Grey’s Anatomy: 10 Reminders Why Jackson and April Should Still Be Together

Grey’s Anatomy is as well known for its romantic storylines as it is for its extreme tragedies. Oftentimes, that ends in heartbreak for shippers because there is no such thing as happily ever after for any couple while a TV show is still on the air.

Characters’ stories end, as April Kepner’s (Sarah Drew) does on Grey’s Anatomy Season 14 Episode 24, “All Of Me.” 

However, Season 17 is proof that stories begin again, as April’s will on Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Episode 14, “Look Up Child,” when Drew reprises her role.

Of course, Dr. Kepner is half of the iconic couple affectionately nicknamed “Japril” by, well, the whole internet. Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) is the other half and to be blunt — even though they’re divorced, they are soulmates. 

Even if April really only graces our screens for one more episode, we’ve created a list (in no particular order) of 10 reasons Jackson and April should still be together, because no matter what happens we know this to be true. 

10 Reminders Why Jackson and April Should Still Be Together:

1. Their chemistry is off the charts. 

No matter what TV shows try to fool us, we know you can’t fake chemistry, and Jackson Avery and April Kepner do not have to try. They just have to look at each other and a fire appears. 

If you need proof, all you have to do is watch the video of them hooking up in the bathroom during the medical boards on Grey’s Anatomy Season 8 Episode 22, “Let The Bad Times Roll,” which has over 35 million views to date on YouTube. 

Jackson and April can get in the mood wherever they are — a car, a medical supply closet, a business trip to Montana — but they also don’t have to like each other very much to turn each other on.

On Grey’s Anatomy Season 12 Episode 11, “Unbreak My Heart,” they make throwing fortune cookies at each other while discussing divorce literal foreplay (don’t try that at home). 

2. April literally ran away from her current husband to marry Jackson.

There is no denying that Jackson’s speech when he stands up at April’s wedding on Grey’s Anatomy Season 10 Episode 12, “Get Up, Stand Up,” is romantic and iconic, even though standing up to object someone’s marriage could’ve turned very cheesy and messy and weird. 

But we are not here to talk about what Jackson says. We are here to point out that even though we never see this moment happen, April Kepner presumably tells Jackson that she loves him too, and literally runs out on her then-husband-to-be Matthew Taylor (Justin Bruening).

So, can anyone tell us why someone thought it would be a good idea to have April marry Matthew in Season 14?

Jackson and April have been through some heartbreaking things that cause their marriage to end. But no matter what happened on-screen, logic says Ms. Kepner never really loved any paramedic as much as she loved Jackson Avery. 

3. The kids. 

We know it’s never a good idea to stay together for the kids, but Jackson and April are in a unique and heartbreaking situation. 

They lost their first child — a son named Samuel Norbert Avery — to osteogenesis imperfecta on Grey’s Anatomy Season 11 Episode 11, “All I Could Do Was Cry.” Sadly, they never learned how to be there for each other while grieving him, and his loss is essentially the catalyst for their divorce. 

To their credit, they try as hard as they can to make it work and conceive their daughter, Harriet Kepner Avery, on the aforementioned night of the fortune cookie fight. 

Fast forward through a messy period of secrecy and they’re now presumably great co-parents to Harriet. But more than just their daughter, they’ll always share a tragic bond because they know what losing a son they barely got to meet feels like.

Grey’s Anatomy missed a chance to turn a devastating loss into a story of finding love again years ago. But the bond they share because of both of their kids will never break. It would be nice if that could somehow bring them together again.

4. Mercy West forever. 

Japril fans have been on quite a rollercoaster ride while rooting for this relationship to work romantically. As of this writing, the romance is on pause. But one thing we have never lost for too long is their amazing friendship. 

Jackson and April transferred from Mercy West to Seattle Grace together in Grey’s Anatomy Season 6. And they were friends for nearly two seasons before spontaneously hooking up in Season 8.

In TV land, that’s basically a lifetime, but it gave Japril time to actually get to know each other as human beings. Perhaps that’s why their relationship truly does feel natural. 

The fact that they were friends first means that they also stand up for each other fiercely and often. Our favorite example of Jackson doing so is in Season 7 when he punches Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) for making April cry. 

It’s also pretty awesome that April yells at Dr. Webber (Jim Pickens) for blaming Cristina Yang’s (Sandra Oh) Harper Avery award loss on Jackson. 

5. Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams bring out the best in each other 

We interrupt this list about fictional characters to pay homage to the actors who play them.

Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams are impressive actors when they are not on screen together. But when they are they bring out an almost magical extra spark in each other (which probably helps explain list item number 1). 

They also actually like each other as people and take time to document that on Instagram to prove it. Their friendship might make them more invested in their storyline together. 

“I am a fan [of Drew’s] and she is absolutely one of the most special people I’ve worked with,” Williams told Entertainment Tonight in 2021 before Drew’s return was revealed. “We developed those storylines together with our incredible writers, so it’ll always hold a very real place in my heart and memories. We stay in contact. She is the sweetest.”

In 2018, Drew called her time working with Williams “an incredible journey” in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. 

“Doing the kind of work that we had to do as acting partners bonds people,” she said. “We really cared about how our story was told.” We really care too, Sarah! 

6. Their sweet moments are really sweet.  

So, if we’re being honest, because of Samuel dying, Japril shippers did not get to see the couple living in domestic bliss together often. But their sweetest moments are worth savoring. 

Remember when Jackson couldn’t bear to keep their marriage a secret for long because he was married to a “brilliant, gorgeous trauma surgeon?” How about when he folded her underwear to prove he can compromise, or when he stood up for his marriage to his overbearing mother? 

Remember when April told Jackson he was going to be a great dad after he built the rocking chair? And when she promised him they could get waffles after church as a family? How about when she stood outside the door of the bathroom as he threw up, wishing he would let her take care of him? 

Okay, that last one is kind of gross. But the point is they deserve more of these moments. 

7. The thought of living without each other wrecks them. 

Obviously, since we are talking about Grey’s Anatomy, it is no surprise that both Jackson and April have nearly died. What is really unique about their story is that they are not together either time their respective near-death experiences happen. 

Jackson nearly blows up in a school bus while saving a little girl on the Season 9 finale. April is engaged to Matthew at the time, but she basically has a breakdown when she thinks Jackson is dead. Any human would feel that way about a friend, sure. 

But the event prompts April to physically lash out at Jackson for being so dangerously heroic. Later, she tells him she wants to be with him. 

Jackson has a similar reaction when April nearly dies in a car crash right before she actually marries Matthew. They have a child together at the time and Matthew has severe injuries too. The fact remains, however, that it is Jackson who does not leave her side. 

8. They are the epitome of forgiveness.

Her son Samuel’s death causes April to run away from her life and become a medic in the army. She leaves her grieving husband Jackson home alone, and even though they eventually get divorced, Jackson does forgive her and tries to make it work. 

But forgiveness is a two-way street for the couple because when they’re newlywed and fighting about how to raise kids, April has to forgive Jackson for saying some pretty nasty things about her faith. 

Later, their divorce nearly gets really messy when Jackson finds out April knew she was pregnant with Harriet, never told him, and signed divorce papers anyway. But eventually, they do put it all aside and work as a team to co-parent their daughter. 

If they can get over all of that, April having a lapse in judgment after her near-death experience is hypothetically an easy hurdle to climb. We’re just saying. 

9. Their friends know they’re soul mates. 

Believe it or not, Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) is the original Japril shipper. In Season 8, he suggests they be study buddies to prep for the boards. He’s implying a “friends with benefits” situation, but even so, his prophecy eventually comes true. 

Later, his words serve as the inspiration for Jackson to stand up and declare his love for April at her wedding to another man. Mark would definitely be proud to inspire that. 

Ben Warren (Jason George) even calls April Jackson’s soul mate after the couple is divorced. We think they should listen closely to their friends. 

10. Jackson is not over April. 

There is a strong argument to be made that Jackson Avery is not over April Kepner. 

When April leaves Grey-Sloan, he has a crisis of faith because in his mind, their marriage ended all those years ago because she had faith in God and their relationship but he did not. 

Jackson is dating another woman at the time of this crisis, so it is just rude to be thinking about your ex whom you divorced years before. 

Before said crisis, April was the only woman Jackson would consider talking to a hypothetical God for. 

He has also not been able to commit to another woman for a long time at all after April moves out of his house. Coincidence? Maybe, but we hope not. 

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What are your hopes for Sarah Drew’s Grey’s Anatomy return? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

*Special thanks to Amanda Reimer

 

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.

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