The Big Picture
- Callie’s discovery of her sexuality in
Grey’s Anatomy
leads her to a budding relationship with Arizona, despite initial doubts. - Callie and Arizona face challenges like an unexpected pregnancy and a plane crash that strain their relationship.
- Despite their struggles, Callie and Arizona are a fan-favorite couple that paved the way for future LGBTQ+ representation on not only
Grey’s Anatomy
, but television as a whole.
When it comes to the romances of Grey’s Anatomy, there’s no shortage of drama attached. Each couple that the show has seen has gone through dramas both big and small. Ranging from things like keeping secrets, to having affairs. One of the most popular couples on the show, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) are no exception. They’ve gone through everything a couple could possibly go through. From constant breakups, fertility issues, lies, and major traumas. But while they may seem like the most dramatic couple on the show, there is one other couple that may just have them beat, and that’s Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw). Now they’re not necessarily dramatic in the same way that Meredith and Derek are, but in terms of how many things they went through over the course of their relationship that put their love to the test, they certainly have them beat.
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
How Did Callie and Arizona Meet?
During Season 4 of Grey’s Anatomy, Callie began to form feelings for Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith), something she grappled with throughout the season. And though that relationship broke off, it did open Callie’s eyes to a new side of herself. Callie’s discovery of her sexuality is one of the show’s best storylines, and the discovery of it leads her into a relationship with Arizona. In Season 5, Episode 14, Arizona follows Callie into the bathroom at the bar to comfort her. She gives her a big speech about how she hears how people talk about Callie at the hospital, and how great the words they say are, and when she’s finished she kisses Callie and leaves her stunned. Callie later asks her on a date, but Arizona declines, as Callie is still new to dating women and she believes she is experimenting, something of which she doesn’t have time for. But by the next episode, Arizona realizes she was wrong and the two decide to give things a try and get dinner together. As we know now, this worked out exceptionally well and the pair began a relationship that quickly captured the hearts of fans. But almost as soon as it began, things took a rocky turn.
When Callie’s father comes to visit, she tells him that she is now dating Arizona, something of which he does not take well. He gives her an ultimatum: come home, or he’ll cut her off both financially and personally. She chooses the latter. This puts a strain on Callie and Arizona’s relationship at first, as Callie has to grapple with sudden financial issues and the knowledge that her father isn’t able to accept her or the person she loves. But the pair do work through it, and by Season 6 they are a proper couple. But that wasn’t all showrunner Shonda Rhimes had in store for the pair. No, she put them through the wringer just about every chance she got.
Callie and Arizona Faced a Major Life Change
Midway through Season 6, Callie and Arizona have a discussion about children. Callie wants them, but Arizona doesn’t, which causes strife between them that leads to a breakup. Admittedly, it is a valid split, as they realized they don’t want the same things. But after the trauma of the hospital shooting in the Season 6 finale, the two get back together and even move in together. Arizona also tells Callie that though she never wanted them before, she can see herself having kids with Callie and wants that life with her. And for a while, things seem to be going well between the two. That is, until Season 7, when Callie discovers that she is pregnant with Mark Sloan’s (Eric Dane) baby. This comes about after Arizona goes to Africa to open a clinic, breaking things off with Callie, who kept going back and forth over whether she would join her there or not. Newly single and sad about Arizona, Callie sleeps with Mark, and when Arizona returns from Africa, she tells Callie that she loves her and wants to give things another try. But Callie informs her that she’s pregnant, and asks Arizona “What about now?” But Arizona is surprisingly unphased and begins moving Callie’s things in again, telling her that they’re back together and referring to Callie’s pregnancy as “their baby.” It’s a surprising shift for Arizona who was originally set on not having kids, but it’s a welcome change nonetheless, and the pair seal their reconciliation with a kiss.
Things are going so well for Callie and Arizona, and later in Season 7, Arizona asks Callie to marry her. But Callie doesn’t get a chance to answer, as a truck suddenly hits their car, sending a pregnant Callie through the windshield. In true Shonda Rhimes fashion, no happy moment can truly be without some sort of traumatic event, and so the following episode — the infamous musical episode — sees Callie fighting for her life, and the doctors fighting to save the life of her, Mark, and Arizona’s baby. Both end up being just fine, and when Callie wakes, she tells Arizona she’ll marry her. Their wedding is officiated by Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), and everything seems to be a fairytale. Callie even reunites with her father, who finally accepts her for who she is, and shares a father-daughter dance with her.
The Plane Crash Broke Callie and Arizona
Surprisingly, Shonda Rhimes lets Callie and Arizona be happy and content for a shocking number of episodes following their marriage. In fact, their next big hurdle doesn’t come until the end of Season 8, when the plane crash happens. Arizona is among the doctors on the ill-fated plane, as well as Mark, who dies upon arriving back in Seattle. So not only does Callie have to mourn the loss of her best friend, and the father of their daughter, but her and Arizona’s relationship goes through an incredibly rough patch. Arizona sustains a bad leg injury in the crash, and though she’s able to contain it in the woods, infection becomes inevitable, and when she’s brought back to Seattle, she asks Callie to make sure they don’t take her leg.
Callie does everything she can to prevent the amputation, but eventually, the infection proves to be too much, and it becomes a choice between saving the leg and losing Arizona, or losing the leg and saving her life. Callie chooses to let them amputate, despite Arizona’s wishes against it, but it does save her life, which is all that mattered to Callie at the moment. However, Arizona resents Callie for the amputation as she told Callie specifically not to let that happen. It’s a rough path going forward as Arizona not only has to deal with the trauma of the crash, but also has to learn how to navigate life with one leg, and eventually learn to walk with a prosthetic. The process strains the couple, as Arizona still resents Callie for making the call, and it leads to the couple’s ultimate demise.
Callie and Arizona’s Relationship Became Irreparable
Going into Season 9, things were still a little rocky for Callie and Arizona, but as far as major bombshells and dramas go, Season 9 was relatively tame for the couple. They spent most of it repairing their relationship and working through the trauma from the plane crash. But then came the Season 9 finale, and yet another disaster episode in the form of a superstorm that knocks out the power in the hospital. While plenty of crazy things happen, as per most disaster episodes, one of the biggest bombshells to come out of it is that of Arizona cheating. Lauren Boswell (Hilarie Burton) is a visiting surgeon at Grey Sloan, and is helping on a case. When she meets Arizona she takes a notable interest in her, something Arizona initially brushes off, but when they find themselves inside an on-call room together in the dark, they share a kiss and end up sleeping together.
Callie finds out almost immediately, after she notices Lauren is wearing Arizona’s scrub top, and it immediately signifies an issue for Callie and Arizona unlike any we’ve seen before. This isn’t just any regular argument between them, this is the beginning of the end of Calzona. And though the pair try marriage counseling and spending time apart, it ultimately proves fruitless and is the one obstacle they can’t manage to overcome. A nasty custody battle ensues, one that has divided fans of the couple. Callie eventually moves to New York at the end of Season 12, and in the Season 14 finale, Arizona decides to move there as well, implying a possible reconciliation in the future.
Callie and Arizona Are Fan-Favorites Despite Their Struggles
While Callie and Arizona’s relationship was never short of drama, they remained a fan-favorite couple despite the constant troubles thrown at them. Audiences were consistently rooting for Callie and Arizona to make things work, and to this day are still hoping for confirmation of an endgame due to it being left ambiguous. But even without the confirmation of an endgame for the pair, they have one of the most important relationships on the show. They were the first long-term LGBTQ+ relationship on Grey’s Anatomy and paved the way for future characters and relationships, as well as providing incredible representation for television in general. So even though things were a little rocky, Callie and Arizona always had love for one another, and remain one of the most important and beloved couples on the show all these years later.
Grey’s Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
