Grey’s Anatomy fans were devastated the most when the favorite George O’Malley was killed off in the series. The American medical drama series first premiered on 27th March 2005 and has continued for 19 seasons on ABC and gives us a view of how complicated the lives of surgeons are.
Being one of the most popular long-running television shows, we have gone through the emotional rollercoaster of many interns, residents, and surgeons, including the main characters: Meredith Grey, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev, Cristina Yang, and George O’Malley, played by Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, Sandra Oh, and T. R. Knight.
The sweet and naive intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, George O’Malley, has been the sweetheart of the fans since he was first introduced in the first episode of the series and was the highlight of the show for the first five seasons. However, once he was killed off- he too became just a figure to reminisce over, much like Derek Shepherd, who dies in season 11 of the show.
Why does George die in Grey’s Anatomy?
“There just comes a time when it’s so clear that moving on is the best decision,” he said, expressing his thoughts on leaving such a huge role.
The season finale of almost all seasons of the show has left us disturbed and on edge for the character’s story. Sometimes the cliffhanger was even too good to wait. But in the season 5 finale, “Now or Never,” no one would have expected this to happen.
The main reason which is said to be behind the character’s demise is the fall-off between T.R. and the crew. He did return to work on season 4 after previously being shown off for lesser minutes, but this worsened when the storyline of George struggling with his wife Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Izzie (Katherine Heigl). Towards the beginning of season 5, he realizes this fact and simply wants to leave without causing any more trouble.
The friction between himself and show creator, Shonda Rhimes, is said to be the backbone behind his decision. While he had wanted to know about the storyline and character development of George, he rather said that “My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George]. And with respect, I’m going to leave it at that,” Knight told Entertainment Weekly in July 2020.
When does George die in Grey’s Anatomy?
In season 5, George O’Malley wished to join the army and leave the buzzing life to become a trauma surgeon. As he was on his way home to spend time with his family before officially joining, George encountered a woman who was about to be hit by a bus, and to save her, he jumped in front of the bus to save the woman’s life. He suffered life-threatening injuries but even worse was that his face was altered gruesomely.
In Season 6, Episode 1, “Good Mourning”, the unidentifiable body of George arrives as a “John Doe,” which even his friends cannot recognize. Seattle Grace finally mourns his death when Meredith realizes that the John Doe is George as she recognizes the “007” in her palm, which was a known nickname given to him early on in the show, inspired by James Bond’s License to Kill.
The episode had started off with the heart-wrenching moments of Izzie Stevens and George O’ Malley both flatlined as Meredith explained the 5 stages of grief- hinting to us that perhaps we lost both of the characters. Luckily, the opening of this episode gave us Stevens back and revived while O’Malley was declared brain dead. His death had been identified in the first episode by the fans discreetly when he asked, “We’re gonna survive this, right?” and Grey answered nothing, remaining silent.
Will George come back in Grey’s Anatomy?
The most unfair death in Grey’s Anatomy gave the fans a good cry once we saw George O’Malley return to the screen. The character made a surprise return in Season 17 Episode 4, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” where he was shown talking to Meredith when she was battling a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Her dream sequence had first shown her with the fans-favorite Derek Shephard, and everyone enjoyed the wholesome moment when they saw T.R. as George once again. This might be the last time we see him though, as the fans are gushing over the lines, ‘I would have stayed if I could have, which hints at how T.R. wanted to stay in the show.
Also Read: In What Episode Does Meredith Drown On Grey’s Anatomy?
