Owen Hunt: Lawbreaker Or Unfortunate Circumstance?

Owen Hunt is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on ABC in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by Scottish actor Kevin McKidd. Owen is a US Army trauma surgeon who served in war-torn Iraq and subsequently joins Seattle Grace Hospital as a surgical attending, head of trauma surgery, and eventual chief of surgery.

Owen has been a controversial figure since his introduction, specifically for his representation of PTSD. Owen has continued to display complete recklessness in his personal life and in the operating rooms, including arguing with other surgeons over more invasive quick fix operations because that's what he did in Iraq. Owen has also been criticised for gaslighting women, traumatising interns and residents, and breaking the law.

Owen's most unhinged actions include:

- Providing the means for physician-assisted suicide to a dying veteran and giving his information to other veterans seeking the same.

- Stabbing live pigs and forcing residents to try and save their lives.

- Being responsible for the famous Grey's Anatomy plane crash that killed Mark and Lexie.

- Encouraging April to go to the Middle East as a US Army trauma surgeon, which ultimately led to her divorce from Jackson.

- Doing everything he did to Teddy, including impregnating her not even a full day after sleeping with Amelia.

Owen's illegal actions and their consequences

Owen Hunt, a US Army trauma surgeon, is introduced in Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy as a complex character with a troubled past. His actions throughout the series have been controversial and, at times, illegal. Here is an overview of Owen's illegal actions and their consequences:

Unethical Teaching Methods

Owen's introduction to Seattle Grace Hospital is marked by his unconventional and controversial teaching methods. He stabs six pigs and asks the residents to save their lives, using "live tissue" to simulate trauma cases. This act raises red flags and concerns about his aggressive and presumptuous nature.

Relationship with Cristina Yang

Owen's relationship with Cristina Yang, a surgical fellow, is tumultuous and marked by power dynamics and emotional manipulation. Owen, struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), strangles Cristina in his sleep. Despite this incident, they get married, but their marriage is strained due to differing opinions on having children. Owen's strong desire for children and a traditional wife clashes with Cristina's firm conviction against having kids. When Cristina gets pregnant, Owen is displeased with her decision to abort, and their relationship ends. Owen's actions and words, including announcing that Cristina "killed their baby," are emotionally manipulative and traumatizing for Cristina.

Relationship with Amelia Shepherd

Owen's subsequent relationship with Amelia Shepherd follows a similar pattern. He pressures Amelia to have children, even though she expresses her reluctance. Owen's behavior is controlling and emotionally manipulative, leading to their divorce.

Relationship with Teddy Altman

Owen's relationship with Teddy Altman, an Army colleague, is complicated and marked by dishonesty. Owen fails to express his feelings for Teddy and strings her along, ultimately choosing Cristina over her. Years later, Owen impregnates Teddy but keeps it a secret from his then-wife, Amelia. When Teddy returns to Seattle, pregnant with Owen's child, he tries to control her and exhibits possessive and obsessive behavior.

Mercy Killings

Owen provides a dying veteran with the means for physician-assisted suicide and promises to help other veterans seeking the same. This illegal action puts him in a precarious situation when a patient threatens to expose him. Owen and Teddy flee Seattle to avoid charges, and Owen's medical license is suspended. He is allowed to continue working at Grey Sloan under supervision due to the post-COVID physician shortage.

Plane Crash and its Aftermath

As Chief of Surgery, Owen makes the decision to skimp on a charter plane, which leads to a crash that kills Mark and Lexie and causes Arizona to lose her leg. This incident has far-reaching consequences, including the divorce of Arizona and Callie and the end of Jackson and April's marriage. The survivors of the plane crash sue the hospital, and Owen's actions contribute to the hospital's financial troubles and eventual bankruptcy.

Encouraging April Kepner's Army Service

Owen encourages April Kepner, a capable surgeon, to join him as a doctor overseas for the Army. This decision has severe repercussions, leading to a divide between April and her husband, Jackson Avery, and ultimately their divorce.

Owen's relationship with Teddy

Owen Hunt's relationship with Teddy Altman has been tumultuous, to say the least. Owen and Teddy first met when they were both Army trauma surgeons in Iraq. Owen never told Teddy how he felt, and he allowed his emotional attachment to her to interfere with his subsequent relationships.

Teddy was introduced to Seattle Grace Hospital as the new head of cardiothoracic surgery by Owen, who was dating Cristina Yang at the time. When it was revealed that Owen and Teddy may be potential lovers, Owen and Cristina's relationship was challenged, and eventually concluded by Cristina. Owen and Teddy's friendship ended when Owen lied to Teddy about her husband's sudden death, as he wanted her to finish a surgery she was performing, and Teddy blamed Owen for her husband's death.

Teddy and Owen's relationship was rekindled when Owen flew to Germany and professed his love for her. However, he ruined the moment by admitting that it was his then-wife, Amelia, who had told him to go to Germany. Teddy was insulted that she was his last choice, citing his inability to be alone, and she broke it off. Teddy returned to Seattle, pregnant with Owen's child, and the two eventually got back together. They got married and raised their daughter, Allison, together, along with Owen's adopted son, Leo.

However, their relationship continued to be strained due to Owen's possessiveness and controlling behaviour. Owen's decision to provide a veteran with the means to achieve physician-assisted suicide, and to give his information to other veterans seeking the same, led to Teddy and Owen fleeing Seattle to avoid charges. Owen's medical license was suspended, but he was allowed to continue working at Grey Sloan under supervision.

In Season 17, Owen and Teddy's relationship ended when Teddy cheated on him with Tom Koracick. However, they continued to co-parent their children and, in Season 18, they got married.

Owen's relationship with Cristina

Owen Hunt's relationship with Cristina Yang was tumultuous, to say the least. From the very beginning, Owen's PTSD and his desire for children clashed with Cristina's strong conviction that she never wanted children.

Owen Hunt, an army trauma surgeon, was introduced in Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy. He and Cristina had an instant spark, but he became cold towards her, and their relationship was strained by his unresolved PTSD. Owen was aware of his issues but believed that Cristina would be the one to fix him, instead of seeking therapy. Their relationship was also manipulative, with Owen trying to change Cristina's mind about having children.

Despite this, they got married after a hospital shooting in Season 6, impulsively. Not long after, Cristina had an unplanned pregnancy, and the couple had differing opinions about keeping the baby. Owen went with her to have an abortion but expressed his frustration about this decision to her at a party with all of their friends, saying, "You killed our baby!" Following this outburst, he had a one-night stand with a patient's friend as a way to channel his rage.

Needless to say, they got divorced, which led to Cristina, one of the best Grey's Anatomy characters, leaving the series. Owen's next partner was Amelia Shepherd, and his relationship with her followed a similar pattern, with Owen pressuring her to have children, which she did not want. Owen's relationships were also affected by his unresolved feelings for Teddy Altman, an army surgeon he served with, and his desire to have children.

Owen and Cristina's relationship was filled with manipulation, infidelity, and trauma bonding. Owen was controlling and emotionally and physically abusive. Their relationship followed a pattern of Owen trying to change Cristina's mind about having children, which led to an abortion and, ultimately, their divorce. Owen's next relationships followed a similar pattern, as he continued to try to control the women he was with and failed to learn from his mistakes.

Owen's relationship with Amelia

Owen Hunt's relationship with Amelia Shepherd begins when Owen, a recent widower, starts to grow closer to Amelia, who is grieving the death of her brother. They sleep together in an on-call room and soon enter a romantic relationship. However, problems arise when Amelia fears that mixing their personal and professional lives will end in disaster. After a risky procedure goes wrong, Amelia breaks up with Owen, believing that he only supported it because of his personal feelings for her. The two spend the following year apart, as Owen goes on another tour in Iraq following Derek's death. When he returns, he finds Amelia shut down and refusing to deal with her grief. Owen helps her open up and confront her emotions.

Their relationship grows stronger, and Amelia decides to propose to Owen, telling him that although marriage may be too soon, she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. They get married immediately after getting engaged in front of their friends and family. However, their marital bliss is short-lived as they realise they have differing opinions on starting a family. Amelia feels pressured by Owen to have children, which she is not ready for. Their marriage hits rock bottom, and Owen asks for a divorce. Just as he is about to do so, he discovers that Amelia has a brain tumour, which may have affected her judgement about their hasty marriage. Once the tumour is removed, they amicably decide to divorce, as they are unsure how much of their relationship was influenced by the tumour.

After their divorce, Owen and Amelia continue to sleep together. Following one such encounter, Amelia tells Owen to seek out Teddy, believing that he is still thinking about her. Owen goes to Germany and declares his love for Teddy, only to reveal later that it was Amelia who told him to come. Teddy is hurt and angry, feeling that Owen has once again led her on. When Teddy discovers she is pregnant with Owen's child, she returns to Seattle. She eventually tells Owen about the pregnancy, and he chooses to stay with Amelia. However, this causes tension with Amelia, who knows that Owen would have left her if Teddy had told him about the pregnancy earlier.

In Season 15, Owen and Amelia have a strong relationship, which is interrupted by the news of Teddy's pregnancy. Teddy does not tell Owen at first because she knows that he would leave Amelia to be a father. Teddy is also uninterested in being with Owen, as he made her his alternative choice. Owen is upset as he feels that he would not have reconciled with Amelia or fostered Leo if he had known about the pregnancy earlier. This causes additional tension with Amelia, and she permanently ends their relationship. Owen adopts Leo as his son and welcomes his newborn daughter, Allison, with Teddy.

Owen's mentorship of George and April

Owen Hunt's mentorship of George and April was problematic. Owen saw how skilled George was at trauma surgery and took him under his wing. He convinced George that he would be a great asset in the Army as a trauma surgeon. After turning in his resignation at the hospital, George spends his last day with his family. However, on his way home, he jumps in front of a bus to save a woman and dies from his injuries. If Owen hadn't persuaded George to join the Army, he would have lived a longer life.

Owen also encouraged April to assist as a doctor overseas for the Army. This decision created a divide between April and her husband, Jackson, and was ultimately the catalyst for their divorce. Owen's mentorship of George and April was, therefore, detrimental to their lives and relationships.

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