Major Grey's Anatomy Season 20 Breakup Answers To 1 Big Criticism Of The Show's Relationships

Warning! SPOILERS about Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9 ahead.

Summary Mika choosing work over Taryn breaks a bad Grey's Anatomy habit, finally highlighting how a power imbalance in Grey's Anatomy's relationships hurt interns and residents.

Attendings dating residents in Grey's Anatomy endangered residents' education, leading to unprofessional behavior.

Grey's Anatomy seasons 3, 9 and 10 showed many problematic behaviors among couples like Cristina and Burke or Arizona and Leah.

One storyline in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9 finally breaks away from the medical drama’s pattern of workplace romances, which caused controversy in the past because of the power imbalance between those involved. Romantic relationships among doctors have been a cornerstone of Grey’s Anatomy’s 20 seasons, with most of them ending because of a breakup, very few lasting for years, and others like Meredith and Derek’s relationship ending solely because of Derek’s death. Aside from ending more or less tragically, blossoming at the hospital often caused the relationships to be conflictual because of work and private life clashing.

While Meredith and Derek’s chance meeting at a bar in the Grey’s Anatomy series premiere was far from being troublesome, meeting again at Seattle Grace Hospital exponentially complicated things, especially considering Derek’s wish to pursue the relationship, even if Meredith initially opposed because he was an attending and she was an intern. Similar relationships between attendings and residents began and ended throughout the medical drama, sometimes involving very little conflict stemming from the power imbalance, and others including instances of work-related punishments as revenge for personal disagreements, making the less powerful person in the couple more susceptible to mistreatment.

Related Why Grey’s Anatomy Season 20's New Romantic Twist Is So Controversial The Grey's Anatomy season 20 penultimate episode had many twists met with varying degrees of approval by viewers, with one hookup not well received.

Mika Choosing Work Over Taryn Stops A Grey's Anatomy Bad Habit

Their Break Up Finally Addresses The Relationship Power Imbalance In Grey's Anatomy

While Mika Yasuda and Taryn Helm’s relationship started in Grey’s Anatomy season 19 before Taryn took back her spot as a resident, Taryn becoming co-chief resident had the potential to change the dynamic between them. This inevitably happened in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 5, when Mika discovered Schmitt had suggested for her to be part of the team following the impaled medical student, but Taryn disagreed, sending her to the pit where Mika dealt with rowdy and drunk medical students. Taryn’s choice was effectively seen as a betrayal by Mika, which she wouldn’t have if they hadn’t been dating.

Despite trying to make it work, Mika finally breaking up with Taryn in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 9 highlighted how the power imbalance between the two was the culprit. Indeed, dating Mika made Taryn feel as if she had to look impartial with her, while Mika never forgave Taryn’s betrayal because she effectively precluded Mika an opportunity to learn by being on a team doing trailblazing surgery. This way, Grey’s Anatomy season 20 finally acknowledged that a relationship could be ruined because Taryn was Mika’s boss, something Grey’s Anatomy rarely conceded with relationships like MerDer or Cristina and Burke’s.

Mika breaking up with Taryn because of work showed an intern finally prioritizing work over their romantic relationships with doctors who had power over them.

Attendings Dating Residents In Grey's Anatomy Oft Endangered The Residents' Education

Burke Punished Cristina With Work In Season 3 & Arizona Often Mistreated Leah In Seasons 9 & 10

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While most of Derek and Meredith’s spats were caused by disagreements or Meredith’s unethical choices while on his service, some Grey’s Anatomy relationships proved particularly problematic because one-half of the couple took personal conflicts out on the other half at work. This was evident in Burke’s treatment of Cristina in Grey’s Anatomy season 3, when he stopped her from being in the OR, sending her to do scut work as a punishment for not telling Meredith about their engagement.

However, even Arizona’s treatment of Leah Murphy in Grey’s Anatomy seasons 9 and 10 highlighted such a disparity, with Arizona hooking up with Leah without actually thinking about her feelings, resulting in unprofessional behavior in the OR once Callie realized that Arizona’s fling when they were briefly not together was with Leah. Like Mika in Grey’s Anatomy season 20 losing the chance to witness medicine innovation firsthand, Leah and Cristina’s education had both suffered because of their romantic relationships with attendings, making Mika’s speech to Taryn all the more epochal because it finally addressed a longstanding Grey’s Anatomy problem.

Episode # Title Release Date 10 Burn It Down May 30, 2024

Grey’s Anatomy season 20’s finale airs on May 30, 2024, at 9pm ET on ABC.