‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Broke This Controversial Rule Too Soon

Grey’s Anatomy is built on the relationships between its many characters. Right from the early seasons, many of the conflicts came from personal matters. However, towards the midway point of season 10, the show introduced a policy that completely juxtaposed this aspect of the show and seemed totally out of place. Following Leah Murphy’s (Tessa Ferrer) complaint to HR about her teaching being stagnated due to Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) and Callie’s (Sara Ramirez) troubled relationship, Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital introduced a no fraternization policy, stating that relationships between co-workers would be frowned upon, and relationships between superiors and subordinates would be strictly prohibited. However, married couples were exempt from the policy. Although intended to focus on an important dialogue regarding the potential for malpractice if doctors let their personal lives affect their work, in practice, the policy was mishandled and almost immediately broken. The policy felt like a plot device for conflict between certain couples at Grey-Sloan as opposed to offering meaningful conversation around workplace harassment.

Grey’s Anatomy

A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.

Release Date

March 27, 2005

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

20

Why Was the No Fraternization Policy Introduced in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’?

Introducing the new set of interns in Season 9 of Grey’s Anatomy presented opportunities for new relationships to develop at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital. In the following months, Stephanie (Jerrika Hinton) starts a relationship with Jackson (Jesse Williams), which abruptly ends when Jackson confesses his love to April (Sarah Drew) at her wedding. Jo (Camilla Luddington) begins dating Alex (Justin Chambers), Shane (Gaius Charles) has a brief casual relationship with Christina (Sandra Oh), and Leah (Tessa Ferrer) has a casual relationship with Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) following her short separation with Callie (Sara Ramirez). All the interns, bar Heather Brooks (Tina Majorino), who tragically dies in the storm at the end of Season 9, engage in a relationship with someone in a superior position to them. This meant that when a resident made an anonymous complaint about sexual harassment that had limited their ability to learn, it was supposed to indicate that any one of them could’ve made it. However, it is fairly obvious Leah made the complaint after a frosty interaction with Callie during surgery. Compared to the other relationships, Leah was mistreated, often used when Arizona was feeling low, and ignored whenever she tried to speak about her feelings. Leah’s interactions with Arizona never felt equal, and her dismissal by Callie when the truth came out was unprofessional. The intended shock that Leah was the one who submitted the complaint was unnecessary, but the reason she put forward the complaint was completely valid.

Following the complaint, the board’s discussion of the policy before its introduction in “Take It Back” acknowledges that the members of the board aren’t guilt-free, and most of them have engaged in personal relationships while at work. Jackson attempts to subtly agree to solve the dispute himself, implying he thinks Stephanie made the claim. However, it is Stephanie who is ignoring Jackson, so although her heartbreak is acknowledged, her education is never shown to be jeopardized. It further shows how ignored Leah is that she doesn’t even cross the board members’ minds. The complaint is important because, as an audience, we can see how Leah is pushed aside, but in the context of the hospital, her colleagues cannot see it at all. Complying with HR’s suggestion, the board voted for a zero-tolerance policy that forbids relationships between superiors and subordinates, which Owen (Kevin McKidd) announces at the beginning of “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.”

The Impact of the No Fraternization Policy on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

The policy immediately faces the expected backlash. The show spent time building the slow-burn romance between Jo Wilson and Alex Karev. Throughout Season 9, the two develop a connection despite expressing no desire for romance; Jo even begins dating another resident. Yet, the whole time you are rooting for them, Jo has a troubled past but seems to calm Alex and bring out the best in him. When they finally get together, it is deeply fulfilling. Throughout Season 10, they are not without small issues, but for the most part, they are one of the most unproblematic pairs on the show and seem enamored with each other. The no fraternization policy hits them the hardest as Jo is a resident and Alex is an attending. The two have to fake a breakup in front of the whole hospital. It is frustrating to watch such a healthy couple face an unnecessary and completely artificial obstacle. The policy also creates friction between Jo and the other residents as she doesn’t know who made the complaint.​​​​​​​ The friendship between the residents previously was refreshing, and they naturally seemed to get on with each other. In light of the complaint, they should be supportive of each other, but the nature of the policy creates issues between them. It means the policy is not used to discuss the root cause of the complaint but instead to create redundant conflict.

The policy also forces April and Jackson to tell people they married secretly after running off together during April’s wedding to Matthew (Justin Bruening), a paramedic at Grey-Sloan. The pair are already equals at work, so their relationship wouldn’t have resulted in any disciplinary actions, but the fact they are married means they are exempt from the policy. It does allow the show to progress the couple’s relationship and introduce the Avery legacy to it. Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen), Jackson’s mother, shows up and outlines the stakes of their marriage, including the responsibility that comes with being an Avery. This adds a dimension to their relationship that Grey’s Anatomy hasn’t explored before, creating a natural conflict between April and Jackson regarding beliefs and values. However, it didn’t need the policy to rush this storyline forward, and it is unbelievable that the two wouldn’t have continued seeing each other if they weren’t married. Obviously, it was written within the policy that married couples were exempt, but it just felt like one rule for some and another for others, frustrating as a viewer.

The No Fraternization Policy Was Resolved Too Quickly

Alex is suspended for continuing his relationship with Jo, but not before complaining to the board that the walls of Grey-Sloan are built on personal relationships, and he couldn’t be more accurate. Intimate relationships between doctors have been a mainstay since the show’s pilot when Meredith finds out the man she brought home from the bar is one of her attendings. Meredith and Derek’s relationship is one of the longest and most beloved in the show’s history, and the policy was hypocritical of that. To indicate relationships between subordinates and superiors are always detrimental and limit them on the show was an impossibility, which made the policy feel redundant. It is rewarding when Meredith agrees to help Alex find a solution with Jo and alleviates a bit of audience dissatisfaction with the policy. However, when the pair are made to sign a ‘love contract’ to legalize their relationship in the eyes of the hospital, it seems absolutely insane. Once they do sign it, all conflict over the policy dissipates. In Season 10’s penultimate episode, Leah is fired for her lack of surgical skills, and the policy leaves with her.

Retrospectively, the policy can only be seen as illogical. The conflict from it only lasted a few episodes and was quickly forgotten. Within the next few seasons, Callie is dating a resident, and Maggie begins a relationship with an intern. The repercussions of their actions are never structural or implemented by the board. Instead, the policy becomes dormant following Leah’s exit. It almost implies she was the issue, but her growth wasn’t stunted by harassment, but her skills were never there in the first place. It means Grey-Sloan was never given the opportunity to look inward at its structural issues. Leah’s complaint could’ve allowed for a much-needed discussion surrounding how personal relationships can affect the hospital and the danger of unhealthy power dynamics. Instead, the policy created fleeting conflict for a handful of characters and was quickly forgotten.

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