Grey's Anatomy is one of the longest-running dramas on television. Currently, in its 17th season, the show has seen many cast members come and go. The first season introduced the first set of interns, whose stories formed the heart of the show. Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Cristina were the five main interns, and they were popularly known as the M.A.G.I.C cast.
Only Meredith remains from the original five, but the first set of interns are beloved by fans and have retained their popularity even after so many seasons of the show. Here are some reasons why the first set of interns have stayed the best.
George & Izzie
Fans have very conflicting opinions about the friendship between George and Izzie. While some think they are friendship goals, some others think their friendship was quite toxic.
But the fact remains that George and Izzie were incredibly close and relied heavily on each other through their time as interns. They had each other's backs and helped each other out in the ways that they could.
Meredith & Cristina
Meredith called Cristina her sister and told her that she was her family. The dynamic between these two incredibly talented and competitive women was wonderfully portrayed by Grey's. It showed these women who lived their lives on their own terms, and was still very much involved in each other's lives, and held great affection for each other.
The way in which they almost immediately become friends and continued to remain that way showed how strong their friendship formed during their internship was.
Sense Of Team Spirit
Alex said it best when he told the Chief how they were all a team. He said that even if they didn't agree with what the rest of his teammates had done, he wasn't going to rat them out. Alex wasn't in the room where things had happened, but Alex knew what was happening. Even when he pretended that he wasn't going to take the fall for Izzie, he finally goes along with all of them.
Later on, Alex gives the same advice to the new set of interns as well. Even Meredith shouts at the rest when they tease George when he performs his first surgery, asking them where their sense of loyalty was.
Involvement In The Hospital
No other set of interns had such direct involvement in the OR and the hospital as the first set of interns.
Cristina was quite involved in Burke's surgeries and was almost essential to his surgeries when he was having tremors. George's observation skills also led him to identify a drunk anesthesiologist in the OR, and he even spotted Burke's tremors. All of the five interns were heavily involved in many of the proceedings in the hospital.
Involvement With The Patients
Denny Duquette was one of the many patients that the interns were involved with. Katie Bryce even showed up at Meredith's hearing. This goes to show how involved the first set of interns were with the patients.
They went beyond what was required of them, and the influence of the patients and their stories on the lives of the interns was very evident.
Background Of Interns
From Stanford to State school, the five interns came from really varied backgrounds. Their family backgrounds and history came through very clearly in the various ways in which they interacted with each other and the others in the hospital.
No other set of interns have had as detailed or as rich as backstories as the first set of interns. Their pasts helped make their presents more interesting and intriguing for fans.
Bailey As Their Resident
Miranda Bailey is a no-nonsense boss lady who kept these interns on their toes all the time. She was an incredible leader and mentor, and polished and groomed them to become the best versions of themselves.
Bailey took it upon herself if any of her interns did anything wrong, and had her own version of justice. Bailey was one of the most dedicated residents ever, and her interns were truly the best.
Intern Relationships
The first set of interns had many romantic entanglements amongst themselves, as well as with their seniors.
Meredith and Derek, Cristina and Burke, Izzie and Alex, and George and Callie are just a few of the relationships the interns were in. The drama, chemistry, and intrigue these relationships had don't match any of the other relationships the other interns had.
Meredith's House
Meredith's house was the place where all the interns crashed. Meredith, Izzie, and George lived in the house, but the others hung out there constantly as well. It was a running joke that Meredith took in all strays. The fact that they spent most of their time together in the hospital and at home meant that they were incredibly close.
Even when there were things that they didn't know about each other, and they had secrets that they kept from each other, the fact that they lived together meant that they shared their highs and lows in some manner.
No Other Set Of Interns Have Been As Popular
Grey's Anatomy has been running for 17 seasons now, and in spite of the writers attempting to introduce new interns in the same vein as the first, it never really succeeded. They were unable to recreate the magic of M.A.G.I.C.
Most of the interns that were introduced later on in the show have faded away into obsolescence, but the first set of interns are still remembered and loved today.