Characters like Owen could be deemed as intelligent for obtaining a medical degree but that doesn't make them exempt from failing to use common sense.

All of the characters on Grey's Anatomy could be deemed as extremely intelligent for obtaining a medical degree alone, but that doesn't make them exempt from failing to use common sense in everyday situations and having more workplace romances than most real-life hospitals.

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HR at Grey-Sloan is most likely a logistical nightmare, and the decisions made by these characters throughout 17 seasons have surely added to hospitals reevaluating their own regulations and policies. Thankfully, no episode of Grey's Anatomy is complete without some sort of resolution or lesson, so that even when characters make choices leaving fans shaking their heads, they at least are able to learn and grow from them.

Aside from being a precocious child who skipped a grade, Lexie Grey often lived inthe shadow of her big half-sister, Meredith. In reality, Lexie was one of the smartest residents Seattle Grace had ever seen. She was on track to become a neurosurgery attending under the apprenticeship of her brother-in-law, Derek Shepard before her untimely demise.

Despite being the Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace turned Grey-Sloan Memorial for many years,Richard Webber never quite got it rightwhen it came to his personal life.His marriage with Adele suffered for years because of his longstanding affair with Ellis Grey, and his nepotism shone through when he began mentoring Meredith in Season 6 in an attempt to get her to keep quiet about his resurfacing alcoholism.

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As the head of surgery, one would think he would be smarter than to make a lot of the decisions he did over the course of the show.

Originally introduced as an all-mighty villain standing in the way of Derek and Meredith, Addison Montgomery proved herself to be much more than just the attending neurosurgeon's estranged wife. Addison never settled for less than she deserved with Mark, she had her patients best interests in mind as an OB/GYN, and even got her own spinoff, Private Practice.

When Owen Hunt was introduced as a love interest for Cristina Yang in Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy, it was easy for fans to view him as a stark contrast to Cristina's ex-fianc, Preston Burke.

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However, Owen was no stranger to mistakes, and he sure did make a lot of them. He always seemed to want what he couldn't have, and continuously tried to change all of the women he was involved with. He lost Cristina because she wouldn't have his baby, and after years of will-they-won't-they with Teddy, he ended up losing her too.

Teddy loses points for exposing herself cheating on Owen over voicemail, sure, but viewers have to give credit where credit is due to Doctor Altman. In season 7, she married a patient so he could have proper health insurance, and ended up having one of the healthiest relationships on the show because of it.

Henry's death was devastating, but his storyline proved that Teddy was a lot more than Owen's maybe-lover, and her marrying him both extended and improved his life.

Yes, Derek Shepherd was an award winning neurosurgeon, but a lot of his choices throughout the series made fans think twice about his intelligence. First, he had an affair with an intern, and when his wife came back around he shattered the heart of the love of his life by trying to fix a broken marriage.

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Additionally, Derek continuously acted in his own self-interest, like when he took full credit for the Alzheimer's trial he created alongside Meredith and the whole almost-affair in D.C.

Alex Karev started the show has an arrogant intern who thought he was better than everyone else. Because of his attitude, his fellow interns despised him and actually thought less of him. His growth throughout the series allowed fans to find him incredibly lovable and a genuinely talented surgeon.

His knowledge of pediatrics showed just how intelligent of a doctor he was, and he emotionally matured by making smarter romantic decisions, such as his relationship with Jo (just ignore Season 16, Episode 16!).

Izzie Stevens was labeled 'Doctor Model' during her intern years and often tried to prove herself because of it. However, Izzie could never separate her emotions from logic, such as when she cut Denny's L-VAD wire in Season 2, and then left the hospital after he passed away.

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For being a doctor, it sure took Izzie a long time to realize she was dying of cancer, and communication never seemed to be her strong suit, especially in relationships, because she ran off the second things got hard in her and Alex's marriage.

April Kepner started as the mousy brunette from Mercy West who had a childlike crush on Derek, but turned into the redheaded trauma surgeon viewers didn't know they needed.

April's smartest moments included her speech to Gary Clark during the hospital shooting, where she told him her life story so he'd view her as a human and spare her life, which he did, and leaving her first wedding to Matthew to be with her true love Jackson (even if that didn't entirely work out in the end).

There's no doubt that Meredith Grey is a great surgeon. She is the daughter of Ellis Grey, after all. A lot of Meredith's acting out is a result of her paternity, like having an affair with an attending as an intern, putting her hand on a bomb in a patient's chest cavity, nearly drowning, putting herself between her husband and a gunman, etc.

Meredith Grey is brave, but that doesn't make her decisions all that smart.

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Emily Proctor is a recent graduate of Eastern Michigan University and currently pursuing her Master's in Writing. She loves TV, film, and her dogs. She will always remember your birthday.

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Grey's Anatomy: 5 Characters Who Are Smarter Than They Seem (& 5 Vice Versa) - Screen Rant