Sarah Drew ended her nine-season run on Grey's Anatomy as Dr. April Kepner at the end of Season 14, but fans have been hoping beyond hope that Drew would some day return. Well, that time is almost upon us, as Drew will be coming back for a guest spot during the May 6 episode. OG viewers have really ramped up their excitement for the appearance, with many of them wanting, so very badly, for April's visit with her ex-husband, Jackson, to lead to a rekindled romance between the former twosome. But, all those fans might need to temper their high hopes for April and Jackson's reunion.
A lot of long-time viewers of Grey's Anatomy were quite pleased when April and Jackson finally went from being friends to lovers during Season 8, and even more thrilled when they married. The couple definitely had their ups and downs, but were able to part as friends by the time April married Matthew and said goodbye to Grey Sloan Memorial. Now that we'll be seeing her on screen again, though, Sarah Drew doesn't think that fans should set their expectations too high for a potential Japril romance, and noted to Entertainment Tonight:
I can't reveal anything about the reason he's coming to talk to her, but I think it's important to realize that nothing changed in their interaction of co-parenting this child. They've seen one another. They've been co-parenting this whole time. I don't know exactly what the custody is between the two of them, but he has Harriet sometimes, she has Harriet sometimes. There's a handoff that's happening all the time continuously throughout the pandemic. [They’ve] always been a healthy, working, co-parenting team.
See, guys, here's the thing. Sarah Drew is right. Even though April and Jackson had plenty of fights and missteps while they were a couple, once they had their daughter, Harriet, they made a decision to raise her together as friends after breaking up. And, they've been able to do that. Also, because of Harriet, the former couple has continued to see each other on a regular basis. To Drew's point, even though April hasn't been seen on Grey's Anatomy for almost three full seasons, she and Jackson were still interacting all the time because of their daughter.
April didn't realize she was pregnant until after Jackson had already started divorce proceedings. Once they worked through the tension caused by her not informing him when she found out (Arizona took it upon herself to do that), they realized that finding a way to become friends again so that they could co-parent their child with as little strife as possible was the best way to do things. When April fell in love with her ex-fiancé, Matthew, again and eventually married him, she didn't wander off to parts unknown. She stayed in Seattle so that she and Jackson could continue to give Harriet as stable of a life as they could.
Seeing as how April and Jackson have be in each other's lives all of this time, there's really no reason to think that his visit to her will suddenly inspire renewed romantic feelings. And, if you're wondering whether or not their conversation will at least lead to some additional closure, Sarah Drew had this to say:
I would love to answer that question, but I also cannot answer that question.
Come on, guys. Don't act so surprised! What did you expect? Luckily, we don't have long to wait until none of us will need Sarah Drew to answer our questions about the big Japril reunion scenes, as her episode of Grey's Anatomy will air on ABC, Thursday, May 6, at 8 p.m. EST.
