‘Grey’s Anatomy’: April and Jackson Were Doomed From the Start
Grey’s Anatomy has a history of discarding potentially great couples right when fans are ready to believe they’ll make it through.
As soon as everything seemed perfect, the show has always been quick to take it away with a tragedy, death, scandal, or something equally heartbreaking. On the other hand, there were several relationships fans couldn’t wait to end that lasted longer than we liked.
As for April and Jackson, there were clear signs their relationship was doomed from the start, and it was only a matter of when and how it would eventually end. And some fan reactions are completely relatable!
April and Jackson’s relationship
April and Jackson’s relationship was a rollercoaster of feelings — for the characters and fans alike. Beginning with the hospital merger that first connected the two characters as best friends, to her losing her virginity to Jackson, thinking she was pregnant the first time, and then dating others and almost committing.
Finally, they commit to each other, although there is still many intense highs and lows – a loss of their first child to Osteogenesis Imperfecta type 2, divorce papers, April’s BIG secret about being pregnant again, a custody battle, restraining order, and April’s show finale that upset many fans.
In the end, she lost herself and her sense of direction, leading her back into the arms of Matthew. Presumably, she married and ran off with him amidst her exit from Grey’s, and although many fans agree the “Japril” was a hot mess, there was something “not right” about how things were left.
How fans felt about their relationship and its ending
When it comes to April and Jackson, there are a variety of mixed feelings that come up. Many fans felt their chemistry was powerful, the majority saw too much dysfunction and miscommunication for the relationship to work, and a few were hoping they’d be with someone else.
The truth is, after so many episodes dedicated to the couple, it’s hard not to root for them after spending so much time building them up with emotional highs and lows. The problem was they were simply not a good match, no matter how hard they tried to be.
In agreement, Reddit fans said as much when they took to a post about their relationship, saying it was clear they had “raw love” between them, but they fought about their future from day one, worked better as friends, and although no one likes it – Matthew paired better with April as far as compatibility.
Signs they were never going to work as a couple
First and foremost, in some ways, Grey’s Anatomy accidentally sums up why Jackson and April were never going to work as a couple. On Twitter, they asked fans, “Do you agree with April or Jackson?” and it couldn’t be more relevant to their problems. It seems fans are always feeling the pressure to “choose sides” in their relationship, and that couldn’t be a good sign in itself.
Not to mention, on multiple occasions, April and Jackson have had arguments about their hypothetical children, religion, how they grew up (Jackson having a much more difficult go at things in his childhood), feelings, and countless more. In fact, Reddit fans have found even more signs for you to consider when re-watching episodes of their doomed relationship.
“I’ve never been an April and Jackson shipper [because] they were at way different points in relationships when they were together,” one fan points out. “It felt [like] they were at completely different maturity levels.” It certainly seemed that way in their arguments where they never seemed to fully listen to the other’s problems.
In the end, there was one mutual agreement on the subject – April was the ultimate sign. Among the many mentions of her inability to fully commit to their relationship, fans write that “she definitely loved him, but I think she loved the idea of having Jackson more than truly loved him for who he is,” and “I think she did love him, but she was very selfish/self-absorbed at key moments where it really was important for her to consider his feelings/viewpoint.”
All bad signs for a healthy relationship. Nonetheless, fans pushed through those obvious signs with hope, knowing Grey’s Anatomy would do what they do best and end the relationship. But, hey! Maybe other couples connecting on the show will have better luck!
