Grey's Anatomy: Look Up Child (17x14)

Well... goodbye, Jackson Avery.

Cons:

Obviously I'm still deep in my feelings about Alex Karev's departure, so I'll probably end up comparing the two a lot... I will say that Jackson is getting a better treatment because of actor availability, and on a personal note I've always shipped Jackson and April, so I'm happy with this sort of open-ended thing of maybe they'll get back together. BUT, at the same time, we have to acknowledge how lazy and repetitive this is, right? Jackson is moving away to do what's best for him personally, and we're given this indication that maybe he can get back together with his ex. Reminds me of Arizona leaving to go be closer to her daughter, and us finding out in an off-hand aside that Callie and Penny had broken up (thus negating the whole reason why Callie had even moved away in the first place). Lazy writing.

We should also talk about Catherine. I've never liked her, as anyone who reads these reviews will know, but is she just... okay with Jackson taking over the foundation? Is there a... larger conversation to be had here? Is he ousting her from her job, or is she just nodding and accepting retirement with grace? As much as I've always felt frustrated by her character, this particular move felt out of character to the point where I feel like I need to point it out. Maybe we'll see her pushing back in the episodes to come? It looks like Jackson isn't quite gone yet...

I'm not a fan of the fake-outs this episode tries to pull. Jackson at April's front door, ready to make some kind of big, but "not compulsive" announcement. It looks like it's supposed to be a love confession, then it's super not. But then later April and Matthew have separated and so we get this sort of... "maybe" vibe at the end. It's wishy-washy but I get why it has to be... it's just frustrating to watch.

I've always liked April, and by the time her last couple of seasons came on the show, I'd grown to really love her. So it's also weird to see her here and feel like something was just that slightly... off? Like she wasn't quite the same character I remembered? I don't know. Maybe I was expecting too much. Maybe the weight of that expectation colored my opinion when I finally saw it?

In all, as I write out all of these "cons", I guess this episode just left me feeling a little cold and underwhelmed. Jackson's realization of what he wants to do felt reasonable as a character beat, but also a little too telegraphed and scripted if that makes sense. I didn't get a sense of him as a character with existing relationships that matter to him. He spent the bulk of his time talking to his dad and April, two characters who are not regulars on this show. What about his relationships to the other characters that we know really well and are still following? I hope we get to see that before Jackson departs for good.

Pros:

Despite what I said above, it was nice to see April again. I've always loved her so deeply. Her chaotic energy but deep-seeded and hard-won trust in herself after so many years make her an enjoyable character to spend time with, in my opinion. And I'm a sucker for the easy relationship between her and Jackson, the back and forth they share, the way they know each other so very deeply. They're able to recognize each other's shortcomings and also strengths, which is what leads to a moment where they make a choice to do something big and crazy, because it's what Jackson needs and it might be the best thing for April and her career and family too. There's a trust between them that at this point is pretty unshakable, despite a shaky past.

I think Jesse Williams is enough of a good actor that I find his scenes with his father very emotionally affecting. There's obviously a great deal of discomfort and anger lingering between them, but he also wants to try and understand his father's perspective, and he might be in the right frame of mind to actually do that for the first time in his life. I like stories about sons learning to be better than their fathers, and in some ways that's what this story is. Jackson is making choices that align with his values but that don't take him away from his daughter. But in other ways, Jackson has something to learn from his father other than how to be different from him, and that's interesting to see too. People are complex. People have more than one side to them. People are right and then also wrong.

Since this episode was Jackson-centric, it's actually easy to sum up everything that happens... so that's really all I've got to say! It wasn't a terrible episode to watch by any stretch of the imagination, even though it had more things I was frustrated with than that I truly enjoyed. I'm really sad that Jesse Williams is leaving Grey's. This is a show that can sustain itself through some big losses of characters, but every time another one leaves, it makes me worried about the show's future. Alex Karev, then Andrew DeLuca, now Jackson Avery? Where have all the good men gone?

7/10