Meredith Grey is the star of Grey’s Anatomy but her two best friends also frequently steal the spotlight. Cristina Yang was Meredith’s ‘person’ right from the very first episode until her departure in Season 10. Alex Karev then took over for the next 6 seasons.
Cristina:
Promised Alex A Seat On The Hospital Board
Initially, this sounds like quite a nice gesture. When Cristina left for Switzerland, she entrusted Alex her seat on the board for Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. However, this actually left the doctors with quite a mess to clear up.
Miranda Bailey, one of Grey’s Anatomy’s best characters, had also been nominated to take over Cristina’s seat, leaving Alex feeling very upset since he was fired from another job because he was given these shares. As a result, Cristina’s rash decision raised then dashed Alex’s hopes and left him temporarily unemployed.
Never Truly Respected Alex
While Cristina and Alex eventually developed a cute, sibling-like relationship, they got off to a rather rocky start. Alex was a misogynistic jerk and Cristina did not have time for any of his nonsense. However, while Alex did try to amend for his mistakes, Cristina never really forgot or forgave.
She never turned down an opportunity to belittle Alex, even in front of their friends. Additionally, the nicknames she gave him, like ‘Evil Spawn’, stuck with Alex, long after he had changed and had become a good man and a great friend.
Commented On Alex’s Family
Alex’s family history is very tragic. Although no one died (initially), Alex had to assume a role of responsibility from a very young age, looking after his younger siblings and his mom who was living with schizophrenia.
Cristina knew most of this and what other things Alex had experienced in his childhood, yet when she met his brother, Aaron, she still made Alex feel uncomfortable by calling the latter ‘Angel Spawn’ (implying that Aaron was better than Alex).
Covered For Burke When He Couldn’t Operate
In the early seasons, Cristina’s relationship with Preston Burke provided a lot of the drama that Grey’s is used to supplying. The most shocking occurred towards the end of season 2 when Burke got shot, absolutely devastating Cristina.
Thankfully, he survived but developed a tremor in his hand. Cristina then covered for him in surgeries, resulting in her performing incredibly advanced procedures, which infuriated the interns, including Alex. Not only had she jeopardized his education but she was also putting other people’s lives at risk too (and almost George’s father). It just undermined everything they represented.
Her Intern Killed Alex’s Father
In season 9, a whole new group of interns was introduced to the show. Some interns became incredibly popular, like Jo and Stephanie Edwards. However, others became more and more annoying as the show went on, such as Shane Ross.
Ross went on a massive downward spiral after Heather Brooks died and became completely arrogant and unprofessional. Cristina saw this and actively encouraged his behavior. This resulted in Ross becoming convinced he could save Alex’s dad, who unfortunately died due to complications from the botched surgery. It was something that Alex struggled to forgive Cristina over.
Cristina Almost Killed Alex
During season 8, Teddy Altman noticed Cristina was becoming overconfident in her own abilities. This all came to a head during the ‘Gunther’ surgery, where all the residents teamed up for one patient. After taking the lead. Cristina made a huge mistake and accidentally injected Alex with epi.
Alex then fell to the floor, his heart no longer beating. Thankfully, Cristina was able to resuscitate him but the fact remained that she had actually stopped Alex’s heart (albeit temporarily). This was probably Cristina’s dumbest mistake as a doctor.
Alex:
Got Cristina’s Best Friend Fired
In season 7, Meredith interfered with Derek Shepherd’s Alzheimer’s trial, compromising the results. Alex found out about this and in order to win Chief Resident, he alerted Owen Hunt to Meredith’s wrongdoing. Meredith was promptly fired from the hospital.
This incensed Mer’s best friend, Cristina, with good reason. The doctors have to work together, and gradually, they had all come to accept and like Alex. This betrayal hit Cristina (and the Grey’s Anatomy fans) hard because Alex had played a pivotal role in derailing her person’s career and everyone knew that Meredith didn’t do it maliciously.
He Was Extremely Sexist Towards Cristina And Their Colleagues
In the early seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, most of the original interns were flawed, but nice individuals. However, the one exception was Alex Karev. He was, to put it simply, a bully and a sexist pig. His attitude towards his female colleagues left a lot to be despised.
On his first day, he insulted Meredith by calling her a ‘nurse,’ despite knowing that she was also an intern. He then thought it would be funny to humiliate Izzie Stevens by plastering semi-naked photos of her all over the changing rooms. Although he didn’t mock Cristina as much as the others, it was still something that had irritated the future cardiothoracic surgeon since it meant he was undermining her friends.
Abandoned Cristina’s Best Friend
Alex didn’t directly abandon Cristina, but his sudden departure midway through season 16 hurt a lot of people that Cristina cared about, not to mention all the viewers. Alex leaving his wife and friends abruptly was just such an out-of-character thing for him to do.
He lied to everyone for months and ghosted his wife, Jo Wilson (which was a shame since fans considered the two to be one of the best couples on Grey’s). He eventually sent Jo, Meredith, Richard Webber, and Miranda Bailey letters explaining why he left but it was too little, too late. Cristina would surely have been rightfully peeved.
Didn’t Care When Cristina’s Best Friend Got Covid-19
Alex’s exit was already controversial and his lack of concern here made it all the more divisive. In Season 17, during the coronavirus pandemic, Meredith fell ill with the virus. It quickly escalated and Meredith remained comatose for most of the season.
Everyone banded together to help her get better, including some faces from her past. Cristina also checked in regularly, texting Owen for Meredith’s stats. However, Alex was never shown to care. He didn’t text, didn’t call. It was as though he had never existed. Considering everything they had been through, with Alex even saying they were like his family, it wouldn’t have surprised fans if Cristina would have been upset about this as well.
