Callie Torres

Dr. Calliope Iphegenia "Callie" Torres is a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actress Sara Ramírez. The character is the former Chief Resident and an orthopaedic surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital, who grew up in South Florida, the only daughter of a wealthy family.

Storylines
Callie is first introduced to the show when George O'Malley dislocates his shoulder after falling down a flight of stairs. She gives him her number, and eventually George calls and asks her out. They begin dating, leading to George discovering that Callie has been living in the hospital basement. She defends herself by explaining it’s convenient for work. The Chief later finds out about Callie’s living arrangement and forces her to move out. She temporarily moves in with George, and is subsequently socially rejected by Izzie and Meredith. Soon after, when George becomes uncomfortable with how fast their relationship is progressing, she moves in the Archfield Hotel. Callie is disliked by Izzie Stevens, George's best friend, and becomes upset by the way George seems to place Izzie and Meredith before her, leading to the couple breaking up at the end of season two.

After breaking up with George, Callie goes to Joe's Bar, where she meets plastic surgeon Mark Sloan. The two have a one-night-stand and become friends thereafter. George finds out and is jealous of her fling, but is distracted by his father’s ill-health. Callie supports him through his father’s death, and the two marry in Las Vegas on the spur of the moment. Izzie is highly unsupportive of the marriage, and Callie is pleased when George seemingly chooses her over his friendship with Izzie. However, when Callie confesses to George that she is a wealthy heiress and had kept this hidden from him, George feels betrayed. Combined with this, Callie becomes suspicious that Izzie’s feelings for George are more than platonic. Confused, George confides to Izzie about his relationship woes over alcohol, leading to a drunken sexual encounter between the two.

Callie and George reconcile, but Callie remains unaware of George’s one-night-stand. She becomes increasingly suspicious, and announces to George that she wants them to have a baby together. Shortly thereafter, however, she discovers that George has been unfaithful, ending their marriage (much to the disappointment of George's mother who was very fond of Callie). Callie moves out of her hotel room, and into the apartment being rented by Cristina Yang.

In episode "Didn't We Almost Have It All?", Callie is named the new chief resident, winning over Miranda Bailey and Sydney Heron. However, Callie’s personal problems and desire to be performing surgery rather than filling in paperwork interfere with her promotion, and in episode "Physical Attraction, Chemical Reaction", she is demoted, and the position of chief resident is given to Bailey. Callie goes on to form a friendship with the new Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erica Hahn. She experiences some anxiety when Addison Montgomery returns from Los Angeles and wonders if they are a couple. Callie then embarks on a sexual marathon with Sloan in order to prove her heterosexuality, but he eventually helps her realize she has feelings for Erica, and in the last episode of season four, they share a passionate kiss.

Reception
Discussing the character in terms of her relationship with Erica Hahn, AfterEllen.com was largely positive, assessing that: "The story line offered both the drama Grey's is known for and — despite some marginally exploitative threesome talk — a truthfulness network television has rarely achieved when it comes to lesbian relationships." Trish Doolan and Nikki Weiss, invited by GLAAD to consult with Grey's Anatomy producers on the storyline, praised the effort put in to researching the issue by the writers and actors involved, though were more negative on the scene which saw Hahn kiss Callie in an elevator in front of Mark Sloan. Weiss commented: "I just felt like, if they really cared about each other, I don't think they would do that as a stunt. That seemed a little, I don't know, forced. [...] [It] was more like a conquest, like he could have [Erica] too or something." AfterEllen.com agreed with this view, criticizing the way the scene was edited so as to keep cutting to Mark's point of view, as though "privileging the male gaze."