The ending of Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale being packed with breakups, reunions and last-minute disasters didn’t draw attention from one undeniable detail that unmistakably confirmed one character’s major flaw. The second part of Grey’s Anatomy season 21 heavily focused on the patients’ stories that brought Dylan and Nora’s to be the key cases of the season finale. With their stories being highly emotional due to their impact on the patients themselves and the doctors’ lives, as Lucas and Simone’s difference of opinion over Dylan’s instigating their breakup proved, they inevitably influenced the direction of Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale.
This couldn’t have been clearer than in Nora’s case. Her infection getting worse, with no ordinary surgery in sight that could help her after she almost died on Winston and Teddy’s table, made Nora, her family, Owen and Teddy feel hopeless. However, Nora’s case inevitably brought back Owen and Teddy’s relationship problems to the forefront, as Nora admitted she was falling in love with Owen, and he also had feelings. Teddy realizing that and saving Nora showed her she could achieve the impossible, serving as a reminder she could put herself first. Their exchange made one flaw of Owen’s unmissable.
Teddy and Owen’s journey was riddled with mistakes on both parts driven by the need to save their marriage, realizing there were problems in season 20 and spending Grey’s Anatomy season 21 trying to solve them via couples therapy, traveling, and even an attempt to open their marriage. While the latter option didn’t change Owen’s perspective, even if Owen slept with Nora, it opened Teddy’s eyes to her wanting to be solely with Owen. At the same time, seeing Owen and Nora together hurt Teddy because she realized Owen had feelings for Nora, even if he didn’t admit it.
Owen also completely misunderstood Teddy’s speech, answering that only with an incredulous “you’re giving up on us?” instead of seeing Teddy’s perspective.
Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale was relentlessly heartbreaking for Teddy not because she was set on saving Nora’s life, but because she asked Owen if he had fallen for Nora, and he had refused to answer, only to reaffirm he chose Teddy and their family. Not only did he reiterate the last part after admitting he had feelings for Nora, but Owen also completely misunderstood Teddy’s speech, answering that only with an incredulous “you’re giving up on us?” instead of seeing Teddy’s perspective. Owen’s reaction showed that he focused more on what he wanted than on his wife evidently hurting.
Owen’s Self-Centeredness Was Detrimental In All Of His Previous Relationships
Owen Only Saw What He Wanted & Rarely Considered How His Partners Felt
There were instances of Owen’s self-centeredness in all his major relationships, showing how Owen only considered his feelings, ignoring those of his partners. This was evident in Owen and Cristina’s fight only on the surface about Henry’s surgery in Grey’s Anatomy season 8, which ended with him screaming at Cristina “you killed our baby” in hearing distance of all their friends, with his knowing that Cristina never wanted children and downplaying it, certain she would change her mind, only making it worse. Owen’s selfishness with Cristina finally manifested in his cheating on her to punish Cristina for not wanting children.
Owen and Amelia’s relationship wasn’t immune to his extreme selfishness, and this exceptionally revealed itself right after they got married. Indeed, after Owen’s sister Megan was found after being believed dead for years, Amelia was nowhere to be seen around Owen’s family. This led to Owen’s family complaining about her. More shockingly, Owen complained about her to Teddy instead of talking to Amelia, only to try and kiss Teddy afterward because he felt ignored by his wife. This happening while Amelia discovered her brain tumor made Owen’s actions particularly unforgivable, even if Owen didn’t know it at the time.
Owen was capable of showing kindness to his romantic partners and beyond throughout Grey’s Anatomy, but when push comes to shove, he always focuses on himself and his wishes, missing entirely his partner’s feelings or desires.
Even in his and Teddy’s relationship and before Grey’s Anatomy season 21, Owen gave signs of only putting himself first. Owen routinely made moves on Teddy when his relationship with Cristina or Amelia was on the rocks, and he did so while knowing Teddy consistently chose him. This was also true when Teddy was finally happy with Koracick but pregnant with Owen’s child, which was reason enough for Owen to confess his feelings to Teddy after his second try at a relationship with Amelia had failed. Owen’s actions through the years thus prove a pattern of only seeing his perspective.
Teddy’s epiphany in Grey’s Anatomy season 21, episode 18 came after a mix of seeing what she was capable of, which in turn reminded her that she could overcome breaking up with Owen, and realizing the heartbreaking truth that Owen couldn’t even understand the purpose of her speech. Despite her realization and choice to put herself first, Teddy and Owen will still be part of each other’s lives in Grey’s Anatomy season 22, having to learn how to be there for their children while being apart. Their not being together romantically can also help Owen understand where he goes wrong.
Ever since first appearing in Grey’s Anatomy season 5, Owen spent little time not being romantically linked to somebody. That was his intention after Cristina left, but Amelia quickly came into his life, and the same happened after breaking up with Amelia and pursuing Teddy. Owen made similar mistakes with all his previous relationships, and he never stopped thinking about what he did. Owen not being in a relationship in Grey’s Anatomy season 22 could finally redeem him, letting him see where he went wrong in the past and work towards being a better partner in romantic relationships.
