Saying goodbye to Dr. Jackson Avery was never going to be easy. We’ve watched him grow over the last 12 seasons. Watching all the flashbacks really showed how much he’s grown and overcome. With one final episode for this great character, Grey’s Anatomy gave him a beautiful send-off.
In the midst of everything else going on at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Jackson (Jesse Williams) was saying his goodbyes. He told Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) that she was the one who taught him to fight to keep going.
He had the decency to say goodbye to Dr. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) in person, even though they weren’t even a couple.
Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) was the hardest goodbye. The only one where both people got teary-eyed. Something tells me that wasn’t all acting. I’m sure Ellen and Jesse were sad to say goodbye after working together for so long.
Meredith said she’s the last one standing from their residency class. That seriously hit me hard that we’ve said goodbye to that many people.
The writers gave this friendship a good ending. Especially when Jackson sneaked Meredith out, so she didn’t have everyone cheering for her. It was a perfect ending to their on-screen friendship.
Then, he drove through the parking lot and looked back at his memories at the hospital before he moved on.
We were not ready to say goodbye to Jackson, but we knew it was coming. Dr. Tom Koracick (Greg Germann), on the other hand, we got no warning. I know he’s only a recent addition to the cast, but I love his character. He’s so funny. I loved him with Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), but with Teddy and Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) reuniting, that clearly is no longer on the table.
When Tom found out that Jo had changed specialties, he had a pause. I knew something was up. There should have been, insert snarky comment here, from him right there. But there wasn’t. And when he told Dr. Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli), he didn’t know anything anymore. We knew he was ready to make a change.
Then as Jackson pulled up to him in the parking lot, we all knew what was happening. I’ve loved watching Koracick change. I hate that now that he’s grown, he’s leaving us. But it was a beautiful way that he commented about him being the only white guy in his hospital room and the only one that “was spared.”
The episode wasn’t entirely sad. Meredith got to go home! As mentioned briefly earlier. Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) had happy tears when she found out. And Meredith’s homecoming was absolutely perfect. Amelia was so worried about the house being a mess, but she’s forgetting that she took care of Meredith’s three kids and her own newborn during a pandemic. No one expects the house to be clean during all that.
Dr. Atticus Lincoln (Chris Carmack) was supposed to let Amelia know if Mer was officially coming home, but, of course, Meredith was already there by the time he told her.
Circling back around to Teddy and Owen. Are they back together? Is this just a slip-up of euphoria because Meredith is healthy? Either way, definitely happy to see it.
One of the best moments of the episode was Link talking about how much he wanted to go back to his own house. Owen told him good luck with that because he knows the sisterly bond and the pull of Grey’s house. So many people have lived there throughout the 17 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy.
Even Dr. Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) knew to get his own house before moving because he would be stuck at Meredith’s house if he hadn’t.
I really loved them talking about the bond Amelia, Meredith, and Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) have. It’s not quite a coven, as Link said, but it’s something extraordinary.
There may be a new Meredith home. Schmitt asked Dr. Taryn Helm (Jaicy Elliot) to come live with him and Joe. Grey’s home was always a sanctuary when someone needed a family. I love that Jo is carrying on the tradition and that Schmitt is too.
If we needed even more happiness, Maggie gave it to us. She asked Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) to officiate her wedding. I love that she will have both of her dads a part of it.
What was your favorite flashback moment of Jackson? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
