As a longtime fan of “Grey’s Anatomy“, I must say that Meredith Grey’s romantic journey has been quite the rollercoaster ride! From Derek, to McSteamy (or was it McDreamy?), and all the way to Nick Marsh, Meredith’s love life has mirrored her professional one – filled with highs, lows, twists, and turns that keep us on our toes.
In plain terms, Meredith Grey, portrayed by Ellen Pompeo, faces an extraordinary amount of hardship throughout her journey on “Grey’s Anatomy.” She endures a bomb explosion in her abdomen, a shooting at her workplace, a plane crash, a ferryboat accident that leads to drowning, an assault from a patient, and a challenging case of COVID-19 that puts her in a coma. Despite these traumatic experiences, Meredith demonstrates resilience, overcoming each obstacle, and ultimately achieving the status of a renowned, accolade-winning general surgeon. Moreover, she has significant romantic relationships, with one being a major focus throughout much of the series.
In February 2023, Pompeo parted ways with “Grey’s Anatomy” as a regular cast member, but she continues her association with the series as an executive producer, lending her voice for episodes, and making occasional appearances. Throughout the 19 seasons of the show, Meredith Grey’s romantic life has been a significant aspect, ranging from her marriage to the man she met in the first episode, to her widowhood and resuming dating. So, who does Meredith end up with in the end? Let me provide you with the chronology of all her relationships leading up to that point (Note: only her long-term love interests are included here; characters like Chris O’Donnell’s Finn Dandridge, who had a brief stint on the show, won’t be featured in this list).
Meredith and Derek have an on-again, off-again relationship
For many fans of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Meredith Grey’s most memorable relationship often recalls two significant figures: her dearest friend Cristina Yang, portrayed by Sandra Oh (who departed in the Season 10 finale), and Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey. While Cristina holds the top spot, Derek is a very close second. In the show’s debut episode, Meredith crosses paths with Derek at a Seattle bar, invites him home, and later realizes on her first day of work that the man she spent the night with is none other than the new chief of neurosurgery at Seattle Grace Hospital – and she’s just a surgical intern.
Over the course of five seasons, Meredith and Derek encounter numerous highs and lows. In the closing moments of Season 1, Addison Shepherd, Derek’s wife at the time (played by Kate Walsh), shows up in Seattle, catching Meredith off guard. After Derek and Addison eventually part ways permanently, the stage is set for Meredith and Derek, although Meredith often finds herself self-sabotaging; her apprehension towards commitment frequently pushes Derek away. In Season 4, this fear leads him to another nurse named Rose (Lauren Stamile). However, at the end of that season, Derek and Meredith officially confirm their relationship. At the end of Season 5, they don’t have a chance to visit City Hall for an official wedding ceremony, so instead, they write heartfelt vows on a blue Post-It note, pledging to stand by each other through thick and thin and never to abandon one another.
Meredith ends up marrying Derek and they have children together
Towards the finale of “Grey’s Anatomy” Season 6, an aggrieved hospital patient’s spouse enters Seattle Grace Mercy West (previously merged with another medical center) armed, intending to harm Derek, who was then the chief of surgery. After being shot, Derek tragically causes Meredith, who was pregnant at the time, to have a miscarriage due to the ensuing stress. However, in Season 7, a young girl from Africa joins their circle and ultimately brings about positive changes in their future.
In a storyline, characters Meredith and Derek encounter Zola, a six-month-old baby with spina bifida in need of surgery. Immediately smitten, they decide to adopt her, but their path to parenthood proves challenging. After Meredith alters Derek’s clinical trial for an Alzheimer’s cure (a disease that claimed Meredith’s mother), they momentarily separate, causing the social worker overseeing their case to temporarily take Zola away from them. Fortunately, they regain custody of Zola shortly afterward.
Derek and Meredith have some major relationship problems … and then tragedy strikes
During Seasons 10 and 11 of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Meredith grapples with managing her work and personal life, as she strives to be an involved mother for Zola and Bailey while also pursuing her surgical career. Sadly, Derek isn’t very helpful in this regard. It’s not that he’s against her success professionally, but he often puts his own career advancements first, such as when the President of the United States offers him a position to lead a brain mapping project in Washington D.C. Meredith is unwilling to relocate, so Derek passes on the opportunity, but harbors resentment. Later, he goes back on his promise and takes the job, leaving Meredith and their children behind in Seattle.
For a while, it seems like Meredith and Derek might part ways, but they renew their wedding vows in Season 11, enjoying more joyful times together until Derek embarks on his final journey to Washington D.C. for work with the President. En route to the airport, he witnesses a car crash, stops to help the victims, saves several lives, but unfortunately, his own car is hit by a truck, leaving him severely injured. Rushed to a nearby hospital, the medical staff mishandle his case and focus only on his chest injuries, neglecting his neurological problems. In despair, Meredith makes the heart-wrenching decision to switch off his life support, ending Derek’s life – and their marriage to the man who was possibly her one true love.
The first man Meredith dates after losing Derek is in love with somebody else
Following Derek’s passing, Meredith moves away with her two children, communicating to her friends that she is secure but desires solitude without interruption. This unexpected behavior leaves her loved ones, particularly her close friend Alex Karev, puzzled, especially since he was listed as her emergency contact. In the 11th season, Meredith gives birth to a baby girl, indicating that she was expecting at the time of Derek’s demise. Surprisingly, Meredith, along with her youngest child Ellis Shepherd and siblings Bailey and Zola, eventually return to Seattle. In remembrance of her late husband, Meredith consistently wears Derek’s signature scrub cap in the operating room, which bears ferryboats as a tribute to his favorite mode of transport in Seattle.
In Season 12, Meredith develops a connection with a doctor named William Thorpe (Scott Elrod), but after they share a night together, Meredith – who hasn’t been involved with anyone since Derek’s passing – has a panic attack and sends him packing from her home. They never speak again. Later in the same season, Nathan Riggs, an Army medic who had collaborated closely with Grey Sloan Memorial’s head of trauma Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), joins the hospital staff. Nathan becomes Meredith’s first significant romantic interest since Derek. However, the relationship between Meredith and Nathan concludes in the Season 13 finale when Nathan discovers that his true love, Megan Hunt (played by Abigail Spencer), who was believed to have been dead for years due to her disappearance in Iraq alongside Owen and Nathan, is actually alive. In a selfless move, Meredith encourages Nathan to reunite with Megan, as she would do the same if she learned that Derek was still alive.
History repeats itself when Meredith has a relationship with an intern
It seems appropriate that Meredith, having met Derek as a fresh surgical resident, eventually finds herself romantically involved with one of her own subordinates. Towards the end of Season 14, an unforeseen kiss between Meredith and the young resident, Dr. Andrew DeLuca (played by Giacomo Gianniotti), occurs. This kiss comes after Andrew’s girlfriend, fellow resident Sam Bello (Jeanine Mason), is forced to leave due to deportation issues. At first, Meredith dismisses this kiss with Andrew and even briefly flirts with the new orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Atticus Lincoln (Chris Carmack). However, after Andrew persistently pursues her, Meredith develops feelings for him; their relationship officially begins in Season 15.
Regrettably, Andrew and Meredith’s relationship isn’t destined. When Meredith resorts to insurance fraud to aid an uninsured patient due to their undocumented status, Andrew takes the blame and serves time in jail. This forces Meredith to confess, risking her medical license. Additionally, there’s a recurring issue between them, as Andrew feels hurt by Meredith’s constant comparisons of him to Derek. When Meredith voices her concern about Andrew’s severe mood swings and anger problems, suggesting he may require psychiatric help, their relationship dissolves. Eventually, it is revealed that Andrew has bipolar disorder, allowing him to receive treatment. Despite significant improvement in his mental health during Season 17, Andrew, now an attending, gets caught up in a human trafficking case in Seattle and meets a tragic end during the pursuit.
Dr. Cormac Hayes and Meredith Grey have an ongoing flirtation … but it doesn’t last
Regarding Season 17 of “Grey’s Anatomy”, it was broadcast in the year 2020, a time when the world was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Given its medical theme, the show had to tackle this issue head-on, and they did so by giving Meredith a severe case of the coronavirus that led her into a coma. In the season premiere, she dreamt about Derek on an imaginary beach during her COVID-induced hallucinations. This beach was populated by characters who had previously passed away within the show’s storyline, including Meredith’s sister Lexie Grey, Lexie’s partner Mark Sloan, Meredith’s friend and colleague George O’Malley, played by Chyler Leigh, Eric Dane, and T.R. Knight respectively. After Andrew was killed while pursuing a human trafficker, he too appeared on the beach, signaling to Meredith that he had passed away.
In Season 16, prior to various events, Meredith encounters widowed pediatric surgeon Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood), who was sent by Cristina as a gesture. Previously, they worked together in Zurich before Cormac transferred to Seattle. They quickly connect, and throughout Meredith’s illness, Cormac often stands by her side. He is the one who locates her in the Grey Sloan Memorial parking lot when she collapses due to COVID-19. Despite his doubts about her ability to hear him, he encourages her to keep fighting for her life. However, because of Meredith’s recovery process, they fail to seize the opportunity to begin a relationship. In the end, Cormac returns to Ireland with his children, missing out on a potential romance with Meredith.
As of Meredith Grey’s exit from Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Nick Marsh is her endgame
In the 14th season of “Grey’s Anatomy,” I had an intriguing encounter with a character named Dr. Nick Marsh, portrayed by Scott Speedman. Initially, he was a transplant surgeon visiting Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital to retrieve a liver for one of his patients. However, during his stay, he unexpectedly collapsed in the hallway. It was then I discovered that he had complications from his recent kidney transplant. Remarkably, I managed to save his life. Interestingly, Nick mysteriously disappeared after that incident, only to resurface in Season 18.
As a devoted fan, I must admit that Meredith’s love life has been rather underwhelming, with a disappointing date with John (“How I Met Your Mother” star Josh Radnor) being one of the low points. However, all that changed when I met Nick again at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota during Season 18’s premiere. It was like magic!
“Grey’s Anatomy” is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu now.
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2024-12-10 00:30