With Grey’s Anatomy in its 16th season, it fair to assume that it still has a popular following. When the show first began, it mainly followed the lives of five interns training to be doctors whilst also trying to cope with the pressures of working in the medical profession.
Now, look at it. Not only have fans seen them become amazing surgeons, but they have watched them fall in love, break-up, create families, and even become great mentors. However, do you ever wonder what would have happened if the writers went down a different route - especially with the romantic pairings? From Emma & Owen to Alex & Ava, here are 6 romances that ended to quick (& 4 that didn’t end quick enough).
Too Quick: Emma & Owen
Considering that he had recently split from his wife, season 10 started well for Owen. In the episode “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, Owen attends a fundraiser for the hospital where he meets maternal-fetal surgeon, Emma Marling. They did genuinely seem happy together, with Owen inviting Emma as his plus one to April and Matthew’s wedding.
The relationship soon became serious when the pair planned to move in together, with Emma telling the army veteran that she could picture a future with him. However, in typical Owen fashion, he managed to mess this up by cheating on her, and we haven’t seen her since.
Not Quick Enough: Alex & Ava/Rebecca
One couple that many Grey’s fans disliked was Alex and Ava (otherwise known as Rebecca Pope). The romance that occurred between these two was quite similar to the Denny Duquette storyline with Izzie. Alex started as her doctor, bonding with Ava after he found her among the ferry debris in “Walk on Water.”
Although she was married, Alex and Ava soon began a romance that lasted for the majority of season 4. However, problems arose when Ava had a hysterical pregnancy, which later led to the suspicion that she had an underlying borderline personality disorder. The relationship regressed, with Ava being committed to psych. Despite promising to get better for Alex, she has not been seen since (which made this romance pointless).
Too Quick: Maggie & Ethan
The romance between Maggie and Ethan has to be one of the worst developed relationships you will ever see on TV. One minute they were flirting in the elevator and two seconds later, Ethan was engaged to someone else after his split with Maggie.
According to the cardiothoracic surgeon, they dated for six months. Yet, the time jump near the end of season 11 bypassed the relationship. The only thing fans learned was that Maggie got bored and let the romance fizzle out. It was a real shame that the writers didn’t let this relationship evolve on-screen as there was the potential to explore Maggie’s character outside the work environment.
Too Quick: Stephanie & Kyle
Many were disappointed to see Stephanie and Kyle’s romance come to an abrupt end - although it should have been expected since Grey-Sloan has a poor track record in that department. Kyle and Stephanie met after the musician came into the hospital with a tremor in his hand. After it was repaired, he and Stephanie agreed to keep in touch.
However, the writers ruined this relationship as well when Stephanie left him a Dear John letter, choosing to put her career first. The writers gave them false hope as the pair reunited during his readmittance- with Kyle asking her to go to Europe with him. Yet, he died in surgery and left a devastated Stephanie behind. It was a real shame to kill him off, considering Edwards left a year later to go traveling.
Not Quick Enough: Owen & Cristina
Cristina and Owen had a tumultuous relationship through season 5 to 8. It had enough passion and drama to keep fans on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next episode to see if they could work it out. However, after the “You killed our baby situation,” the relationship fizzled out.
From this point, fans knew Owen and Cristina weren’t meant for each other. Owen wanted to have children, and Cristina didn’t. Their destiny laid on two different paths. So why did the writers continue a will-they-won’t-they romance for another two years? They just delayed the inevitable, which saw them divorced.
Too Quick: Arizona & Carina
What a wasted opportunity this pairing was. It was like the writers teased fans with an Arizona and Carina romance, only to rip it from their grasp when the peds surgeon decided to leave for New York. The potential had been there from the beginning, but it wasn’t really developed - at least on-screen.
For instance, after dating for a few weeks, Carina and Arizona put their relationship on pause as Sophia was returning. Near the end of season 14, they reunited after spending weeks together working on their project. Just as it was blossoming, Arizona then decided to leave. It’s so annoying when you think about it - why couldn’t the writers have introduced her in season 13 instead of Minnick.
Not Quick Enough: George & Izzie
As soon as Izzie and George got together, everyone knew they were doomed for disaster. Although the best friends-turned-lovers trope has been a success with past romances, it did not work (at all) in this instance. In fact, it only worked when there was another participant involved - Meredith’s best friend, tequila.
Eventually, George and Izzie realized they had no chemistry as the relationship lasted all of 10 episodes. After this, the pair weren’t near each other as much, with George striking up a friendship with Lexie and Izzie hanging out with Alex more. It was like the writers wanted to help us try and forget.
Too Quick: Alex & Addison
In season 3, there was an unexpected romance brewing between Alex and Addison. Although fans now see how perfect Alex is in his specialty, it did come as a surprise when he took an interest in pediatrics. Addison then took a liking to the softer side he displayed - which led to the pair hooking up in the on-call room.
However, the romantic ties of this couple were completely severed when Alex began to express more interest in Ava. With Addison also questioning her place in the hospital, this final rejection pushed her to look for a fresh start in Los Angeles. It was the right choice for her as Alex didn’t seem too concerned with the move. At least fans got the chance to see her in Private Practice.
Not Quick Enough: Jackson & Maggie
Out of all the Grey’s couples, never has there been as much uproar about a couple as there was with Jackson and Maggie (a.k.a. Jaggie). Maybe it’s because fans can’t picture Jackson with anyone other than April, or it’s because their “parents” are married, but fans could never get on board this ‘ship.
It looked as if the writers gave up trying to make the relationship work as they broke up at the beginning of the season 16 premiere. Seems like the pair wants to forget the disaster too, with the plastic surgeon now semi-involved with firefighter Victoria Hughes and Maggie hating him for even breathing in the same space as her.
Too Quick: Meredith & Will
Although many fans have begged for Scott Speedman to reprise his role as Nick, Scott Elrod should consider coming back as the surgical oncologist, William Thorpe. Fans may recall Will and Meredith had a brief romance in season 12 after the pair hit it off whilst working on a case together.
However, they called time on their relationship when Meredith decided that she was not ready to move on. Will understood and agreed to back off, saying he would be willing to wait for her because she was worth it. Although it looked as if this storyline would be revisited, Will hasn’t made another appearance since. It would have been nice to get closure at least.
