After the tragic plane crash that occurred in the Season 8 finale of Grey's Anatomy, it made sense for the show to shake things up a little. After all, not even the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial can move on quickly from that much trauma.
Meredith Grey had to cope with her sister dying, and her best friend Cristina Yang becoming catatonic. Fortunately, though, Cristina did recover, but she refused to go back to the hospital. Instead, she moved all the way to Minnesota, where she met Dr Craig Thomas. The two soon hit it off but, arguably, they weren't technically real friends.
They Didn't Like Each Other Initially
Some fans don't realize this, but Cristina and Thomas actually met before Season 9. In the previous season, all the fifth-year residents spent a lot of time preparing for their board exams, which would affect their fellowships, jobs, and also their lives. So, naturally, there was a lot of pressure.
Everyone assumed Cristina would have the easiest time of it, but Cristina got placed with an old, and very slow examiner. This was Dr. Thomas. Although it was hilarious seeing Cristina get more and more impatient, first impressions are very important and this one was decidedly awkward.
The Age Gap
Part of the reason why Cristina and Thomas didn't get along at first was Dr. Thomas's age. Or rather, the side effects of his age. Cristina is a badass surgeon who is extremely talented and extremely intelligent. During her board examination, she knew the answer before Dr. Thomas had even finished the question.
However, Thomas refused to let her answer until he had finished, which, hilariously, annoyed Cristina to no end. Thomas took ages to ask the question, going almost deliberately slowly. Cristina, contrastingly, was young and impetuous, which was one of the reasons why these two first clashed.
Dr. Thomas Could Be Considered To Be More Of A Mentor
When Cristina first moved to Minnesota, she was indeed a gifted surgeon, as all her experience at Grey Sloan Memorial served to prove. However, she was still only a cardiothoracic fellow, meaning that Dr. Thomas was actually her superior.
While the two friends didn't really let this get in the way of their friendship, they didn't always ignore it either. Cristina still had a few things to learn about cardio and Dr. Thomas did help to teach her. There is no reason why you can't be friends with your mentor, but it does make things slightly peculiar.
Dr. Thomas Is Just A Substitute For Meredith Grey
Since the very first season, Meredith and Cristina have become inseparable from each other. They have the same sense of humor, they were both originally very dark and twisty, and they both love tequila and dancing it out. However, that didn't stop Cristina from leaving Meredith in Season 9.
The two parted on bad , as Mer didn't understand why Cristina was leaving and Cristina gave Meredith a healthy reality check. Alone in Minnesota, Cristina needed someone to talk to while she and Mer were on a break, and so that's when Dr. Thomas came in.
Cristina Slept With Their Boss
Cristina and Thomas's boss in Minnesota was, quite simply, a nasty little slimeball. He forced Cristina to take a sabbatical to go and have fun, and then when she came back, he paired her with the oldest doctor in the hospital. Happily, Cristina and Dr. Thomas formed an amazing friendship instead.
Unfortunately, their boss was trying to force Dr. Thomas to retire, as he was worried about the hospital's liability. When Cristina found this out, she was understandably mad, but continued to sleep with him, because he was her 'sex friend.'
Cristina Pushed Thomas To Do Surgery
During the early days of their friendship, Dr. Thomas and Cristina had a whale of a time. Thanks to Thomas, Cristina was finally starting to enjoy her new life in Minnesota. Dr. Thomas was also relishing having another surgeon around who wouldn't patronize him every time he spoke.
Part of the reason why Cristina was paired with Thomas to begin with was to try and highlight the difference in their surgical techniques. Thomas was old fashioned, and so to save his job, Cristina tried to push him into doing a surgery he almost wasn't ready for.
Dr. Thomas Was Cristina's Examiner
Dr. Thomas and Cristina first met when Thomas examined Cristina for her boards. As previously mentioned, it didn't go too well as the two gifted surgeons ended up taking potshots at each other due to their considerably inflated egos.
However, they got past their unfortunate first meeting and eventually became firm friends. However, becoming friends with the person who examined you is surely a bit weird. It would be like being friends with your teacher and then hanging out with them at a bar, drinking an old fashioned.
Their Friendship Was Never Going To Be Long Term
Despite Cristina moving all the way to Minnesota at the start of Grey's Anatomy's ninth season, viewers just knew that she would be moving back to Seattle very soon. It would have been bizarre for Cristina to stay away for the entire season, as well as really awkward.
With that in mind, it was clear that Dr. Thomas and Cristina's friendship wouldn't last too long. Sure, Thomas could have moved with Cristina, but given his age, that wouldn't have been a good idea. Also, without Cristina, he probably would have been pushed out of his place of work.
Cristina Was Never Shown To Grieve
Whatever one may think of Cristina and Dr. Thomas's friendship, one can't deny that their banter was great. Dr. Thomas was the only person in Minnesota who made Cristina feel as though she belonged and they clearly both liked each other as only friends can.
Therefore, when Thomas died suddenly during surgery, Cristina was suitably heartbroken. In fact, she flew all the way to Seattle to be with Meredith. However, after that, it was as though Dr. Thomas had never existed. Cristina never mentioned him again, and never grieved for him either.
Dr. Thomas Never Met Any Of Cristina's Friends
Friendships between two individuals are wonderful, as you get to share something special. All the best friendships on Grey's Anatomy have consisted of two people (apart from the original interns), such as Meredith and Cristina, Arizona Robbins and Richard Webber, and so on.
However, if these friendships remain exclusive, then it could lead to feelings of isolation. Dr. Thomas and Cristina had a magical friendship, but unfortunately, only the two of them were part of it. Dr. Thomas unfortunately died before he could meet any of Cristina's friends, including Mer.
