Why George O’Malley’s Death Still Hurts

Grey’s Anatomy is one of my comfort shows. I started it around Covid as a lot of my coworkers at the time had seen it and they told me how good it was and I wanted to be able to talk to them about it. I liked that they had already seen it because once we were at work and had some down time we were able to discuss what was happening. This is a show that focuses on the challenges, heartbreaks, triumphs, and the ethical dilemmas doctors face both in the operating room and in their personal relationships. Throughout the show there are many deaths that happen and there are a few that have stuck out to me and definitely shocked me. These include George O’Malley, Lexie Grey, Denny Duquette, and Derek Shepherd. The first main character death that surprised me was George O’Malley and it is definitely one that left me shocked. 

George O’Malley is a surgical resident at Seattle Grace Hospital, a kind-hearted but initially clumsy intern who evolved into a skilled surgeon and a core member of the “MAGIC” group. Magic which is an acronym for the 5 main interns in the first few seasons include Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Christina. They are all first year interns and connect together at the hospital while they work 48-hour shifts and navigate the chaos that comes with it. 

George was given the nickname 007 after he froze up on his first surgery. Despite this he operated in a broken elevator in season 2 after Alex froze up which was a pivotal turn for George’s character. Before this George was seen as the “soft” intern and this showed that he had real surgical courage and instinct. 

Throughout the first 5 seasons George has many relationships whether romantically or platonically. 

Meredith Grey

George had a secret crush on Meredith for a long time but she never reciprocated it. George lived with Meredith and Izzie in Meredith’s mother’s house since she had the space for them. George and Meredith eventually have a one-night stand that was awkward for everyone involved, and their relationship never became romantically beyond that, despite his continued feelings. 

Olivia Harper

Olivia was a scrub nurse and she had a brief relationship with George. This relationship evolved after Meredith rejected him and Olivia showed interest in George. Olivia had previously been involved with Alex Karev who unknowingly passed syphilis to her and then she passed it to George. Everyone at the hospital finds out about George contracting syphilis from Olivia. This led to their breakup. 

Callie Torres

After Olivia, George has a strong connection with Callie Torres after George’s dad passes away from organ failure due to esophageal cancer. Callie offered comfort and stability after his dads death. Their relationship moved very quickly and they ended up getting married in Vegas on a whim. George wasn’t ready emotionally and started to pull away. George eventually cheated on Callie with Izzie which ended their marriage. 

Izzie Stevens

George and Izzie were best friends who cared deeply for each other. Their friendship turned romantic after one drunken night which led to George cheating on Callie. They tried to make their relationship work but realized they were better off as friends.

George’s accident that led to his death started in season 5 episode 24 “Now or Never”. In this episode George announced to Chief Webber that he joined the army to be a trauma surgeon and would be leaving the next day to report. Chief Webber lets him go home for the day to spend it with his mom. A trauma comes into Seattle Grace where a man pushed a civilian out of the way of an oncoming bus. Upon arrival the man was unidentifiable. He suffered from multiple fractures, facial trauma and disfiguration, severe head trauma, and internal bleeding. They eventually identified him in the last few minutes of episode 24. George grabbed Mereideth’s hand and drew on it “007” which helped them identify him. It was later confirmed in season 6 episode 1 “Good Mourning” where George eventually dies. 

George was one of the first main characters to die in the show. Despite his actions which showed him to be a hero, it was one of the hardest deaths in Grey’s Anatomy. For me I think it was such a huge surprise especially since he went unidentified for so long. I was not expecting such a big plot change. While there were many deaths that occurred after George’s I think it is one of the hardest and saddest ones. 

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