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'Grey’s Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 6 sees an emotional side to Tom Koracick and it's a welcome relief

He was unbearable and arrogant, and most of us like Amelia Shephard were not fond of him, to say the least.

In the latest episode, Tom Koracick showed his rare soft side, once again. When Miranda Bailey (Chandra Bailey)  asked him why he was such a Halloween grinch, he revealed that it was his late son’s favorite time of the year. One year, his son had been particularly excited about the Luke Skywalker costume that he and his dad put together. However, he died two weeks before Halloween.

Hark back to the fourteenth season of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, when Tom Koracick (Greg Germann) entered the show with swag and oozing brazen confidence. He was unbearable and arrogant, and most of us like Amelia Shephard (Caterina Scorsone) were not fond of him, to say the least. It’s always a relief to see a gentle side to him, even if its on rare occasions.

Tom was Amelia’s former mentor and was called to Seattle to operate on her when she had a tumor. A brilliant neurosurgeon, he was still consistently dismissive towards Amelia and would exchange sharp jibes with her. He also reminded Amelia of her ‘failures’ in the past and said that the tumor had clouded her judgment and that she shouldn’t be allowed to treat patients until he had cleared her.

However, while Tom usually came across as brash and arrogant, the show unpeeled his numerous layers carefully.  He had once gotten into an argument with April (Sara Drew) about her strong faith, and gradually let on how his own faith was tested when he lost his son in a freak baseball accident at the age of 10. His marriage fell apart after the death of his son. The priest told him that he should speak to God. Since he did not wish to do that, he admitted to April that he preferred to go to mass instead.

Tom is also known to be a caring friend. After Catherine Fox told him that she had a malignant spinal tumor, Tom didn’t rest till he could figure out a plan on how to save her. The episode was a powerful and emotional one as Tom and Amelia worked for hours to remove the tumor.

Tom has had relationships with several people on the show, the most prominent being Teddy Altman (Kim Ravers).  When it comes to Teddy, Tom’s gentler side resurfaces.  When Teddy was hunting for a house, he found her one, and built her a crib for her baby with Owen Hunt. Despite knowing that he could never be with Teddy again, he assured her that he would always be there for her.

Earlier this season, when Meredith Grey’s article (Ellen Pompeo) almost blew Grey-Sloan Memorial’s reputation to smithereens, Tom was quick on his feet and devised a plan to get free publicity for the hospital. 

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ has shown that every character has their numerous shades of grey and that all fight their demons, in some way or the other.