Of TV and Shipping

I don't know if I've ever shipped a tv couple so hard as I'm shipping Jo and Alex from Grey's Anatomy.

(update: I was talking to Mark about "shipping" and he was so utterly confused I guess shipping isn't as widely known a term as I think it is. Derived from the word "relationship" and is basically a word meaning "I want these people together")

I am so ready for poor Karev to finally have some happiness that isn't marred by crazy or the inevitable fact that it is obviously going to fall apart. But also he's a jerk. And a slimeball. But a reformed slimeball? Is that realistic? Maybe not.
But in the interest of a little fun, let's have a showdown of Karev's terrible track record when it comes to romance, shall we?

First there was Izzie [insert menacing growl]...

And well, kind of Olivia too...

Alex comes into the show as a cocky, grumpy, anger-prone hermit that hates everyone as well as being shadowed in mystery. For whatever reason (perhaps because of his guilt for making fun of her center-fold history), he opens up to Izzie and they form a relationship based off of, "nobody knows my haunting secrets and what a miracle it is that I'm here actually making something of my life let's have sex."
Surprise, surprise, it doesn't go well.
Mostly because Izzie goes and falls for a heart patient at the hospital and I won't even go into that because omg feels. [she didn't deserve Denny]
Whilst Izzie is mourning Alex eventually leaves off trying to win her over again and is studying under the devil-woman Addison and they get involved in a little hankypanky.

But then there's a ferry crash and Alex rescues a pregnant woman with a smashed face.

She conveniently awakes with crippling amnesia and latches on to him as her hope for the return of some semblance of her life (they name her Ava and create an identity for her). It's an extremely unhealthy relationship on both ends. After the birth of her baby, her memory comes back (now she's Rebecca) and turns out she's already in a bad marriage and Alex ends the relationship.
There's a quick fling with cute, mousey Lexie...

But wait, there's more!
Ava/Rebecca returns and reveals that she is pregnant with what is assumed to be Alex's baby and he tries to make a little family out of the messy situation. Ava/Rebecca attempts suicide because she has serious mental issues and Izzie finally steps up as the former best friend and convinces Alex that Ava/Rebecca needs psychiatric help. He breaks down to Izzie again. They kiss. Go figure.

But now Izzie thinks she's going crazy because she's hallucinating [vividly] and seeing dead Denny everywhere all the time and it gets really awkward for everyone. But lo and behold she's actually just dying from a tumor that's causing all the hallucinations.
So what does Alex do?
He marries Izzie.

She has surgery and flatlines, Alex revives her, she awakes and decides now is a good time to just ditch everything and leave without saying anything. I guess she was pissed for getting fired, but seriously?
But she storms back into town eventually to hash it out with Alex but no one forgives anyone and Alex rekindles the short flame between him and Lexie.

Alex has a surprising gift for pediatrics and is seriously so good with kids it's adorable and ovary-melting but then divorce papers arrive from Izzie [thank de lawd] and he gets shot during the hospital shooting (speaking of feels...) and during recovery as Lexie is crying over his broken body he mistakes her for Izzie and I probably threw the pillow at the tv. Freaking Izzie.
After Lexie has a mental breakdown from stress, he cowardly ditches her and fancies himself a proper bada** because he still has the bullet from the shooting lodged in his shoulder. But he is barred from surgery till he gets it removed so he caves and as a consequence of some intense family drama he attempts to sleep with flaky virgin April Kepner.

It doesn't go well. And he probably scars her for life because #angermanagement
But then there's this sassy australian peds chick and it seems like they could be pretty happy even though Alex is still an anger-prone sex addict baggage douche.

But working in peds is slowly softening him.
And then he makes one of his first personal mistakes causing his ruin on his very own, unaided by a positively mental woman. He rats out Meredith for tampering with the alzheimer's trial.
And everyone. hates. him.
But all is forgiven fairly shortly, all things considered, and Alex miraculously passes his boards despite being late by proving he really is a fantastic doctor and the medical world needs him.
I think the australian chick goes to africa or something noble so that isn't too awful a breakup/falling out but Alex is informed that he has been offered a position at a prodigious hospital in his exact field; pediatrics. Not even just offered, the hospital created a position just for him. Honored, much? The head of peds is pissed that he is even considering leaving (which is totally ridiculous, keep your panties on Arizona geez what kind of mentor are you anyway??) and due to their fight she takes his place on the plane that later crashes and loses her leg. Survivor's guilt anyone?
And then there's a whole new batch of interns (aren't they so widdle bitty?!) and he forms a relationship with Jo that is mostly just supporting each other from their traumatic childhoods but it really bonds them and they make each other better people and it's beautiful and gaiz I just want them married.

Just look at that sass!

Jo don't take no crap from nobody.

But he takes care of her when she needs help.

Look at them being all cute and normal.

And did I mention adorable?

A-dor-a-bull.

Also their kisses are hawt.

But they're fighting currently because Alex vaguely asked Jo to marry him because everyone's getting married and she's not ready and his pride is injured and I haven't seen the latest episode (other update: I watched it. It was good.) but from sneak peeks it seems like they aren't making up anytime soon...
No spoilers please!
I think they're adorable and she's just the right amount of fire to handle him but also damaged so he doesn't feel totally unworthy of her affections and they've both grown up enough to not be defined by their damage. Plus Alex has finally succumbed to his soft underbelly from working in peds for so long and they would have beautiful babies and make such cautious careful parents who want their kid to grow up undamaged.
I need them to work out.
Basically because of Jo and his work in peds, he went from this womanizing whiner:

To this beautiful, faithful, heart wrenching man:

I hated Karev when the show started (and through most of the seasons I only barely tolerated his character). He's mean, and selfish, and a pretty terrible friend. But dude has major baggage and could very well have been just another druggie, deadbeat father to a bunch of illegitimate children but instead he pulled his crap together and tried his best to protect his family and worked his butt off to get into a very respectable career. He's a very real, complex character that I hope gets the chance to show that people really can change and aren't just the culmination of what has happened to them.

I also realize how terribly addicted I am to this show

 and please don't judge me 

I can feel your glaring eyeballs stahp.