From the start, Grey’s Anatomy told the story of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd. The opening scene has her waking up with him after meeting in a bar and brushing it off as just one night. Then they find out Meredith is one of Derek’s interns. They had a romance that was jared when Derek revealed he was married to Addison. But through ups and downs, the show kept coming back to them.
They finally got married and raised a family and seemed to be going great. That made it shocking when Derek was killed in a freak car crash. That led to fans talking of how amazing this couple was...or were they? Because when one looks at them closely, Derek and Meredith weren’t really that special. They had issues of jealousy, they were not as steamy as other couples, and paled next to other romances. Here are 15 reasons why Meredith and Derek were really overrated as the supposedly hottest couple of the show.
15.Other Couples Had Better Drama
Mention the most emotional moments of Grey's and folks think of Izzie crying over Denny or Burke leaving Christina at the altar or various character exits. Sure, Derek had his powerful death scene but aside from that, they lacked the raw and emotional moments that got fans going. The couple lacked some of the emotional power of other characters.
14.They Were Constantly Jealous Of The Other Being Happy
Jealousy is never healthy for a long-standing relationship. When Meredith began dating Finn, Derek was so upset that he punched Finn and publicly shamed Meredith for the affair. For her part, Meredith was always angry with Derek over Addison.
While hardly the only couple to show such jealousy, Derek and Meredith took it to ugly heights, which soured their “it-couple” status.
13.They Lacked The Passion Other Couples Had
When one thinks of the couples on Grey’s, they think of some very hot hookups. Folks were going at it in various odd places and a few hot-and-heavy courtships even lead to injuries. Compared to that, Derek and Meredith were boring.
Sure, they had good times, but they never had the passion that Mark and Lexie or even Alex and Jo had. Meredith and Derek lacked a wild.
12.Meredith Proved Derek Wasn't Her Entire World, Like The Show Wanted Us To Believe
For a long time, the series pushed to make it seem like one could not live without the other. This was the whole big selling point of their legendary romance. However, most of that had to be disproven once Derek was killed off. Yes, they loved each other, but they both could have survived on their own.
11.Unlike Other Couples, Having A Family Took Away Their Fun
Kids always change any relationship. While Meredith and Derek became terrific parents, the kids did drag the relationship down.
Having kids didn't stop Bailey and Ben or Callie and Arizona from getting into some passionate moments. In contrast, while they were great parents, Meredith and Derek let their kids end much of their fun times.
10.They Were Both Totally Selfish
To be blunt, both Derek and Meredith could be pretty selfish people. Each had a habit of making their problems sound so much more important than others', and that included their romance. Christina even once called Meredith out for making things about her.
Derek could be just as bad, putting his career ahead of Meredith and ignoring her problems. The couple just wasn't that good at keeping their egos in check.
9.The Constant Breakups Were Annoying To Watch
Couples have ups and downs, but Meredith and Derek were a wild roller coaster. They had a one-night stand that turned into a love affair, then broke up with Derek going to Addison, then got back together, then broke up, then…
Watching older episodes, it’s almost impossible to figure out the status of the pair in various seasons. It’s hard to argue “undying love” given how often the two split.
8.The Whole Thing Began As An Affair
For all the talk of this “grand romance,” fans forget one vital detail: Derek was still married when he had a one-night stand with Meredith. Yes, Addison cheated first, but that doesn’t change how Derek kept up with Meredith.
The worst part was Derek never once admitting he was married until Addison showed up. It may have grown into a great romance later, but the relationship had a bad start.
7.Their Wedding Was A Huge Letdown
For the key couple of the show, the actual wedding of Derek and Meredith was a letdown. His “elevator proposal” was good, and they had a big event planned. Then they decided to hand it over to Izzie and Alex to use instead.
Afterwards, they had a “post-it” wedding which lacked the huge drama the supposedly top-couple of the series should have had.
6.That Time Derek Hit On Lexie
To be fair, he didn’t know who she was at the time. But it has to be noted that when Derek first met Lexie Grey in a bar, he immediately hit on her. He and Meredith had a spat, and Derek was interested in someone else.
Thankfully, it didn’t happen. Yet the fact Derek nearly got with his future sister-in-law is a major blow against his and Meredith’s “magical” relationship.
5.They Kept Sabotaging Each Other's Careers
How good can a couple be when each seems to go out of their way to undercut the other at work? Derek would try to block Meredith from surgeries and be against some of her attempts to help a patient.
Meredith crossed a line screwing up a clinical trial of Derek’s to help the Chief’s wife. That nearly ruined the marriage, as the pair didn’t seem to respect each other as doctors, let alone spouses.
4.Derek Had Better Chemistry With Addison
Whenever Derek and Addison are together, they seem like a great couple. True, they had issues but not like how Meredith and Derek did. The two bantered a lot and clicked well, with Addison understanding Derek in ways Meredith didn’t.
While they divorced, Addison just clicked wonderfully with Derek and had a spark that was lacking in his marriage to Meredith.
3.McSteamy Was Always Hotter Than McDreamy
Let’s be brutally honest: Mark was far hotter than Derek in every aspect. Who could blame Addison for being drawn to Mark with his great looks and charm? Derek had those too, but not on the same level.
Meredith even admitted how hot Mark was, and she might have been attracted to him. Derek couldn’t match Mark’s appeal.
2.Christina Was Meredith’s Soulmate, Not Derek
Shonda Rhimes has even confirmed that Christina was bigger to Meredith than Derek was. Cristina and Meredith were simply always meant to be there for each other.
As great as Derek was, Christina was the one who always had Meredith’s back. Their relationship went beyond romance and turned into something extraordinary.
1.The Other Love Triangles Were A Lot More Interesting
Derek and Meredith could produce some drama, but in terms of romance, they had the most boring plots. There was the George/Callie/Izzie triangle, Christina with Burke or Owen, Callie and Arizona, and even Bailey had some fun stuff.
Too many of the romantic turns of Derek/Meredith just seemed dull when compared to the spicy and wild antics of their fellow doctors.