It’s hard to believe after 12 seasons with Dr. Jackson Avery that there was a time we didn’t even like his character. He was part of the Mercy West crew and coming to encroach on our fave residents’ turf.
You’ve probably forgotten that Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Jackson (Jesse Williams) hated each other because they were fighting for the same surgeries. He also assisted Cristina in the surgery that saved Dr. Derek Shepherd’s (Patrick Dempsey) life during the hospital shooting. And that was only his first season finale on Grey’s Anatomy!
It probably wasn’t until he became one half of the “Plastic Posse” that we really fell in love with him. He was great with Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane). They were so dynamic together. Their bromance will definitely go down as one of my favorite things about Grey’s Anatomy, but sadly that was so long ago.
Jackson has had so many great stories on this show it’s hard to remember all of them.
Remember him carrying a little kid off the bus before it explodes and Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew) freaking out? Yeah, that was a good one.
April and he shared an epic romance that spanned over four seasons. It all started with April losing her virginity to Jackson, at the time he was her best friend, while they were in San Francisco taking their medical boards.
This relationship was at times more brutal than Merder. They lost their first child Samuel and went through a divorce as April was pregnant with Harriet. April also ran away with him while at the alter with Matthew. It’s definitely been a roller coaster of a romance.
While Jackson also dated Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) (did you remember that?) and Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary), Japril remains a fan favorite ship. The writers made them kind of end game as April will follow Jackson to Boston with Harriet. She’s no longer with Matthew, so maybe, just maybe, the timing is finally right for them.
As well as romantic relationships, he’s had some strong friendships. One of which was with Dr. Meredth Grey (Ellen Pompeo). They bonded over having famous surgeons in their family. They grew even closer when Jackson’s mom Dr. Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen), dated and then married Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.).
Their friendship has been a lot of fun over the years, with Jackson being protective of Meredith when she was dating Dr. Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) and Meredith being protective when he was dating Maggie.
One of the best things has been watching Jackson grow into an incredible surgeon and man. While trying not to get too involved in the foundation, he helped his mom rebrand to get rid of his grandfather’s taint on the organization. He also did take more of a leadership role when Meredith, Derek, Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), and Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) bought the hospital.
The writers are giving Jackson a great send-off. Through the pandemic, he’s tried to reconcile with what’s happening with his people and struggling with how to help. He realizes running his family foundation is the way to make a difference. It really is such a beautiful way to end his time on Grey’s Anatomy.
What are your favorite memories of Jackson Avery? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
