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Thursday character profile: Meredith Grey
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This summer, the Grey's Anatomy Examiner page is the place to come for an in depth look at each 'Grey's' character. A different character will be profiled each Tuesday and Thursday. First up is Meredith Grey:
Name: Meredith Grey
Played By: Ellen Pompeo
Debut Episode: Season 1, Episode One: "A Hard Day's Night"
Occupation: Meredith is currently a second-year surgical resident at Seattle Grace Hospital.
Family: Meredith is the daughter of Thatcher Grey and Dr. Ellis Grey. Meredith's parents divorced when she was a young child, when Thatcher left Ellis after learning of her affair with Dr. Richard Weber. Meredith has two half sisters, Dr. Lexie Grey and Molly Thompson, who are both the daughters of Thatcher and his second wife, Susan. After Thatcher and Ellis were divorced, Meredith was raised by Ellis, and did not reconnect with her father until after Ellis died of Alzheimer's Disease complications. Meredith had a second falling out with Thatcher after he blamed her when Susan died under Meredith's care at Seattle Grace. Meredith's relationship with Thatcher is still rocky, but at the end of season five, she is currently on good terms with her half-sister, Lexie, who is a surgical intern at Seattle Grace.
Romantic History: At the end of season five, Meredith is currently engaged to Dr. Derek Shephard, with whom she's been 
romantically linked since the show's pilot episode. Meredith and Derek have had a rocky relationship, to say the least. They met at Emerald City Bar and spent the night together before Meredith's first day as an intern at Seattle Grace. When she saw him at the hosptial, Meredith was mortified to realize she had slept with an attending surgeon, which was against hospital rules. Their relationship quickly developed and became known throughout the hospital. But when Derek's estranged wife Dr. Addison Montgomery arrived in Seattle, Derek chose to stay with his wife, and Meredith spiraled into a deep depression. During this time, Meredith attempted to distract herself by picking up a long line of men in bars, but learned her lesson after a careless fling with her friend George O'Malley turned disastrous. Meredith then swore off men for a short time, until she found herself becoming attracted to her dog's veterinarian, Dr. Finn Dandridge. Derek's jealousy of Meredith's relationship with Finn led to a heated confrontation between the former lovers at the hospital. Their argument led to sex, and Meredith and Derek were forced to come clean to Addison and Finn. Derek and Addison decided to get divorced, but Finn told Meredith he would fight for her. In the end, Meredith chose to get back together with Derek, but their relationship has continued to have its ups and downs. Meredith has struggled to deal with her fear of commitment stemming from her memories of her mother's infidelity and her parents' divorce, but finally appears to be happy and ready to settle down with Derek.
Friendships: Meredith shares a strong bond with the four fellow residents she began her internship with- Dr. Cristina Yang, Dr. Izzie Stevens, Dr. George O'Malley, and Dr. Alex Karev. Izzie, George, Alex and Lexie have all taken turns living with Meredith in the house her mother left to her. But Meredith's best friend and platonic soul mate has always been Cristina, from whom she is nearly inseparable.
Career Milestones: As the daughter of a famous surgeon, Meredith has always felt intense pressure to live up to her mother's accomplishments. Along with her friend Cristina, she emerged as one of the most promising interns of her class. But her greatest accomplishment occurred in season four, when she and Derek created "The Shephard Method", a neurosurgery technique they developed in a clinical trial where they saw many patients die before they finally succeeded.
Memorable Moments:
Season Two, Episode Five, "Bring The Pain": Meredith pleads Derek to "Pick me. Choose me. Love me," as he waffles between her and Addison.
Season Two, Episode 16 "It's The End Of The World": Meredith risks her life by sticking her finger in a patient's chest to keep a bomb from exploding.
Season Three, Episode 17 "Some Kind of Miracle": Meredith gets a glimpse of the afterlife after nearly drowning.
Season Four, Episode 16 "Freedom": Meredith recommits to Derek with a grand romantic gesture- a house of candles to symbolize the future she hopes to build with him.
Season Five, Episode 24 "Now Or Never": When Meredith and Derek can't find the time for a proper wedding, they get "married" by exchanging vows written on a Post-It note.
Photos: ABC
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