Grey's Anatomy: 10 Hidden Details You Missed About Nathan Riggs
Former Grey Sloan cardiothoracic surgeon Nathan Riggs is currently enjoying life in Malibu with Megan after quitting his job and moving to the beach city, marking an end to his time on Grey's Anatomy. The former military doctor had some entrancing character arcs during his time on the ABC show.
Every detail about his feud with Owen Hunt is known to fans. And so is his promising relationship with Meredith that ended with the reappearance of Megan. However, Rigg's fluid narrative hasn't prevented some details about him from being hidden in the haystack that is the many great storylines happening at the same time.
10 He Is One Of Few Attendings To Wear Personal Scrub Caps
Normally, scrub caps won by residents and attendings are light blue or navy blue in color. Non-medical personnel who have to enter the OR normally wear a paper or plastic scrub cap.
Riggs has demonstrated the fashion-savvy side of him by wearing a personal scrub cap that stands out from the monotonous blue. However, Riggs isn't the only surgeon to wear a different kind of scrub cap. Meredith, Cristina, Callie, and Burke have also opted to incorporate a bit of fashion on their caps, with Meredith changing her colors frequently.
9 His Favorite Meal
Every time Nathan Riggs is eating something on the show, it's usually bacon. He even has a bacon box, which he uses to carry a huge quantity of his preferred meal to work.
The health aspect of it is once brought up by Maggie when she tries handing over a surgery she doesn't feel like doing to Riggs. She advises him to cut down on bacon consumption but he doesn't think it's unhealthy. He even convinces her to eat it, which she does. Riggs' persuasive persona has always been unrivaled.
8 He Has A Rather Interesting Name For The Morgue
Riggs is once heard telling April to call the "plumber" after losing a patient. While everyone, including Meredith, is confused, April briefly explains that the word "plumber" means morgue. It's mostly a term used by military personnel.
The cardiothoracic surgeon has previously admitted that he finds it hard to shake off his military habits. The use of the term is a reminder of this. Meredith thought the term sounded like an insult but other doctors disagreed since it's a widely used term in the military and no one is reported to have been aggrieved by it.
7 His Car Model
Riggs drives a black Range Rover Sport. Its license plate is EVK-126. This is seen when Meredith and Riggs get into an argument over Amelia and Derek at the hospital parking lot. The two later kiss.
This detail comes up at an important time in Meredith's life. The twist is an interesting one since neither Meredith nor Riggs are aware that they are going to fall in love. Meredith employs her cautious attitude to love related matters when she suggests staying friends. She doesn't want to get hurt or to disappoint Maggie but Rigg's persistence impresses her and they become one of the most surprising couples on the show.
6 One Of The Two Main Characters To Never Have Been Chief Or Department Head
Nathan Riggs is the only cardiothoracic surgeon who was one of the main characters without ever being a senior surgeon, as well as one of two main characters to never have been Chief Or Department Head.
The failure of Nathan Riggs to earn a promotion is tied to the fact that he appears on the show for only 3 seasons. His purpose in Grey's Anatomy is simple, to be part of a love triangle that involves Meredith and to bring out more of Owen's aggression in a feud where he is the cooler head.
5 His Favorite Games
Riggs enjoys darts and sports. He has been spotted playing darts two times with April. He also enjoys baseball, a game Farouk asked Riggs to teach him though he wasn't good at it.
The cardiothoracic surgeon's love for these two particular games has been used to further explore his close relationships with April and Farouk. Through the dart moments at Emerald City Bar, April and Riggs have shared the most intimate details about their lives. And even though he wasn't good at baseball, he was willing to please Farouk by playing it, thus proving how much he cared about it.
4 Reason For The Character's Exit
Nathan quit his job at Grey Sloan Memorial and moved to Malibu with his long-lost fiancé Megan. It was an unsatisfactory exit, making him one of the Grey's Anatomy characters who left too soon.
It didn't make much sense for Nathan to give up his career for family hence speculations over the exit began. A good number of character exits on the show have been linked to disagreements over the plot direction as well as misconduct, For actor Martin Henderson, it was none of those. He had signed on to star in Virgin River as his contract came to a close. This meant his Grey's Anatomy contract couldn't be renewed.
3 He Is Responsible For One Of April's Nicknames
April is one of the most nicknamed people on the show, with a total of 17 nicknames. She has earned herself labels such as Mary Poppins, Virgin Mary, and Dr. NotGrey. Since everyone is so keen on nicknaming her, it might be hard to identify where each name originated from.
Riggs is responsible for April's much simpler nickname "Keps." It's not exactly one of the best nicknames the doctors gave each other but the shortened version of April's name has a friendly tone to it, thus emphasizing the close relationship between her and Riggs. It's neither a name meant to mock or make fun of someone. Riggs gave her the name way before their Grey Sloan days as they were working together in Jordan.
2 He Was Born In New Zealand
Riggs makes this revelation twice during conversations with April and Farouk. He was born in New Zealand and moved to America when he was 7. He would then go on to work in the Middle East for a while.
This explains why Riggs finds relocating easy. He is used to it and expects other people to be as well. He had no problem with bringing Farouk to America in order to impress Meredith yet he hadn't consulted the young boy on whether he'd be okay living away from his home country. The New Zealand origin is due to the fact that actor Martin Henderson is also from New Zealand.
1 His Good Relationship With Evelyn Hunt
Owen had every right to be mad at Nathan Riggs for Megan's disappearance. He made this clear but one detail that goes unnoticed is how warm Megan and Owen's mother Evelyn is to Riggs. She welcomes him when he comes back to Seattle and he even refers to her as "Ma." At Owen and Amelia's wedding, she sits next to him.
Evelyn's past stint as a medic in the military explains her love for Riggs, despite her daughter's disappearance. Knowing what military doctors go through, she chooses to show him love rather than blame him like Owen. Evely is generally good-hearted and agreeable too compared to Owen.