Storylines
Before his regular appearances on the show, Owen Hunt was a United States Army surgeon, specializing in trauma surgery. The character makes a dramatic first appearance when he performs a tracheotomy on a man with a pen, winning the admiration of resident Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh). He is offered a job by former chief of surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.), but declines, explaining that he has not completed his tour in Iraq. He later becomes the new head of trauma surgery, at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, and manages to irk both Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), head of neurosurgery and plastic surgery, respectively, who view his treatment of some of the patients as crude. He is also rebuffed by resident Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) 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 eventually embarks on a relationship with Yang, but it comes to a sudden close when his PTSD gets the best of him, and he unconsciously strangles her. Soon after the breakup, he begins therapy with the hospital psychiatrist, Dr. Wyatt. Some time later, a soldier visits the hospital for treatment, and his presence influences Owen to contemplate returning to the US Army. When he shares this with Cristina, she disagrees with his decision, stating that she doesn't want him to die, and the two eventually rekindle their relationship. Owen brings in Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), his best friend and colleague from when he was in the army, as the new head of cardiothoracic surgery. When it is revealed that Hunt and Altman may be potential lovers, Hunt and Yang's relationship is challenged, and eventually concluded by Yang.
During a hospital shooting, Owen is shot and injured, attracting the sympathy of Cristina, who subsequently restores their relationship. Due to the emotional reverberations of the shooting crisis, Owen and Cristina decide to wed one another shortly after their reconciliation, not wanting to risk separation. When Cristina discovers she is pregnant, Owen is displeased with her desire to abort the baby, and the two separate from each other. In the fallout of resident Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)'s tampering with Derek Shepherd's Alzheimer's trial, Owen is promoted to Chief of Surgery after Webber steps down. After substantial thought, Owen reluctantly decides to join Cristina at her abortion, uniting the two. Owen's friendship with Teddy is risked, and eventually terminated, when Owen lies to Teddy about her husband's sudden death, due to Owen wanting her to finish a surgery she was currently partaking in. Teddy blames Owen for the death of her husband, and their friendship undergoes cessation. Feeling abandoned and disconcerted after an altercation with Cristina, Owen has a one-night-stand with a patient's friend. Cristina consequently finds out, terminates their relationship, and their marriage is tested. After Cristina passed her medical boards, she reconciles with Owen, but reveals to him that she is leaving Seattle to go to Mayo Clinic. Teddy and Owen eventually became friends again. After learning that she has been offered a job at Med Com, Owen fires her assuring her that he will be okay. He also fires April Kepner (Sarah Drew) because the hospital cannot afford to keep her due to her not being a Board certified. Months later, Hunt visits Kepner and rehires her as he realized he made a mistake. In season 9 Cristina and Owen's marriage is again very strained. Cristina is working at Mayo Clinic and Owen in Seattle but she returns. Owen asks for a divorce. He later shows that he is still in love with her and only asked for a divorce so Cristina and the others involved in the plane crash get the money. Cristina and Owen reconcile in episode 9 before Bailey's wedding.
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