Warning! SPOILERS about Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 3 ahead.
Meredith’s choice in her mainGrey’s Anatomyseason 21 storyline will continue to bug her in the season’s second half per season 21, episode 9’s trailer, but that also exposes how wrong one original character is on the matter. Life quickly returned to normal onceGrey’s Anatomyseason 21began, but chaos reigned at Grey Sloan Memorial before then, as Meredith’s decision to publish her Alzheimer’s research results in season 20’s finale led to Teddy, Owen and Amelia being fired.Amelia, Owen and Teddy’s rehiring wouldn’t have been possible if Meredith hadn’t been there to help Catherine after her collapse.
The fight forMeredith’s Alzheimer’s researchdidn’t stop once Meredith helped Catherine after she collapsed, as they both claimed it as theirs without budging. However, once Catherine’s situation became more serious, she had no choice but to relent and do the liver biopsy as Meredith suggested. The biopsy turning into a more invasive procedure eventually led to Richard being informed about his wife’s situation, leading to his yet unsolved fight with Meredith.Grey’s Anatomyseason 21, episode 9’s promo showing Meredith’s return and their fight persisting nonetheless hints at Richard having always been wrongfor what he asked of Meredith.
Richard Wanted For Meredith To Break Confidentiality For Him In Grey’s Anatomy Season 21
Ever sinceGrey’s Anatomyseason 21’s premiere, Meredith tried her best to convince Catherine to explore why her symptoms were getting worse and to tell her loved ones, especially Richard and Jackson. Catherine refused so many times that eventually Meredith considered it a win when she said yes to a biopsy, accepting Richard would have only known after the results.Richard’s reaction to Meredith telling him only after things had already deteriorated during Catherine’s biopsy was to tell her she should be ashamedinGrey’s Anatomyseason 21, episode 3.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Teases Paying Off An Old Richard Story From Season 3
Richard’s main storyline in Grey’s Anatomy season 20 sees him struggle with returning to the OR, making 1 option Richard had in season 3 more likely.
Despite being Meredith’s mentor and having had to deal with difficult patients himself countless times,Richard blamed Meredith for not telling him sooner about Catherine, expecting her to break HIPAA earlier only because Meredith realized Catherine was afraid and would have benefited from his support. Richard didn’t listen to reason in the episode, andGrey’s Anatomyseason 21, episode 9’s promo shows that seemingly not changing, as Richard continues to accuse Meredith of being selfish instead of seeing her perspective. Their perpetuating conflict thus leads to an uncomfortable truth about Richard and Meredith’s bond.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Highlights The Continued Power Imbalance Between Meredith & Richard
Richard & Meredith’s Bond Through The Years Hid The Painful Reality Of Their Dynamic
Richard’s expectations about Meredith’s behavior painfully reveal he knew the power he held in their relationship throughout her life and wanted that to influence her when dealing with her patients.Richard wouldn’t have expected that of Meredith if it was any other patient, but he did because it involved him. When Adele was Meredith and Derek’s patient inGrey’s Anatomyseason 7, Richard asked them to do everything they could and Meredith made sure Adele would have gotten the drug instead of the placebo, messing up with Derek’s Alzheimer’s study. Richard expected something disturbingly similar inGrey’s Anatomyseason 21.
For Richard to be mad about that highlights the unfortunate realization he wanted to continue benefiting from his and Meredith’s complicated relationship, as he didn’t think about what was right but only what he wanted.
Meredith putting her Richard relationship ahead of Derek’s study inGrey’s Anatomyinvalidated Derek’s Alzheimer’s research, not having their patients’ wellbeing at heart and even not impacting Adele, who still died a short while later. Meredith and Richard’s complicated relationship pushed her to that decision, butGrey’s Anatomyseason 21 proved Meredith grew enough not to do something similar with Catherine, instead respecting her wishes. For Richard to be mad about that highlights the unfortunate realization he wanted to continue benefiting from his and Meredith’s complicated relationship, as he didn’t think about what was right but only what he wanted.
Meredith & Richard’s Trend Of Doing Something Illegal & Covering For Each Other Needs To Stop
It’s Unfair To Meredith & Richard As Doctors & To Their Relationship
ThroughoutGrey’s Anatomy, Meredith and Richard did multiple things for one another that were illegal at best and sometimes even deeply unethical. While Richard lying about Meredith interfering with Derek’s medical trial was a result of Meredith doing so for him and Adele, it was still wrong for everyone involved. Similarly, Richard lied during Meredith’s medical license hearing inGrey’s Anatomyseason 16, taking her side and even endangering his friendship and work relationship with Miranda Bailey to do so. Meredith being complicit in Richard’s drinking and covering for him was yet another problematic thing.
Meredith and Richard’s long history of covering for each other included often doing something illegal for one another, making it extremely problematic as Richard was supposed to be Meredith’s mentor inGrey’s Anatomy.
Meredith and Richard’s tribulations strengthened their relationship through the years, making it one of Meredith’s closest bonds in the series, asMeredith saw Richard as a father figure.Richard blaming Meredith for not telling him sooner about Catherine’s health is unfair, not only because Meredith still broke confidentiality, butbecause it points to him somewhat faulting Meredith for wanting to do the right thing. With Catherine’s health beingGrey’s Anatomyseason 21’s major crisis, it’s unlikely for this story to end anytime soon inGrey’s Anatomy, but Richard would make a better impression if he stopped treating Meredith so unfairly.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Hit the Floor
June 27, 2025
Grey’s Anatomyseason 21 returns to ABC at 10pm on Thursday, June 17, 2025.
Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama series revolving around surgical interns, residents, and attendings at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The show features the professional and personal lives of these medical professionals, led initially by Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. Created by Shonda Rhimes, the series highlights the complexities of medical cases while delving into the interpersonal relationships among the hospital staff.
