When Jackson wondered how she would break the news to her husband, Matthew (Justin Bruening), April stunned him with the news that the pair had actually split up, and that Matthew was living with his ailing sister in Philadelphia.
This led to perhaps the most memorable moment of the episode, as the former couple held hands. “Fingers crossed for new horizons,” April said, and Jackson repeated it back to her. Ugh, these two.
And if you were saying to yourself, “Wait, I wonder how Jackson is going to live in Boston and still be a key member of the show,” then you’ve gotten ahead of us. Sure enough, a preview of the Thursday, May 20 episode teased Jackson bidding farewell to his colleagues, including Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Commence sobbing.
As the May 6 episode aired on the east coast, ABC confirmed to E! News that the May 20 episode will be Jackson’s last one as a main cast member. In a statement shared with E! News, showrunner Krista Vernoff said in part, “We will miss Jesse terribly and we will miss Jackson Avery—played to perfection for so many years.”
In a recent interview with E! News, Sarah promised that Japril would enjoy a “beautiful” reunion “that will be very satisfying.” So far, we’d have to agree.
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.