Just like every other young woman on the planet, I've watched every episode of Grey's Anatomy (and probably cried my eyes out while watching half of them). But even after 12 seasons, I have never decided whether or not Meredith Grey is a likeable character.
Until now.
Fans who know Meredith's character know she grew up disconnected from her parents, jumps in front of bullets and rarely opens up about her feelings. Maybe her mother, the famous general surgeon, Ellis Grey, was right— she is nothing but ordinary.
At least that's what we're supposed to believe.
Consider almost every character on the show; every surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital just happens to be the best in their field.
Christina Yang: Cardio prodigy. Derek Sheppard: Top-20 neurologist. Callie Torres: Professional leg builder.
But as the main character, the spotlight is almost never centered on Meredith's surgical capabilities. Her character is known as "the daughter of Ellis Grey" or "Derek Sheppard's muse." The show never recognizes Grey as a standout general surgeon herself, although she certainly deserves to be. She earns an internship spot at one of the top hospitals in the country, successfully passes her medical boards exams and is even credited for an 89-surgery streak in which none of her patients die.
Despite her successes, Meredith is rarely the first-choice to assist in highly-sought-after surgeries as an intern and even as a resident. Knowing this, it's easy to believe that Ellis Grey was right, and it seems the entire plot of the show surrounds Meredith's belief in this.
The show is narrated from Meredith's point of view, focuses on the triumphs of other characters and sheds little light on the protagonist's success all of which confirms that Grey view herself as an ordinary surgeon. She doesn't boast like any of the cardiothoracic surgeons we've seen, and she certainly doesn't abuse her power like former chief-of-surgery Dr. Webber.
Consider this point of view when watching Grey's Anatomy, and it will forever change your perspective of Meredith Grey. You're watching the lives of those at Seattle Grace unfold from Meredith's point of view; you're inside Grey's anatomy.