Grey’s Anatomy: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About George O’Malley

There have always been superfluous deaths in Grey’s Anatomy, and among the ones that still hurt fans the most despite having occurred several seasons ago is the death of George O’Malley. The surgical resident had some of the most entrancing arcs and was destined to have a great career as an army trauma surgeon before tragedy struck.

George’s future appeared easy to predict at first. In a perfect world, he would have followed Owen and Teddy’s paths by attending to servicemen before returning to Seattle. As for his past, fans already know most of the things about him. George’s narrative was quite fluid, but some details about him aren’t so easy to pick up on in this show’s many complex storylines.

George Is The Surgery “Pioneer” On Grey’s Anatomy

George is the first main character to ever perform a surgery. He is also the first to call the time of death and break the bad news to a relative about a patient’s death.

As someone who is always compassionate, it’s no shocker that George impresses Burke right from the start, earning himself a chance in the OR before his fellow interns. His first surgery is far from his best since he botches it, forcing Burke to take over, but it’s a big step for him. It’s how he gets labeled “007,” one of the best nicknames in Grey’s Anatomy.  George is also the first intern to do a solo surgery, cutting into a patient inside an elevator, which demonstrates the same courage that unfortunately one day leads to his death.

George Was The Second Grey’s Anatomy Character To Narrate In Voiceover

As the main character, Meredith is granted the first honor of narrating or explaining some of the events to the viewer. The next character to have such privileges is George.

Given how heavily the writers of the show invest in George early in the series compared to other characters., there is no doubt that there were always big plans for him, probably for him to be around until the finale. Unfortunately, a dispute behind the scenes meant T.R. Knight was one Grey’s Anatomy actor who chose to to leave the show.

There’s An Alternate Universe Version Of George On Grey’s Anatomy

In an alternate universe, George is still alive because he took umbrage at being failed in his intern exam and ran away. This detail is revealed in Season 8’s “If/Then.”

The alternate-universe angle is explored when Meredith’s imaginations take over right after she puts Zola to bed. George running away seems unlike him. He has never been one to let setbacks pin him down or shy away from challenges. He would definitely have had another go at the exam just like he did in the actual events. Nevertheless, it’s a fresh angle that breaks the otherwise familiar pattern of events.

George Is In His 20s On Grey’s Anatomy

George is reported to have been born in 1980, meaning he is 29 at the time of his death. This makes him younger than most of the other main characters. However, he is older than Maggie, Lexie, and DeLuca who were born after 1980.

Age doesn’t always equate to brilliance on the show. Older doctors are shown to be competitive, but so are younger ones. George is a perfect example of that, but he isn’t alone. Among the details fans missed about Maggie Pierce is that she was born in 1983, yet she has already served as Head of Cardio in two institutions. She also has privileges in more than seven hospitals.

There’s A Reason Why George Starts His Army Career As A Captain

After he joins the army to be a trauma surgeon, George is given the rank of captain, which is coveted in the military. Viewers might be baffled as to why this is the case, but there’s a real-world reason why.

In the U.S. Army, physicians at the entry level are immediately assigned the rank of captain. Doctors joining the Air Force are immediately accorded the rank of major. The work of physicians is considered critical for any ongoing military operation, and it’s for this reason that they are given such high ranks.

George Had More Letters Of Recommendation Than Any Other Grey’s Anatomy Character

Upon receiving admission into the surgical program at Seattle Grace, George is relieved because he almost missed out. Interestingly, he had 14 letters of recommendation, more than any other applicant.

That George almost misses out despite coming highly recommended is indeed odd. However, it shows just how strict and competitive an institution Seattle Grace is. With accomplished surgeons like Richard Webber at the helm, it takes more than letters of recommendation to be considered worthy.

George Was An Accomplished High-School Student

George accomplishes a lot as an adult, but as a child, things were even better for him. In school, he was the secretary of the Dungeons and Dragons Club. He was also the best “mathlete,” and in addition to that, he won the blue ribbon award in the school’s Biology Club for successfully performing surgery on a fetal pig.

By successfully operating on a pig at a fairly young age was enough proof that George was destined to be a great surgeon. With his leadership abilities also proven, he probably would have grown to be one of the best chiefs of surgery in Grey’s Anatomy. Unfortunately, death robbed viewers of such a talented soul.

A Grey’s Anatomy Tie-In Novel Reveals George’s First Heartbreak

A younger George asked his crush to prom and, to his surprise, she agreed. She later asked him to drive her to a local college only for him to learn that she wanted him to drop her off at her boyfriend’s room.

Fans who’ve only watched the show are probably unfamiliar with these proceedings since they are exclusive to “Notes From The Nurses’ Station,” a tie-in Grey’s Anatomy canon novel written by Stacy McKee. George’s heart would eventually becomes a heartbreaker too by cheating on Callie. Toying with Callie’s heart is undoubtedly one of the most shameless things George ever did on Grey’s Anatomy.

George Has Unique Freckles On His Hand

After George’s tragic accident, Meredith is only able to identify him after he writes on her hand. Another little detail that gets revealed around the same time is that George has a freckle in the shape of Texas on his hand.

Among everyone he has ever had been friends or romantically involved with, Callie is the only one who knew this information. This underscores George’s tendency to be cagey with details about his life. He has always preferred communicating on a need-to-know basis and that has helped him maintain a level of privacy that other characters don’t enjoy.

George Is The Only Original Grey’s Anatomy Character To Not Complete His Residency

George is the only one among the first batch of characters to not complete his residency and become and become a full-time attending physician. This exception happens because of his death.

George’s residency would have taken him five years to complete, meaning he was quite close when his character was killed off. On the show, it’s been explained that the cardiothoracic surgical residency takes the longest to complete (six years) while ophthalmology and dermatology residencies are the shortest at three years.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1212 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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