On episode 16 of Grey’s Anatomy, titled “Caught Somewhere in Time,” doctors and patients alike dealt with either pangs of regret regarding their pasts and/or enthusiasm about embarking on fresh beginnings. With some help from Amelia, Owen realized he needed to act on his feelings for Teddy. Jo encouraged Meredith to stop paying for her mother’s mistakes. And while Jackson, Catherine and Richard performed a groundbreaking vaginoplasty surgery on Michelle Velez, Jackson’s decision to be with Maggie opened up old wounds for Catherine. Jackson also felt pulled towards a distraught April. Maggie and Jackson’s romance has barely begun, but complications abound, which makes it look like their relationship is already doomed.
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Too Little, Too Late
The seeds of the Jackson-Maggie coupling were planted during season 13, and it’s taken quite some time for the twosome to finally decide to take the plunge and try to make a go of it as Grey Sloan’s newest “It Couple.” Many fans aren’t thrilled with this pairing, the latest in Grey’s Anatomy’s never-ending game of romantic musical chairs.
Maggie and Jackson are never going to go down as one of the series’ iconic couples. That honor is reserved for the likes of Derek and Meredith, Callie and Arizona, Bailey and Ben, Izzie and Denny and Owen and Cristina. At this point, it just feels like Maggie and Jackson are being thrown together because there’s nobody else left. Even if this twosome had great chemistry — which they don’t — all of the obstacles that kept them apart for so long are still very much a factor.
Putting the ‘Fun’ in Dysfunctional
It was no surprise that helicopter parent Catherine wasn’t pleased to see her son and Maggie emerge from a make-out sesh in a supply closet. Catherine was upset for many reasons: Jackson didn’t come clean, so much as he got caught red-handed; she’s worried about April; she doesn’t think it’s smart for Jackson to dip his wick where he works and, technically, Maggie’s his stepsister. But her biggest concern is that Maggie and Jackson’s relationship has the potential to come between her and Richard.
Richard’s already annoyed by Catherine’s disapproval of his daughter, and Catherine confessed to Jackson that she worried her loyalty to him, and Richard’s loyalty to Maggie, could cause problems they won’t be able to resolve down the road.
It’s taken a long time for Catherine to find love again since splitting with Jackson’s father, and even though she wants Jackson to have love, she doesn’t want it to come at her expense. Jackson assured his mother that if trouble arises between him and Maggie, she’s free to take Maggie’s side, but viewers know that’s not how it will go down. This is the same woman who bought her son a hospital.
It’s not just Richard and Catherine’s relationship at stake. Richard took on the role of overprotective father and warned Jackson that if he hurts Maggie in any way, Richard will come after him. Maggie’s also feeling uncomfortable exploring her feelings for Jackson under Richard’s watchful eye. Richard’s technically just accounts for half of Maggie’s DNA, but he’s taken on the role of a father figure to her, even if she doesn’t think of him as her “real” dad.
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Baby Mama Drama
April is still depressed and confused, which caused her to torture the interns during their trauma certification training. Jackson pulled his ex-wife aside to try to find out what is pushing April off the deep end. Jackson tried to be a shoulder for her to cry on, but April, who now seeks solace through sex, pushed herself on Jackson. She became angry when he spurned her advances and dumped their daughter on him for the night, which forced him to cancel a date with Maggie. And this wasn’t just dinner and a movie — the two had plans to finally consummate their relationship (viewers everywhere rejoiced at the reprieve of having to watch a Maggie and Jackson sex scene.)
Maggie was understanding about the delay, but Jackson was obviously bothered by the events of the day. He chose to keep Maggie in the dark about most of what went down, but all signs point to disaster dead ahead.
Getting Maggie and Jackson together has been an arduous task, and things don’t look to get any easier for the twosome moving forward. Whenever things appear to look up for Maggie in the romance department, something inevitably causes her to come crashing back down to earth.
Jackson’s never going to turn his back on the mother of his child, and Maggie may be willing to wait it out until all the April drama is resolved, but that doesn’t guarantee a happy outcome. There’s a general consensus among fans that things aren’t going to end well for April (Sarah Drew won’t be returning for season 15), and whatever happens with April will have a direct impact on Jackson.
Watching this particular ship is akin to witnessing the sinking of the Titanic. There’s just too much dragging “Jaggie” down. On the upside, there’s always a hot new crop of interns waiting in the wings.
Are you pulling for Maggie and Jackson? Do you think they make a good couple? Can they overcome so many obstacles and still find happiness? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
