April Kepner in the hit medical drama Grey's Anatomy seemed like one of those characters who make a brief appearance in a few episodes and then disappear for good from public memory. Yet, she held on, eventually becoming quite a beloved character.
April was flawed like every other individual in the Grey's universe. She was high-strung, annoying, and selfish at times, but also extremely kind and caring at others. She was strong in terms of her faith and overcame more than one shocking incident in her life. A fan-favorite or not, April Kepner wasn't someone one could easily dismiss.
Worst: A Mean Streak
The generally sweet April could be uncharacteristically vicious and mean. She lashed out at Miranda Bailey when a rabbi visited the hospital with a severe skin condition that had been caused by antibiotics prescribed by Bailey. Of course, it wasn't Bailey's fault, it was very rare for patients to react thus to the meds she had prescribed. But April wasn't thinking very logically at the time, hence her meanness.
She also treated Jackson badly during her second pregnancy, filing for a restraining order without trying to discuss the matter with him first. She had overheard a conversation between the Avery mother and son and simply presumed that they would take her baby away. She had also hidden the news of her pregnancy from Jackson in the first place, which was again rather mean, whatever her rationale. April was, however, embarrassed when she came home to find a beautiful baby crib, sent to her by Jackson who had no intention of taking her baby.
Best: Kind
April was also extraordinarily kind. In season 14's "One Day Like This", the rabbi was in unbearable pain due to an incurable condition, and April stayed with him until the very last moment, comforting him even as he became delirious and mistook her for his wife.
She also brought an adorable little boy over from Jordan called Kamal so that Jackson could reconstruct his hands after removing the massive tumors on them. Sure, she was a tiny bit sneaky about the whole thing, not telling Jackson how advanced the boys' condition was and even lying to him about his scans. But she did all that because she genuinely wanted Avery to help the little guy.
Worst: Nagging & Annoying
April Kepner gained the reputation of being the most annoying and irritating character on the series for a while until she embarked on an evolutionary arc.
In fact, for a long time after she was introduced, April was particularly unlikable. Her annoying nature was written into her character and played up by the other characters who didn't hold back on her hatred for her. For instance, both Alex and Miranda were pretty vocal about how they couldn't stand her. Yet, once her arc with Jackson and that of her crisis of faith began, her character got more gravitas.
Best: Caring & A Good Homemaker
April is one of the few doctors in Grey Sloan who is also a good homemaker. She is tidy and cooks well; she took charge during that disastrous dinner at Meredith's where Callie turned up with Penny and sent Meredith spiraling. Of course, the food was the last thing on people's minds but April had almost single-handedly got everything on the table.
April's caring, motherly nature was revealed when she tried to take care of an ailing Jackson who was one of the doctors who had got the flu that was doing the rounds in the hospital. Jackson didn't want any help, although of course, he needed it, and April was ready to care for him in any way possible.
Worst: Selfish
April Kepner could be surprisingly selfish at times. For instance, when she went off with Owen as an army surgeon to Jordan after her and Jackson's newborn son Samuel's tragic death, she very understandably needed the break. But disappearing on her husband who was also hurting instead of being there for him so that both could support each other through the tragedy was a tad selfish.
April even kept on extending her trip, which eventually led to her friction with Jackson and paved the way for the divorce. She didn't seem to give much thought to the fact that Jackson too needed to heal. The latter did his best to give her space but April truly tested his patience at the time.
Best: Extremely Organized
Kepner was highly organized, so much so that she was made the Chief Resident, scurrying around with all her notes. The schedule for surgeries would be at the tip of her fingers, quite literally as she handled them, and she was actually a keen organizer, unlike almost every other potential resident.
April's understated organization skills get her the much sought-after Chief Resident position. While an unlikely choice, the position of Chief Resident needed someone with great planning and organizational skills, which April had.
Worst: Bad Leadership Skills
Unfortunately, April was a terrible leader and she had a very hard time when she first took over as Chief Resident. April was low-profile and considered docile, albeit annoying and overly sweet by her colleagues, and almost none of them was ready to listen to her.
Later too, when she stepped in briefly as interim Chief of General Surgery, she failed to get anyone to listen to her or take her seriously. Most of the others were both astonished and annoyed at the choice in the first place and seemed to go out of their way to insult or hurt her.
Best: Strong In Her Beliefs
April is a devout Christian and very strong in her beliefs. Several of her arcs revolved around her faith and her journey as she grappled with disillusionment and then found her faith back again.
April had taken a virginity vow and had stayed a virgin until 27, waiting to find the perfect man with whom she would have sex after marriage. She ended up breaking her vow when she slept with Jackson but always strong in her beliefs, she chose to go through revirginization. Her crisis of faith also happened largely because she had believed in God so completely - she was traumatized when she realized that terrible things happened to the best of people, thus questioning her faith.
Worst: Neurotic & High-strung
April was neurotic and high-strung, traits that made her even more irritating at times, although this wasn't something she could control.
She would start talking incessantly, especially when she felt stressed and started spiraling. The board exams were a good example of how much April could panic; she had a meltdown during the orals and ended up failing.
Best: Tougher Than She Looked
Last but not the least, Kepner was stronger than she looked. Owen realized that she had the makings of a trauma surgeon despite her apparently meek appearance. She also transformed after training with Owen in Jordan, becoming stronger, more authoritative, and had better initiative as a person.
It was April's brainwave that saved Keith in the season 11 finale, "You're My Home". Keith had been impaled in two places as a result of a collapsed tunnel and April brought his car along with him in it so that he could be given a second chance. She also suffered the death of her son, went through an impromptu cesarean on a kitchen table in Meredith's house, and survived a terrible accident, implying that she was strong both physically and psychologically.