Sometimes being headstrong is good, and we can definitely can see this in rachel. I'm sure I have already said this but, Rachel is like any normal woman of her age. She really wanted to be able to settle down and have a husband and children eventually. With Kim, he didn't want kids because he was so much younger than Rachel and then of course he became infertile just after he'd managed to get another woman pregnant.She then found an old friend who really wanted to give her everything she's always wanted but she was married and trying to work things out between her and Kim.She cheated on Kim but Hugh put her in a situation that she didn't want to be in.She then had to go through a marriage breakdown and an intern who was smitten with her. He then broke her heart just after he wanted things to be long term, and she had ended up pregnant which was what she's always wanted.She then had to go through a miscarriage, before she was kidnapped by Reverend Hall.She really showed her caring side after that when she kept going to visit him in hospital, and she did the same again when Aden kidnapped her (she visited Aden and Larry + she pulled strings to keep aden out of prison).
With the whole Tony grieving for Jack, she has tried so much to do the right thing by everyone but unfortunately she's failed miserably until now. But, she's doing things to make it up to Tony, and we saw this when she said about how it must be Deja-Vu for him becaue of the nature of Kate's death.
Rachel tries sooo hard to do the right thing by all, but it doesn't always work out. However what she wants to convey is always shown in way or another.
Amy has done really well and especially this year so things can only get better (in terms of her performances as Rachel).