‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Why Did So Many People Forgive George for Cheating on Callie?

Many television series amass a following of die-hard fans. These fans become incredibly invested in the shows’ storylines and develop strong feelings for the characters. They’ll often choose sides in disagreements and fights, proudly displaying their loyalty to their favorite characters. 

Over 16 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy has certainly built up a serious fan base. The internet is filled with emotional opinions regarding the latest developments in the series, because the fans are not shy about expressing their thoughts. There was one character in particular that fans loved so much, they were willing to forgive even his worst mistakes without a second thought. 

Who was George O’Malley?

George O’Malley was part of the first team of surgical interns in Grey’s Anatomy. The rest of his group included Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, and Alex Karev. George was a main character in the first five seasons of the series. 

George was patient, caring, and incredibly kind-hearted. He often put others before himself, and he was always worried about what people would think of him. He tried his hardest to impress his peers and his superiors at the hospital, though his career did get off to a rocky start. He was chosen as the first intern to perform surgery, but it went very badly when he froze up in the OR. 

From that day on, a few of George’s peers ridiculed him endlessly–especially Alex Karev. He had even more reason to dislike Alex after finding out that a nurse he was dating got an STD from Alex. George ended Alex’s ridicule later, however, when the two were trapped in an elevator with a dying patient. That time it was Alex who froze up, and George saved the day. 

Meredith opened her home to Izzie and George, who had nowhere else to live. George developed feelings for Meredith, but after a one-night stand, the two ended up just being friends. He was also romantically involved with Izzie Stevens and Callie Torres.

Despite failing his intern exam the first time, George went on to show a talent for trauma surgery. Discussions with Owen Hunt (Chief of Trauma Surgery) inspired him to join the army, Shortly after his decision, George died after pushing a woman out of the way of a moving bus.

Who was Callie Torres?

Callie Torres was an orthopedic surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial. Callie came from a wealthy family, but was reluctant to share that information with anyone. She wanted to make a name for herself based on her talent alone, and not the fact that her family had money.

Callie was an overachiever and extremely competitive. She lived in the hospital basement in earlier episodes because she wanted to be the first person available for the best surgeries. When Chief Webber found out she was living there, she was forced to move out. 

Although she was fairly easy-going and got along with most people, Callie rubbed a few of the characters the wrong way. Izzie and Meredith strongly disliked her, and treated her poorly for quite some time. Meredith later warmed up to Callie when she needed an expert opinion on bone cancer, because her dog Doc was dying from it. 

Callie was romantically involved with George, Mark Sloan, and Arizona Robbins, as well as several other less prominent characters. She was married to George and Arizona, and ended up having a child with her best friend, Mark. 

Why were fans so quick to forgive George for cheating on Callie?

George and Callie had a relationship filled with ups and downs. Callie originally expressed her interest in George several times before giving up and telling him she wasn’t going to pursue him any longer–the ball was in his court. He eventually asked her out, and the two began dating. They faced difficulties early on, mostly due to the fact that his friends were horrible to her. 

When Callie was kicked out of the hospital basement, she moved in with George. The living situation didn’t last long, as George was uncomfortable with how quickly the relationship was moving. Callie moved out and ended up living in a hotel. Their relationship hit another wall when Callie professed her love for George (several times) and he revealed that he didn’t feel the same way yet. 

Callie became irritated at always coming after Izzie and Meredith. She broke it off with George, and that same evening, had a one-night-stand with Mark Sloane. George found out later and was angry, even though the two were broken up at the time. When his father became ill, Callie provided emotional support despite their rocky relationship.

When George’s father passed, he proposed to Callie. The two were quickly married in Las Vegas. The couple later had a fight, after George found out that Callie had been concealing her family’s wealth. She kicked George out for the evening, and he turned to Izzie for comfort. The two drank too much and George cheated on Callie. 

Although the encounter between George and Izzie led Callie to file for divorce, fans were quick to forgive George’s mistake. Grey’s fans conversed on Reddit about how George was one of the sweetest characters on the show, despite his few mistakes. His lovable personality and genuine kindness are the reasons why his mistakes were so easily forgiven. 

One fan on Reddit wrote, “George made mistakes, sure, but his kindness was unmatched and people forget that.” Another fan agreed, recalling how George gave his own life to save another– “Yes I agree! In the end, he looked out for others, even leading to his death to save someone else’s life.”