In the early seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith and Derek, and Cristina and Burke, were the two central romances of the show. Even though Cristina and Burke’s relationship was quite short-lived, the intensity of it made it a fan-favorite. Cristina Yang and Preston Burke were two very resolute characters with very specific traits that made their interactions hugely amusing.
Seeing them bend to each other’s will with utmost difficulty was something that entertained the fans of the couple a lot. While Yang and Burke as a couple made sense in many ways, there was something definitely off about their relationship which was quite evident as well.
Made Sense: Knew How To Comfort Each Other
As many fans remember, season 2 saw Cristina undergo emergency surgery after Bailey and Izzie realized that she was experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. Although Cristina insisted that she was fine in the aftermath of that surgery, it soon became clear that wasn’t. While many of her friends tried to comfort her, Burke was the only one who seemed to understand what she needed the most.
Similarly, Cristina also knew how to comfort Burke when no one else could. She was the one who able to get Burke back on his feet with her sweet gesture of bringing chickens to practice suturing. She also brought him comfort by boosting his confidence when he was intimidated by Colin Marlowe. They just seemed to get each other on a level that no one else could understand.
No Sense: Power Dynamic Between Intern And Attending
When all is said and done, the fact remains that Cristina was just an intern when Burke asked her out. The power dynamics were very evident and even Burke can’t help but be reminded of it when he questions a resident because his intern girlfriend asked him to. This was something he had never done before, and he realizes why this power dynamic is quite complicated and a relationship based on such a dynamic had its fair share of problems.
Made Sense: Cardio Thrills
Preston Burke was the best Cardiothoracic surgeons in all of the hospital and even outside of it. He got a thrill from his work with hearts that was shared in equal or maybe even a greater proportion by Cristina Yang.
Yang knew that Cardio was her field and the high she got from surgery on the heart couldn’t be matched with anything else. It made sense for two people obsessed with the same niche field to be interested in each other.
No Sense: Letting Her Help Him When His Hand Had An Issue
Cristina’s instinctive reaction to finding out about Burke’s tremors was to help him in his surgeries so as to ensure his career didn’t end. Even though that in itself wasn’t the wisest decision, Cristina was still just an intern and very worried about the man she loved losing what he loved doing. Burke should have known better and done better, but he instead just went along with her plan. When she finally informed the Chief about it, he was extremely angry at her as well, even though it was the right thing to do.
Made Sense: Taught Each Other Some Positive, Life Lessons
Preston Burke was a very proper man, extremely disciplined and rigid. No one could have imagined him loosening up and even dancing. But he does so with an exuberant Cristina in the morning in their apartment. The scene with the two of them dancing freely showed to viewers how they were capable of having fun with each other, and enjoyed each others’ company. Burke was incredibly homely and liked cooking, and to some extent got Cristina to enjoy the small joys of domestic existence.
No Sense: Not Mentioning Her In The Article Celebrating His Harper Avery Win
Even though Burke won his Harper Avery award after leaving the hospital, it was quite terrible that he didn’t even mention the help Cristina had provided him with, especially when he had tremors in his hand.
It proved once and for all that Burke and Yang weren’t meant to be, because he was unable to share his victory with her in even a small manner, and was very individualistic in that sense.
Made Sense: They Were Deeply Protective Of One Another
Fans got to actually witness their care and concern for each other in this episode where both Burke and Cristina were in the vicinity of the bomb. Burke asked Cristina to leave because he couldn’t concentrate and work knowing that Cristina could be in any risk. Cristina asked Burke to not be a hero and walk away so that he wasn’t in any risk. They both wanted the other person to be safe so badly and their concern for each other became very evident here.
No Sense: Both Very Set In Their Ways
Cristina was messy, in a way that made her hard to live with. Preston was as clean as one could be. This is just one of the ways in which they were both different in ways that never reached any compromise. Both of them were quite happy with the way they were and were set in their ways and were quite unwilling to change themselves for anyone else, not even for each other.
Made Sense: Letting Her Go
Burke finally came to his senses and realized what he was doing on his wedding day. He was pushing Cristina to marry him even though he knew that it wasn’t what she wanted and who she was. Burke knew her well enough to know that Cristina would marry him, only because she loved him, and not because she wanted to.
And Burke knew that Cristina wouldn’t be Cristina if she did that for him. So he made the decision to let her go. His ability to come to his sense, albeit at an unfortunate time, about their relationship showed how much he understood her.
No Sense: Wanted Her To Become Someone Who She Wasn’t
It had become all the more evident in the run-up to their wedding day, that Burke and his family wanted Cristina to change in ways that in no way aligned with what Cristina wanted from her life. Bit by bit, Burke took away pieces from Cristina, and she let him. But she always resented him for that, and any relationship with that level of resentment just doesn’t make sense.
