We're about a third of the way through Grey's Anatomy's third season, so I thought it was about time to conjure up a Grey's Anatomy Character Power Rankings. These rankings are meant to be somewhat objective, but it's impossible to take my personal leanings out of it completely. Let's get started, shall we?
1. Alex Karev Making the moves on Izzie (perhaps too soon), dealing well with the demeaning treatment from Sloan, generally being a good guy, and ramping up for what looks to be a relationship with Addison. One episode he's hooking up with a patient (who happens to be somewhat of a cougar) in a bar bathroom, next he's helping Izzie cope. Well done, Karev. Good range. 2. Derek Shepard Although he has to deal with the whole Burke situation, he should feel no fault in the matter. Derek is happy, on good terms with Addison, and in a seemingly healthy relationship with Meredith. Just as long as I don't have to see any more naked bath tub scenes with him, I'll be fine. Can we all agree that that was completely unnecessary? 3. Izzie Stevens She's back and starting to regain her livelihood. Although still on probation, she seems in good spirits. And, let's be honest, Izzie is really hot, and that will never hurt your spot in the rankings. 4. Miranda Bailey Miranda is ornery as always, taking charge when necessary, and being an overall good leader. No complaints here. 5. Meredith Grey There are those Meredith haters out there, sure, but her character has been fairly enjoyable this season. Saying that, she's been on the back-burner lately. I feel like Meredith works better as a secondary character than the focal point. 6. Addison Montgomery The story line I'm most looking forward to: Addison and Karev hooking up. It's not a certainty, but it definitely appears to be in the pipeline. I've recently been hearing arguments that Addison is the hottest female on Grey's. I'm about ready to jump on that bandwagon. 7. Mark Sloan He may be a jerk, but you have to love how shameless he is about it. I just watched X-Men: The Last Stand last week, and I was surprised that Eric Dane played a mutant (Multiple Man) in the movie. And, yes, his character in X-Men was also smarmy and arrogant. But in a good way. 8. Richard Webber And the list starts to get ugly. Webber now has the Burke situation to deal with on top of his marital woes. I see a "Will Webber retire?" story line surfacing at some point this season. 9. George O'Malley George's life is kind of in shambles. You've got to feel for him, what with his dad in bad shape and dealing with Callie, but he hasn't handled it well at all. Especially the way he dealt with Burke and Cristina; it probably wasn't the optimal handling of it. 10. Callie Torres I've never been a big fan of Callie, but, as it is with most characters, the more her life starts to suck, the more sympathy viewers begin to feel. You had to like her trying to fight Meredith on the Thanksgiving episode, though. 11. Preston Burke Well, what is the man supposed to do? He's been found out, his lady betrayed him, and his name is (probably) forever tarnished. Could Burke be leaving the show for good? After his on-set incident, it's looking more and more likely. 12. Cristina Yang If I didn't like Cristina before the last few episodes, how do you think I feel now? The ultimate snake in the grass, Cristina sold out Burke and now has to deal with the consequences, both personal and professional. -Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer