.

I totally agree, nothing against Meredith or EP but the other characters and performances were so compelling they quickly overshadowed Meredith. I mean Cristina alone with Sandra's performance was aways so much more fascinating to me. I don't think Meredith's story alone was interesting enough to sustain the show and keep the audience watching.

 

I think the decline in the quality of the show can be attributed more to the constantly increasing cast then to Meredith’s role. At the start Grey's did an amazing job of establishing each character and giving them each a distinct voice and personality. They had the time to do it and give them all engaging stories every episode, as the cast has gotten larger that has become impossible. MAGIC were better established in the 9 episodes in season 1 then Stephanie and Jo have been in the 3 24 episode seasons they have been on the show.

 

I don't get why they added more characters for next season. It's like the writers are self conscious with their abilities so they load up the cast to distract us. I just want to yell at them no, 11 seasons in but we actually like the characters we have, the main complaint is we want more of them not less (with a few exceptions). 

Edited September 4, 2015 by Marni

[Nobodysfan]

I mean Cristina alone with Sandra's performance was aways so much more fascinating to me. I don't think Meredith's story alone was interesting enough to sustain the show and keep the audience watching.  

 

 

Yes, in their one on one scenes Sandra was always ahead.

[Nobodysfan]

"Picture how I feel saying those things in front of 40 crew people!!!"

 

 

Ellen´s response to a viewer saying it is awkward to see her talking as Meredith about orgasms while she watches it with her mum.

 

Well, taking the actress´s response into account, she seems to struggle a bit with such lines as we saw in the last episode. I feel for her feeling awkward or more than awkward so to say. The lines were awful. "Vagina´s city is a ghost town. Orgasm train doesn´t roll through here anymore." However, her delivery was more than elegant considering the weird language.

 

Kudos to Ellen, what a refined performance last night.Very mature.

 

I am excited,next episode seems Ellen will literally kill it.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Season5OwenHuntfan

[Greysaddict]

I imagine no matter how comfortable you are talking about sex it's got be awkward to repeat these lines over and over while having a giant crew of people watching you.

But I just wanted to say, I think Ellen Pompeo has been doing fanstatic work this season ( and the end of last). I have always thought she was under appreciated for her work.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Greysaddict

[windsprints]

I saw this posted on facebook (not in relation to Grey's or any tv show): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-e-steinke/the-man-that-came-after_b_8948378.html?ir=Good+News&

 

This was the type of story I was hoping Grey's would have done for Meredith after having her return from her year away. I'm not a Meredith fan but I would have been really interested in seeing this play out instead of fights with Amelia & Jo, Maggie the pop up sister, Meredith getting beat up by a patient, car pools, sister sex chats, etc.

 

Anyway, posting it here because I thought it was nicely written and is probably where the show is trying to take Meredith at some point down the road.

[pennben]

Thanks for posting that.  It really is a lovely bit of writing.  I too think that they are moving slowly toward a story like this, but they've had to tread lightly for awhile so as to allow some fans enough space between Derek's death and Meredith moving on.  And although it is a couple years in the story, in actuality it has really been not quite a year since he died on the show, which caused distress to many. 

 

A lot of folks here picked up on something I didn't really notice in last week's episode, in that although there were flashbacks and callbacks to Derek on the show, that episode was really meant to close the chapter on that piece of the story so as to allow a new chapter for Meredith's personal life to begin (and hopefully Amelia being over all the comparisons to Derek as well). 

Edited March 11, 2016 by pennben

[Nobodysfan]

I have noticed over the last few seasons, at least seven that Ellen does not attend wrap parties of cast and crew.  As far as I can remember she has not attended since Season 6 or maybe 5. Was she there for Sandra´s farewell party after season 10? I do not think do. I haven´t seen any photos.

I know not everyone from the cast always attends, but she is rarely seen. As she is the lead, let´s put it like that, or this is what the actress and Shonda push for, not to appear at this kind of party over and over again, what does it say???  

I just find it extremely odd on her behalf to ignore this event over and over again. She can´t be busy every year. Compared to some cast who attend the event loyally year after year.

Edited May 10, 2016 by NathanRiggsfan

[Greysaddict]

Just because there are no pictures of her, doesn't mean she doesn't attend.  I too have heard that she doesn't, but I think its just a guess based on that she isn't in the pictures.  

[Catznip]

I have seen Ellen on talk shows, interviews and promoting the show. I have yet to see the other leads lately. As a matter of fact I haven't seen Kerri Washington promoting Scandle.  Wonder if it's part of their contacts?

[windsprints]

In the past month or so Kerry was on Access Hollywood, GMA, Today & Jimmy Fallon. I think there were others as well.

I don't recall Ellen ever going to wrap parties and such. I don't think its a big deal, not everyone wants to go to parties with their co-workers.  I do think its unusual for the actress playing the title character to skip them but I doubt her castmates are crying over it, lol.

[Catznip]

I never understood why the show was named Ellen's Anatomy,. Lol. But watching seasons 1 and 2 recently I must say I like the earlier Mer than the later seasons, she was more appealing and very cute. Plus the character appeared to be more accepting of ONS than the season 12 frantic attack of sleeping with a random guy. 

[Deanie87]

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the more senior members of the cast either have it in their contracts or have an informal agreement allowing them to pass on the majority of publicity.  The Calzona stuff in the past episode was huge, and IIRC, Kevin McKidd did most of the interviews about it since he was the director.  JCap was very close to her due date so thats understandable, but I don't remember SaRa doing any press.  Justin Chambers hasn't done an interview in two years (not that he had much to talk about) and Chandra has been more in director mode as well.  I'm sure that Camilla and Jason George are more than happy to do the press for their "couple" but there does seem to be a lot more press done by the relative newbies (which makes sense as they want the exposure as well).  And not that I expect many in the cast to be anything but gushing about Shonda other than Ellen maybe, but I would be very interested to know what they really thought.

Ellen Pompeo has done a lot more press in the past year, due to the Dempsey situation, I'm sure, and the re-focusing on Meredith's journey.  But I don't remember her doing all that much throughout the season in years past.  She might have had something to say at the beginning of the season, but then not much after that.

[OtterMommy]

@Swim mom posted in the 13.15 thread:

Quote

I hate to say this,  but Meredith is my least favorite character.  She's selfish.  She thinks only of herself, she's not that good as a parent.  The writers want to fix her up with men who are 10 on the "hot" scale, when she’s,  at best, a 3 or 4.  Never in a million years would that happen.  She also look old, not 35 year old, but more like 50 year old.   I prefer the shows that don't feature her.

I can't say that Meredith is one of my favorites at the moment.  I enjoyed her more in the earlier seasons, but I do get the feeling sometimes now that she's there just to connect the other characters.  I would like to see her in her own story line that is something more than just her sleeping with someone.

I also think, and I hate to say this but.., I really feel like Ellen Pompeo is one of the weaker (possibly weakest) actors on the show right now.  I don't think it is a huge deal for the show as there are so many other actors around her.  I also feel like this was even less of an issue when Sandra Oh was on the show because the two played well off each other and Oh is a very strong actor.  Without her, though...well, let's just say that I'm not bothered when there isn't very much Meredith in an episode anymore.

[moonorchid]

I'm not gonna comment on Ellen's looks except to say that the permanent bitch face Meredith is sporting just annoys me. If they are playing this as Meredith is permanently changed from losing her husband, her sister, and in a way her person, I can buy it, but don't tell me that at min three people just want to be around her all the time and everyone else is just Gaga over her. 

Meredith pre season 9 was a character that cared about others. The Meredith now can barely muster the energy to give a damn about anyone outside of Alex. 

I don't miss her when she's not in an episode much and most will not agree but I don't think she's needed to tie the show together anymore since the cast has become so large and many of the characters are independent of her. Meredith has little to no ties with at least six characters, seven if you sort of include Owen.

Edited March 5, 2017 by moonorchid

[Wilson]

I really thought I was the only one feeling this way about Meredith. Interesting to see I am not. I used to love her as a character, but since around season 11, it seems she is only there to make snarky comments. She has had a few good moments, like when the patient attacked her, but other than that she just seems so annoyed with everyone around her except Alex, and sometimes Riggs and Maggie. I don't know if they are writing her this way intentionally or if this is just how Ellen is playing her, but  because of it I have totally lost interest in her. When she was barely in  episodes this season I honestly didn't even notice until other people pointed it out. And these second half of the season episodes, that she has barely been in, have been much better than the first half. I agree that I no longer see her as a lead but as just part of the cast. Yes, the show is named after her, but I am way more invested in other characters than her. If she slowly transitioned to directing or producing more I wouldn't be sad.

[funnygirl]

I liked Meredith best when she had Cristina and Derek in her life. Meredith, now, is more like 'Meh'edith.  And a trite romance with Nathan and her "sisterhood" aren't going to change that. 

Edited March 5, 2017 by funnygirl

[moonorchid]

Meredith as a character suffered when Derek died and Cristina left. Not because she's not a strong enough character to be independent of them, but because this show never bothered to foster other relationships for her outside of those two. If all she had for the rest of her life was Derek and Cristina she would be the happiest person on earth. 

But they are gone and she's clung to Alex like a life preserver and feels this obligation to Maggie and especially Amelia. The show gave her a new circle but she doesn't even come close to wanting them like she wanted Derek and Cristina, and it shows and it turns me off as a viewer from Meredith. 

Edited March 5, 2017 by moonorchid

[Crazy Bird Lady]

On 3/5/2017 at 0:59 AM, moonorchid said:

Meredith as a character suffered when Derek died and Cristina left. Not because she's not a strong enough character to be independent of them, but because this show never bothered to foster other relationships for her outside of those two. If all she had for the rest of her life was Derek and Cristina she would be the happiest person on earth. 

But they are gone and she's clung to Alex like a life preserver and feels this obligation to Maggie and especially Amelia. The show gave her a new circle but she doesn't even come close to wanting them like she wanted Derek and Cristina, and it shows and it turns me off as a viewer from Meredith. 

Excellent analysis. Except, I still love Meredith. I just wish they'd allow her some happiness again!

[BaseOps]

I wish that rather than introducing Maggie and Amelia, they focused on her already-existing relationships with Richard / Bailey / Arizona / Callie, etc. It would have been nice to see more Meredith / Jo as well. It looks like they're moving back into the dynamic with Riggs which I really like. I want to see Meredith be happy again. I don't expect it to be easy - this is, after all, Grey's Anatomy - but I'd like to see those two in a good place by the end of the season (before his ex inevitably shows up alive). 

[moonorchid]

1 hour ago, BaseOps said:

I wish that rather than introducing Maggie and Amelia, they focused on her already-existing relationships with Richard / Bailey / Arizona / Callie, etc. It would have been nice to see more Meredith / Jo as well. It looks like they're moving back into the dynamic with Riggs which I really like. I want to see Meredith be happy again. I don't expect it to be easy - this is, after all, Grey's Anatomy - but I'd like to see those two in a good place by the end of the season (before his ex inevitably shows up alive). 

I think maybe by the time Cristina left, none of the others outside of Alex were remotely close enough to Meredith for their to be a legit closer relationship. Cause honestly outside of the "carpool crew" could any of them drop their current lifestyle/storyline to be merediths new circle? It was too late by then so something new had to be drawn up for her because Meredith as "the sun" needs planets revolving around her.

That sounds more catty than I intend but it's still true.

Edited March 6, 2017 by moonorchid