Grey’s Anatomy: George’s 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Traits
George O’Malley met a tragic end on Grey’s Anatomy, and fans mourned the loss of a character that was both flawed but always kind and compassionate.
George O’Malley was one of the most tragic characters in the long-running Shondaland medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy. George was honest, kind, and gentle and met with a harsh ending. And as is typical of the Grey’s universe, even the best of men have some glaring flaws that make them more realistic.
George was thus impulsive, malleable, and a terrible decision-maker. His lack of confidence sometimes made him a laughing stock among the other surgical interns who were out for blood. But for all the problems with his personality, George was loved by one and all. He had his struggles but with some good mentorship, he could have developed into one of the best surgeons in his batch. That is unless he had become a formidable army surgeon.
Worst: Impulsive
One of George’s worst traits was that he was impulsive and often ended up making poor choices with disastrous consequences. His affair with Izzie was thoughtless and impulsive, to say the least, demonstrating a side of him that seemed uncharacteristic of the kind, inscrutable George.
From marrying Callie in record time to cheating on her with Izzie, and leaving Olivia even though she genuinely adored him, George was shown to make a mess whenever it came to big decisions. His decision to become an army surgeon also seemed sudden, although it did prove his inclination to help others. And of course, throwing himself in front of a moving bus to save a stranger who hadn’t even behaved well with him might have been the ultimate act of decency but it was also extremely impulsive, eventually costing him his life in the most tragic manner.
Best: Kind, Chivalrous & Gentle
George O’Malley is one of the kindest and gentlest of characters in the Grey’s universe. His inherent goodness might have at times been mistaken for a lack of competitive initiative, but all those who knew him agreed that George was kind and good, despite his other flaws.
Fans might recall George helping Miranda Bailey through her first delivery, calming her nerves and walking her through the process. His gesture didn’t go unappreciated as she named her son after her favorite intern. He also moved heaven and earth to get Jo the bartender a treatment that he couldn’t afford. Finally, George’s chivalry drove him to sacrifice his life for a random stranger on the street.
Worst: Getting On The High Horse
George did have a tendency of getting on the high horse and refusing to come off it. He made up his mind easily about people, for instance, those he hated, like Derek and Alex.
He wasn’t necessarily the epitome of morality given how he had cheated on his wife. But he didn’t dither from judging others without knowing the whole story and sulked a lot when he thought he was being victimized.
Best: Stood Up To Arrogance
George was called names such as Bambi for his malleability. However, in time, he went on to grow a tad as a character – although perhaps not as much as fans would have liked – and started standing up to injustice, and arrogance.
George was entitled to be angry with Cristina for hiding the truth about Burke’s hand and in effect potentially jeopardizing his father’s surgery. He also stood up against Alex who informed him that Callie had slept with Mark Sloan. Alex happened to be right on this occasion, but at least George was standing up to him in his own way. He also stood up to his own brothers who would mock him relentlessly. And who can forget George O’Malley giving Alex Karev a much-deserved pummelling for indirectly transmitting syphilis to him, as well as for his overall insolence!
Worst: Lacked Confidence
One of George’s worst traits was that he lacked severely in confidence, at least at the beginning. His lack of confidence made him easy prey in the highly competitive ambiance of the surgical program.
He was never taken very seriously by his co-interns and probably one of the reasons he was noticed by Preston Burke on the first day itself was the fact that he seemed so unsure of everything. Burke knew that he could easily terrorize this already nervous intern, leading the others to fall in line. Although gradually Burke saw George’s potential and was even ready to mentor him, the latter continued to be supremely unaware of what he was capable of or that he deserved better than he got.
Best: Reliable & Responsible
For all his lack of confidence and indecisive temperament, George O’Malley was one of the most trustworthy and reliable of the gang of interns in Meredith Grey’s batch.
He could be trusted with responsibilities, so much so that Richard Webber picked him to be his personal intern, ‘the Chief’s intern’. Of course, there was no such thing as that, yet it proved that George’s sense of responsibility had already been noticed by those high up. He also made sure that his dad got a cardiothoracic surgeon whom he could trust when he realized that something was off about Burke. This showed that he genuinely cared for his family and made responsible decisions when it came to their well-being.
Worst: Too Malleable
George was way too malleable as a person, yet another bad trait that got him into trouble more than once. He allowed people to railroad him, and couldn’t always tell them what was on his mind.
George’s Las Vegas wedding to Callie was proof of his malleability. Moreover, he was influenced by Izzie Stevens who nagged him into believing that Callie was unhygienic in her habits, that she hadn’t washed her hands after using the restroom. He even spoke to Callie about the same, which, understandably infuriated her.
Best: Great With Kids
George was great with children, and fans would have loved to see him have a full family, complete with a loving wife and kids. George was shown taking care of Bailey’s son and his connection with him was instantaneous.
He seemed to know what he was doing and would have, in time, made a great dad. At the very least, he would have been a wonderful uncle George to Meredith’s kids.
Worst: Whined A Fair Amount
Unfortunately, George complained a fair bit about how difficult life was for him. Of course, he wasn’t the only one whining, as all around him, everyone from Meredith to Izzie, and Callie whined and complained endlessly.
In fact, George was told off by another gentle fan-favorite, Lexie Grey, who reminded him of her own difficulties, which included her mom’s tragic death and her dad becoming an alcoholic, telling him that he needed to accept and move on rather than wallow in self-pity.
Best: Was Able To Step Up When Needed
Finally, George was able to step up whenever and wherever it truly mattered. Fans will remember him taking charge and performing the miracle open-heart surgery while stuck inside an elevator with Alex who had frozen in his shoes.
As Alex himself was forced to confess in time, George might very well have gone on to be Chief Resident in their batch, had he not died so shockingly. He also stepped up after he failed the exam that would make him a resident; he took the exam a second time and became a resident on his way to bigger things. His ability to think on his feet was noticed by ex-army surgeon Owen Hunt who told him that he had the makings of a trauma surgeon, something one wouldn’t typically associate with the gentle O’Malley.