Grey’s Anatomy has a track record of placing two unlikely characters together in romantic relationships. Meredith Grey and Derek Sheperd’s twisty love story kept viewers invested season after season. Meanwhile, Christina is writing her own version of a hospital love story. Izzie seems to be at the center of the drama, while George’s crush on Meredith results in several unfortunate incidents.
Even early in the show, some romance arcs are weaker than others. As the show goes on, it also has a tendency to place random characters into strange romantic relationships. Grey’s Anatomy has made some interesting choices when it comes to on-screen couples.
10. There’s Very Little to Know About Richard Webber and Ellis Grey
Despite being at the center of the story in Grey’s Anatomy, Richard Webber’s affair with Ellis Grey is one shrouded in mystery. The series never fully explains their relationship and only shows fans their fights and conflicts. However, it leaves out the one thing that really matters.
Richard loves his wife, Adele. They have a very different relationship than the one Richard has with Ellis. Throughout the show, Richard is depicted as a loyal man. Even though he stays in the hospital most of the time and neglects his marriage, he has never cheated on his wife, except with Ellis. This means that Ellis Grey must be someone very special. However, there’s no evidence of their bond during the few interactions they have with each other.
9. Meredith and George’s One-Night Stand Is in Poor Taste
Meredith has made plenty of mistakes on Grey’s Anatomy, but even at her worst time, it doesn’t make any sense for her to cross the line with George, even just to numb herself. George also picks the worst time to confess his feelings for Meredith. Given who he is, George would’ve been very sensitive about what Meredith was going through. He shouldn’t have pushed it during Meredith’s most vulnerable time.
Their entire encounter feels very forced because it makes no sense for either of them. George has been having feelings for Meredith for a very long time. His crush also goes further than a selfish feeling. George genuinely cares about Meredith, and he’s willing to put his feelings aside to be there for her. It’s out of character for George to try to take advantage of Meredith when she’s down.
8. George and Callie’s Marriage Is Chaos
Callie is essentially George’s rebound after his catastrophic encounter with Meredith. George is no place for a romantic relationship. Callie also comes off as a little needy. She also doesn’t fit into George’s friend group, and their relationship received a lot of backlash from the start. Their entire romance arc is odd.
Their story arc doesn’t do justice to George’s character. Not only does Grey’s Anatomy make him into a cheating husband, but it also makes him nearly unrecognizable with his short temper and rude manners. It’s true that everyone gets their turn dealing with messy family situations and life and death in their young adult years. George’s marriage with Callie seems to have taken things a bit too far.
7. How Did Izzie Fall for Denny Duquette?
It seems that Izzie was in a relationship with Alex when she fell for Denny, which doesn’t make any sense. Izzie and Alex have a foundation. They’ve been dating for quite some time and have gone through ups and downs. Izzie met Denny during her “honeymoon” phase with Alex. Rules aside, their only interactions were gentle flirtation.
It’s not a secret that Izzie likes Denny, but their connection shouldn’t have gone further than that, especially with the fact that they don’t even know each other that well. Their connection also doesn’t seem the type where they both fall hard for each other from the start. It’s a mystery how the two get from gentle flirtation to cutting Denny’s LVAD, an engagement, and Denny leaving Izzie a huge sum of money.
6. Derek Shepard Dated Rose
Derek and Rose’s relationship arc is the final push for Derek and Meredith to be together. However, Derek’s heart clearly still belongs to Meredith. He’s in no position to be in a long-term, committed relationship with anyone, and he knows that very well. Yet, he repeatedly reassures Rose that he’s done with his ex.
Rose has her boundaries, and she eventually chooses to trust Derek, despite all the red flags. Rose falls hopelessly in love with Derek, but she should’ve never gotten into a relationship with Derek in the first place, at least not after knowing everything about Meredith and him. What’s worse is that Derek keeps being with her, even knowing that he’s still in love with Meredith.
5. What Is Owen Doing With Amelia?
Owen’s love for Cristina is unexpected and out of control. It drives him down a road that’s far from what he envisioned for himself. Owen’s relationship with Teddy also makes sense because they are best friends and have shared experiences. Owen and Amelia, on the other hand, are a poor fit.
They don’t really have anything in common. Their marriage is also a strange chaos. Owen and Amelia are one of the instances where Grey’s Anatomy puts two unlikely characters together just for the sake of drama. After all, anything can happen in the hospital. Most relationships don’t even have a probable cause.
4. Alex and Ava Should’ve Never Gotten Together
Alex and Ava get each other. They are a patient and a doctor, but they are also best friends. Their story would’ve made more sense if they stayed friends instead of forcing them to be with each other romantically. Alex would’ve taken care of Ava either way. He feels responsible for her because he’s the one who saved Ava and helped her choose a new name.
What Alex and Ava have isn’t a romantic connection, and making it that way only weakens the plot. Ava is struggling as she adapts to her new identity and face. On top of that, she’s a new mother whose marriage is falling apart. Alex is just trying to help her, and taking advantage of Ava doesn’t fit his character. It makes sense that Alex is the one Ava turns to when she’s struggling. What’s problematic is having them be with each other romantically.
3. DeLuca Dates Meredith After Maggie
Meredith and DeLuca are two people who should never be linked together, romantically. It’s almost magical how Grey’s Anatomy managed to write them a romance arc together and make it seem like they actually should be together. Their relationship is wrong on so many levels, not to mention, cringe-inducing for fans.
Given that society has no problem with older men dating younger women, Meredith is in her own right to date someone younger, who she feels passionate about. However, DeLuca is far from that person. Their romance arc would’ve worked better if DeLuca had been new to the show. Having seen him with Jo and then Meredith’s half-sister Maggie before dating Meredith just makes their relationship problematic.
2. Jackson and April Clearly Don’t Work
April and Jackson make a good romantic story that’s full of passion, tragedy and heartbreak. They have the toughest relationship due to their vast differences. April lived on a farm before becoming a surgeon, while Jackson is privileged. They have different lifestyles and values. Not to mention, April is religious and Jackson is not, which means they need to work hard to stay together, but not all their decisions lead them to each other.
Their relationship is disrupting both their lives from the start, and it affects April a lot more than it affects Jackson. April blames failing her medical exam on the casual relationship she has with Jackson. After they are married, the two fight about their hypothetical baby and part ways after losing their first child. April and Jackson aren’t working, and the only thing that’s keeping them together is the show.
1. Burke Is Sabotaging His Career With Cristina
Burke moved to Seattle to be the next chief of surgery. As a brilliant surgeon, Burke is known for having self-discipline. Being sexually involved with an intern doesn’t help him establish authority. It only weakens his position. Burke is also too cautious to make a mistake like this. Sleeping with an intern is more of Derek’s thing.
Cristina has a thing for her mentors, and it’s clearly not her first time being romantically involved with her teacher. However, it also takes a certain kind of teacher to take the bait. Burke is hardly that person. It’s one thing to develop admiration for another talented surgeon and another to cross the line. Burke knows what he’s looking for in a partner and what he wants in life. It makes no sense for him to be with Cristina.
