Brianna Estanislau

Mr. Phillips

Cultural Media Literacy Honors

16 May 2018

Cristina Yang: A Revolutionary Character

Historically women on television have been portrayed as docile, apologetic, and personal

life-oriented rather than work-oriented. Our current society is now pushing toward a more

progressive, realistic representation in storytelling and every so often a groundbreaking character

comes along. Cristina Yang, from the medical drama ​Grey’s Anatomy​, is one of the most

well-written, nuanced characters on primetime television. She exemplifies what it means to be

resilient, head-strong, and passionate.

Still airing today, ​Grey’s Anatomy​ first premiered on March 7, 2005. Cristina was a main

character on the show for ten whole seasons until she unfortunately departed in 2014. Her

character played an integral role in the series, being best friends with the titular character

Meredith Grey and having various relationships (romantic and platonic) on her own. Though her

relationships were interesting, what stood out the most about her was a passion for medicine.

Cardiothoracic surgery is her impetus for most of the decisions made throughout her time on

Grey’s (“Cristina Yang”). It is central not only to her character’s career but her personal

development and evolution as well.

Like the other main characters, Cristina entered the show as a surgical intern. They had

little to no authority and were often restricted from exciting opportunities that would help them

grow as a surgeon. One had to display determination and sense of purpose in order to go far in
their position, which Cristina did. She was often regarded as the most ambitious of her intern

class by the superior residents and attendings. She went after surgeries that were difficult or risky

in essence, unafraid to challenge herself or the people around her. Competitions were a natural

occurrence in Seattle Grace Hospital as a way to encourage the interns to push themselves and

get rewarded in return. To the others Cristina was a real threat and would often clash with them

because of it.

Her early years as an intern also consisted of a romantic relationship with cardiothoracic

attending, Dr. Preston Burke. Cristina was at the lowest level of authority while Burke was in

charge of his department. This obviously created a conflict of interest but in time it was strangely

accepted, as multiple relationships at Seattle Grace were of the same nature. Both Cristina and

Preston were brilliant and passionate about their field, which was basically the only similarity

between them. Burke was more organized and outwardly caring while Cristina maintained a stoic

persona and was very messy. Their relationship was tumultuous mostly due to the clash of

personalities and power imbalance that plagued both their work and personal lives. When

experiencing a fight at home, Burke had the tendency to punish her at the hospital by denying her

the right to scrub in on surgeries. The true basis of their relationship is put into question as well,

with him being uncertain about whether she loves him as Burke, her boyfriend, or ‘Dr. Preston

Burke’, the prestigious cardiothoracic surgeon. Their faiths also differed greatly - Cristina was

raised Jewish but now considers herself an atheist and Burke is Christian, but identifies more on

the spiritual side than religious. Their storyline ended in the season three finale when Burke left

Cristina at the altar out of caring for her well-being. Cristina did not want to get married or have

a traditional relationship in general but she was willing to walk down the aisle for him (Wilks).
After the cancelled wedding she is standing in the empty apartment, asking Meredith to cut her

out of the wedding dress. In one of the most iconic moments on the show, she lets out an

exasperated sigh and says, “He’s gone. I’m free.” (“Didn’t We Almost Have It All?”) This is an

incredibly important part of her arc that will come into play later on, impacting the decisions she

makes in the future for herself and the people around her.

During the next few seasons Cristina is without a love interest, mostly navigating through

her career as a resident. It is even more competitive now as residents are expected to do a greater

amount of solo surgeries. Her friendships with the original intern class is tested as their life at the

hospital intersects with personal life. In the season five premiere, Cristina meets army trauma

surgeon Owen Hunt. From the beginning they already experience issues with Owen’s PTSD

from the war. In season five episode nineteen he chokes her in her sleep during a nightmare and

leaves them both shaken. At first, Cristina is reluctant to leave him and forgives him

immediately. Meredith urges her to break up with him but Cristina responds by saying, “So if he

had a heart attack, or a stroke, or lost a leg, would you walk away? So how is it any more

acceptable that I walk away from this? He’s wounded; he has war wounds, Meredith.” (“Elevator

Love Letter”) While seemingly simple, this quote is an indicator of her growing sense of

compassion. Only at the beginning of their relationship, Cristina demonstrates understanding

toward Owen in a situation that would have caused most people to leave (Hoffman).

Though Owen’s PTSD was a struggle, it was the first of multiple that would occur

throughout the couple’s history. Teddy Altman, an old friend of Owen, arrived at the hospital

and caused tension between the three. Back in Iraq Teddy and Owen had feelings for one another

but neither decided to act on it. Though Teddy began to mentor Cristina and help her learn, she
still could not ignore her feelings for Owen. Due to the complicated situation, Teddy wanted to

leave again but not before a desperate plea from Cristina. In season six episode eleven, Teddy’s

startling confession of wanting Owen is met with “Fine, done! Take him!” (“Unaccompanied

Minor”) This honest response shows where Cristina’s priorities lie and what she is willing to

give up for what she loves most - surgery. Soon after this scene Cristina tells Meredith that she

does love Owen but that means she would not have Teddy, the mentor she has needed for years.

A season later the couple came to acknowledge the fact that Owen wanted children and Cristina

did not. While this topic should have been discussed before their marriage, it simply did not

come up and this ultimately led to their downfall. Cristina revealed she was pregnant at the end

of the season. Owen first urged her to consider the idea of keeping the baby rather than abortion

but her mind was already made up. In season seven episode twenty-two she outright states, “I

don’t want one. I don’t hate children, I respect children. I think they should have parents who

want them.” Her position on the subject does not change at anytime in her ten seasons. Cristina

was certain that she did not want to have a baby and did not compromise that view to satisfy

anyone else’s desires. What happens often in these situations on television is women either

change their minds and grow to love the idea of having children or the situation goes away on its

own, via miscarriage. It was rare to see a character decide to have an abortion and feel confident

in her choice (Hoffman).

Cristina’s trust in her instincts and decisions are one of the main reasons why she is such

a beloved character. Her unwillingness to alter herself to make other people more comfortable

can be a disadvantage in social situations but ultimately allows her to remain authentic and

down-to-earth. She constantly exhibited strength but was not free of flaws or insecurity. By the
time she left in season ten, Cristina experienced much more tragedy than anyone should ever

have to endure, including a hospital shooting, plane crash, and watching many of the people

closest to her leave. She started out as a guarded, cold intern but developed into a brilliant

surgeon capable of expressing compassion toward her patients and loved ones. Her character

developed naturally and beautifully, adding new layers of depth with each event she came across

at Seattle Grace. She was always incredibly focused and driven, pursuing the next best

opportunity that would get her where she needed to be career-wise. Her powerful portrayal has

allowed her to earn her place in ​Grey’s Anatomy​ but also among the greatest television

characters in general.
 Works Cited

“Cristina Yang.” ​Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki​, greysanatomy.wikia.com/wiki/Cristina_Yang.

“Didn’t We Almost Have It All?” Grey’s Anatomy, season 3, episode 25, ABC, 17 May 2007.

“Elevator Love Letter” Grey’s Anatomy, season 5, episode 19, ABC, 26 March 2009.

Hoffman, Lauren. “Why Cristina Yang Leaving ‘Grey's Anatomy’ Is So

Devastating.”​Cosmopolitan​, Cosmopolitan, 8 Oct. 2017,

www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/news/a6823/goodbye-cristina-yang/​.

“Unaccompanied Minor” Grey’s Anatomy, season 7, episode 22, ABC, 19 May 2011.

Wilks, Lauren, "Is Grey’s Anatomy on the Wave? A Feminist Textual Analysis of Meredith

Grey and Cristina Yang" (2012). Undergraduate Student Research Awards. 7.

http://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/infolit_usra/7