 The title character of Grey 's Anatomy , Meredith , has received both overwhelmingly positive and weary feedback by critics along the course of the show , with the development of the character garnering praise from majority critics . Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times referring to her as " the heroine of Grey 's Anatomy " . BuddyTV praised the distinct uniqueness in the character calling Meredith an " unconventional heroine " adding , " From the very beginning Meredith Grey has been an unconventional heroine . Neither black nor white but always ... wait for it ... many shades of grey , she has always been , even in her lighter moments , dark and twisty . " When Pompeo did not receive an Emmy nomination for her work as Meredith , Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times suggested that Pompeo , " who has worked very hard and against all narrative odds to make Meredith Grey an interesting character " , should have received a nomination at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards , in 2009 . IGN 's Monfette , less impressed , criticized her storyline as " some bizarrely under @-@ developed sub @-@ plot about depression and giving Derek a season 's worth of reconsidering to do . " Robert Rorke of the New York Post was also critical of Meredith 's role in the show , writing : " She used to be the queen of the romantic dilemmas , but lately , she 's been a little dopey , what with the endless ' McDreamy ' soliloquies . " Glenn Diaz of BuddyTV commented that " You gotta love Mer when she 's gloomy . " The development of the character has received praise from critics . Reviewing the first part of the eighth season , TV Fanatic wrote : " this season belongs to Meredith Grey . She is the heart and soul of the show and has been outstanding . This is a character that used to be so dark and twisty and has now grown into a more mature woman . Ellen Pompeo has been at the top of her game this season . " Rick Porter reviewing the episode How to Save a Life from the eleventh season for Zap2it wrote , " Without Meredith , and without one of Pompeo 's strongest performances in her long time on the show , " How to Save a Life " would have run the risk of coming across as a baldly manipulative death episode , the likes of which the show has done several times before . He added . " How to Save a Life " may not be the ideal Emmy @-@ submission episode for Ellen Pompeo , considering Meredith is off screen for more than half of it . But it 's among the best work she 's ever done on the show . " Janalen Samson of BuddyTV lauded the Meredith 's development throughout the series saying , " When one considers how this character has grown over eleven seasons , it really is amazing . Kudos to Ellen Pompeo for her fine work . She 's actually done the impossible , because I actually care what happens to Meredith Grey . " Reviewing the season 12 premiere Sledgehammer critics including Alex Hawkins of the Western Gazette again highlighted Pompeo 's due for an Emmy Award . 
