Owen Hunt
Encyclopedia
Owen Hunt is a fictional character
on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy
, portrayed by Kevin McKidd
. He was introduced in season five
as a US Army trauma surgeon who served in war-torn Iraq
, and consequently joins Seattle Grace to teach medicine as a surgical attending
, sometimes with unorthodox methods. He is married to Cristina Yang
. He is the current Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital, replacing Richard Webber.
. The character makes a dramatic first appearance when he performs a tracheotomy
on a man with a pen, winning the admiration of Dr. Yang
. Having suffered a wound himself, his extreme nature is further emphasized when he staples his own injury without any anesthesia
. He later shares a passionate kiss with Yang.
The character of Hunt becomes a source of turbulence and controversy. He becomes the new Chief of Trauma surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital, and manages to irk both Dr. Shepherd
and Dr. Sloan
who view his treatment of some of the patients as crude. He is also rebuffed by Dr. Stevens
when he stabs a set of pigs and then orders the residents
and interns to save their lives, in order to teach them medicine on "live tissue."
Hunt reveals details of his painful past to Dr. Yang, telling her about the death of his entire unit during his last tour in Iraq. These events seem to impact a lot of Hunt's behavior, such as his disgust for residents arguing over surgeries and talking about patients with little human decency and respect. He later kisses Yang again, somewhat desperately, after telling her that he doesn't need her.
They eventually begin a relationship, which is complicated by his Posttraumatic stress disorder and briefly by the presence of his ex-fiancee. Hunt injures Cristina twice in his sleep as a result of his PTSD, first at the hospital and later at her apartment. On the latter occasion, she wakes up when he is strangling her. She initially tries to reassure him and continue the relationship, but she is ultimately forced to break up with Hunt when she is unable to fall asleep in his arms.
Soon after the breakup he begins therapy with the hospital psychiatrist Dr. Wyatt. He learns from her that the ceiling fan in Cristina's bedroom is what caused him to strangle her (the ceiling fan was reminiscent of a helicopter
blade and triggered flashbacks of his service in Iraq). Dr. Wyatt also helps him to work out at a method for him to communicate with Cristina using three word sentences, after becoming annoyed with this Cristina confronts him and he tells her that the sentences are just a way for him to express his feelings for her without actually saying the words "I love you".
Some time later a soldier visits the hospital for treatment whose presence influences Owen to contemplate returning to the US Army. When he shares this with Cristina, she disagrees with his decision telling him he does not have her support. Soon after this she tells him that she doesn't want him to die, and so with her he finally visits his mother who he hasn't seen since he came back out of fear for her discovering her son to be a different man. This proves a significant step in his PTSD recovery after he soon tells Cristina that he slept for the first time without nightmares and that he can be a better man for her. They later end their breakup with a passionate kiss and pursue their relationship.
In season 6, because of the merger between Seattle Grace and Mercy West, Cristina has been losing surgery to the Mercy West doctors and asks Owen to offer her a few surgeries but Owen does not play favourites. When they were operating on a female teenager, Cristina did an unauthorized procedure and Owen gets upset but Cristina apologizes.
Owen brought in Teddy Altman, his best friend and colleague while he was in the army, for Cristina, so that she could have a cardiothoracics mentor. At first, Cristina disliked her new superior, but after seeing how naturally talented she was, she enjoyed studying under her. Teddy agreed to come to Seattle Grace so that she can have a relationship with Owen and finds out that he is already in a relationship with Cristina. Owen also actually had feelings for Teddy while he was in the army but tells her that he is currently in love with Cristina. Teddy threatens to leave, Cristina offers Owen to her so that she wouldn't. Owen finds out about Cristina giving him up to Teddy and tells her that "they matter". Then, they make up with a passionate kiss.
Later on in a surgery, Teddy paged Cristina for help but Owen asks Cristina to ignore her pager. Teddy scolds Cristina for not answering her pager. Owen tells her that he's trying to understand her, and Cristina explains to Owen about Burke. Owen ignores Teddy, and Teddy tells him that she misses her best friend, Owen feels the same way too. After that, Teddy tells Owen that she takes back what she said about having feelings for Owen in front of Cristina.
We learn a lot more about Owen's life and relationship with Teddy when he was in Iraq during war in the episode, "Suicide is Painless". His PTSD flares up again and subsequently he goes back to therapy.
He continues to have feelings for Teddy, despite his relationship with Cristina. Meredith notices his attention to Teddy and worries that he is not being honest about his feelings for his friend with Cristina. To solve his dilemma, Owen encouraged Derek Shepherd, while he was Chief of Surgery, to hire another head of cardio so that Teddy would be forced to leave Seattle - therefore removing herself from his daily life. Despite his attempt, Teddy remained at Seattle Grace-Mercy West. Thanks to Meredith, Cristina learned that Owen tried to have Teddy let go and subsequently realized that he had very deep feelings for her. This rattled their relationship, until Cristina asked Owen if he loved Teddy or if he loved her. When he was unable to answer, she told him that they were done.
During the season six finale shooting crisis, Owen goes back into the hospital to find Cristina. After seeing her held at gunpoint by Gary Clark in the OR, he enters the room in an effort to defuse the situation. After telling Clark that Cristina is the woman he loves and that if Clark touches her he will kill him, Owen is shot through the shoulder attempting to make a move on Clark. Meredith and April take him to the OR across the hall for treatment, where Meredith miscarries during the procedure. Owen is later seen sitting up and conscious in Cristina's OR as she completes her lifesaving surgery on Derek Shepherd.
Owen and Cristina were married in the season 7 premiere. He also wins a grant given by the hospital and uses it for trauma training.
Owen and Cristina seem content in their marriage, but a problem surfaces. Cristina learns that, despite her avowal to never have children, Owen wants a family someday. This sparks an argument, as she believes she was upfront about her decision not to have children. Owen first tries to convince her that it is likely she will change her mind once some years have passed and she is finished with her residency. When Cristina questions the likelihood of her ever "coming around", as Owen puts it, Owen becomes agitated and states that since they are married, Cristina has to at least pretend to care about what he thinks and wants.
At the end of season 7, Cristina finds out that she is 6 weeks pregnant and is set on not having a child. Owen tries to convince her that it will all be okay and that he will take care of the baby. Cristina finally confronts Owen by asking him how much he loves her and telling him that she made an appointment to terminate the pregnancy. Owen is upset that he didn't get a say in the decision and tells her that she denied him a marriage and to get out.
, the show's creator, says that Hunt is "an old-fashioned tortured hero" and likens him to Heathcliff
. Mark Wilding
, one of the show's writers, says that Hunt is a character who is "fighting his own set of demons" and that it is understandable that he may lack some compassion (in regards to injuring, then operating on pigs in the season five
episode Life During Wartime) as after seeing "19 of your friends die in one day, it tends to make other things in your life not seem quite as important or dramatic." In reference to the tragic demise of Hunt's entire unit, another of the show's writers, Bill Harper
, comments that; "If anyone ever wanted to detach, if anyone wanted to flee from being human, it’s Owen." Another of the show's writers, Joan Rater
, describes Hunt as "Complicated. And tortured." Additionally, Kevin McKidd
describes Hunt as "very instinctive, and follows his gut, and he's very impulsive, and very immediate. He immediately assesses a situation. And he's very honest, sometimes painfully honest, with himself and with others. He wants to make himself better. He wants to improve himself as a person. He's a decent guy, a sort of a guy I'd like to go out and have a beer with."
are "soulmate
s."
states that McKidd was brought in as Hunt to "boost the sagging fortunes" of the show's ratings. Kelley L. Carter of USA Today
, describes Hunt as "hardcore" and "the antithesis
of the other males on the show."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
, portrayed by Kevin McKidd
Kevin McKidd
Kevin McKidd is a Scottish television and film actor and director. Before playing the role of Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy, McKidd starred as Lucius Vorenus in the historical drama series Rome, and provided the voice of Captain John "Soap" Mactavish in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the sequel...
. He was introduced in season five
Grey's Anatomy (season 5)
Season five of Grey's Anatomy, an American medical drama television series developed by Shonda Rhimes, began airing on September 25, 2008 on ABC. The season concluded on May 14, 2009 after 24 episodes had aired.- Cast :- Main cast :...
as a US Army trauma surgeon who served in war-torn Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and consequently joins Seattle Grace to teach medicine as a surgical attending
Attending physician
In the United States, an attending physician is a physician who has completed residency and practices medicine in a clinic or hospital, in the specialty learned during residency. An attending physician can supervise fellows, residents, and medical students...
, sometimes with unorthodox methods. He is married to Cristina Yang
Cristina Yang
Cristina Yang is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actress Sandra Oh, who won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award in 2006 for the role...
. He is the current Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital, replacing Richard Webber.
Storylines
Owen Hunt was a US Army surgeon, specializing in trauma surgeryTrauma surgery
Trauma surgery is a surgical specialty involved in the invasive treatment of physical injuries, typically in an emergency setting. Trauma surgeons generally complete residency training in general surgery and often fellowship training in trauma or surgical critical care...
. The character makes a dramatic first appearance when he performs a tracheotomy
Tracheotomy
Among the oldest described surgical procedures, tracheotomy consists of making an incision on the anterior aspect of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea...
on a man with a pen, winning the admiration of Dr. Yang
Cristina Yang
Cristina Yang is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actress Sandra Oh, who won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award in 2006 for the role...
. Having suffered a wound himself, his extreme nature is further emphasized when he staples his own injury without any anesthesia
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away...
. He later shares a passionate kiss with Yang.
The character of Hunt becomes a source of turbulence and controversy. He becomes the new Chief of Trauma surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital, and manages to irk both Dr. Shepherd
Derek Shepherd
Derek Christopher Shepherd, also referred to as McDreamy, is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey, who was nominated in 2006 and 2007 Golden Globe for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series Drama for...
and Dr. Sloan
Mark Sloan (Grey's Anatomy)
Mark Sloan is a fictional surgeon from the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by Eric Dane.-Storylines:Mark first appears in season two, introduced as a highly-respected otolaryngologist sub-specialized in plastic surgery and the former best friend of neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd...
who view his treatment of some of the patients as crude. He is also rebuffed by Dr. Stevens
Izzie Stevens
Isobel 'Izzie' Katherine Stevens 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 was portrayed by actress Katherine Heigl from 2005 to 2010...
when he stabs a set of pigs and then orders the residents
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
and interns to save their lives, in order to teach them medicine on "live tissue."
Hunt reveals details of his painful past to Dr. Yang, telling her about the death of his entire unit during his last tour in Iraq. These events seem to impact a lot of Hunt's behavior, such as his disgust for residents arguing over surgeries and talking about patients with little human decency and respect. He later kisses Yang again, somewhat desperately, after telling her that he doesn't need her.
They eventually begin a relationship, which is complicated by his Posttraumatic stress disorder and briefly by the presence of his ex-fiancee. Hunt injures Cristina twice in his sleep as a result of his PTSD, first at the hospital and later at her apartment. On the latter occasion, she wakes up when he is strangling her. She initially tries to reassure him and continue the relationship, but she is ultimately forced to break up with Hunt when she is unable to fall asleep in his arms.
Soon after the breakup he begins therapy with the hospital psychiatrist Dr. Wyatt. He learns from her that the ceiling fan in Cristina's bedroom is what caused him to strangle her (the ceiling fan was reminiscent of a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
blade and triggered flashbacks of his service in Iraq). Dr. Wyatt also helps him to work out at a method for him to communicate with Cristina using three word sentences, after becoming annoyed with this Cristina confronts him and he tells her that the sentences are just a way for him to express his feelings for her without actually saying the words "I love you".
Some time later a soldier visits the hospital for treatment whose presence influences Owen to contemplate returning to the US Army. When he shares this with Cristina, she disagrees with his decision telling him he does not have her support. Soon after this she tells him that she doesn't want him to die, and so with her he finally visits his mother who he hasn't seen since he came back out of fear for her discovering her son to be a different man. This proves a significant step in his PTSD recovery after he soon tells Cristina that he slept for the first time without nightmares and that he can be a better man for her. They later end their breakup with a passionate kiss and pursue their relationship.
In season 6, because of the merger between Seattle Grace and Mercy West, Cristina has been losing surgery to the Mercy West doctors and asks Owen to offer her a few surgeries but Owen does not play favourites. When they were operating on a female teenager, Cristina did an unauthorized procedure and Owen gets upset but Cristina apologizes.
Owen brought in Teddy Altman, his best friend and colleague while he was in the army, for Cristina, so that she could have a cardiothoracics mentor. At first, Cristina disliked her new superior, but after seeing how naturally talented she was, she enjoyed studying under her. Teddy agreed to come to Seattle Grace so that she can have a relationship with Owen and finds out that he is already in a relationship with Cristina. Owen also actually had feelings for Teddy while he was in the army but tells her that he is currently in love with Cristina. Teddy threatens to leave, Cristina offers Owen to her so that she wouldn't. Owen finds out about Cristina giving him up to Teddy and tells her that "they matter". Then, they make up with a passionate kiss.
Later on in a surgery, Teddy paged Cristina for help but Owen asks Cristina to ignore her pager. Teddy scolds Cristina for not answering her pager. Owen tells her that he's trying to understand her, and Cristina explains to Owen about Burke. Owen ignores Teddy, and Teddy tells him that she misses her best friend, Owen feels the same way too. After that, Teddy tells Owen that she takes back what she said about having feelings for Owen in front of Cristina.
We learn a lot more about Owen's life and relationship with Teddy when he was in Iraq during war in the episode, "Suicide is Painless". His PTSD flares up again and subsequently he goes back to therapy.
He continues to have feelings for Teddy, despite his relationship with Cristina. Meredith notices his attention to Teddy and worries that he is not being honest about his feelings for his friend with Cristina. To solve his dilemma, Owen encouraged Derek Shepherd, while he was Chief of Surgery, to hire another head of cardio so that Teddy would be forced to leave Seattle - therefore removing herself from his daily life. Despite his attempt, Teddy remained at Seattle Grace-Mercy West. Thanks to Meredith, Cristina learned that Owen tried to have Teddy let go and subsequently realized that he had very deep feelings for her. This rattled their relationship, until Cristina asked Owen if he loved Teddy or if he loved her. When he was unable to answer, she told him that they were done.
During the season six finale shooting crisis, Owen goes back into the hospital to find Cristina. After seeing her held at gunpoint by Gary Clark in the OR, he enters the room in an effort to defuse the situation. After telling Clark that Cristina is the woman he loves and that if Clark touches her he will kill him, Owen is shot through the shoulder attempting to make a move on Clark. Meredith and April take him to the OR across the hall for treatment, where Meredith miscarries during the procedure. Owen is later seen sitting up and conscious in Cristina's OR as she completes her lifesaving surgery on Derek Shepherd.
Owen and Cristina were married in the season 7 premiere. He also wins a grant given by the hospital and uses it for trauma training.
Owen and Cristina seem content in their marriage, but a problem surfaces. Cristina learns that, despite her avowal to never have children, Owen wants a family someday. This sparks an argument, as she believes she was upfront about her decision not to have children. Owen first tries to convince her that it is likely she will change her mind once some years have passed and she is finished with her residency. When Cristina questions the likelihood of her ever "coming around", as Owen puts it, Owen becomes agitated and states that since they are married, Cristina has to at least pretend to care about what he thinks and wants.
At the end of season 7, Cristina finds out that she is 6 weeks pregnant and is set on not having a child. Owen tries to convince her that it will all be okay and that he will take care of the baby. Cristina finally confronts Owen by asking him how much he loves her and telling him that she made an appointment to terminate the pregnancy. Owen is upset that he didn't get a say in the decision and tells her that she denied him a marriage and to get out.
Characterization
Shonda RhimesShonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes is an American screenwriter, director and producer. Rhimes is best known as the creator, head writer, and executive producer of acclaimed television series Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off Private Practice. In May 2007, Rhimes was named one of Time magazine's 100 Time 100 people who...
, the show's creator, says that Hunt is "an old-fashioned tortured hero" and likens him to Heathcliff
Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
Heathcliff is a fictional character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Owing to the novel's enduring fame and popularity, he is often regarded as an archetype of the tortured Romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both himself and those around him.Legend has stereotyped...
. Mark Wilding
Mark Wilding
Mark Wilding is a two-time Emmy nominated American television producer and screenwriter, most notably for the series Grey's Anatomy and Charmed....
, one of the show's writers, says that Hunt is a character who is "fighting his own set of demons" and that it is understandable that he may lack some compassion (in regards to injuring, then operating on pigs in the season five
Grey's Anatomy (season 5)
Season five of Grey's Anatomy, an American medical drama television series developed by Shonda Rhimes, began airing on September 25, 2008 on ABC. The season concluded on May 14, 2009 after 24 episodes had aired.- Cast :- Main cast :...
episode Life During Wartime) as after seeing "19 of your friends die in one day, it tends to make other things in your life not seem quite as important or dramatic." In reference to the tragic demise of Hunt's entire unit, another of the show's writers, Bill Harper
Bill Harper
William "Bill" Harper was a Scottish goalkeeper who played for, among others, Hibernian, Arsenal, Fall River Marksmen and Plymouth Argyle. He also represented Scotland in 11 full internationals.-Early years:...
, comments that; "If anyone ever wanted to detach, if anyone wanted to flee from being human, it’s Owen." Another of the show's writers, Joan Rater
Joan Rater
Joan Rater is an American television producer and screenwriter. Her most notable work has been for the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, for which she has served as writer, producer and supervising producer for over fifty separate episodes....
, describes Hunt as "Complicated. And tortured." Additionally, Kevin McKidd
Kevin McKidd
Kevin McKidd is a Scottish television and film actor and director. Before playing the role of Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy, McKidd starred as Lucius Vorenus in the historical drama series Rome, and provided the voice of Captain John "Soap" Mactavish in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the sequel...
describes Hunt as "very instinctive, and follows his gut, and he's very impulsive, and very immediate. He immediately assesses a situation. And he's very honest, sometimes painfully honest, with himself and with others. He wants to make himself better. He wants to improve himself as a person. He's a decent guy, a sort of a guy I'd like to go out and have a beer with."
Relationships
The character of Owen Hunt had an almost instant attraction to Cristina Yang since his first appearance in Seattle Grace, illustrated by the passionate kiss they share soon after they meet. Matt Roush of TVGuide says of this first meeting; "the instant sparks between him [Hunt] and Yang were electrifying." In a later episode, Hunt and Yang share another kiss. Stacy McKee, one the show's writers, describes this kiss as "a little desperate –- at least at first" and is underlain by Owen's desire not to "lose his ability to connect with other people." She also states that Hunt is "wounded. He does have war wounds," but that Yang knows "wounds can be healed." Kevin McKidd says that his character and the character of Cristina YangCristina Yang
Cristina Yang is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actress Sandra Oh, who won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award in 2006 for the role...
are "soulmate
Soulmate
A soulmate is believed by some to be the person with whom one has a feeling of deep or natural affinity, similarity, love, intimacy, sexuality, spirituality, or compatibility. A related concept is that of the twin flame or twin soul, which is thought to be the ultimate soulmate...
s."
Reception
Originally only signed onto the show until December 2008, Kevin McKidd was upgraded to regular status after appearing in five episodes. Shonda Rhimes said, "I am excited to have Kevin McKidd joining us for the season, he’s been a delight to collaborate with and brings incredible passion, talent and creativity to his work." Weeks after Hunt's first appearance on the show, Matt Roush of TVGuide comments that "Hunt/McKidd is the most encouraging thing to happen to Grey's Anatomy in quite a while." Robert Rorke of the New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
states that McKidd was brought in as Hunt to "boost the sagging fortunes" of the show's ratings. Kelley L. Carter of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, describes Hunt as "hardcore" and "the antithesis
Antithesis
Antithesis is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition...
of the other males on the show."
External links
- Grey's Anatomy at ABC.com