Colin Marlow is a cardiothoracic surgeon, famous for "the Marlow transplant". During his time as a professor at Stanford, Marlow formed a three-year relationship with his student Cristina Yang.
History
Coming to Seattle Grace
Colin came to Seattle Grace as a potential Chief of Surgery candidate. He was the "ringer" brought in by Richard Webber. When he came out of his meeting with the board, Preston Burke tried to introduce himself, but Colin brushed him aside to greet Cristina, with whom he'd had a prior relationship while the latter was a student at Stanford University School of Medicine.
On his first day observing at Seattle Grace, both Derek and Burke invited him to observe surgeries they were doing. He agreed to join both of them. While he was in the OR with Burke, they talked about Cristina and Burke was shocked to hear they'd been together for three years.
He then observed Derek's surgery. While Derek was operating, the patient had a cardiac episode and he had to open her chest, aspirate an air embolism, and do open cardiac massage. ("Scars and Souvenirs")
Board Interview
Colin prepared a ten-year plan for the hospital which he presented during his interview with the board. ("My Favorite Mistake")
Heterotopic Transplant
At Seattle Grace, Colin continued to observe surgeries. He also scheduled a heterotopic heart transplant to perform. He invited both Cristina and Burke to scrub in with him. However, in surgery, Colin critiqued Burke's technique and ultimately said it would be better if he simply observed.
Leaving Seattle
After the surgery, Colin watched Cristina talking to Burke. When he saw her ask a question she already knew the answer to, a question from a paper she helped him write, he knew he wasn't wanted there and decided to leave. ("Time After Time")
Relationships
Romantic
Colin Marlow had a three-year relationship with Cristina Yang before she graduated and began her residency at Seattle Grace. During that time, he proposed to her several times, with her rejecting him each time. When he came to Seattle Grace Hospital, he tried to belittle Burke and win back Cristina by seducing her in attempt to sleep with her. Burke became very offended by this realization but Cristina assured him it was nothing. Cristina tried to avoid him by hiding, but he found her, and she confronted him by telling him that she was in a real relationship and would no longer include him in her love life. He continued to flirt with Cristina, but she yelled at him and told him to leave her be, and that she was happy without him, saying she moved on. Eventually he left as he felt the Cristina he knew before no longer existed and the job was beneath him anyway.
Professional
Preston Burke had initially intended to befriend him (due to his great success) and introduced himself to Dr. Marlow with a smile. Marlow rudely passed Burke and hugged Cristina. Burke realized that Colin was touching Cristina's butt. Cristina told Burke that she was with Colin for 3 years. Burke became upset with Cristina, but even more so, Colin. He no longer liked Colin or anything to do with him. Burke was still upset, and started being rude to Colin. Colin was confused, but later saw that he really loved Cristina.
Career
Dr. Colin Marlow was a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and a brilliant, admired, and legendary cardiothoracic surgeon noted for pioneering a procedure called the Marlow transplant. He appeared months later as a candidate for chief of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. He had a ten year plan for the hospital full of tweaks, but never ended up landing the job because he left due to the conflict between him and Cristina Yang.
Gallery
Appearances
Episode Stills
Appearances
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 3 | |||||
| #01 | "Time Has Come Today" | #10 | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | #19 | "My Favorite Mistake" |
| #02 | "I Am a Tree" | #11 | "Six Days, Part 1" | #20 | "Time After Time" |
| #03 | "Sometimes a Fantasy" | #12 | "Six Days, Part 2" | #21 | "Desire" |
| #04 | "What I Am" | #13 | "Great Expectations" | #22 | "The Other Side of This Life, Part 1" |
| #05 | "Oh, the Guilt" | #14 | "Wishin' and Hopin'" | #23 | "The Other Side of This Life, Part 2" |
| #06 | "Let the Angels Commit" | #15 | "Walk on Water" | #24 | "Testing 1-2-3" |
| #07 | "Where the Boys Are" | #16 | "Drowning on Dry Land" | #25 | "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" |
| #08 | "Staring at the Sun" | #17 | "Some Kind of Miracle" | ||
| #09 | "From a Whisper to a Scream" | #18 | "Scars and Souvenirs" | ||