Characters on Gray’s Anatomy come, go, and generally return.
Dr. Teddy Altman left on the finish of Grey’s Anatomy Season 8 however then recurred on Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 and returned to common standing on Grey’s Anatomy Season 15.
After watching her as an everyday character once more for greater than a few seasons — the lingering query is why did they trouble bringing her again?
Teddy’s preliminary run as an everyday was effective. She adequately served the twin roles of Cristina’s mentor and romantic rival for Owen’s affections. She developed a powerful friendship with Arizona.
Her meatiest storyline started when Henry Burton arrived on the then-named Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital on Grey’s Anatomy Season 7 Episode 10. Henry was an in poor health affected person with out insurance coverage. Teddy, feeling ineffective with out her star pupil to show, impulsively married Henry so he may afford the required therapy.
It started as a wedding on paper solely. Then Henry fell in love with Teddy, and Teddy ultimately realized she beloved him again on Grey’s Anatomy Season 7 Episode 22. Their relationship lasted till Henry’s sudden demise on Cristina’s working desk on Grey’s Anatomy Season 8 Episode 9.
Unsurprisingly, Henry’s demise marked the start of the tip of her (first) stint on Gray’s Anatomy. If a Gray’s Anatomy character is not concerned in any onscreen, romantic storyline, it normally signifies the writers misplaced curiosity within the character and culminates with writing the character off.
So Teddy was written off on Grey’s Anatomy Season 8 Episode 24, and on the time, it appeared like all her storylines have been wrapped up.
She was a strong character however, in comparison with the numerous different common Gray’s Anatomy characters (previous and current), not one of many extra memorable ones. If there’s one factor to be mentioned about her second stint on the present — she has turn out to be extra memorable however for all of the flawed causes.
It has been a wrestle to discover a place for Teddy to slot in professionally.
Bailey supplied her the interim chief place on Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 Episode 24, however she turned it down. She did not need to work beneath Maggie within the cardiothoracic division, so Owen gave her his job as Head of Trauma on Gray’s Anatomy Season 15 Episode 10.
She was named because the Head of the Cardiothoracic division after Maggie stop. When Maggie returned to Gray Sloan, the 2 of them have been named co-heads of the division.
Continually shifting Teddy to new jobs exhibits the redundancy of her (skilled) function within the collection, did little to open up new avenues for the character and supplies extra proof of Gray’s Anatomy not dealing with the Pac North storyline effectively.
It might be tolerable, although, if the storylines involving Teddy’s private life weren’t such a catastrophe.
The thought to revive Teddy and Owen’s romantic relationship was unhealthy from the beginning.
The thought had already been performed out, and the 2 of them had moved to different love pursuits by Grey’s Anatomy Season 7. Teddy even spent her last moments on Gray’s Anatomy Season eight Episode 24, telling Owen to struggle for Cristina.
The reasoning for why Owen and Teddy ought to be collectively was shaky at finest. Amelia’s clarification that Teddy was a cancerous development and harmful to Owen’s different romantic relationships would not observe with what we have seen.
Teddy wasn’t a think about Owen and Cristina’s later relationship difficulties. Additionally, if Owen have been ever once more within the place to decide on between Teddy and Cristina once more, he would select Cristina.
One other horrible factor about Owen and Teddy’s relationship, it retains spawning horrible love triangles. Regardless of the mix, the varied love triangles amongst Teddy, Owen, Amelia, Hyperlink, and Tom take up an excessive amount of screentime, hinges on unhealthy plotting, and make a lot of the individuals unlikeable.
Teddy, most of all.
She withheld the information of being pregnant from Owen. Throughout Gray’s Anatomy Season 15, she strung Tom alongside, solely to get again with Owen on the final minute. She blurted out Amelia might be pregnant together with his youngster to Owen. Plus, she cheated on Owen with Tom.
Even Owen is a extra likable character than Teddy today. However making him extra likable as compared does nothing to rehabilitate his flaws or present him with actual character growth.
Sticking Tom with Teddy hasn’t finished many favors for Tom both.
Seeing Tom and Teddy’s relationship play out makes it all of the extra regrettable Gray’s Anatomy did not select to make Tom and April a full-blown romance.
Tom additionally has nice chemistry with Meredith, as Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Episode 6 as soon as once more confirmed. Tom and Meredith would have been preferable over Owen/Teddy/Tom and DeLuca/Meredith/Hyperlink.
In the meantime, Teddy appears to be an exception to the rule of the extra you understand a personality, the extra sympathetic they’re. When Grey’s Anatomy Season 16 Episode 19 flashbacked to Teddy’s pre-9/11 life, we realized Teddy had a historical past of dishonest.
Figuring out extra about Teddy solely makes her more moderen actions — like naming her and Owen’s youngster after Allison with out telling Owen the entire story about Allison — worse.
It is not not possible to make an unsympathetic character sympathetic (see Alex Karev assuming you ignore Grey’s Anatomy Season 16 Episode 16), however it’s not straightforward. Might Gray’s pull off such a feat for Teddy?
The writing in recent times normally and for Teddy, specifically, would not encourage confidence. It might have been higher, for the characters and the viewers alike, if she hadn’t come again to Gray Sloan.
Over to you, TV Fanatics!
Was it a mistake to convey Dr. Teddy Altman again to Gray Sloan?
Was Teddy even a likable character to start with?
Hit the feedback under.
You’ll be able to watch Grey’s Anatomy online at TV Fanatic.
Becca Newton is a workers author for TV Fanatic.