Reception
Fans were "widely against" O'Malley's affair with Meredith in the second season, however certain fans who supported their relationship were critical when Torres was introduced as a love interest for him. Fans and critics were also against O'Malley's relationship with Stevens in the fourth season; Maclean's said: "George must die. He's slept with virtually everyone except the male cast and has been in love with virtually everyone except the male cast. And he's not that great of a doctor. Evolve or die." Christopher Monfette of IGN said O'Malley and Stevens were a "mismatch", adding: "Unfortunately, while it's refreshing to see a plotline driven by activity versus apathy, the idea of these two ever-affable, best-friend characters suddenly discovering their potential, out-of-nowhere love for each other quickly feels both force-fed and emotionally-incorrect." Similarly, DVD Verdict stated that George and Izzie were "one of the strongest 'best friend' vibes on television" for the first three seasons, explaining "they were perfect as friends George and Callie made a good couple." UGO.com put the two on their list of "Character Couples Who Should Have Never Happened".
Jennifer Armstrong of Entertainment Weekly said that when O'Malley told Torres about his affair with Stevens, the scene was too "melodramatic". Laura Burrows, also of IGN, said that the fourth season premiere "introduced a new side of George". Armstrong said of O'Malley and Stevens' reconciliation: "George and Izzie are finally on the old Grey's Anatomy road to ruin. And I admit this is a good lesson in Grey's viewing as well as life: Sit tight if you hate something, as nothing is permanent." Armstrong also commented that the "sparkling" friendship development between Lexie and O'Malley "won her over". The following year, Monfette observed of O'Malley's lack of screen time: "His growing interest in trauma surgery at the side of Owen leads to an interesting development in the finale, but the character is virtually side-lined this season." Carina MacKenzie of the Los Angeles Times said of the character's death: "The time-lapse episode was an interesting choice, and though we sped through six weeks of mourning in two hours, it didn't feel rushed to me. I'm not sure the show could have held my attention for another season of crippling sadness."
The Huffington Post's Michael Pascua commented that O'Malley's funeral did not live up to his expectations, writing that it "wasn't as sad as thought it would be". In 2006, Knight and the other cast of Grey's Anatomy were nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, at the 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Also in 2006, the cast won the award for Best Cast – Television Series at the 11th Satellite Awards. The cast won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 13th Screen Actors Guild Awards, and were nominated again the following year. Knight's performance in season three earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Read more about this topic: George O'Malley
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