In a way, Katherine Heigl’s character, Izzie Stevens, was crucial to the original interns on the show. They were a group of competitive interns with complicated personal lives who eventually realized that they were each other’s family.
Izzie, for her part, drew us in from the beginning. She had her share of flirtation, love, and heartache. She also endured cancer, got married, and then left for good. Indeed, everything made for great drama, even resulting in some of Izzie’s most dramatic lines ever.
“I Love You Mom. I Love You So Much. But, We Do Better Loving Each Other From A Distance.”
Perhaps, one of the most unfortunate things about Izzie’s life is that she has a fractured relationship with her parents, specifically her mom, Robbie. Back when she was just a teenager, Robbie had a fascination with psychics and used up all her money and Izzie’s savings. As a result, Izzie decided to get into modeling just so she could go to medical school. The relationship between Izzie and her mom had been tense since then. And when Robbie paid her a surprise visit, Izzie didn’t hesitate to tell her how she felt with this quote.
“I'm Just Gonna Keep My Eyes Close Because This Is Like That Moment In The Morning When You First Wake Up And You're Still Half Asleep And Everything Seems… Things Are Possible, Dreams Feel True.”
In the season 5 episode entitled Midnight Hour, we find Izzie reunited Izzie took desperate measures to try to save his life. When Denny decides to make a ghostly return, Izzie spends as much time with him as possible. However, based on her quote, there was a part of her who knew that Denny was just a hallucination. And in the end, she goes with her then-boyfriend, Alex (Justin Chambers).
“I Swear To God, Cristina... I Like You. I Really Do. But I Grew Up In A Trailer Park And I Am Not Above Kicking Your Pampered Little Beverly Hills Ass.”
The line comes from the season 2 episode 'Superstition' which starts with Seattle Grace dealing with four surgical fatalities early in the morning. Throughout the episode, doctors are doing everything in their power to shake off the ‘bad vibes,’ but it proves to be easier said than done.
And when time came for Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington) to operate on Denny, Izzie becomes desperate to ensure that all would go well. Hence, she corners Cristina Yang and threatens to physically harm her if she doesn’t hand over Burke’s lucky scrub caps.
“I Believe In The Good. I Believe That It's Been A Hell Of A Year. And I Believe, In The Face Of Overwhelming Evidence To The Contrary, We Will All Be Okay.”
Izzie utters this line in the season 3 episode entitled 'Drowning on Dry Land' where Meredith is rushed back to Seattle Grace after she drowns while tending to patients involved in a ferryboat accident. At first, nobody is aware that she’s fighting for her life. In fact, Izzie herself has been focused on surgery when she receives a page regarding Meredith. And as interns wait helplessly to see if Meredith would pull through, Izzie makes an encouraging speech about staying positive despite the odds. Fortunately, Meredith eventually pulls through.
“You Don't Recognize The Biggest Day Of Your Life, Not Until You're Right In The Middle Of It.”
Izzie utters this line in the season 5 episode 'What a Difference a Day Makes' while she’s laying in a hospital bed with an oxygen tube in her nose. Around this time, Izzie is weak from cancer but she blissfully delivers these words as the scenes interchange with visions of a wedding. Later on, we learn that Alex surprises her with their wedding as she prepares to leave the hospital. Over the years, the couple has had their ups and downs, but Alex has made it clear that he remains committed to Izzie.
“Well, I'm Giving You An Out. You Thought You Were Dying And I Was Saving Your Life And Well…”
Izzie’s relationship with Denny began with a little flirtation and when it seemed that he was getting better, Izzie thought he would move on from her. In fact, she utters this line when he was already feeling better after receiving a new heart.
Specifically, Izzie was addressing the fact that Denny proposed to her while he was still gravely ill. Unfortunately, Denny’s healthier state is short-lived. Towards the end of the episode, Izzie learns that Denny has ed away just she was preparing to attend a ‘prom’ event at the hospital.
“I'm Wishing For A Brain Tumor. I'm Wishing All The Time For A Giant Tumor That Would Just Press Down On My Brain And Make Me Hallucinate George. So That I Could Talk To Him Again.”
In the season 6 episode 'Goodbye', all of our favorite doctors are still reeling from the shocking loss of George. As longtime fans of the show would recall, George died following a traumatic accident that left him unrecognizable to the entire hospital staff. Around this time, Izzie is also undergoing her cancer treatment. And while everyone is able to distract themselves with work, Izzie doesn’t really have much on her plate. In the past, Izzie’s suffered some hallucinations, even envisioned seeing George in Army attire as the two of them take an elevator ride together.
“That's How You Stay Alive. When It Hurts So Much You Can't Breathe, That's How You Survive.”
Izzie utters these lines as a voiceover towards the end of 'Goodbye'. During this time, she is living with Alex who has distanced himself from her. And when she confronts Alex and demands him to “be my husband.” In response, Alex retorted, “You died in my arms and you left freaking instructions that I wasn’t allowed to save your life!” At some point the show, it would seem that Alex and Izzie would forever part ways. However, when Chambers exited the show, it was revealed that Alex left to be with Izzie and that they have two children together.
“Just If It Comes Down To It, Just Let Me Go. And Right Now, Kiss Me.”
Izzie delivers one of her most dramatic lines just as she is about to undergo surgery because of her cancer. However, she also comes to the realization that she doesn’t want to keep on fighting if her condition gets any worse. Just before she undergoes the procedure, Alex learns that she has signed a DNR and while he demands that she tears it up, Izzie insists that she doesn’t want to continue living if she’ll just end up in “hospital beds and tubes down my throat.”
“I'm Breaking Up With You Because... On Your Very Best Day, That Corpse... Is Twice The Man You Will Ever Be.”
Early on in the show, Alex had the reputation of being a jerk, especially around Izzie. And because the two doctors hooked up before Izzie ever met Denny, Alex certainly appreciated that she was pursuing romance with a “corpse.” That said, Izzie remained defiant about dating her patient, telling Alex this line when she finally got fed up with him. Eventually, Alex learned to accept Izzie’s feelings for Denny. And in fact, when Denny died, Alex was the one who came in and carried Izzie away from him.
