George O’Malley quickly became a fan-favorite character on the hit primetime medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy. George arrived at Seattle Grace Hospital as an intern with Meredith, Cristina, Izzie, and Alex. One of the original five series regulars, George’s storylines were full of laughs, heartaches, and discoveries.
Over the course of George’s five seasons on the show, fans saw the character learn and grown and everyone fell in love with him, making his untimely death at the end of season five completely devastating. Looking back on George’s time on Grey’s Anatomy, there are a lot of wonderful moments and a lot that have viewers reaching for the tissues.
Sweet: Delivers Dr. Bailey’s Baby
Miranda Bailey, the resident in charge of George and his other intern friends, is pregnant in the second season of the show. Halfway through the season, Miranda goes into labor and it’s George who is by her side during her delivery because Miranda’s husband is in another OR having emergency surgery.
George stays with Miranda the entire time, supporting her physically and emotionally. It means so much to Miranda, that she gives her son the middle name, “George”.
Heartbreaking: He Sleeps With Meredith
George has always harbored unrequited feelings for Meredith, so when Meredith and Derek end their relationship once Derek’s wife, Addison comes to Seattle, George is there for his friend/love interest.
Unfortunately, a line gets crossed and George and Meredith end up sleeping together, which Meredith instantly regrets and bursts into tears in bed with George. George is understandably hurt by the events and feels terrible about the effects this one action had on his and Meredith’s friendship.
Sweet: Listens To Meredith & Izzie
When Meredith puts out an ad wanting roommates for the big house she’s inherited from her mother, George and Izzie move in. Quickly, these three become more like family, and George supports, loves, and protects his friends to the fullest.
In one episode, Izzie comes home after a terrible first date with Alex, and Meredith is upset over another thing Derek did, and they both turn to George for help at the same time. George makes room on his bed for his two best friends and lets them vent.
Heartbreaking: Doesn’t Pass Intern Exams
In season three, George, Meredith, Izzie, and Alex have to take their intern exams. If they pass, they can move on to becoming residents. If they don’t pass, they have to re-do their intern year.
Everyone passes except for George, who gets left behind to repeat his internship while his friends move on to being residents with their own interns. George starts to feel left out of his original friend group because he is no longer working with them, but for them.
Sweet: There For Izzie
Izzie falls in love with a patient, Denny Duquette, who needs a heart transplant or he will die. In a desperate attempt to get Denny a new heart, Izzie cuts his LVAD wire to try to move him up on the donor list.
The plan doesn’t work and Denny dies, leaving Izzie devastated. George is Izzie’s best friend and everyone looks to him after Denny dies to better understand how they can help Izzie. In a sweet moment, George tells Izzie that he would have given Denny his heart if he could.
Heartbreaking: Oblivious To Lexie
When a new batch of interns come to Seattle Grace, George and his friends have a new cast of characters to figure out, including Lexie Grey, Meredith’s half-sister. George has to stay back a year after failing his intern exams and he quickly makes friends with Lexie.
Unbeknownst to George, Lexie develops feelings for him and grows increasingly more frustrated as time passes and George still seems to be completely clueless to Lexie’s emotions.
Sweetest: Stands Up For Izzie & Meredith
After George marries Callie on a whim, the two newlyweds struggle with merging their lives and their friend groups. Callie seems increasingly jealous and uncomfortable with the amount of time George spends with Izzie and Meredith and tends to belittle the residents, including Cristina.
During an increasingly heated debate, George finally stands up to Callie and explains that Meredith, Izzie, and Cristina are his family and that she must love them if she loves him.
Heartbreaking: Cheats On Callie
George and Callie rushed into their marriage and clearly weren’t ready for it. That fact becomes even more clear when George cheats on Callie with his best friend, Izzie. George finally gets up the nerve to tell Callie about the affair, expecting Callie to want to end the marriage, but she doesn’t.
Instead, Callie tells George they can work through it, which makes the situation even more heartbreaking because it’s clear that’s not what George wants.
Sweet: Walks Izzie Down The Aisle
Izzie gets diagnosed with a brain tumor in season five and her prognosis is not good. Alex and Izzie decide to get married on the day that should have been Derek and Meredith’s wedding. Meredith realizes that Izzie has been helping her plan Izzie’s dream wedding, so she gives the wedding and the day to Izzie so she can marry Alex.
George is the person who walks Izzie down the aisle, which is perfect considering their history and the unconditional, platonic love they have for one another.
Heartbreaking: George Dies
At the end of season five, George has enlisted in the army. On the day he enlists, he dives in front of a bus to save a stranger’s life. This accident causes George to lose his own life, despite the doctors at Seattle Grace’s best efforts.
They don’t even realize the patient their treating is George initially because his face has been disfigured by the accident. Meredith realizes John Doe is George after he spells out the number “0-0-7” on Meredith’s hand.