‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Izzie and Denny Never Would Have Worked Out Even If He Survived
Grey’s Anatomy has been on the air for almost 15 years and is known for many of its dramatic story lines. However, one that is still considered quite controversial among fans is the relationship between Izzie Stevens (played by Katherine Heigl) and Denny Duquette (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) on season three.
The two of them were shown to be quite in love while Denny was a patient, though he ended up passing away not long after. Of course, we will never know how their relationship would have turned out had he not died, but there are actually reasons to believe that it would not have worked out very well.
Izzie was cheating on someone else with Denny
When Izzie started developing feelings for Denny, she was in a relationship with Alex Karev. Izzie and Alex had briefly gotten back together after he cheated on her with Olivia Harper, though it didn’t take long for Izzie to be the one that was unfaithful.
While Izzie did not sleep with Denny like Alex did with Olivia, many viewers consider it emotionally cheating, which means that Izzie and Denny’s relationship already started out on the wrong foot.
Izzie only knew Denny for a short time
Izzie is known to be a kind person who cares a lot about her patients. However, she tends to get emotionally attached to them, which does not look mature or professional in the eyes of the other doctors. Fans of Grey’s also think that she got too attached to Denny too quickly.
A fan shared on Reddit: “As someone who has worked in health care, I can understand that Denny probably felt attached as she was the only one visiting, spending time and supporting him… But it felt so rushed and forced that it just didn’t seem like a logical or right thing to do at the time because they really didn’t know each other that long.”
“I liked it the first time I watched the show but then looking back, they knew each other for what, under 3 months?” another viewer wrote. “It’s just so ridiculous.”
Izzie did not know what Denny was like outside of the hospital
Aside from Izzie only knowing Denny for a short period of time before they got engaged, it’s also important to remember that she had never seen much of Denny’s life outside of the hospital.
Of course, that’s not to say that Denny would have been a completely different person had he survived and the two of them settled down together. However, since they fell in love under a unique circumstance (ie., Denny being hospitalized for a heart condition and staying alive with an LVAD), they might not have worked out if their relationship went outside of the hospital and came face to face with other challenges.
One fan hypothesized that Izzie most definitely did not know Denny well at all, but she simply liked him for what she thought he would be: “I think to her Denny represented her perfect guy — one that respected her and loved her and wouldn’t cheat or hurt her like Alex had.”
Izzie risked Denny’s life for her own gain
When Izzie found out that Denny lost out on getting a donor heart, she wanted to cut his LVAD wire so that his heart would become weaker and he could quickly get another heart.
Denny did not want to do it because it was a dangerous move for her career and, morally, he also did not feel like it was right. However, Izzie cried and begged him to do it for her because she wanted him to stay alive. Eventually, he agreed.
A lot of fans thought that Izzie acted rather immaturely in demanding that she be able to cut off Denny’s LVAD even when he clearly did not want her to. Her “what about me” cries also seemed selfish and manipulative.
Ultimately, while many viewers cried for Izzie and Denny when he passed away in the end, it was clear that there were a lot of things wrong with their relationship and they would never have lived happily ever after anyway.
