S13.E16: Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?

[Chicken Wing]

Catherine may not be a malignant narc, but she's very very strong willed...and Robert seems very laid back and weak willed.  Perhaps he chose not to drag Jackson through a huge custody battle...thinking he was doing Jackson a favor.  People make huge miscalculations all the time.  I wonder, if for the GOOD of Jackson's self-image...did Catherine ever encourage her son to see or visit his father?  Did she call Robert and ask him to come to birthday parties, graduations?  If she did....kudos to her, but there is still a LOT missing to this story.  He was too sweet of a guy to be a monster deadbeat asshole.  There's way more to this story, IMO.  

When Catherine tried to push Jackson to sue April for custody last season, she explained to Webber that she went through a similar battle with Jackson's father when he tried to take Jackson away from her. Does that anecdote fit with the storyline in this episode? Does Jackson know about this, that his father actually tried to take custody of him at first? Did this episode just retcon all of that? I don't know.

Nonetheless, I don't think the fact that Robert left his son and never contacted him again in and of itself makes him a monster deadbeat asshole, so the fact that he seems like a very sweet nice guy doesn't contradict what he did. Being a seemingly nice guy, one would think he would have had the character to step up and be a man, to stay in his son's life and at least stay in contact with him even if in-person visits were few and far-between. Or maybe not. Maybe he was just a coward. Maybe he just couldn't hack it at all, any part of the "Avery" life, even just the simple act of raising an Avery child. Maybe there's no real answer as to why a parent just chooses to stay absent. Maybe they're not terrible people, deadbeats, heartless, even though their action certainly is to their child. Maybe Robert is a nice guy who made a cowardly decision.

We have a similar dilemma with Meredith and Thatcher. Why did he stay completely out of her life after Ellis moved the two of them away? He wasn't at all a coldhearted deadbeat asshole. I mean, in the present, anyway, he said and did some cruel things to Meredith (way to win those brownie points, Thatch!), but we learned from Lexie's appearance that he was a good man and a great father to her and her sister. So Thatcher, too, was a generally good guy who happened to have abandoned his child despite there being seemingly nothing stopping him from being involved as much as he wanted. A guy can, oddly, be both a good guy and a terrible parent. The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

[chitowngirl]

2 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

I'm honestly surprised that we didn't find out that Robert had a new wife and second family living in Montana. 

That would be like Meredith AND Alex's father!

Edited March 18, 2017 by chitowngirl

[OtterMommy]

43 minutes ago, Chicken Wing said:

When Catherine tried to push Jackson to sue April for custody last season, she explained to Webber that she went through a similar battle with Jackson's father when he tried to take Jackson away from her. Does that anecdote fit with the storyline in this episode? Does Jackson know about this, that his father actually tried to take custody of him at first? Did this episode just retcon all of that? I don't know.

I'm drawing a blank on this, so I apologize if this is well-known, but have we ever been told how old Jackson was when his father left his life?

[Chicken Wing]

I don't think it's been said. We can assume Jackson was very young since Robert didn't recognize him in the slightest. Although, Meredith was five when Ellis and Thatcher split and Thatcher recognized her at his doorstep right away (of course, the in-show logic says Meredith strongly resembles her mother).

[candall]

Here's a funny thing:  I'm catching up on the last season of Code Black and Eric Roberts just got gurnied in to the ER.  He's Dr. Sacetti's father, too!  Also estranged!

Now I think Jackson and Mario are half-brothers.  : )

Edited March 19, 2017 by candall

[cakes1975]

I think that Chicken Wing has a point about Robert Avery being a deadbeat father. While he may not be a monster, he chose to leave and not make any real attempts at being a part of Jackson's life. As for the custody battle with Catherine, he may have made a half hearted attempt to get custody, or it was maybe just a threat with no real legal attempt to do so; but in Catherine's mind, just that was enough to frighten her, and that is what she relayed to Richard.

I say this because my father used a similar tactic to get move visitation with me in the sixties. He had no legal claim as the law went back then (my stepfather was my father on the birth records), but he knew that my mother loved and respected his parents and step-parents, and wanted them to have contact and time with their first-born grandchild. He knew that my widowed mother would not be up to that kind of fight but it allowed him to be a dick and show his parents that he was attempting to take some responsibility. We found out that this was a bluff when his mother died, and he decided that the every other weekend visits with his side of the family were no longer needed (not to mention the bits and pieces of monetary support).

This long-winded story is just to point out that Robert may have been bluffing about custody, but to Catherine is felt then and now as a real threat. I can only assume that the Avery family was on the side of their dynamic daughter-in-law, and not surprised at the attitude of their son because I'm pretty sure that Robert was never the Avery they wanted. Robert was 'born to it,'doing what was required. The way he talked about seeing Catherine for the first time at a fundraiser, he was obviously smitten. He probably also thought that Catherine would be his way out of the family business, he could just be a surgeon and she could be the driving force of the foundation. After a while all of it was too much for him, so he dropped out. It obvious that he still had money because upkeep of a bar/restaurant in a touristy resort town is not cheap, and trying to get a specialty coffee business started around that bar/restaurant is not cheap either. So I don't think that the Avery family cut him off financially, they just decided that Catherine was the better Avery for the family concern, aka 'born for it.'

[OtterMommy]

4 minutes ago, cakes1975 said:

This long-winded story is just to point out that Robert may have been bluffing about custody, but to Catherine is felt then and now as a real threat. I can only assume that the Avery family was on the side of their dynamic daughter-in-law, and not surprised at the attitude of their son because I'm pretty sure that Robert was never the Avery they wanted. Robert was 'born to it,'doing what was required. The way he talked about seeing Catherine for the first time at a fundraiser, he was obviously smitten. He probably also thought that Catherine would be his way out of the family business, he could just be a surgeon and she could be the driving force of the foundation. After a while all of it was too much for him, so he dropped out. It obvious that he still had money because upkeep of a bar/restaurant in a touristy resort town is not cheap, and trying to get a specialty coffee business started around that bar/restaurant is not cheap either. So I don't think that the Avery family cut him off financially, they just decided that Catherine was the better Avery for the family concern, aka 'born for it.'

I think your assumption here is pretty safe.  I doubt that Catherine got the foundation in any sort of settlement and, at least as of a few years ago, Robert's father was still around and Jackson had some sort of relationship with him (I can't remember what season that was, but I believe it was the first season that Jackson was a character on the show).

[apbr]

I wish they would give Jackson some gumption and let him just dump April and Catherine for good and go his own way.  I didn't like this episode at all really.

[Mrs. DuRona]

I actually liked this episode.  It had less "DRAHMAH" to it.  I was pleasantly surprised that the surgery went off without a hitch, and there were no monitor alarms that went off mid-surgery.  

I'm almost embarrassed to admit I am not at all familiar with Eric Roberts' work.  I went to IMDB and saw that he works A LOT, but was having a hard time placing him.  So, his casting wasn't the "OMG" moment that most seem to be having.  

I like April.  I always have.  I like her and Jackson together, so I was pretty happy with this.

I took her "Jackson said you can give me a ride home" as "We live together, but our commute is usually separate", since they arrived to the plane separately in the beginning.  Or, she moved out off-screen?

All in all, it was a nice, quiet episode with an interesting case and some character development.  A nice change of pace.

[NeenerNeener]

24 minutes ago, Mrs. DuRona said:

I'm almost embarrassed to admit I am not at all familiar with Eric Roberts' work.  I went to IMDB and saw that he works A LOT, but was having a hard time placing him.  So, his casting wasn't the "OMG" moment that most seem to be having.  

Really? Being the sister of Eric Roberts was the bus Julia Roberts rode to Hollywood many, many years ago. And being a member of the Roberts family hasn't hurt his daughter Emma's acting career at all.

Edited March 19, 2017 by NeenerNeener

[Pallas]

18 hours ago, Meow25 said:

My point is that sometimes people get really bad counsel.  Sometimes people are just WEAK (like my father).  Sometimes they just feel it's not good for the child, and they're better off without a custody battle.  My dad to this day says "Someday she will pull into my driveway and maybe we can start over."  She won't, because my dad dropped the ball BIG time and she felt abandoned.  

A wonderful post, Meow25, and yes. The advice given is, "It would be too confusing for the child." This used to be the conventional wisdom laid on women giving up their children for adoption, to fathers whose marriages broke up when the children were young -- anytime (often incorrectly) assumed to be "when the children were too young to remember them."  I still hear it today, this catch-all rationale, "confusing for the child."  

No. Children aren't confused by who their parents and caretakers are: they're confused about who they are, without them.  

Children and other dependent creatures have an excruciatingly sensitive register and hierarchy of who's who, based on what they need: how much that person cares for them and cares about them. What may be true is if the child doesn't immediately recognize a missing parent, the parent will have to re-establish a bond. In other words, that parent might get hurt along the road to making things better. And as that bond gets re-established, the custodial parent might be troubled by jealousy and suspicion -- shitty feelings suffered, once again, in relation to the former mate. In other words, that parent might get hurt along the road to making things better. Both parents will have to continue to "put in the work" as non-spousal partners. All for the sake of not confusing children about who they are, and if they are worthy of love.

[lorbeer]

On 15.03.2017 at 1:33 PM, Crazy Bird Lady said:

I love the "got away"! Any sensible (or sensitive) person would eventually come to their senses and "get away" from Catherine. I just hope Richard will do that now, and not wait till later.

My plesaure ;) and I agree..

[mojito]

Quote

And, she's still using his name after marrying Dr. Webber. Not even Catherine Avery Webber.

I don't think it's likely that a 60-something year old doctor is going to change her last name professionally because she got married. Or most doctors of any age. How many female doctors on this show have changed their names because they got married?

[Shellie]

13 minutes ago, mojito said:

I don't think it's likely that a 60-something year old doctor is going to change her last name professionally because she got married. Or most doctors of any age. How many female doctors on this show have changed their names because they got married?

I was thinking that too.  Even my 60-year-old friend who's a technical writer didn't change her name from her ex-husband's when she got remarried 25 years after the divorce. She'd had that name so long that she totally identified with it, and it's on a lot of published work. 

[Emily Thrace]

On 17/03/2017 at 4:12 PM, carouselride said:

I always thought Jackson's dad ran off with no explanation and since Jackson was still a kid and Catherine was his legal guardian, Harper Avery gave her control of his share of the family fortune/position in boards/whatever it is how these things work. And then maybe, they realized how great she was at it and when Jackson turned 18, she was allowed to stay in the position.

 

About the "I'm pretty speech", while at the time it sounded like he had siblings, now it can make sense as even being only child (I'm not sure if at that time we knew his family was mixed or that his dad had left). On his father's side he's the only black one and one his mother's side, he's the fair skin and blue eyed kid. But I have a really hard time believing pushy Catherine treated her son as a pretty boy and didn't even try to influence him into getting into medicine, let alone a surgeon.

I suspect Jackson is an only but I bet Robert wasn't. I suspect Jackson has cousins and Aunts and Uncles. I can a situation where Catherine wound up being the most interested and capable when it came to the foundation so she wound up in charge. I also wouldn't past her to have staged a cue and forced out her in laws either. From everything Jackson said the Averys sound like a very old WASPY east coast clan I would actually like to see his grandfather come back again and see him interact with Catherine.

[DearEvette]

From what I can recall of the episode with Grandfather Avery, he LOVED Catherine, though.  So I don't think it was a case of a coup.  I honestly think it is like a couple of other people have already head wanked:  Catherine was a pretty damned brilliant surgeon on her own, attracted Robert's attention, he was a surgeon at the time so she probably thought he was just as committed and ambitious as she was, she threw herself into being a Avery for real, her nature and go-getter attitude probably drew a lot of approval from Grandfather Avery and when Robert left her she probably felt she had to work even harder to secure Jackson's place in the family.  So I don't think she is some nefarious schemer who took over the Avery corp through shady dealings.  She is always talking to April about having to work hard for what she has accomplished and not being born to it.  So I took it that she actually worked hard for what she had. 

[Chicken Wing]

I'm sure the Averys grew to like Catherine more than they liked Robert. Having her assume the reins even after the natural heir took off was probably not a difficult decision.

[flickers]

I think April arriving in the taxi but going home in the Avery limo was supposed to be symbolic. Jackpot!

Edited March 19, 2017 by flickers

[kingshearte]

On 3/17/2017 at 9:45 PM, timimouse said:

And I too am curios about whether or not they are together. I'd love for the next episode to give us something along the lines of April thinking that their one-night-tryst meaning that they are back together and Jackson telling her no! 

Might be more interesting to have that reversed.

23 hours ago, mojito said:

I don't think it's likely that a 60-something year old doctor is going to change her last name professionally because she got married. Or most doctors of any age. How many female doctors on this show have changed their names because they got married?

Not even April, and she seems like the most likely one to do so.

[FnkyChkn34]

On 3/19/2017 at 0:41 AM, apbr said:

I wish they would give Jackson some gumption and let him just dump April and Catherine for good and go his own way.  I didn't like this episode at all really.

Catherine, yes.  But April?  No.  He can't just dump her, or he'd be in essence dumping his daughter too, and then he'd be no better than his own deadbeat dad.  He's not like that.  Whether he and April are together romantically or not, I think they'll always be part of each others' lives to raise their daughter.

[AriAu]

Quote

When Catherine tried to push Jackson to sue April for custody last season, she explained to Webber that she went through a similar battle with Jackson's father when he tried to take Jackson away from her. Does that anecdote fit with the storyline in this episode? Does Jackson know about this, that his father actually tried to take custody of him at first? Did this episode just retcon all of that? I don't know.

I had forgotten all about this. I cant believe that Robert cared enough to fight for custody and then never bothered to have A N Y presence in his life or even bother to find out anything about his life, health, education, career etc.... My mouth was just as agape as Jackson when it was apparent that Robert had no idea who Jackson was and even more agape when he never asked anything about Jackson's life and talked about chicory coffee instead.

Then again, I am pre-disposed to think that Eric Roberts is a complete psycho due to his role in Star 80....one of the creepiest characters ever!

[DearEvette]

5 minutes ago, AriAu said:

Then again, I am pre-disposed to think that Eric Roberts is a complete psycho due to his role in Star 80....one of the creepiest characters ever!

It was a hoot to see him as the police sheriff in Rihanna's Bitch Betta Have My Money video though.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

On Grey's Anatomy, You Don't Choose The Avery Life; The Avery Life Chooses You

Jackson and April head to Montana to do a throat transplant, and Jackson confronts his absentee father.

[jaync]

Quote

She [April] has her moments, but she isn't more unlikable than any other character.

Yeah, when I first tuned into the show, I was a little taken aback at how unlikeable all the characters seemed to be.

Quote

I've said it before and I'll say it again, nothing good comes from an Eric Roberts appearance. 

Hee, "That Non-Acting Bastard" is what a guy I know calls him (and the Baldwin brothers).

April gave Jackson her virginity, he "stole" her as a bride, and this is a soapy drama - I'd be surprised if they didn't get back together. Anyway, JW and SD have good chemistry and make for a lot of pretty, so I'm okay with it.

[Shellie]

The only Grey's female doctor I can think of who took her husband's last name is Addison, weirdly enough.

[Blonde Gator]

On 3/19/2017 at 5:25 PM, Chicken Wing said:

I'm sure the Averys grew to like Catherine more than they liked Robert. Having her assume the reins even after the natural heir took off was probably not a difficult decision.

Playing Devil's Advocate here, but WHAT IF we sort of compare and contrast Jackson's Dad vs. Alex's Dad?  Like Alex's dad....Robert Avery just up and left, but for different reasons.  What if they shared the same downward spiral.....serious Drug Addiction?  So the Avery Family basically disowns him, then Robert Avery works his way back to sobriety, and realizes he's destroyed any/all hope with his family, including Jackson?  I can see that, too.

We'll see if the show goes there, although I imagine it will take a back seat for a while.  However, if the writers don't get back to what made this show so addictive, there may not be a Fall 2017 season.    I, for one, am kind of over the stupid of late.

[OtterMommy]

1 minute ago, Shellie said:

The only Grey's female doctor I can think of who took her husband's last name is Addison, weirdly enough.

And then I believe she went back to her maiden name once they were divorced, right?  In any case, I think she was Addison Shepherd to hammer home the fact that she was married to Derek when she was introduced.

Oh, there was another one....Ellis Grey.

In any case, I'm not at all surprised that so few doctors on this take their husband's name.  Most are well-established in their careers (unless they are interns, but I can't think of any of the interns who were married--except Bailey.  And I got the impression that Bailey WAS her married name).  People know their doctor's by their names so, changing a name, would be a disruption.  So, if Catherine Avery was established as a doctor while still married to Robert, plus she had a son with the Avery surname, it would be completely within reason to keep that name (especially with the Avery foundation involved).

Plus, I don't see why anyone should have to take their spouse's name when they get married if they don't want to.  I think it is now common enough that no one would bat an eye.

[perkie1968]

1 hour ago, OtterMommy said:

And then I believe she went back to her maiden name once they were divorced, right?  In any case, I think she was Addison Shepherd to hammer home the fact that she was married to Derek when she was introduced.

Oh, there was another one....Ellis Grey.

In any case, I'm not at all surprised that so few doctors on this take their husband's name.  Most are well-established in their careers (unless they are interns, but I can't think of any of the interns who were married--except Bailey.  And I got the impression that Bailey WAS her married name).  People know their doctor's by their names so, changing a name, would be a disruption.  So, if Catherine Avery was established as a doctor while still married to Robert, plus she had a son with the Avery surname, it would be completely within reason to keep that name (especially with the Avery foundation involved).

Plus, I don't see why anyone should have to take their spouse's name when they get married if they don't want to.  I think it is now common enough that no one would bat an eye.

Don't know what the rules are in the States, but here in Canada you can only practice under the name you had when you wrote the licensing exam.  My first boss (dentist) got married before writing her exam so practiced under her married name.  When hubby number one died and she remarried she had to continue to practice under first hubbys names, unless she wanted to rewrite the licensing exam with new hubbys name.  Trust me,no one wants to rewrite the exam.  So professionally she was known as Dr First Hubbys Name and personally she was known as Mrs Second Hubbys Name.  

[Shellie]

1 hour ago, OtterMommy said:

And then I believe she went back to her maiden name once they were divorced, right?  In any case, I think she was Addison Shepherd to hammer home the fact that she was married to Derek when she was introduced.

Oh, there was another one....Ellis Grey.

Ack!  I forgot about Ellis!

[datazoid1701]

11 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

 Most are well-established in their careers (unless they are interns, but I can't think of any of the interns who were married--except Bailey.  And I got the impression that Bailey WAS her married name).

Bailey is her maiden name - Tucker's last name was...Jones, I think? But in that flashback episode where she's still an intern (when she, Callie, and Webber are giving speeches), she's still Dr. Bailey before having married Tucker. 

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, datazoid1701 said:

Bailey is her maiden name - Tucker's last name was...Jones, I think? But in that flashback episode where she's still an intern (when she, Callie, and Webber are giving speeches), she's still Dr. Bailey before having married Tucker. 

Thanks for the clarification.  I had it in my mind that her husband was Tucker Bailey, but that was a looooong time ago.  

Anyway, with the exception of Catherine, Ellis Grey--and, let's face it, we don't know that Thatcher didn't take her name--and, for a brief while, Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, the married doctors kept their pre-married names, which I think is fairly realistic for doctors who begin practicing before they are married. And, with Catherine, there was a definitely professional advantage to taking Robert's name.

I think, because of that, we are supposed to believe that Catherine has a pretty tight place in the Avery family.  (Or maybe the writers are just a bit sloppy about it all).

[kingshearte]

It may also be worth noting the generational element.

It was still fairly radical not to when Ellis and Thatcher got married, so she probably did it just by default. I suspect that if she'd been born a generation or two later, she would not be inclined to change her name upon marriage.

Catherine taking Avery (and not later taking Webber) makes sense for several reasons. Time period, cachet of the name in question, making sure she was well and truly integrated into the family (perhaps especially as a woman of colour marrying into a wealthy white family). Now that she's married to Webber, she's established as an Avery and closely tied to the whole Avery shebang, and by that time, it's perfectly acceptable for her not to.

Even Addison's name change fits in with timing and trends, since she hyphenated, which was pretty common for a while, and probably the first step toward broad acceptance of the idea that women can retain their own names. Although I think she just used Shepherd most of the time.

Now it's starting to feel like more women are keeping their own names than not (although it might just be the people I know), and I would imagine that it's even more prevalent among professions like doctor (especially given the existence of rules like the one mentioned by @perkie1968).

[Blonde Gator]

19 minutes ago, kingshearte said:

It may also be worth noting the generational element.

It was still fairly radical not to when Ellis and Thatcher got married, so she probably did it just by default. I suspect that if she'd been born a generation or two later, she would not be inclined to change her name upon marriage.

Catherine taking Avery (and not later taking Webber) makes sense for several reasons. Time period, cachet of the name in question, making sure she was well and truly integrated into the family (perhaps especially as a woman of colour marrying into a wealthy white family). Now that she's married to Webber, she's established as an Avery and closely tied to the whole Avery shebang, and by that time, it's perfectly acceptable for her not to.

Even Addison's name change fits in with timing and trends, since she hyphenated, which was pretty common for a while, and probably the first step toward broad acceptance of the idea that women can retain their own names. Although I think she just used Shepherd most of the time.

Now it's starting to feel like more women are keeping their own names than not (although it might just be the people I know), and I would imagine that it's even more prevalent among professions like doctor (especially given the existence of rules like the one mentioned by @perkie1968).

As you say, there are numerous reasons for keeping / changing names upon marriage.  Another one is in the military.  First Mr. BG was an Army Officer, it was bad enough being a "dependent", but to have kept my maiden name (which I preferred) would have been a gigantic PITA. (I'm a few years younger than Catherine's character).  So there's a convenience factor as well. 

[PrincessTT]

I completely understand why the female Drs don't take their husband's name, but it slightly surprised me that April didn't when she married Jackson... Only because of the Season 6 episode where she called Meredith 'Mrs Shepherd' and looked confused when Mer corrected her that she's 'Dr Grey'.

I know that April changed a lot between then and when she married Jackson, but I still thought she would change her name. 

[OtterMommy]

16 minutes ago, PrincessTT said:

I completely understand why the female Drs don't take their husband's name, but it slightly surprised me that April didn't when she married Jackson... Only because of the Season 6 episode where she called Meredith 'Mrs Shepherd' and looked confused when Mer corrected her that she's 'Dr Grey'.

I know that April changed a lot between then and when she married Jackson, but I still thought she would change her name. 

On one hand, I agree--April has been portrayed as being traditional.  On the other, April and Jackson were married for at least some time before they told anyone--and the only reason they announced was because of the non-fraternization policy that Owen was putting in place.

[moonorchid]

The only thing that still kind of bugs is the patient story line. It really felt like the parents were willing to gamble with their childs life just so she wouldn't lose her voice, and Jackson is making insane promises and goes as far to tell april that his only option was that procedure but he didn't like it. 

The levity wasn't there but it was a major experimental never been done before surgery. I know this show bends reality and I get the entire point of the patient storyline was about jacksom finding his voice, but a part of me almost wanted the patient to die to make the point of, there are worse things in life then losing the ability to speak. It all worked out in the end and it was a sweet scene.

[timimouse]

On 19/03/2017 at 1:09 PM, mojito said:

I don't think it's likely that a 60-something year old doctor is going to change her last name professionally because she got married. Or most doctors of any age. How many female doctors on this show have changed their names because they got married?

A lot of doctors that I know (in real life) didn't go through the process of changing their names because they would've become doctors before they got married and changing your name means also changing all your medical certificates, which is a lot of hassle. I do know one or two that changed their legal names but not on their medical licenses so, for example, if Catherine had done that, she would be Mrs. Catherine Webber but Dr. Catherine Avery. 

[Snow Fairy]

Meredith also stayed dr. Grey, and not dr. Shephard if I remember?

[OtterMommy]

2 minutes ago, Snow Fairy said:

Meredith also stayed dr. Grey, and not dr. Shephard if I remember?

Yes....but she was also post-it married for quite some time before she was legally married.

[Snow Fairy]

And Amelia is still not dr. Hunt.

I don't think any of the women there changed their last names

[moonorchid]

I can understand the female doctors not changing their names after establishing themselves with their own. It seems like an identity thing and I don't have a problem with it, nor has any of the husbands for that matter.

[tvfanatic13]

Well that sucked. 

[Chewy101]

On 3/16/2017 at 8:14 PM, Stacey1014 said:

don't get the April hate. She has her moments, but she isn't more unlikable than any other character. It seems like other characters get a pass for their flaws, but April doesn't. I like her with Jackson and at this point I'd rather see Japril together raising their child than them bringing in another Minnick for a love interest to act as a detour to their inevitable reunion. 

Agreed. She has never bothered me even half as much as Meredith does. She can be shrill, but at least she isn't endlessly whiny, pouty and selfish. I was happy for a Mer-free episode. And if Jackson ever did a spin-off, I'd give it a shot.

Catherine as well... I like her. I don't like everything she does (like the rest of the cast), but I don't mind her. She has stated for many seasons now that she married into the Avery's and had to take over when hubby "went away," although I always thought he had died. But anyway, she gets a hefty job done, and she has to be who she is to do it.

[Scatterbrained]

There was a lot of build up to this episode and a lot of secrecy about what it would entail. I had to watch it twice in order to really digest it.  Prior to its' showing, it was described as being filled with light and hope, silence spaces and real communication between Jackson and April. 

To me, this episode seemed dark and moody, probably because it was mostly about Jackson and Jackson was very dark and very moody throughout most of it.  Even at the end, he was in a less dark place, and his stance toward his mother softened from the previous episode, but he still seemed to be carrying a heavy emotional weight.  He seemed to be at his lightest when he was in the hospital working WITH April on the surgery.  

I loved the scene where they were telling Dr. Corridan that they were giving him a seat at the table and giving themselves permission to "make history".   Everyone seemed so giddy and excited there.  I also thought it was funny how miffed April would get every time someone mentioned the name Grey.  

I was surprised that they had sex in the hotel room.  I thought it would be more open ended than that.  My favorite movie ending is the final scene from The Family Man (Nicholas Cage/Tea Leoni).  The rest of the movie is pleasant but predictable, but the ending is open-ended, but hopeful.  When I think of the way the characters' personalities have been developed over time, I just think sex=together for them.  

However, the creators can adjust them however they wish.  The only way the opposite might make sense for me is if it was a bookend to their fight-ending sex in the other Japril episode, where April wanted to have one last nice moment where their relationship ends as it began.  In that episode Jackson says something along the lines of he wants her when he stops thinking, and he did seem to be thinking a lot in that Montana hotel room bed.  So, I guess we will see.  (Don't break my heart, Show!)

I liked how this episode filled in some blanks about Catherine.  I can now see her as someone already established and a rising star in her industry when she crossed paths with the Avery family and, working together, they made everything greater.  Like someone else mentioned, I really like seeing a glimpse of the Avery wealth and lifestyle.  I also liked what someone else mentioned about the symbolism of April arriving in the taxi and leaving in the limo.  

I thought Eric Roberts did a great job and it seems to me Robert Avery does care about Jackson.  He gave him a hug and held him close for a greeting, wants him to be happy, and offered to pack him a lunch for the road.  I hope we see more of him in the future (and not to come to GSMH to die).  Someone asked why he did the show.  I know who is he but, other than a music video, haven't seen much of his work.  I wonder if his daughter is a fan of the show.  I was flipping channels once and saw either a red-carpet interview or a paparazzi interview of the two of they seemed close.  

[moonorchid]

If we knew then what we know now...le sigh