Grey’s Anatomy: Why Was George Called “007”?

On his first day as an intern, in Grey’s Anatomy premiere episode, “A Hard Day’s Night”, Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) chose George to assist him on a surgery. George performed the surgery perfectly until he accidentally pulled the purse strings and broke them, causing the patient to bleed, so Burke pushed him aside and finished the surgery. Because of this incident, George O’Malley earned the nickname “007”, as he had “license to kill”, but this nickname wasn’t exclusive to George. A few episodes later in season 1, Izzie convinced Cristina to perform an unauthorized autopsy so she wouldn’t be known as the new 007, and in the novel The Grey’s Anatomy Guide to Healing with Love, Sydney Heron was the 007 of her generation.

George failed his intern exam as he was distracted by other problems, and even though he eventually became a resident, he suddenly decided to join the U.S. Army in Iraq. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr) gave him his last day off so he could spend time with his family, but on his way home, George jumped in front of a bus to save a woman’s life. George was brought to the hospital, but he was severely disfigured, so much so that he was unrecognizable, and it was the infamous “007” nickname that allowed the staff to know who they were trying to save. George managed to trace “007” on Meredith’s hand, who quickly notified the rest that “John Doe” was George. Unfortunately, his brain swelled during surgery, and George was declared brain-dead. “007” is not a fun nickname to have in the world of Grey’s Anatomy, but it helped George a lot when he needed it the most.