I’ll never forget the first time I watched Grey’s Anatomy. I was 10 years old and I sat on the couch next to my mom and aunt with my eyes peeled watching the premier of the now infamous season 6 finale. Ten years and ten seasons later, season 16 has concluded and with the extra time quarantine has provided me, I have fondly reminisced on my journey with the show. My Greys Anatomy binge-watching started freshman year of high school until I caught up to the then airing season 11. As I watched that season in real-time, I started to fall more in love with specific characters. Having kept up with the show for 5 years now I have fallen in and out of love with practically every character except one, Amelia Shepherd. Since her premiere, she has risen to my top place of my favorite Grey’s Anatomy character and here’s why.
- Timing
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Amelia Shepherd premiered as a series regular the same season that I started to regularly watch the show after binge-watching 10 straight seasons. I have seen her character grow and change week after week since near to her introduction. She was introduced as a regular during one of the most changing times of Grey’s Anatomy. Cristina Yang had just left and Derek, her brother, dies at the end of her first season. She has a complicated relationship with her coworkers and family and has big shoes to fill from her start.
- Sisterhood
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Amelia is introduced as a way to fill the holes of characters that have left and those that will be leaving. Those two big characters being Derek and Cristina. These characters’ exits leave Amelia with a unique relationship with Meredith. Meredith is seeking a new “sister” that she can’t find in Alex Karev as her new “person”, whether she admits it or not. With Amelia as her sister in law, Meredith and Amelia’s relationship holds a lot of complexities and hard moments to watch that we often only find in romantic relationships. However, there is something special to their sisterhood that makes it irreplaceable and special, especially with Maggie added to the mix. The three of them make an iconic trio that can’t be matched.
- Her Flaws
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I firmly believe that Amelia is the most flawed person on the show, and that’s the reason why I love her the most. She knows she is flawed in more ways than she can count. The backstory of her struggle with addiction has been one of my favorite character backstories on the show. It is relatable, honest, and realistic. She is a chaotic, dramatic, perky woman with a bright smile and a dark past. She is painfully aware of the mistakes she has made and the portrayal of her coping with her mistakes is brutal, heart-wrenching, but simultaneously heartwarming to watch her growth.
I could go on for years about all the reasons why I love Amelia Shepherd. Her storyline in season 16 has been the highlight of the season, especially with some of the disappointments that happened this season(I’m looking at you Teddy and Alex Karev). Amelia is just one of the many strong and complicated female characters in one of the best shows TV has seen. Amelia will always hold a special place in my heart because she is relatable, unique, and messy.