15 Grey’s Anatomy couples ranked on their relationship functionality

9. Meredith and DeLuca

Before you start yelling at your screen, no, the problem with Meredith and DeLuca is not their age difference. This was not the first time we saw a resident become romantically involved with an attending physician. Apparently, at least according to Grey’s Anatomy, it happens all the time!

What really made their relationship struggle from the start was the combination of DeLuca’s immaturity and Meredith’s god complex. She, truly one of the greatest surgeons in her fictional world, could never be matched. Not even by a rising star like DeLuca. And he pretty much followed her around like a puppy dog until she agreed to date him, which really isn’t the way to do it these days, you know?

He did grow to become a pretty decent partner, especially while Meredith’s medical license was in jeopardy. But it’s this very thing that ultimately led to their downfall.

In the episode featuring their breakup, Meredith tells him that if he gets to be a surgeon and she doesn’t, their relationship couldn’t survive. And she was absolutely right — in a way. Her thinking that he would or could never be on her level as a professional was the final red flag he needed in order to realize they would never be able to spend the rest of their lives together.

Mutual respect is one of the most fundamental necessities of a functional relationship. And perhaps it was clear from the very beginning that even though DeLuca may have had massive respect for his mentor, Meredith simply could not look at him the same way.

To her, he would always be beneath her, even if this was an unconscious belief. That never would have worked.