<P> The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) characterized Yang as "competitive", "ambitious", and "intelligent", while also noting her weaknesses: "bossy", "aggressive", and "tactless". Oh said of her character: "I've always tried to play Cristina with a tremendous amount of focus and ambition--which is the reality for a female surgeon . I mean, in real life there aren't many of them . But the ones you encounter are at the very top of their game . You have to have a kind of ascetic personality to survive ." James Pickens, Jr. who portrays Dr. Webber said: "That character itself set a bar in terms of how we look at millennial women: independent yet vulnerable, seriously competitive yet caring ." Rhimes referred to Yang's relationship with Burke by the portmanteau "Burktina", citing "Losing My Religion" as one of her favorite episodes featuring them because it shows their evolution from the beginning of the second season to its end . </P> <P> Rhimes commented, "(We see) her struggle to suppress all of her humanity in pursuit of perfection . And in my mind, what we realize is that she is not cold . She is terrified . Scared that if she lets her emotions out, they will overtake her and she will be hurt . And you can't hate her . Because it's so incredibly human and understandable ." Yang's friendship with Meredith has been looked upon as "sisterhood", and Yang has repeatedly referred to the former as "her person". This led to the two being dubbed "the twisted sisters". At the conclusion of season three, the duo went on a "honeymoon" together, and Rhimes called it her favorite detail of the finale . </P> <P> New York magazine wrote of the character: "There's probably no woman on TV right now more single - mindedly dedicated to her career than Cristina . It has long been her defining characteristic . If it occasionally makes her into a caricature, it has also unquestionably established that she would have an abortion in this circumstance ." Talking about Yang's abortion in the eighth season, Rhimes explained she intended Yang to have an abortion already in the second season but changed it with an ectopic pregnancy at the suggestion of one of her writers because "that was so much more interesting, story-wise". As for the abortion in the eighth season, Rhimes commented: "I really wanted Cristina Yang to stay true to who Cristina Yang is . And I feel like that is a character who has never really wanted to be a mother . The idea that this woman would have a child that she did not want and resented for ruining her career and resented Owen for making her have (it) would have been hideous . (The abortion) made sense for the character ." </P> <P> Discussing his onscreen relationship with Yang, McKidd said: "It's not going to be easy for them . What I read when I read the season premiere, and this is just my take on it, is that it was very much two very analytical people, Owen and Cristina . They're very similar in a way, I think, as people . Two analytical people see each other over a crowded ER room and their eyes meet ." On the topic of Yang's triumphs and challenges in the eighth season, Oh said: "It has been an extremely challenging year that has had a lot of ups and downs, both challenging and exhilarating . We would shoot all our scenes for a day or two straight, and that was extremely challenging because emotionally and physically it becomes really exhausting ." </P>

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