Character Essays
Callie Torres is definitely my favorite character. She’s what got me to finally start watching the show in the first place. I’d seen a few random episodes before, but it wasn’t until I watched the season 4 finale with my parents that I decided to go back and watch all of them. Mainly because the whole Callie/Erica thing intrigued me.
I loved Callie from her very first episode. She comes in as this badass rock star ortho chick who does whatever she wants and doesn’t care about what other people think. She’s like THE definition of a strong, independent woman. I hated how she let George treat her though. She fell so hard for him that she was willing to let him walk all over her just so she could be with him. But I do think this was a good storyline for her. It shows that no matter how strong and independent a person is, everyone still has their weaknesses. And she fought her way through it. She came out on the other side even stronger because of what she went through. Not to mention she still managed to work with both Izzie and George. Granted, she didn’t do so very well at first, but she didn’t just give up and leave. She didn’t let them take everything away from her.
Callie’s relationship with Erica was interesting, to say the least. I absolutely loved them as friends. They seemed to really get each other and always had fun together. Erica was exactly what Callie needed at the time. And I was excited for them to finally get together, but I hate the way it played out. I think both of them rushed things and made some poor choices and didn’t communicate well. But I don’t blame the writers. I think it seemed pretty realistic actually. In my experience, dating your best friend is rarely ever a good idea. I think it’s better to start dating someone you’re just getting to know and for them to eventually become your best friend rather than the other way around. Then throw on top of that the fact that neither of them had ever been in a lesbian relationship before and you get a disaster.
Callie and Arizona, however, I can’t say enough about it. I love them so much. Arizona brings out the best in Callie. I really enjoyed seeing how much Callie has grown in the last season. If I’d gone through everything she went through, I don’t know that I’d ever be ready to fall for someone else again. But Callie really can’t help but to love. And she’s not afraid to show that (anymore). She really stood up for herself and her relationship a lot last season. She learned from her past and no longer lets anyone walk over her. Not even Arizona. I actually liked how open Callie was about the whole baby thing. We saw in the past that her instinct is to avoid or run from issues like that. But she didn’t this time. She met it head on, and even though it was a bumpy ride, it all worked out for the best.
Arizona has slowly crept her way into my heart. I was unsure of her at first. Mostly because perky people like her in real life annoy the crap out of me. But then she kissed Callie out of nowhere. And it’s been a roller coaster ride ever since then.
I have to admit, the perkiness has kind of gotten to me. It’s just plain adorable on her. And it fits for a peds surgeon. I also like that she’s brought so much happiness and fun into Callie’s life. I mean, their first date (as far as we know) involved crazy dancing in Callie’s living room. How many people would be willing to risk looking like a fool on a first date? And their relationship has just kept getting better. They’re just so cute together. I love that Arizona is always there for Callie through all the tough stuff and isn’t afraid to give Callie a piece of her mind. She’s been the voice of reason for Callie so many times. And her speeches. Oh God, her speeches are amazing. She always knows just what to say and how to say it. And she’s pretty much always right. I think she’s a big reason that Callie has grown so much in the last season. Arizona pushed her to be a better person and tackle her problems instead of ignoring them.
I also LOVE how hardcore Arizona is. I really didn’t expect that side of her. I suppose we saw a bit of it in her first arc during her conversation with Alex on the plane. But that was just scratching the surface. I love that she’s usually this happy, bubbly person, but she won’t take crap from anyone (even Bailey). We’ve seen multiple times how she’s willing to do anything she can to help her patients and no one can get in the way of that. Not even the Chief, which is pretty impressive considering her authority issues. I must also note how freaking cute it is that she cries when confronting him. But at the same time, it’s pretty badass that she knows it’s going to happen but pushes through and does it anyway because she knows it needs to be done.
I really like how Arizona has managed to fit into the SGMW group too. She’s built up her own relationships with many of the characters, most of which I adore. Her relationship with Alex is one of my favorites. I think Alex is probably my favorite of the fab five, and I love how Arizona has pushed him to be a better doctor. I think she’s pretty much convinced him that peds is hardcore at this point. And she’s so good at teaching him. She lets him do his own thing for the most part, but is always there to set him straight when he needs it. I also enjoyed her friendship with Teddy this past season. They seemed like a pretty good match for each other. Teddy definitely needed a friend outside of Owen/Cristina, and Arizona was totally willing to be that person. I just wish we could have seen more of them together.