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Levi Schmitt is a surgical resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and is currently Chief Resident along with his roommate, Taryn Helm. He is the ex-boyfriend of Nico Kim.

History[]

Early Life[]

When Levi was a child, he was determined to be first in line to get a comic book, but on the way, a block from the store, he flipped over the handlebars of his bike and broke both his arms.[5]

Rotation at Grey Sloan[]

Levi was selected to be part of a group of "sub-i's" doing a rotation at Grey Sloan Memorial as a sort of extended interview to attempt to get an internship there. On his first day, he was observing a surgery when he leaned over the body cavity and his glasses fell in. Later, Levi went to apologize to Jo about what he'd done. She told him to buy contacts, which he said he'd already done, and the two ended up going back to Levi's mom's basement to have sex.[6]

The next day at work, he returned her name tag, which she'd left there accidentally. He and the other sub-interns were challenged to find a suitable abdominal wall donor for Megan. He found a good donor, but didn't know how to approach the family about it. He went to Jo, who took over the case and got to scrub in on the surgery as a result.[7]

Interview and Hiring[]

Levi later returned to the hospital for an official interview for an internship with Drs. Webber and Bailey. During the interview, he revealed that he tried wearing contacts to keep his glasses from falling off his face, but he didn't like touching his own eyeball, so he instead started using a band to keep his glasses on his face.[8]

Levi attended the new intern mixer at the hospital, where Richard gave a speech about them starting their work as doctors. During the party, Meredith Grey was celebrated as she learned she had been nominated for a Harper Avery Award. The new interns then walked around the hospital, in awe that they worked there and so did Meredith Grey.[9]

Internship[]

When a roller coaster derailed at a fair, Levi tended to Cleo Kim, who was trapped in the roller coaster car. He struggled with suctioning properly while April and Meredith operated.[10]

Levi scrubbed in on surgery on Judy Kemp, who needed a splenectomy. When Meredith determined she needed blood and wasn't able to access it because of the hospital hack, she asked who in the OR had an appropriate blood type. Levi raised his hand and he was hooked up to do a direct transfusion to Judy.[11]

Levi started to feel faint due to blood loss and Meredith asked someone to get him a basin to vomit in. He tried to get it himself and passed out on the floor. He was given saline to recover. After he woke up, Judy asked to see him. She thanked him for saving her life and told him to be proud of it and stand up straight. [12]

Levi was called to Bailey's house to help her with something. He became disturbed at the things she asked him to retrieve and when she told him to take off his scrubs before coming the next time, prompting him to stand up for himself and say he didn't feel safe with what was happening. She then told him she wasn't trying to seduce him. She was working on the prototype for her surgical contest entry.[13]

After overhearing Maggie, Amelia, and Meredith planning a game night, Levi showed up with Taryn. Maggie just shut the door in their faces.[14]

The time came for the interns to go through their Trauma Certification Drill. Owen set the scenario where a Cessna crashed into a Greyhound bus. April interrupted and said that the evacuation helicopter wasn't coming and people were dying. Their job was to save lives. Owen judged the competition, but April hung around to help and insistently made the scenarios worse. She even had a second plane crash hit Andrew, who was helping monitor. She also added rain with a hose. The difficulties ended when April was paged away. Owen helped the interns calm down and continued the drill. When April returned, she learned that Casey had been the one to page her away. He realized that she was endangering the patients the most, so he removed her from the equation. She told him he was trying to cheat and after she "cheated" at her certification, a man came into the hospital and died because she couldn't save him. She then started crying and performing CPR on a dummy while the interns watched. Andrew stopped her and she said the certification was done.[15]

When Dayna Rutledge came into the ER after a car accident and told the doctors about her recent cancer diagnosis and promise of a good outcome, Levi was impressed with her oncologist. However, Owen told him never to promise anything like that to patients or Owen would end his career.[16]

When Arizona became worried about Lanie while she was giving birth, she asked Levi to get a cart together with everything they might need. He found an old cart and stocked it with supplies, but when Arizona looked at it, she noted that he'd put things in all the wrong places and rearranged them based on their use. Lanie's birth went smoothly, but they later used the cart when another new mom hemorrhaged.[17]

Levi was in the OR with Bailey when she started to feel the effects of the weed cookie she'd ingested. He stayed to assist Jo as she operated in Bailey's place and retrieved Richard's cancer pen so she could determine exactly where the cancer stopped in order to save part of his stomach.[18]

Levi helped Jo with Milo Jankovic, who had swallowed a chew toy and was whistling when he breathed. Once they located the whistle, he did the bronchoscopy with Alex's guidance to remove it.[19]

When Vik sued the hospital for wrongful termination, Bailey and Richard went to Levi to ask him if he'd ever seen anything to indicate that Vik was incompetent. Levi said he had, but also shared an unhelpful account of Bailey when she was high.[20]

After April was in a car accident and came to the hospital hypothermic, Levi and the other interns took shifts with the attendings doing CPR.[21]

On the day of Alex and Jo's wedding, Levi was part of the group that went to the wrong wedding due to a faulty GPS link on the invitation April had sent out. When they realized what had happened, they all rushed to get on a ferry out to Bainbridge Island. Despite a series of delays, Jo and Alex eventually got married on the ferry, witnessed by their friends.[22]

Meeting Nico and Gaining Confidence[]

Levi helped treat Nisha Chopri after she was hit by a car.[23] The night after her surgery, he was with her when she spiked a fever post-op. When tests showed that the infection she had was necrotizing fasciitis, he went along with the team into the hyperbaric chamber to debride her wound. After Nisha died, he had to wait along with the others for the chamber to decompress before they could leave. After leaving work, he went to the bar, where Nico bought him a beer.[24]

When Dave Buckley came into the ER after having mysteriously collapsed and nearly severing two fingers with a table saw, Levi delivered the news that his blood alcohol content was higher than he thought it could get.[25]

Amelia brought Betty into the hospital one day and asked Levi for a drug test for Betty. Levi misunderstood and brought Amelia a sample of his own urine. She sent him away to try again.[26]

When Owen Hunt took a personal day last-minute, Webber told Taryn and Schmitt that they were to report to Andrew and remember to provide patients the best level of care. They helped Andrew treat a man with lacerations and Levi had trouble with a cut on his forehead. Levi struggled, so Andrew gave him a pointer. Later, when Molly Graham stopped breathing, Andrew had to intubate and brushed off the interns' help, which Richard disapproved of.[27]

Levi worked on the case of J.J. Williams, who broke his arm trying to climb a fence. His arm was broken, which they confirmed with an x-ray. However, the x-ray also showed a mass, which a biopsy confirmed was cancerous. They told him and his mother and J.J. was worried about going bald, prompting Link to cut his own hair and let J.J. help him.[28]

During the wind storm, Levi was sent to the clinic with Nico to clear it of patients. He and Nico argued over a patient as they worked, but Levi insisted he could handle it because he had experience. After taking a patient to peds, Nico came back to make sure Levi got back okay. After Levi said he'd wait it out in the clinic, Nico went to leave and got swept away as soon as he took one step outside. Levi crawled to him and then helped him get into a nearby ambulance. In the ambulance, Levi said he didn't know he was gay when he was young because he didn't have opportunity to explore the feelings he had. After his speech, Nico kissed him again. Then they had sex in the ambulance.[29]

After the storm had calmed somewhat, they were startled when Alex came into the ambulance to escape the wind as they were getting dressed. They worried they'd be fired. Levi helped while Link and Jackson operated on Jed Lundberg, who had had his legs crushed by the elevator, and found a way to let him keep both his legs. After his surgery, Jed had nerve function in his foot, which was a sign the surgery worked. At the end of the day, Alex told them what they did was unacceptable and instructed them to use rooms with locks in the future.[30]

After Owen was accidentally injected with a sedative during Claire Conway's surgery, Levi intubated him and moved him to a room, where he continued to monitor Owen and give him fluids until the sedative wore off. He then extubated Owen. This incident inspired him to start wearing contacts instead of glasses so he could look as confident as he felt, though he needed Taryn's help to put them in.[31]

Levi started his ICU rotation while Natasha Deon was in the ICU after her accident. Every day, he examined her and gave report on her condition. When she needed surgery, he scrubbed in to assist. After she and Garrett decided to have her ventilator turned off, Levi was present at their last-minute wedding and her death.[32]

Levi worked on the case of Kimberly Thompson. He was engaged in the drama between her and Maggie, whom she had bullied in medical school.[33]

Levi worked with Nico to prepare for an upcoming hip replacement, but when a mass overdose brought a flood of patients to the ER, the surgery was rescheduled and Levi and Nico instead operated on a patient who had had a drug overdose and fell, which broke both her arms.[34]

Levi was on the case of Hunter Martinez, but was removed from the case when Jo asked to be put on the surgery. Levi was upset, because he knew Jo was getting preferential treatment, but then she pointed out that he was only on the case himself because of Nico.[35]

Levi helped treat Douglas Hall, who came into the ER after a car accident with his wife. He had fractures to his clavicle and humerus, but was otherwise okay. Jackson was treating Rick, who had been burned over a large portion of his body. He decided to use fish skin to graft the burns and had the interns skin the fish. When Richard learned the rest of the fish was being put in medical waste, he decided to host a fish fry and invited the interns.[36]

After Maggie introduced the new mood rooms, Levi waited in one to take Bailey's blood pressure after she played tetris. However, they were all called away by Dahlia, who wanted help competing in math problems against Nora Hillridge.[37]

Levi helped with the case of Caleb Hicks, who was at the hospital for an abdominal wall, penis, and scrotum transplant.[38]

Levi assisted on Josh Sterman's surgery. When Nico made an error, Josh collapsed after surgery and died in the OR as Maggie tried to repair the damage. Nico snapped at Levi when Levi tried to console him.[39]

While at a flower shop to buy flowers for Nico, Levi met and talked to Lucas Ripley.[40] When he was leaving the flower shop, he saw that Ripley had collapsed on the sidewalk and he stepped in to help. He rode with Ripley to the hospital, where he was identified. Levi hailed himself a hero for saving the Fire Chief. He tried to share his success with Nico, but Nico responded coldly to him. Levi continued to press him, but stopped when Link said what Nico was going through is unlike anything else and he needs to be allowed to process it on his own.[41] After learning that Ripley had died, Levi purchased the same flowers he'd bought for Vic and came to the station on the day of the funeral to talk to her and explain to her what Ripley hoped to say with the flowers.[42]

Meredith's Insurance Fraud and Accident at Joe's[]

At some point, he was rounding on Gabriella Rivera in peds and read "Ellis Grey" on her wristband, which confused him as he had heard Luis call her Gabby. He thought the name on the wristband was a mistake and went to look for Meredith to question her about it, but she wasn't at work that day. Since he felt like he couldn't afford to make another mistake, he went to Bailey instead, which led to Meredith's insurance fraud being discovered and her subsequent firing along with Richard and Alex.[43]

When Frances Pinfield came to the US to donate blood to Gus Carter, Levi went to meet her at the airport, but reported that Frances was struggling just to get off the plane. With Owen's help, they were able to get her to the car, but on the way to the hospital, a fog settled in and they were stuck in traffic and accidents.[44]

After things settled, they left the car. Owen said he'd carry Frances to a nearby ambulance, which they'd use to get to the hospital. Owen was able to convince the paramedics to go along with this by treating the patient they were working on. At the hospital, Levi brought Frances juice and cookies while her blood was extracted.[45]

Nico and Levi's relationship remained stable after their reconciliation. Levi worked on Jai Prishna at work. While he started out as a miracle case, he slipped into an inexplicable coma, which made Levi's body ache. Nico comforted him. After a few weeks, Levi was about to extubate Jai per his wife's request, but Amelia and Link saved the day by diagnosing fat embolism syndrome. They started an experimental protocol, which proved successful after a few more weeks.[46]

While the rest of the residents got pulled into Bailey's skills lab, Levi was contacted by Meredith to bring her supplies so she could organize a street clinic for her work crew. He arrived with the supplies and shared he felt like he was going to get arrested for stealing from the hospital. She quipped she owned the hospital and that he was therefore just bringing her her own stuff. He later joined her as she brought Robin Jones to Grey Sloan's parking lot for an ultrasound and asked Jackson to perform a biopsy. Levi assisted Jackson during the autopsy and told him that he was a Gryffindor, so he felt brave when he complied with Meredith's request, but he was scared that Bailey would find out and fire him. Jackson, a Gryffindor too, promised he would cover for him if she were to find out because he was not afraid of getting in trouble if it meant that Meredith could help people.[47]

Under Andrew's supervision, Levi let a catheter guide wire slip into the patient's body. They had to perform an emergency procedure in the cath lab to retrieve it. An angry Bailey appeared while they were doing so and demanded a full report. Levi was surprised that she seemed to aim her anger at Andrew. After the patient was saved, Andrew told him Bailey knew full well that Levi had made the mistake but it happened under his supervision and therefore, it was his responsibility. However, Andrew said it was his responsibility to talk to the patient and his daughter, which Levi did very clumsily by explaining how the procedure should have gone and where he went wrong. Additionally, Andrew ordered him to hold onto a guide wire for another week. When Nico learned of his mistake, he told Levi to demand more of himself and took him to the skills lab to practice until he got it right.[48]

When Meredith's article was published as an attack on Grey Sloan, Blake Simms teased the other residents that they would have a hard time finding work elsewhere in the future. Levi's mother found the article and sent it to his entire family. His aunt Carol wanted to reschedule her carpal tunnel surgery to another hospital but Levi called his mother to assure her that Grey Sloan was still a good hospital. Andrew interrupted his call to tell him to get to work as he was contributing to issues touched upon in Meredith's article by making private calls instead of working. Levi assisted Jackson during the surgery on Clervie Martin. Jackson had worked hard to prevent Tom from using the surgery as a free positive press in order to protect Clervie's parents. However, after seeing the amazing results, Levi admitted he regretted Jackson's decision because the positive publicity would have helped Grey Sloan's reputation and in extension his career, which wasn't as established as Jackson's. His comment rubbed Jackson the wrong way.[49]

Levi was excited when Carly Davis had to be treated inside the hyperbaric chamber, finally giving him the opportunity to experience it, but Jo inserted herself into the case, meaning Levi was out.[50]

Levi and Nico planned a Capitol Hill trip for Halloween. His mother asked him not to share any pictures of the trip on social media as his family might see but he didn't want to hide his being gay from them. When Jackson found out there wasn't going to be a Halloween parade on the peds floor since Alex was gone, he instructed Levi to organize it, disrupting his plans to leave early. While Levi was rushing to decorate the peds floor, a kid came up and asked him to help him find a costume. Levi brought in all the costumes he could find but the boy rejected all of them and expressed his desire to be a sunflower. Levi then devoted himself to make sunflower costumes out of trauma gowns. He ditched his Dungeons & Dragons paladin costume for his own sunflower costume. Levi and Taryn attended the parade and Nico surprised Levi by showing up, too. Levi took a selfie of the two of them in their costumes and shared it on social media, saying happiness should be shared.[51]

Levi was called as a witness for Meredith's hearing with the medical commission. He forgot his tie so Nico gave him his lucky tie from his locker. While being questioned, he nervously expressed how good of a teacher Meredith was as she never partook in mean nicknames and made him save a patient by having him act as a human blood bank during surgery. Eventually, he had to confess to the entire room that he was the one who had brought up the fraud to Bailey. He profoundly apologized to Meredith and explained he had thought the false name on the wristband was an error and had felt like he couldn't afford to make another mistake. He broke down and ran out of the room as soon as the prosecutor was done with him. He returned to the hospital to work. Blake Simms had somehow found out and shared with the entire group of residents that Levi had been the one to rat out Meredith, making him persona non grata.[52]

The other residents continued to be mean to him so he sought comfort in Nico's companionship. While they were making out one morning, Nico made him leave for rounds, promising a reward later. He joined the other residents for rounds while they were eating Meredith's welcome back cake. He didn't get a piece. Levi defended himself by saying he was just doing his job, which Blake likened to the Nazis' excuse. Levi didn't like that as his great-grandfather had been in a concentration camp. Hannah made Blake apologize but insisted Levi was still a traitor. While bringing Elliott Calhoun up to surgery, Levi told Taryn she couldn't be mad at him forever. They started arguing until Elliott broke it up and asked them to make a detour to the NICU so he could see his son before surgery. The surgery went well but Elliott's heart didn't restart, most likely due to hibernating myocardium. Levi and Nico went to the bar to de-stress after Levi's awful day. Nico wanted to get dinner first but Levi was eager for dessert. Levi went to get them some more drinks when a car suddenly crashed into the bar.[53]

S193x01-1

Levi has to help his injured friends.

Levi was the only resident uninjured. Ben and Nico snapped him out of his daze to get him to help out. Levi was tasked with keeping Blake stabilized and prevent him from choking on the blood originating from his mid-facial fracture. Levi started to panic that Taryn and Blake would die, but Jackson reassured him that wouldn't happen. Station 19's crew then managed to get into the bar and all injured people were transported to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, where Levi also went to help out.[54]

He hid in a supply closet and cried. Bailey found him there and convinced him that their friends needed help, so she got him up and he sprung into action. Bailey took him to Taryn and assigned him to the case. He assisted Meredith as she put in an IVC filter. An inebriated Taryn then said she didn't want Levi working on her as he was the reason the love of her life had been fired. As Meredith asked Levi to go back to the ER with her, Levi collapsed. Meredith did a full work-up and found an elevation of cardiac enzymes, which could indicate a heart attack. She asked if there was someone she could call for him but he said his mother would only panic, Nico was working, and Taryn hated him, so there was no one. Meredith then paged Teddy, who performed an angio as Meredith sat by Levi's side. He told her was so sorry for reporting her and she told him she had forgiven him since it all worked out. Teddy then diagnosed broken-heart syndrome caused by the extreme stress of the accident. He was put in a patient's room to rest and woke up with Nico by his side. Nico informed him Taryn made it through surgery and climbed into bed with him. Later, Nico took him to visit Taryn, who stopped him as he apologized and said she needed her best friend to get through this. They then talked about her confessing her love for Meredith.[55] Levi was soon discharged and given a couple of weeks of medical leave.[56]

Becoming Independent[]

Levi's mother interrupted Levi and Nico to inform him that his favorite uncle Saul, whom she didn't like, was dying in his retirement home. Levi rushed over to be able to say goodbye, bringing Nico with him. Levi asked about his aunt Gertie, whom Saul said would arrive when she could. He then asked about Levi still living with his mother. Levi explained his mother had learned something about him and had asked him to keep it private. He then came out by introducing Nico as his boyfriend, at which point Saul flatlined and passed away. Despite being only culturally Jewish, Levi wanted to honor the tradition of not leaving the body of the deceased unattended. When Gertie arrived, he thought she came to relieve him, but she left after briefly sobbing over Saul's body, only stating that she and Saul promised each other that the end was the end. Levi and Nico were forced to stay. As they were playing cards, an unknown man came in and broke down over Saul's body. Daniel revealed he was Saul's lover. Saul had told him all about Levi, including the fact that he thought Levi was gay, like him. Daniel explained that Myrna and Saul didn't get along because she bought into the homophobia taught to her by her parents. Daniel then offered Levi to prepare Saul's body together. As they did so, Levi inquired why Saul chose to live a fake life with Gertie. Daniel pointed out the difference between their generations, with Levi's generation taking for granted what is possible now. As Levi vowed to never do that again, Daniel said he thought it had been Saul's plan for Levi to be there at the end to make sure Levi would give himself the freedom that Saul had not allowed himself to have. They recited a psalm and covered up the body.

16x12-3

Levi tells his mom he is moving out.

Back home, Levi and Nico started packing. Myrna barely responded to Saul's passing, angering Levi. He said he was super gay and that her response meant that she wasn't truly accepting him. Myrna lashed out at Nico, thinking he had put Levi up to this, but Nico assured her it was all him, even though he agreed with every word. Levi then thanked his mother for having taken care of him and officially announced that he was moving out. He and Nico then left.[57]

16x13-32

Levi and Nico watch the dancing couple.

Levi temporarily moved in with Nico, which he loved. On Levi's first day back at work, Levi noticed that Nico was subtly encouraging him to find his own place. Nico explained they weren't at the cohabitating step just yet. Levi and Meredith diagnosed abdominal metastases in a woman who was in Seattle for a ballroom dancing championship. They initiated palliative care. The woman's husband approached Levi, whom reminded him of his kind and gentle grandson, and asked him for a favor. Levi gathered the other residents and they improvised a ballroom setting in the cafeteria to allow the couple to have one final dance. Afterword, an emotional Levi took Irene back to her room. She told him not to cry because she had had a beautiful life and got to end it with the love of her life by her side. She asked him if he had found his, which he didn't reply to. As they were making out in an on-call room, Levi cautiously told Nico that he wanted a love like Irene and Norman's, but Nico brushed off the comment.[58]

As Nico found Levi apartment hunting, he once again refused to let Levi live with him. Levi invited him to come check out an apartment with him that night, but Nico said he had to meet his parents. He didn't want Levi to come, stating that they were super critical and had impossibly high standards. After successfully convincing Joey Phillips to do his PT, Levi built up the courage to once again ask Nico to introduce him to his parents. Nico repeated his earlier statement. Levi replied he knew how to take criticism. Nico then revealed that he hadn't come out to his parents. Levi was baffled giving Nico's reaction to Levi's first experiences as a gay man. Nico was aware of that but he brushed it off and left to meet his parents.[59] They stopped talking with each other afterward as Nico only appeared interested in having sex. After a stressful day, Nico found him in an on-call room and wanted to have sex, but Levi stopped him and said he wanted more. Nico got angry and said he couldn't just talk about his feelings. He said they should end things if Levi couldn't handle that. Levi then gave in, saying he accepted that, and they proceeded to make out.[60]

On Meredith's pro bono surgery day, Levi invited Taryn to come to a speakeasy that night with him and Nico. Taryn said she wasn't in the mood to see Levi fawning over Nico because of how good the sex was despite Nico not treating Levi as an equal in their relationship. The two of them then overheard Nico thanking Link for setting up an interview for him for Link's old job with the Mariners. Nico briefly told Levi the opportunity was too good to pass up. As he headed into his surgery, Taryn pointed out this proved her statement. In surgery, Levi asked Link about the Mariners job. Link admitted it was a crazy schedule though he added it didn't have to be a dealbreaker. He told Levi relationships are give and take and advised Levi to tell Nico how he felt about it. Later, Nico asked Levi to skip their speakeasy plans for the night and just head straight to bed, which Levi refuse because he wanted to talk about the job. Nico was annoyed and said he refused to feel bad about his dream job. Levi then pointed out he was the only one making sacrifices and compromises in their relationship. He wanted more and he was tired of telling Nico that. Nico then said he hoped Levi would find someone who could give that to him, ending things between them. Now being homeless as well, Levi went to Joe's by himself, where he met Jo. She invited him to stay with her at her loft, which she found too empty after Alex had left her. Levi gladly accepted.[61]

16x20-15

Levi bonds with Jo.

They struck up a friendship and Levi opened up to her about how his mom suffocated him when he was living with her, which Jo commented didn't seem too bad. Levi initially was on the team to help figure out what was going on with Richard, but Jo made him help her out in the ER. He was disappointed but she told him a resident would not solve Richard's case. Later, he complained to her about a photo that Nico had posted on Instagram, which made it seem like Nico was totally fine without him. Jo was annoyed and pointed out that with all the other attendings working on Richard, this was Levi's moment to shine. That night, Levi said he felt like Jo had tried to make it clear to him that he had overstayed his welcome, so he was planning on sleeping at the hospital. Jo assured him he had the wrong idea but he had been messing up at work, which is why she had to yell at him as his attending. However, she said his living with her was keeping her sane, so she made him stay.[62] While working a case of a young baseball player whose lifelong dream was compromised by an injury, Levi really felt for the guy. Owen told him he needed to find a way to suck up his feelings or else find another job.[63]

COVID-19 Pandemic and Reunion with Nico[]

As COVID-19 first hit the United States, Seattle was amongst the country's cities to be hit the hardest, forcing Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital to quickly adapt to the new reality. With all non-emergent surgeries cancelled, Levi often manned the tent outside the hospital where family could await updates on their loved onces since visitors were no longer allowed either. As such, he was often tasked with telling elderly people that their spouses of decades had passed away. At one point, Nico arrived and asked him to let Mrs. Bronson know that her husband's procedure had gone well. Levi blurted out he hoped Nico was doing okay despite things getting progressively worse around him because he still cared about him, even though they were no longer together. Levi himself was having a particularly bad time after telling the 100th person out there that their loved one had died and he was scared things would get much worse. Nico shrugged and said he was doing fine, after which he simply walked off. Soon after, a fight erupted in the tent between parents whose teenagers had gotten hurt while breaking quarantine rules. In their physical fight, they knocked Bailey to the ground.[64]

Levi got her to the OR and examined her ankle. He suspected a sprain but ordered an X-ray and paged Nico just to be safe. Nico asked to let him know the results. Levi bandaged up the ankle. Soon after, Nico came to confirm that there was no fracture. Levi was annoyed that he completely ignored the fact that Levi had been correct. Bailey then used Levi as her assistant to wheel her to her meeting with Catherine, where he witnessed how Maggie barged in to yell at Catherine to get back together with Richard. Afterward, Nico found Levi in a supply closet. He admitted he had been a terrible boyfriend but he came to provide Levi with some much-needed stress relief. Levi let him go down on him.[65]

As the pandemic worsened, Richard announced that residents officially were only allowed to treat confirmed non-COVID patients. As a result, Levi had to fetch Jo for Val Ashton's abdominal pain as her COVID test was still pending. It came back negative, but Bailey soon kicked Levi off the case to take his place when the scans showed a hepatic pregnancy.[66]

Nico and Levi's stress relief agreement continued, though their interactions out in the public were limited to short greetings. However, Jo easily deduced what was going on by seeing Levi's face when Nico walked by. Levi admitted she was right and cited the Dutch government's advice to find a designated sex partner to satisfy his needs. However, after a terrible day, Nico came to sit down with Levi and told him that he hated everything but Levi. Levi said he wanted to invite Nico over since Jo wouldn't be home, though he recalled they hadn't been great to each other in the past and he wasn't sure that things had changed. Nico said a lot had changed in this pandemic and he accompanied Levi home.[67]

As Jo grew increasingly depressed, Levi had to motivate her to get out of the bed in the morning. Together, they worked on Val Ashton with intern Reza Khan, a fully-trained vascular surgeon from Pakistan who had to redo his training in order to obtain a medical license for the US. Reza was impressed with Jo's skills, which Levi had to point out meant something. He brought home pizza for dinner. Jo told him she had delivered a baby that day. The recently unparalleled joy she felt while doing so had made her consider switching to OB/GYN. Levi advised her to sleep on it before making such a major decision.[68]

With a surge in cases, residents were allowed to treat COVID patients. While the rest of the staff treated two girls who were kidnapped by a suspected sex trafficker and later their kidnapper, Levi treated Opal, who claimed to have been mugged in order to get inside the hospital. Ignorant of her involvement with the sex trafficking circuit, Levi examined her and didn't read into her subtle questions about the chaos surrounding kidnapper's case. After Opal disappeared to go "to the restroom", Levi called the cops so she could make a statement on the mugging. He later found Jo and asked if she had come to a decision. She picked up on his shaming her a little, as she suspected Meredith would, too, but Jo was more and more serious.[69]

Nico and Levi regularly spent the night together. Levi was working the ER when Ben brought in Andrew, who had been stabbed while pursuing sex traffickers. After the initial surgery, Levi found Ben and asked him to let Carina know that Andrew was stable. Ben's phone caught his eye and Levi saw Opal, the woman he had treated the day before. Levi was shocked when Ben informed him of her identity and involvement in the ordeal and Levi began to worry that it was all his fault. Levi paged Nico for a peptalk. Nico listened to him and deemed that he wasn't in the right headspace to scrub in on Andrew's surgery, so Levi had Reza replace him. Levi then looked after Val Ashton, who crashed just as Cormac and Jo were bringing her baby over so Val could see her for the first time. Jo and Levi ran the code but they lost her. Levi then heard that Andrew was circling the drain and retreated to an on-call room, where Nico found him. Levi was worried that by spending so many years pretending to be someone he wasn't, he had wasted all the time he was supposed to be happy, since there was no sign of things going back to normal any time soon. Nico comforted him.[70]

On the day of Andrew's memorial service, Nico and Levi sat down outside. Levi vented over all the feelings, including guilt and rage, that he felt over Andrew's death. Nico commented his go-to feeling was numb. Levi laughed and said that summed up everything that went wrong in their relationship. Levi heard that Bailey had launched an investigation into Andrew's death to see if any medical errors had been made. He found her by herself in an empty OR gallery and brought up the memorial service. He said he was a bad Jew in general but he did follow the traditions, because he found the protocols for how to grieve a loved one's death were helpful to start the healing. While he was on bad terms with his own mother, her death would still make him fall apart, so he could only imagine what Bailey was going through. He reminded her that she had people she could be with, people who needed to grieve with her. He advised her not to let the pandemic take that from her, too. Afterward, Levi attended the memorial service with Nico. They held hands in public, a possible sign of romantic reconciliation.[71]

At work, Levi began treating Marcella Diaz while the hospital ran low on available ventilators. As her sats dropped, Marcella was moved to the COVID ICU under Levi's care. As her condition worsened, Marcella's daughter Veronica Diaz was also admitted as her mild symptoms quickly progressed. Despite his best efforts, including a Hump Day rap, Marcella's condition worsened quickly despite BiPAP. Levi decided to intubate her to get her hooked up to a mechanical ventilator. He successfully did, but Maggie arrived moments later to inform him that Veronica had crashed and was in need of the last available ventilator. While Levi manually bagged Marcella, the doctors decided to follow protocol and give Veronica the ventilator. Fortunately, Maggie came up with a way that allowed patients to share on ventilator, so mother and daughter Diaz were hooked up to the same one. Levi was relieved to get a break and asked interns Alma and Sara Ortiz to keep him in the loop of all changes in their condition.[72]

Levi was one of the doctors who assisted in the free COVID testing center set up outside the hospital by the Catherine Fox Foundation. During a short break, Jo practiced her speech to convince Bailey to let her switch specialities on him. When a patient of Levi's test came back positive, Levi wanted to have him admitted since the patient lived with his family of six, including his grandfather, in a two-bedroom apartment. Since admitting him was not an option, Jackson handed Levi his credit card and told him to book the patient and any other patient in need a hotel room on him. Soon, the hotel manager asked if he just wanted to book an entire floor. Sara Ortiz got angry at Jackson when she heard about his actions, stating they hurt organizations for the underprivileged that had a struck a deal with hotel for discounts. Levi stood up for Jackson but Jackson was interested to hear her out. After work, Jo offered him a ride but he ended up biking home anyway because Richard asked Jo to talk about her switching specialties.[73]

Levi was tasked with accompanying a vastly asleep Meredith in the hyperbaric chamber, an ultimate attempt to get her to wake up. The room was double-booked so they were joined by James Chee and a patient who was healing from a post-op wound infection. Levi had been warned by Teddy and Bailey not to cause Meredith any stress. As they sat there, James asked about the kind of teacher Meredith was. Levi described her as the most influential teacher he had ever had, stating her voice echoed in his mind with every win he booked. Soon after, James' patient's sedation unexpectedly wore off and her movement caused her abdominal wound to open up with a subsequent evisceration. Recalling a similar experience, he remember Meredith's instructions and correctly handled the situation while the chamber was de-pressurized. Afterward, Jo found him as she'd heard he had saved a life. He told her that he wondered what Meredith would have done, which guided him to do the right thing. Jo recognized that from her own residency and then revealed she was serious about switching specialties.[74]

Jo and Levi developed a habit of watching movies together after work, though Levi often cancelled as he had begun meeting up with Nico again. After a night of hanging out, Nico waited for Levi at the hospital entrance and returned the bag he had left at his place the night before, stating it was in the way. Levi told Jo he hated how Nico wouldn't even allow him to have a drawer at his place. During the day, Levi worked with Erika Swift, a patient who took the pandemic as an opportunity to turn her life around. During surgery, Levi told Bailey that that was what Jo wanted to do by switching specialties. Levi used Erika's story to confront Nico about being afraid to take the leap and carve out some space in his life for Levi. Nico realized he was right and asked Levi to move in, suddenly giving Levi cold feet. He made up an excuse about having to spend time with Jo and promptly left.[75]

The Webber Method and depression[]

When Richard decided to implement the Webber method that would allow residents to perform simple surgical procedures, he began training the residents and Levi was the standout. As he continued to be successful, Levi began to become very confident and assured.

One day, Levi and Taryn were assigned to treat Devon Gomez who he recognized from listening to their podcasts. Devon came in to have an ileostomy reversed that he had previously undergone. Levi and Taryn would do the first part and he asked Devon for permission to play one of their podcasts at the surgery and Devon approved. The surgery was going well but Levi wanted to start the next part even though it was not part of the method, Taryn told him not to start but Levi did anyway and Devon began to hemorrhage heavily which they could not control and because there was no attending to help out, Devon died. When Richard and Bailey arrived to find out the situation, Levi was stunned and Taryn explained what happened. Then Levi went to the surgical sink and started washing his hands and continued to do so even though they were already clean. He continued to wash his hands heavily without stopping. When Bailey went to see him and asked him to make a report of what happened, Levi didn't seem to listen to her. He continued to wash his hands for hours until Jo went to see him and realized that his hands were already injured from rubbing and when she tried to pull him away, Levi resisted. Jo went to get Taryn and Jordan Wright to help her get him out and when they went to Levi, his hands were already bleeding, Jordan told Levi that after his first loss, he went running until his legs gave out. They then had to force him away from the sink and take him to treat his hands while Levi cried. After bandaging his hands, Nico went to see him but Levi was in shock and didn't speak. Later he sat outside the hospital and Nico sat with him. The next day Levi had to go to a conference to explain what had happened. He had gone back to wearing his glasses and was in a depressed state. As he spoke, he had flashbacks of Devon's surgery and guiltily said that he killed him and ran out of the room.

Later, Levi quit his job and went back to living in his mother's basement where he refused to go out and played video games. Richard went to see him and tried to convince him to come back but Levi refused. Nico went to see him but Levi refused his help and broke up with him. Days later, Taryn went to see him and ordered him to come back because of the crisis in the residency program and told him that if he couldn't do it for him, to do it for her. Levi found out that his mother started posting criticisms against the residency program. When he confronted her about it, his mother stood by her decision saying that the program should not have put him alone in that OR. They continued to argue and as his mother was leaving she slipped on the stairs and suffered a serious fall. Levi rushed to treat her and called 911 but they were taking too long. He called Richard who instructed him to give her a trichotomy. Finally the ambulance arrived and they went to the hospital. Afterwards, Levi had the courage to return to work, however the residency program was shut down not long after.

Personality[]

Levi's personality can be described as sweet and nerdy, but at times, through the eyes of his fellow surgeons, can be seen as clumsy and bumbling. Overall, he is very earnest with a kind heart, and always tries to prove himself at work.

Relationships[]

Romantic[]

Nico Kim[]

Nico winked at Levi while operating, which confused him.[76]

Later, at Joe's bar, Nico bought him a beer after a rough day. Levi wanted to pay him back and grabbed his wallet, but Nico touched his hand to stop him and said Levi could buy the next one. Nico then left, with Levi staring after him.[77]

Nico later came into the residents' locker room to shower despite having access to the fellows' lounge and Levi was shocked and distracted by seeing Nico with no shirt.[78]

Later, Nico then asked Levi if he would be willing to get that drink that evening, but Levi said he might have plans later. Nico just said he'd be a Joe's if his thing got cancelled. Later, Levi came to the bar for that drink, but Nico mostly brushed him off, confusing Levi.[79]

After working together on J.J. Williams, Levi and Nico ended up in an elevator together and they kissed. They stopped when someone else got on the elevator, but once they were alone again, Nico apologized for what he'd done. Levi said it was fine and also that it was his first time and he was happy to learn. However, Nico said he didn't want to teach him.[80]

After being trapped together in an ambulance during the windstorm, Levi talked about having feelings for men before, but never exploring it because he was a nerd and never considered sex much at all. After his confession, Nico kissed him and the two of them had sex in the ambulance.[81]

Their relationship continued to develop. Levi ultimately declared himself gay and happy while he was assisting on a surgery.[82]

When Levi's mother called while he was hooking up with Nico, Nico was upset when Levi shushed him. Levi tried to explain why his mother didn't know about Nico, but Nico wasn't persuaded and left. Later that day, Levi explained to Nico that his mother likes to talk about everything as if it's going to hurt him and he wants to lock Nico in in his own eyes before inviting his mother's criticisms because Nico's his first love. Hearing that Levi loved him, Nico kissed him and they started to walk away. Levi asked if he's not going to say it back. He said he would, but he wanted to make Levi sweat for a minute first.[83]

Levi learned that Nico had an upcoming job interview with a hospital in San Francisco, and expressed worry about a long-distance relationship through bringing up sports teams. While together on a case in which Nico had to fill the man's body with cement, Levi continued complaining about Nico's proposed move. Later, it was revealed that Nico made a mistake during the surgery, and the patient collapsed. Bailey ordered Levi to fix the man, as he was the grandson of a friend of hers, but things didn't go well, and the patient died. Later, Nico was about to do a Skype interview with his new prospective boss, and Levi attempted to persuade him to leave and re-schedule the interview. Nico spoke sharply to Levi, saying that he was not a failure, and implied that Levi is, which broke his heart. Levi was angered when Nico started the interview, and slammed the door behind him.[84]

Nico was annoyed that he is relegated to simple tasks in the wake of his surgical error. Levi, on a high due to him saving the Seattle Fire Chief, ran to tell Nico about it. However, Nico didn't want to hear it and was rude to Levi, and demanded Levi's help in fixing a shoulder dislocation. Later, Link told Levi to leave Nico alone, and that if he wanted to talk, he should wait for him to say so.[85]

Nico later realized via Link that his past behavior had been unacceptable, in the wake of a fog throughout Seattle, which led to a massive car pile-up on the freeway. He tracked Levi down, only for Levi to give him the cold shoulder, which immediately turned into lecturing on Levi's end when Nico informed him that he missed him. Levi told Nico about his day, and Nico listened, which culminated in Levi informing Nico that he loved him, but he still deserved better than how Nico had treated him. Nico came clean about his personal anger due to his failure, and that he was jealous of other doctors in the hospital, Levi especially, due to their ability to bond with patients and have successful moments. Levi immediately told Nico that he could help him, and wanted to. Later, the two tearfully watched My Girl in Levi's basement, and his mother came downstairs with chicken noodle soup. She was very welcoming towards Nico, but called him Levi's "friend". Levi immediately informed his mother that Nico was his boyfriend that Nico was the one who has been having a bad day. Mrs. Schmitt then offered up the chicken soup to Nico, after he informed her that he liked it, telling Levi that they would talk later. Nico told Levi that he was "amazing," and Levi put his head on Nico's shoulder.[86]

Familial[]

Levi's family is very close. They all contributed money to get him through his medical education, which makes them very invested in his career.[87]

Myrna Schmitt[]

He lived in his mother's basement[88] but moved out later on.

Saul[]

Saul is Levi's uncle who died from end-stage heart failure. Right before dying, Levi visited him and came out to him by introducing Nico as his boyfriend.

Friendships[]

Taryn Helm[]

Jo Wilson[]

He had a one-night stand with Jo Wilson after coming to the bar to apologize to her.[89]

He later returned her badge to her, which embarrassed her. When he came to her later about a potential donor he had found, she took the case from him, upsetting him.[90]

After finding out from Olivia Jankovic that Alex had had syphilis in the past, he was worried he should get himself checked. Jo assured him she didn't have syphilis.[91]

After Levi broke up with Nico and Jo was left by Alex she invited Levi to move in with her, assuring him that he was getting the invite because he was gay and she just needed someone to share her space with.[92] The two swiftly established a close friendship, although Jo still yelled at Levi when he wasn't pulling his weight at the hospital.[93]

Career[]

Levi first came to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital as a fourth-year medical student doing a six-week rotation as a sub-intern. Later, he interviewed for a spot in the hospital's residency program and was accepted.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • He is the second male openly gay main character in the Grey's Anatomy universe, just after Travis Montgomery from Station 19.
  • He was the first Grey's Anatomy character to meet Andy Herrera on screen.[94]
  • Levi is in the top 10% of his medical school program.[95]
  • Levi had a tendency to let his glasses slip off from his face, something he resolved with a sports band.[96]
  • Due to a high cost of living and medical school, Levi lived in the basement of his mother's house at the start of his internship.[97]
    • Meredith compared him to George when she slept with the latter during intern-year when she found out about Jo sleeping with the former.
    • Prior to living with Meredith, George also lived in his parents' house.
  • His blood type is O-.[98]
  • He is Jewish.[99]
  • He takes fish oil every day.[100]
  • He ate double cheeseburgers every day in freshman year.[101]
  • He once dressed as a sunflower for Halloween.[102]
  • He is scared of vampires.[103]
  • He can sign "happy birthday", "my name is Levi", and "butt" in American Sign Language.[104]
  • He is a Gryffindor.[47]

Gallery[]

A more complete gallery with pictures of Levi Schmitt can be found here.

Notable Episodes[]

These episodes are Levi-centric or are otherwise very informative about his life.

Memorable Quotes[]

Levi to (Nico); I'm not done. You know what's also your fault? The fact that you think I have a shame spiral, because I don't. I'm not spiraling. I'm a nerd. I'm no more ashamed of being attracted to guys than I am of anything else in my life. Do you know what I did almost every night before I went to college? I sat in my mom's basement with three other debate-club kids playing Dungeons & Dragons, and it's the same basement I live in now. Trust me when I say no one was having sex. With guys or girls. Sex was like the Sunsword. It's a magical weapon in the game that's really hard to find. It's basically like a talking light saber, but... Never mind, doesn't matter. The point is sex wasn't on the table for us. So I didn't know I was gay. I knew that I had feelings for boys, but I didn't understand it. Not until you kissed me. You kissed me, and I felt the opposite of shame. I felt like I existed and everything fell in place. For the first time, it felt like I was holding the Sunsword, and I kno-- Are you just kissing me to get me to stop talking?[105]

Levi to (Miranda): I'm not a great Jew. I cheated at my bar mitzvah. I was too busy trying to ignore Lenny Rapkin's shins that I didn't learn Hebrew, so I just wrote it out phonetically and read that instead. I skip half the High Holy Days and repent for it at Yom Kippur. And if I'm honest, I go back and forth about believing in God, which is actually very Jewish, but... It’s the traditions that I find helpful. When a loved one dies, we have rules about how to grieve and move on. Protocols. We force ourselves to sit in the pain. We cry. And we laugh. And we eat a lot. And it doesn't bring the person back, but it does start the healing. Chief, your mom died. My mom makes me crazy, but I'm gonna fall apart when she dies. And you have people you can be with. People who love you and miss you and need to grieve with you. This pandemic has taken so much. Don't give it that, too.[106]

Appearances[]


References[]

  1. 1-800-799-7233, 14x09
  2. Bad Reputation, 14x21
  3. Add It Up, 15x18
  4. Let's All Go to the Bar, 16x09
  5. I Want a New Drug, 15x14
  6. Break Down the House, 14x01
  7. Get Off on the Pain, 14x02
  8. Ain't That a Kick in the Head, 14x04
  9. Come on Down to My Boat, Baby, 14x06
  10. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story, 14x07
  11. Out of Nowhere, 14x08
  12. 1-800-799-7233, 14x09
  13. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, 14x12
  14. Games People Play, 14x14
  15. Caught Somewhere in Time, 14x16
  16. Hold Back the River, 14x18
  17. Beautiful Dreamer, 14x19
  18. Judgment Day, 14x20
  19. Bad Reputation, 14x21
  20. Fight For Your Mind, 14x22
  21. Cold as Ice, 14x23
  22. All of Me, 14x24
  23. With a Wonder and a Wild Desire, 15x01
  24. Broken Together, 15x02
  25. Gut Feeling, 15x03
  26. Momma Knows Best, 15x04
  27. Everyday Angel, 15x05
  28. Flowers Grow Out of My Grave, 15x06
  29. Blowin' in the Wind, 15x08
  30. Shelter from the Storm, 15x09
  31. Help, I'm Alive, 15x10
  32. Girlfriend in a Coma, 15x12
  33. I Walk the Line, 15x13
  34. I Want a New Drug, 15x14
  35. Blood and Water, 15x16
  36. And Dream of Sheep, 15x17
  37. Add It Up, 15x18
  38. The Whole Package, 15x20
  39. Head Over High Heels, 15x22
  40. Friendly Fire, 2x14 (S19)
  41. What I Did for Love, 15x23
  42. For Whom the Bell Tolls, 2x16 (S19)
  43. My Shot, 16x08
  44. Drawn to the Blood, 15x24
  45. Jump Into the Fog, 15x25
  46. Nothing Left to Cling To, 16x01
  47. 47.0 47.1 Back in the Saddle, 16x02
  48. Reunited, 16x03
  49. It's Raining Men, 16x04
  50. Breathe Again, 16x05
  51. Whistlin' Past the Graveyard, 16x06
  52. My Shot, 16x08
  53. Let's All Go to the Bar, 16x09
  54. I Know This Bar, 3x19 (S19)
  55. Help Me Through the Night, 16x10
  56. A Hard Pill to Swallow, 16x11
  57. The Last Supper, 16x12
  58. Save the Last Dance for Me, 16x13
  59. A Diagnosis, 16x14
  60. Snowblind, 16x15
  61. Give a Little Bit, 16x18
  62. Sing It Again, 16x20
  63. Put on a Happy Face, 16x21
  64. All Tomorrow's Parties, 17x01
  65. The Center Won't Hold, 17x02
  66. My Happy Ending, 17x03
  67. You'll Never Walk Alone, 17x04
  68. Fight the Power, 17x05
  69. No Time for Despair, 17x06
  70. Helplessly Hoping, 17x07
  71. It's All Too Much, 17x08
  72. Breathe, 17x10
  73. Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right, 17x11
  74. Sign O' the Times, 17x12
  75. Good as Hell, 17x13
  76. With a Wonder and a Wild Desire, 15x01
  77. Broken Together, 15x02
  78. Gut Feeling, 15x03
  79. Everyday Angel, 15x05
  80. Flowers Grow Out of My Grave, 15x06
  81. Blowin' in the Wind, 15x08
  82. Girlfriend in a Coma, 15x12
  83. Blood and Water, 15x16
  84. Head Over High Heels, 15x22
  85. What I Did for Love, 15x23
  86. Jump Into the Fog, 15x25
  87. It's Raining Men, 16x04
  88. Get Off on the Pain, 14x02
  89. Break Down the House, 14x01
  90. Get Off on the Pain, 14x02
  91. Bad Reputation, 14x21
  92. Love of My Life, 16x19
  93. Sing It Again, 16x20
  94. You Really Got a Hold on Me, 14x13
  95. Break Down the House, 14x01
  96. Ain't That a Kick in the Head, 14x04
  97. Get Off on the Pain, 14x02
  98. Out of Nowhere, 14x08
  99. Girlfriend in a Coma, 15x12
  100. Help Me Through the Night, 16x10
  101. Help Me Through the Night, 16x10
  102. Whistlin' Past the Graveyard, 15x06
  103. Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves, 19x10
  104. "Gunpowder and Lead" 19x16
  105. Blowin' in the Wind, 15x08
  106. It's All Too Much, 17x08
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