During his time on Grey’s Anatomy from season 6 to season 17, Jackson Avery made his mark at Grey Sloan and quickly became a fan-favorite character. He had his fair share of dramatic plots and plenty of compelling stories opposite other lead characters. However, avid Jackson fans will have noticed that not all of his storylines across the 12 seasons made sense.
It’s no surprise that after being a staple on the show for so many years and being involved in so many complex arcs that some of Jackson’s storylines had plot holes and inconsistencies. Some may be noticeable only to the most attentive of fans, but others are too obvious for anyone to ignore.
Crashing April’s Wedding
In the season 10 episode “Get Up, Stand Up,” Jackson shocks his friends and colleagues (and date, Stephanie) when he confesses his love to April in the middle of her wedding to Matthew.
This moment will go down in the Grey’s Anatomy history books as one of the most memorable, dramatic, and TV-worthy scenes of the series. However, since Jackson and April work together every day, it seems unrealistic and farfetched that he couldn’t have found a more appropriate time to speak to her about his feelings. Despite the greatness of the scene as a TV moment, the over-the-top declaration of love makes little sense.
His Friendship With Ben
After reforming the Plastics Posse in honor of Mark Sloan in season 11, Jackson and Ben seemed to become firm friends. They had a few affable moments on screen: Jackson taking Ben under his wing and supporting him through his numerous career changes, for example. However, some fans question if they were ever really friends at all.
Their dynamic was always shifting (mostly due to Ben’s job changes), Ben’s wife was Jackson’s boss, and they never seemed to be on equal footing. And, hierarchy aside, after Ben left the hospital for his new job, they barely spoke to one another again. It seems farfetched to call these two real friends when it seems to be more of a friendship of convenience.
His Dating History
During his 12 years at Grey Sloan, Jackson had his pick of romantic partners. However, while he might seem like the perfect boyfriend at first glance, his dating history says otherwise.
He went out of his way to stop Lexie from meeting his mother in season 7, he humiliated Stephanie at April’s wedding in season 10, and completely vanished on Maggie in season 15. That's not to mention Jackson's tumultuous relationship with April. Why this eligible bachelor repeatedly treated his partners badly, without learning from his mistakes, makes little sense for someone who is supposedly very astute.
His Relationship With His Mother
Jackson’s relationship with his mother is another eyebrow raiser. It’s clear to anyone that, despite being a fully grown adult, he allows Catherine a lot of control over his life. She is constantly interfering in his affairs and relationships, and regularly mocks him for choosing to become a plastic surgeon, a specialty she considers inferior to her own.
Not only does this mother-son relationship seem unhealthy, it’s also highly unrealistic. For a character who is supposedly very forthright and independent, it’s strange that Jackson would let his mother’s meddling go unchecked for so long.
His Friendship With Mark
Since they began working together seasons ago, before Mark’s untimely death, Jackson and Mark were often made out to be good friends. However, some fans are quick to point at that these two were anything but.
This pair spent as much time being amiable with one another as they did bickering. In fact, they had on ongoing feud because of their personal relationships with Lexie, often fought over work, and barely saw each other outside of the hospital. While there’s no denying that they had their friendly moments together every now and then, it seems outlandish to call their turbulent friendship iconic.
His Relationship With Maggie
Jackson and Maggie got together in season 15, and from the get-go they seemed like anything but a match made in heaven. In fact, Jackson spent more time trying to mold Maggie into his idea of the perfect partner, rather than accepting her for who she was.
Their relationship really hit the rocks later in the season however, when Jackson shamefully vanished on Maggie with no warning or explanation. This insensitive behaviour was very out of character - even for a known womanizer like Jackson Avery. In hindsight, it makes no sense that these two completely opposite characters were paired together at all.
He Never Suffers The Consequences
Over his 12 years on the show, Jackson went head to head with many characters. From his stand-offs with colleagues, to his tumultuous romantic relationships, it’s safe to say that he wasn’t shy when it came to confrontation. However, not once did the plastics surgeon face any real consequences for his actions.
It seems baffling that this character got away with being so uncaring, arrogant, and outright rude to so many for so long. Perhaps being an Avery granted him lenience, but it still seems unrealistic that none of his spurned lovers held him accountable for his betrayals.
His Character Only Ever Revolved Around Others
Despite his many stories and dramatic plots, eagle eyed fans have pointed out that Jackson Avery is not exactly a stand-alone character. All of his storylines hinge on another lead character and often centre around either his family name, or one of his many relationships. Yet as an individual, Jackson is hardly a crowd pleaser and is very easy to overlook.
While this issue is more of a writing oversight rather than a character plot hole, it seems nonsensical that this character wasn’t used to his full potential throughout his time on the show.
He Became More And More Unlikeable
In his last few years at Grey Sloan, Jackson’s story arc became weaker and more repetitive, as he jumped from one rocky romance to another.
The fact that Jackson couldn’t maintain a relationship was hardly a revelation at this point in the show. However, what didn’t make sense is that with every new partner he seemed to become more unpleasant and obnoxious. By his exit season his character development had all but completely halted, and fans were never offered an explanation as to why before he left Seattle for Boston.
His Relationship With April
For many seasons, Jackson and April were considered to be a fan-favorite couple. However, with so much history and more than their fair share of drama between them, there was a lot about their relationship that left fans baffled.
Like with many of Jackson’s partners, he and April didn’t exactly seem like the perfect match. They had very little in common and disagreed about a lot over the years. It seems strange and somewhat unrealistic that the relationship between these two polar opposite characters was painfully prolonged for so long, and without even a happy ending.