In the mid-aughts, Shonda Rhimes took the world by storm with her romantic medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” While titular surgical intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) had a refreshingly unapologetic perspective on being a woman trying to get ahead in the medical field, the show was not immune to missteps. Meredith has had her share of romantic issues, some of which have not aged particularly well in the harsh light of retrospection.
Season 2 contained some admittedly over-the-top moments, including the love triangle between Meredith, Derek (Patrick Dempsey), and Addison (Kate Walsh). In a heartbreaking moment of weakness, Meredith reaches out to Derek, pleading with him to choose her over his estranged wife. “Pick me, choose me, love me,” she says. The moment became a hallmark of the series, but according to Pompeo herself, she was immediately shocked at Meredith’s desperation.
“When I read that scene, I was horrified. I was like, ‘I’m gonna beg a man?'” Pompeo recounted on her podcast “Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo.” She went on to recall, “I’m bawling because I was like, ‘I can’t believe that I’m on TV begging a man to love me.'”
The iconic scene comes full circle with another romantic interest
What has haunted “Grey’s Anatomy” as a wildly out-of-character moment was corrected with Ellen Pompeo’s bittersweet exit from the series. After deciding to move her family out of Seattle to support her children, Meredith has to contend with how to handle her paramour, Nick (Scott Speedman). The transplant surgeon is understandably upset that Meredith is leaving the hospital and their relationship, but she finally puts herself first.
“I want you in my life if you want to be in my life,” Meredith tells him. “But if I have to choose, I’m going to pick me.” It’s an obvious reference to her conversation with Derek and shows that Meredith has come a long way, much to the delight of fans.
“[T]he ‘pick me, choose me, love me’ line got an upgrade,” @tvgoldtweets noted. Other fans were ecstatic about the parallels and how much she has grown over the decades. “[Meredith Grey] saying ‘i’m not going to beg you to love me’ in the SAME PLACE she begged derek to ‘pick me, choose me, love me’ is giving CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT,” @captaincalzona exclaimed.
If Meredith Grey had to go out, there was no better way. Derek was the great love of her life and she made sacrifices for him. And though he will always be significant, she can now admit that she is just as important.
