Arizona Robbins

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Arizona Robbins
Grey's Anatomy character

The Season 9 Promotional Photo of Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Robbins
First appearance

"Wish You Were Here"
5x11, January 8, 2009
(as recurring cast)
"Good Mourning"
6x01, September 24, 2009
(as a series regular)
Created by

Shonda Rhimes
Portrayed by

Jessica Capshaw
Information
Occupation Attending pediatric surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital
Title Chief of Pediatric Surgery
M.D.
F.A.C.S.
Family Daniel Robbins (father)
Barbera Robbins (mother)
Timothy Robbins (brother)
Spouse(s) Callie Torres
Children Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres

Arizona Robbins, M.D. is a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by Jessica Capshaw. She was introduced in the show's fifth season as an attending surgeon and the new chief of pediatric surgery. Originally contracted to appear in three episodes, Capshaw's contract was extended to the remainder of the fifth season, with her becoming a series regular in the sixth season.

Robbins has been characterized as "quirky", and is well known for wearing roller skates and a Holly Hobbie pink scrub cap, designed to appeal to her younger patients. She was established as a love-interest for orthopedic resident Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez). Series creator Shonda Rhimes was in contrast pleased with the chemistry between Robbins and Torres, citing the addition of Capshaw to the cast as an element of the season of which she was most proud. Initial media reaction to the character was positive. Matt Mitovich of TV Guide described her as a "fan favorite", and Chris Monfette for IGN praised the addition of "fresh, new characters", such as Robbins over the course of the season.

Storylines

Following the death of Dr. Jordan Kenley (John Sloman), Chief Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) replaces his head of pediatric surgery with Dr. Arizona Robbins, a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Robbins has a romantic interest in orthopedic attending Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), and kisses her. The two embark on a relationship, but when Torres' father, Carlos (Héctor Elizondo), learns of the relationship, he threatens to cut her off financially unless she returns home with him. When Torres' father returns to Seattle and continues to reject his daughter's sexuality, Robbins is able to convince him to reconsider. She tells Mr. Torres that her father was able to accept her own sexuality, as she promised him she was still the "good man in a storm" he raised her to be, and that Torres is still the same person he raised. Torres is dismayed to learn that Robbins doesn't want children, and the two come to a conclusion that they cannot continue their relationship, since they both want different things. However after a shooter enters Seattle Grace with a vendetta for Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), and Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.), they are in lockdown together, and the two reconcile.

Robbins receives word that she has been given a grant to go to Malawi, and become a doctor there. In the end, Torres is shown to have accepted this as well and has decided to leave with Robbins. However, a fight at the airport results in Robbins leaving for Malawi without Torres, ending their relationship. She returns, hoping to rekindle her relationship with Torres, but is initially rejected. Eventually, Torres reveals that she is pregnant with Mark Sloan (Eric Dane)'s baby. Robbins accepts the situation, and she and Torres restart their relationship. Torres gifts Robbins with a weekend getaway, and Robbins proposes to Torres. After proposing, the two get in a car crash leaving Torres in critical condition. A series of surgeries follows, including the delivery of her premature baby, along with emotional breakdowns of both Sloan and Robbins. Upon the awakening of Torres, she accepts her marriage proposal, and the two are married by Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). As the fifth year residents are coming close to the end of their residency, Robbins urges Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) to work under her, and is hurt badly in a plane crash, resulting in her left leg being amputated. In the aftermath of the plane accident that killed Sloan and Lexie Grey, the hospital is sued and eventually found guilty of negligence. Each victim including Shepherd, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), and Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), and herself must receive $15 million of compensation, which leads the hospital to a near bankruptcy as the insurances refuse to pay. Those doctors and Callie buy the hospital with the help of the Harper-Avery Foundation to prevent it from closing, and each become members of the new directing board. Robbins is initially cold towards Callie because she was the one who decided for an amputation but they slowly reconcile as Robbins tries to adapt to her new life. Afterwards, when a new doctor Dr. Lauren Boswell (Hilarie Burton) arrives to the hospital to reconstruct the face of baby, Robbins feels attracted to her and has a one-night-stand with her. This effectively puts both Robbins and Torres on bad terms as they both let out their true feelings about the accident and more is revealed about how they actually have felt.

After cheating on Callie with Lauren, Arizona is kicked out of their apartment and starts to attend therapy. She invites Callie to join but she rejects. Arizona gets drunk with April for some laughs while Callie is at the fundraiser stating that Arizona died in the plane crash. Arizona is led to believe that she and Leah slept together when all they did was have a dance party and made grilled cheese sandwiches and watching Derek perform surgery on film. Arizona pursues a sexual relationship with Leah but cut ties with her when Callie asks her to come back home. It is revealed that Arizona became pregnant via a sperm donor prior to sleeping with Lauren. Callie and Arizona are currently working on their relationship.

Development

Casting and creation

It was first reported in December 2008 that Capshaw would be joining the cast of Grey's Anatomy as pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins, for a multi-episode arc.[1] Initially scheduled to appear in three episodes of the show's fifth season, series creator Shonda Rhimes later extended Capshaw's contract to appear in all of the season's remaining episodes,[2] becoming a series regular in the sixth season.[3] Speaking of the new addition, Rhimes said:
"I love Jessica Capshaw, and when I say love I mean love. She couldn't be a more wonderful person, and I feel like the chemistry Arizona and Callie have feels like the Meredith and Derek chemistry to me. I find them delightful to watch."
—Shonda Rhimes, TV Fanatic[4]

This promotion saw Robbins become the only lesbian series regular on primetime TV.[5] Robbins is described as "quirky [and] perky" by TV Guide's Matt Mitovich,[6] and "a clear and rational surgeon who is not ruled by her emotions" by Kris De Leon of BuddyTV.[7] William Harper, writer of the episode "Beat Your Heart Out" in which Robbins and Torres kiss for the first time, has deemed Robbins: "genuinely, positively interested in people, in the most selfless way."[8] Commenting on Robbins' confidence, Capshaw commented: "she never thinks she's wrong and you don't hate her for it. There's no ego though, she just always thinks she's right and she is."[9] She is portrayed as having "wacky tendencies", including wearing roller shoes to work.[10]

Characterization

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) characterized Robbins as "confident", "ambitious", and "cheerful".[11] Shortly after her arrival in the show, Robbins became a love-interest for Torres (Ramirez). The relationship between the two is referred to by fans by the portmanteau "Calzona".[12] Torres' previous girlfriend Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) was written out of Grey's Anatomy in 2008, due to a lack of chemistry between the characters. Rhimes praised the chemistry between Robbins and Torres in contrast, comparing it to that between the show's primary couple Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Shepherd (Dempsey),[13] and stating: "They have that little thing that makes you want to watch them."[14] Rhimes named the addition of Capshaw to the cast as one of the elements of the season she was most proud of, commenting that she wished she could have found Callie a love interest that "sparkled" sooner, but was pleased with eventually having found one in Robbins.[13]

When Robbins turned Torres down in the episode "An Honest Mistake" due to her inexperience with women, series writer Peter Nowalk offered the insight:

“ I totally understand why Arizona wouldn’t want to date a newborn. It’s like getting a Freshman as your Physics lab partner even though you're a Senior who not only knows the Laws of Motion but has mastered them in ways that would rock that Freshman’s world. Which is not to say the Freshman won’t grow to be really good at Physics, or that Callie won’t catch up to Arizona on the lesbian front, it's simply that Arizona might not have the patience to wait that long. ”

Although the characters go on to begin a relationship, the show's one-hundredth episode "What a Difference a Day Makes" sees them experience difficulties as a result of Torres' father rejecting her for her sexuality. Rhimes commented on their ultimate reconciliation: "I love [Callie] with Arizona. [...] I like that they make me feel hopeful about love."[15] Rhimes has said of their relationship in the sixth season: "I would like to see Callie happily in a long-term relationship. We have so much to explore with them, because we barely know anything about [Arizona]."[16] Capshaw has characterized the relationship as "incredibly understanding and compassionate and sensitive".[17] She described the sixth season as being about: "cementing a very mature and grounded relationship and taking it forward. This is a drama, of course; there will be conflict, but for the time being, they're enjoying being in a relationship that seems stable."[9]

Asked whether Robbins and Torres might marry in the future, Capshaw replied: "There's probably a lot more stuff that has to happen before that happens. [...] I don't think they're going to get married just to get married. As Arizona goes, I think she has incredible discipline and she does, as you said, have a very strict moral compass and marriage would not be something she would jump into without giving it a great amount of thought."[9] Discussing Robbins' relationship with Torres' former lover Sloan, Capshaw divulged: "Whenever there's been a chance to play that I am intimidated by him or being standoffish, I've always chosen to make it very playful. It's much more Arizona's style to find it very amusing."[9]

Reception

Capshaw's connection with Sara Ramirez was praised among critics.

Robbins ranked seventh in a top ten list of gay characters on TV compiled by Jane Boursaw of TV Squad. Boursaw wrote: "She's a mix of ironies - a pediatrician who glides around the hospital on wheelies, impulsively kisses Callie, then tells her she doesn't have time to teach a newbie how to be gay. Still, she's more interesting than the other gays on this show, which are dwindling in numbers since Erica left for parts unknown."[18] Commenting on Hahn's abrupt departure from the show, Dorothy Snarker, writing for LGBT website AfterEllen.com observed of Robbins and Torres' relationship: "I [...] can't help but be wary of how the Grey's writers will handle this relationship. Jessica has proven lovely and likable in her brief screen time so far. But it's not how the romance starts, but what happens next that really matters."[12] AfterEllen.com also included Robbins in their poll of the Top 50 Lesbian and Bisexual Characters, ranking her at No. 3[19] and in their Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters, placing her at No. 2.[20]

Matt Mitovich of TV Guide noted that Robbins "quickly established herself as a fan favorite",[6] describing her as: "a breath of fresh air in the often angsty halls of Seattle Grace."[21] Chris Monfette for IGN has opinionated that the fifth season of Grey's Anatomy was an improvement on the previous two seasons, attributing this in part to the introduction of "fresh, new characters" Robbins and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd). Monfette wrote that Arizona's ultimate contribution to the season was "introducing the element of childcare to Seattle Grace", which in turn gave Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) "a great arc".[22] Jennifer Godwin for E! Online approved of Arizona's season six promotion to a series regular, particularly as it meant the continuation of her relationship with Callie.[23]

The Los Angeles Times's Carina MacKenzie wrote of the sixth season episode "Invasion": "By far the best moment in this episode was Robbins' scene with Torres' father, Carlos. Jessica Capshaw has an incredible ability to take even the most melodramatic of "Grey's" speeches and deliver them with a subtlety and an honesty that makes them come off as sincere instead of overwrought. "I was named for a battleship," she said, and in the powerful monologue that followed, she calmly and carefully explained that Torres was still the woman Carlos raised.[24]

References

Specific

  1. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (December 3, 2008). "'Grey's Anatomy' Exclusive: Eric Stoltz lands killer role". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved August 19, 2009. 
  2. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (February 26, 2009). "'Grey's' exclusive: Jessica Capshaw inks contract!". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved August 19, 2009. 
  3. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (June 17, 2009). "Exclusive: 'Grey's Anatomy' promotes Jessica Capshaw". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2009-08-19. 
  4. ↑ Marsi, Steve. "Jessica Capshaw Promoted to Full Time Cast Member". TV Fanatic. SheKnows Entertainment. Retrieved May 12, 2012. 
  5. ↑ Linster, The (June 18, 2009). "It’s official: Callie's girlfriend isn’t walking away this time". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved August 20, 2009. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mitovich, Matt (June 17, 2009). "Grey's Anatomy Status Report: Knight's Fate Revealed, and More". TV Guide. Retrieved August 19, 2009. 
  7. ↑ De Leon, Kris (February 28, 2009). "Jessica Capshaw Inks 'Grey's Anatomy' Contract". BuddyTV. Retrieved August 20, 2009. 
  8. ↑ Harper, William (February 5, 2009). "Bill Harper On "Beat Your Heart Out"...". Grey Matter. ABC. Retrieved August 20, 2009. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Abrams, Natalie (November 4, 2009). "Grey's Anatomy's Jessica Capshaw on Callie and Arizona's Impending Trouble". TV Guide. Retrieved November 5, 2009. 
  10. ↑ Diaz, Glenn Paul (March 5, 2009). "Grey's Anatomy: How Good Exactly is Seattle Grace Again?". BuddyTV. Retrieved August 20, 2009. 
  11. ↑ "Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) Bio". Grey's Anatomy. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved June 13, 2013. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Snarker, Dorothy (February 11, 2009). ""Grey's Anatomy" processes the Calzona kiss". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved August 20, 2009. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ausiello, Michael (May 15, 2009). "Exclusive: 'Grey's' boss on finale's Izzie-George shocker, Mer-Der 'wedding,' and more!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2009. 
  14. ↑ Keveney, Bill (April 30, 2009). "TV is a 'journey' for 'Grey's' creator Shonda Rhimes". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved August 19, 2009. 
  15. ↑ Rhimes, Shonda (May 8, 2009). "Shonda Rhimes on "What a Difference a Day Makes"...". Grey Matter. ABC. Retrieved August 20, 2009. 
  16. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (July 31, 2009). "What's Next for 'Grey's'?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2009. 
  17. ↑ Natalie, Brams (August 13, 2009). Grey's Anatomy Is "Heavy" This Season. (Interview). E! Online. http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/b139219__lt_i_gt_Grey_s_Anatomy_lt__i_gt__Is__amp_quot_Heavy_amp_quot__This_Season.html. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
  18. ↑ Boursaw, Jane (April 8, 2009). "TV Squad Ten: Top gay characters". TV Squad. Retrieved August 20, 2009. 
  19. ↑ "AfterEllen.com’s Top 50 Lesbian and Bisexual Characters". AfterEllen.com. March 15, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2012. 
  20. ↑ "AfterEllen.com's Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters". AfterEllen.com. February 27, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012. 
  21. ↑ Mitovich, Matt (June 19, 2009). "ABC Makes It Official: Heigl Is Staying on Grey's". TV Guide. Retrieved August 19, 2009. 
  22. ↑ Monfette, Chris (May 29, 2009). "Grey's Anatomy: Season 5 Review". IGN. Retrieved August 19, 2009. 
  23. ↑ Godwin, Jennifer (July 14, 2009). "Guess Who's Returning to Grey's Anatomy?". E! Online. Retrieved August 20, 2009. 
  24. ↑ MacKenzi, Carina (October 16, 2009). "'Grey's Anatomy': Mercy West is in, Izzie Stevens is out". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2009. 

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