Who is Arizona Robbins in Grey's Anatomy?

Dr. Arizona Robbins is a fictional character played by Jessica Capshaw in the American medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. She debuted as the new chief of pediatric surgery and an attending surgeon in the fifth season. Capshaw's contract, which had initially called for her to appear in three episodes, was extended to include the rest of Season 5, and in Season 6, she was promoted to series regular.

After portraying the character for ten seasons, Capshaw, along with Sarah Drew (April Kepner) was let go from the show in March 2018 for "creative" reasons. Robbins' character's representation of the LGBTQ+ community was mentioned by Shonda Rhimes, who also commended her actors for "bringing these characters to life with such vibrant performance and for inspiring women around the globe."

Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama that centers on the personal and professional lives of attendings, residents, and surgical interns at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, which was subsequently renamed the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. he pilot was written by Shonda Rhimes, who also served as executive producer, head writer, and showrunner until her departure in 2015. The show centers on Dr. Meredith Grey (Pompeo) for most of its run, following her journey from surgical intern to fully certified physician to the chief of general surgery at the hospital.

Arizona Robbins’ character in Grey’s Anatomy

Known for her wheeled sneakers and a pink scrub cap reminiscent of Holly Hobbie, Robbins has been described as "quirky" and "perky" to connect to her younger patients. After Callie Torres's (Sara Ramirez) storyline with Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) abruptly ended because of what series creator Shonda Rhimes described as "a lack of chemistry," she was introduced as a romantic interest for Torres. Rhimes, on the other hand, was happy with Robbins and Torres' connection, stating that one of the aspects of the season she was most proud of was the casting of Capshaw.

Arizona’s background in Grey’s Anatomy

Arizona was named in honor of the U.S.S. Arizona, a battleship where her grandfather served and lost his life rescuing 19 soldiers. Her father was a colonel in the US Marine Corps, therefore she grew up in a military household. After enlisting in the service, her brother passed away due to a shortage of medical professionals.

Because of her family's military service, she had to move every 18 months as a child. Her father would take her skating as soon as they arrived at another place. She felt protected since the skating never changed, no matter where they ended up. She did it during her time in medical school, college, and when she started working at Seattle Grace. She observed that the children were also calmed by the skating.

She stated that she was "raised to be a good man in a storm" while describing her childhood. "Raised to love my country. Love my family. Protect the things I love." In addition to being patriotic, it made her devoted and loyal as an adult, particularly to her family. Her name taught her to be tough when necessary, and her parents weren't shocked, so she never had to "come out" to them. She wasn't examining her beauty mark, and she had a poster of Cindy Crawford in her room. Her mother wasn't shocked when she eventually brought a girl, Joanne, home because she had never brought any boys home. Instead of asking her, "How fast can you get the hell out of my house?" as she had anticipated, her father asked, "Are you still who I raised you to be?"

She went to medical school at Johns Hopkins. She was a "full-on horror show" while completing her surgical residency. After that, she was selected to serve as Chief Resident during her fifth and last year of residency. Arizona was recruited as a surgical fellow at the pediatric surgery department of Seattle Grace Hospital following the completion of her residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Arizona Robbins’ personality in Grey’s Anatomy

When she initially appeared, Arizona was a pleasant, vibrant woman who woke up each day with a smile on her face. Her genuine concern for her patients and their families is obvious. After the plane disaster, her once-bright disposition darkened, but gradually she regained her happiness and identity, albeit with a darker tone.

What happened to Arizona after the plane crash?

Arizona and the others were brought to the Boise hospital after spending four days in the woods, where her leg was scanned. Arizona intervened and informed Owen that she had not given anyone permission to amputate her leg, despite the Boise Chief's recommendation. After she asked to see Callie, she and the others were put under sedation and flown to Seattle, where Callie began caring for the diseased limb.

Arizona became aware that her future was uncertain after Bailey's visit with Sofia. She was so terrified when the idea of an amputation returned to her mind that she pushed Callie to think of a way to save the limb and made her swear she wouldn't chop it off, which Callie did. Even though Owen said a prosthetic would improve Arizona's quality of life, Callie did devise a strategy to save the leg, and the surgery was scheduled.

However, when Alex visited Arizona, she started crashing because of the infection. She continued to get worse despite his best efforts. While Callie was performing surgery on Derek's hand, he rushed to her and she gave him instructions to cut off the leg and try his best. Arizona was held by Callie till she woke up following the surgery. She went into depression for a long time after having her left leg amputated.