My summer was certainly filled with a ton of adventure, and by adventure, I mean watching all 288 episodes of Grey's Anatomy in less than 3 months (which, if you were wondering, is approximately 12 straight days). Several people had begged me to start the show but I had always shrugged it off because I was aware of the immense amount of medical talk. What I didn't know is that I would have my heart ripped out of my chest each and every episode, but that's beside the point. The point is that throughout the 12 seasons, I became fascinated with Dr. Calliope Torres who specialized in orthopedic surgery.
Portrayed by Tony Winner Sara Ramirez, Callie was introduced to the series during season 2 as George's new love interest. To be blunt, I hated Callie (mostly because she was dating George and I wasn't). However, as the seasons went on, Callie began to make a huge impact on my life and I started realizing she is one of the most influential characters on television.
Throughout the show, Callie discovers she is bisexual. In a society where individuals claim that "bisexuality doesn't exist," Calliope continues to prove them wrong as she navigates through her love life dating both men and women. This particular aspect about Dr. Torres is interesting because she began her journey during season 4, which aired in 2007- a time when the LGBTQ+ community was not nearly as embraced as it is now. Callie also did not stop fighting until everyone that she loved accepted her for who she was, including cutting off all ties with family members that were unaccepting of her sexuality. Torres is certainly a positive and inspiring image for those who feel like they cannot espouse their sexuality publicly.
Torres not only showed beautiful compassion when it came to her love interests, she was also an incredible friend- even to people she wasn't particularly fond of. Time after time, Torres always had beautiful morals when it came to friendship. She took blame for things that were not her fault, she was always a shoulder to cry on, and always went the extra distance to protect a friend in need. Whether it was helping Mark come to terms with his feelings for Lexie or simply going to Meredith's for a wine night when their lives weren't smooth sailing, Calliope always portrayed the true meaning of friendship.
Besides being a remarkable human being, Torres was also a kick-ass surgeon. Watching Dr. Torres go from Resident to Attending to Chief of Orthopedic surgery was certainly a journey worth taking. Torres went to extraordinary circumstances to help amputees walk again, which linked orthopedic surgery and neuroscience to create something that could potentially revolutionize surgery. Remember that one time she sewed a man's leg to the middle of his body? Like, who does that? Freaking Callie Torres, that's who.
Though Sara Ramirez has stated that she will not be returning to the show for season 13, we can only hope that while Callie is in New York with her new girlfriend Penny, she is still making a huge impact on the surgical community. It is with heavy hearts that we send her on her way, but it is finally about time that Callie does something to make herself happy. To quote Callie, her ass "doesn't quit!" Let's hope she hasn't quit Grey-Sloan forever!
