Arizona Robbins
Arizona Robbins, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the ABC in the United States, and is 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 Season 5, and she became a series regular in Season 6.
Robbins has been characterized as "quirky" and "perky" and is well known for wearing wheeled sneakers and a Holly Hobbie pink scrub cap, intended to appeal to her young patients. She was established as a love interest for orthopedic resident Callie Torres after Torres' storyline with Erica Hahn was cut short due to what series creator Shonda Rhimes called "a lack of chemistry". In contrast, Rhimes was pleased with the chemistry between Robbins and Torres, citing the addition of Capshaw to the cast as one of the elements 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.
In March 2018, Capshaw, along with Sarah Drew, was let go from the series for "creative" reasons after playing the character for ten seasons. Shonda Rhimes alluded to the impact Robbins' character had in representing the LGBTQ+ community and praised both actresses for "bringing these characters to life with such vibrant performance and for inspiring women around the globe." The decision to let Capshaw go was controversial, sparking backlash from fans and further speculation about its connection to Ellen Pompeo's new $20 million annual contract. However, showrunner Krista Vernoff clarified that the decision was purely creative and not budgetary.
Capshaw addressed the significance Robbins had on fans, stating: "She was one of the first members of the LGBTQ community to be represented in a series regular role on network television. Her impact on the world is permanent and forever. Forever."
Storylines
Following the death of Dr. Jordan Kenley, Chief Webber 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 fifth-year resident Callie Torres and later goes on to kiss her. The two embark on a relationship, but when Torres' father, Carlos, learns of the relationship, he threatens to cut her off financially unless Torres 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 Mr. Torres raised. Torres is dismayed to learn that Robbins does not 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, Lexie Grey, and Richard Webber, 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'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. In season 8 episode 5, Meredith and Derek face legal issues regarding Zola after she has a medical complication, which causes Arizona question her legal rights to Sofia. At the end of the episode, she tells Callie that she wants to adopt Sofia to make her relationship to Sofia legal. While it does not show the actual adoption, we know that second-parent adoption does take place some time before season 12, and this has a large impact on the legal issues surrounding the custody battle between these two in season 12 epsidoe 22. As the fifth year residents are coming close to the end of their residency, Robbins urges Alex Karev to work under her. At the end of the Season 8, Robbins is hurt badly in a plane crash, resulting in her left leg being amputated. In the aftermath of the plane accident, in which Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey were killed, the hospital is sued and eventually found liable for negligence. Each victim including Shepherd, Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, and Robbins herself must receive $15 million of compensation, which leads the hospital to a near bankruptcy as the insurance companies 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. She also struggles with body image issues, especially in regards to her and Callie's sex life, when she feels vulnerable removing her prosthetic. However, they slowly reconcile as Robbins tries to adapt to her new life, and she starts "feeling like herself again." When Dr. Lauren Boswell arrives at the hospital to reconstruct the face of a baby and flirts with Robbins, she is flattered that a stranger still finds her attractive despite knowing about her injury and the two have a one-night stand.
After finding out that Arizona cheated on her with Lauren, Callie kicks Arizona out of their apartment. They also let out their true feelings about the accident and more is revealed about how they actually have felt. Callie initially agrees to couples therapy, but she shows up at the office only to tell Arizona that she isn't going in. Arizona gets drunk with April for a laugh while Callie attends a fundraiser. Arizona is led to believe that she and Leah slept together, however all they did was dance and make grilled cheese sandwiches after watching Derek perform surgery on film. Arizona pursues a sexual relationship with Leah but cuts 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, but later miscarried. They decided to try again for a second child, after agreeing that Callie would carry it. Callie went to see an OB/GYN and discovered that she had developed adhesions in her uterus since Sofia's birth, meaning she can't carry any more children. When she told Arizona, Arizona offered to carry the baby, but Callie decided that since they're still on unsteady footing that if something goes wrong, they won't make it and she doesn't want to put them in that position. They agree to postpone their plans to have another baby. However, in the season finale of Season 10 it is implied that Callie and Arizona's dream of having another child may come by means of a surrogate. At the beginning of Season 11, Callie and Arizona decide to have a baby by surrogate and Arizona applies for a fetal surgery fellowship with Dr. Nicole Herman. Arizona, with a heavy workload because of the fellowship, and Callie have an argument in the waiting room, and they choose to go to therapy together, resulting in a 30-day break. Arizona believes that the break strengthened their relationship and made her realize that she needs Callie - Callie on the other hand declares that the break gave her a taste of the freedom that she has been missing. Callie walks away and the two get a divorce later.
Callie wants to take Sofia and move to New York with Penny but Arizona does not want to be separated from her daughter so she hires a lawyer and they go to court for a custody battle. This implies that Arizona had previously second-parent adopted Sofia, giving Arizona legal rights to Sofia as well. After a long case, Arizona wins sole custody of Sofia, but in the end she ends up sharing Sofia with Callie because she thinks that 'both of Sofia's moms deserve to be happy'.
Callie is referenced occasionally by Arizona and Sofia after her departure from the show. In Season 14, Sofia moves back with Arizona because she misses her but also frequently misses Callie. Arizona starts a research project to figure out why mother mortality rates are so high in the US versus other countries. At the Season 14 finale, Arizona departs the show to move to New York to be with Sofia and Callie with the possibility that she reconciled with the latter.
Development
Casting and creation
It was first reported in December 2008 that Jessica Capshaw would be joining the cast of Grey's Anatomy as pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins, initially for a multi-episode arc. Capshaw was originally scheduled to appear in only three episodes of the show's fifth season, but series creator Shonda Rhimes extended her contract, allowing Capshaw to appear in all of the season's remaining episodes. Following her success in the role, Capshaw was promoted to series regular status starting in the sixth season. Speaking of the new addition, Rhimes said:This promotion saw Robbins become the only lesbian series regular on primetime TV at the time. Robbins is described as "quirky perky" by TV Guide's Matt Mitovich and as "a clear and rational surgeon who is not ruled by her emotions" by Kris De Leon of BuddyTV. William Harper, writer of the episode "Beat Your Heart Out", in which Robbins and Torres share their first kiss, described Robbins as "genuinely, positively interested in people, in the most selfless way." Commenting on Robbins' confidence, Capshaw explained: "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." Robbins is also portrayed as having "wacky tendencies," such as wearing roller shoes to work, which became one of her signature traits.