The Unforgettable Moments That Made Izzie Stevens a Compelling Character on Grey's Anatomy

Summary

Izzie Stevens broke eight severe rules during her time on Grey's Anatomy, but she wasn't fired as a result because the show has its own set of rules.

Despite a few reprimands, Izzie's track record should have warranted her termination much earlier due to her actions, including the unauthorized autopsy and engaging in a romantic relationship with a patient, which should have had severe repercussions in the real world.

Grey's Anatomy often resembles a soap opera more than a typical primetime network television show. This is evident from the numerous times the characters at Seattle Grace Hospital should have been terminated. Izzie Stevens, portrayed by Katherine Heigl, violated eight rules during her tenure on the ABC medical drama series, which should have led to her dismissal. However, Grey's Anatomy exists in its own fictional universe with its own set of rules, so the consequences for breaking regulations in the series differ from those in the real world.

Throughout the show's 19 seasons, characters have faced consequences, including termination. Without these repercussions, the show would lack genuine conflict and would likely not have endured for as long as it has. Even Izzie faced reprimands a few times during her six seasons on Grey's Anatomy. Nevertheless, considering her track record, she should not have retained her job for as long as she did.

8 Conducted An Illegal Autopsy With Cristina In Grey's Anatomy Season 1

In Grey's Anatomy season 1, episode 9, Izzie's first misconduct occurred when she and Sandra Oh's character, Cristina Yang, performed an unauthorized autopsy. In the season 1 finale, they treated a patient named Jordan Franklin, diagnosing him with ascites. Despite their lack of experience, Izzie and Cristina proceeded with a paracentesis to drain fluid from Jordan's abdomen. Tragically, Jordan passed away during the surgery.

Despite the family's objection to an autopsy and refusal to give their consent, Izzie and Cristina felt compelled to determine if they had made any errors during the procedure. Hence, they disregarded the law and conducted their own illegal autopsy on Jordan. The examination revealed that Jordan had an enlarged heart due to hemochromatosis, which was the cause of his death. Although Miranda Bailey caught Izzie and Cristina in the midst of the unauthorized autopsy, neither intern faced any repercussions or were terminated on the show Grey's Anatomy.

7 Fell In Love With A Patient

Izzie's most controversial Grey's Anatomy storyline came in season 2 when she encountered Denny Duquette, a patient diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy at Seattle Grace Hospital. Denny was admitted to the hospital in hopes of receiving a heart transplant (which unfortunately did not happen), and he and Izzie swiftly developed a deep connection. Given that Izzie was still a surgical intern at that time, it would be expected that she would face severe repercussions for violating professional boundaries, particularly after the incident involving an unauthorized autopsy in season 1. However, surprisingly, Izzie faced no disciplinary action for engaging in a romantic relationship with her patient.

6 Cut Denny's LVAD Wire In Season 2

Falling for Denny and engaging in a romantic relationship with him during her time as his doctor proved to be just the beginning. However, what truly pushed Izzie's dedication to another level on Grey's Anatomy was the lengths she went to in order to save him and prioritize his well-being above all other patients. Denny found himself in the grasp of heart failure and desperately required a transplant. To bridge the waiting period until a suitable donor heart became available, Preston Burke introduced an LVAD – a mechanical device capable of substituting the malfunctioning heart's function.

Denny's complications persisted, prompting Izzie to deceive the medical staff by exaggerating his condition. But her word alone was insufficient to convince the doctors, so she resorted to cutting his LVAD wire, inadvertently worsening his heart condition. Despite this setback, Izzie manually sustained his failing heart until the transplant could take place, initially proving successful. Tragically, later that night, Denny suffered a stroke and passed away. Although Izzie's actions of cutting the LVAD wire to prioritize him for a heart transplant should have resulted in the revocation of her medical license in Grey's Anatomy, such consequences never materialized.

5 Had Sex At The Hospital

While it may seem unfair to single out Izzie for the inevitable love affairs that unfolded in Grey's Anatomy's on-call room, this article focuses on her actions. Throughout the series, Izzie was romantically involved with both George O'Malley and Alex Karev, engaging in intimate encounters while on duty. In the real world, indulging in such activities at one's workplace would undoubtedly result in termination. However, one could speculate that the hospital's environment in the ABC medical drama series somehow promoted such behavior.

4 Stole Patients From The ER

Following the demise of Denny in Grey's Anatomy, Izzie became the sole recipient of his will and inherited a substantial sum of $8.7 million. Utilizing this windfall, she subsequently established the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic during the show's third season. However, despite its noble intentions, the free clinic struggled to attract a sufficient number of patients to sustain its operations. Therefore, Izzie, in collaboration with Karev, resorted to diverting patients from the emergency room to the clinic, albeit in an illicit manner. Driven by her unwavering determination for the success of the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic, she resorted to extreme and potentially career-ending measures to ensure its viability.

3 Treated A Deer In Season 4

In Grey's Anatomy season 4, Izzie's ego got the better of her when she disregarded her responsibilities as a resident and instead focused on treating a deer alongside her new interns. This decision set a poor example for her students and failed to align with the purpose of their job, which was to care for human patients. The premiere episode of season 4 showcased Izzie instructing her interns to tend to a deer that had been hit by a car, a storyline that lacked coherence. If Izzie's superiors had discovered her misplaced priorities, she would have likely faced termination, especially considering her history of errors.

2 Dated George When She Was His Superior

George did not pass the intern exams in Grey's Anatomy, resulting in him remaining an intern while Izzie, Karev, Cristina, and Meredith Grey progressed to become residents in season 4. As a result, when George and Izzie began dating, she held a higher position than him at Seattle Grace Hospital. Although romances between characters and their superiors were not unheard of in the ABC television series, if it had occurred in the real world, Izzie might have faced termination. Fortunately, Izzie and George's relationship was brief and ended quickly.

1 Forced Her Interns To Run Tests On Her In Grey's Anatomy Season 5

Izzie's final misconduct (prior to the incident that ultimately led to her termination) occurred during Grey's Anatomy season 5, episode 14, when she directed her interns to conduct costly examinations on herself and deceitfully convinced them it was an educational endeavor. Deep down, she had an intuition that something was medically amiss, and her suspicion proved correct. Izzie was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic melanoma. Nevertheless, it was inappropriate for her to exploit her position as a resident in order to gain knowledge about the disease in Grey's Anatomy.