‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Is it Mostly April’s Fault Her Marriage With Jackson Failed?

One of the most popular medical dramas on television is Grey’s Anatomy. There have been hundreds of storylines across the span of the show. One of the most compelling was about April Kepner and Jackson Avery and their relationship.

Read on to find out more about her beginnings on the show, her relationship with Avery, and her growth within the show.

April Kepner: the early days

April Kepner joined Grey’s Anatomy in Season 6 and became a regular in Season 7. She is portrayed by Sarah Drew. Her primary storylines were about her professional struggles, her relationship with Jackson Avery, and her religious beliefs.

Originally, her focus was on neurosurgery, caused by having a crush on Derek Shepherd. Later, she chose trauma surgery. She returned as a surgical attending after failing her boards. Her most notable traits were thoroughness, determination, and intelligence.

But, make no mistake, Kepner wasn’t perfect. She was also vulnerable, insecure, and over-eager.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: April and Jackson

At the end of Season 8, April and Jackson became a couple. Originally, it was thought that they’d just be friends, but the relationship progressed to being lovers. In fact, Jackson stated his love for April first when she’s standing up to get married to Matthew. They eloped and got married. Their first child was not expected to live and died after birth.

April became more distraught and went on tour with Owen in the Army. She kept extending her tour and Jackson finally issued an ultimatum where April needed to return to Seattle immediately or their relationship would be over. She didn’t come back and when she did, she didn’t show respect for his needs in the relationship and didn’t consider how he felt about losing their child.

They tried to make it work, but eventually divorced with April finding out on the day of the divorce that she’s pregnant. She didn’t tell him until after the divorce papers were signed.

April after Jackson

Here’s what one fan on Reddit had to say about the Kepner-Avery breakup: “I personally think she was 80% responsible for her marriage to Jackson failing.” 

She didn’t listen to what Jackson needed. While she was understandably going through a lot in dealing with their child’s death, she wasn’t the only one involved. However, she did grow throughout her progression of the show.

She went from that annoying character that few liked to one of the most beloved.

At the same time, some of those things that people didn’t like, eventually turned in her favor. For example, at first, she was deemed to be too chirpy and immature. As she grew older and gained experiences, she became more realistic, not so constantly chirpy, and matured.

Another part of the strength for support for April was the friendship she forged with Meredith Grey. Since Meredith gave her stamp of approval, April was found to be a lot more tolerable. In short, she grew up; she’s honest; she’s less annoying. She has principles and that’s someone viewers want to identify with and want to see do well.

Yet, she and Jackson didn’t work out. She wouldn’t listen to Jackson and she took off. That led to repercussions to their marriage. She showed that she didn’t care about his needs when she delayed her return even longer, which showed him even more that she didn’t care about his needs.

This doesn’t mean that they couldn’t have worked, but it seems like their relationship was more to show that people can grow. Sometimes, that means going their own separate ways.

Grey’s Anatomy has a rich storyline that is constantly changing. Keep watching to find out more.