This story contains spoilers for the Season 18 finale of Grey’s Anatomy. Proceed with caution if you haven’t watched!
The second hour of Grey’s Anatomy’s two-part Season 18 finale opened with Jackson Avery giving a eulogy for his mother Catherine. Don’t worry, guys – it was just a fake-out. Catherine (Debbie Allen) was enjoying hearing her son say nice things about her while she was still alive, receiving chemotherapy with April Kepner and granddaughter Harriet by her side. So while that was disconcerting and macabre, fans did not have to wait long for the promised return of Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew. They did, however, have to wait to find out if the couple had reunited romantically.
In fact, it wasn’t until the end of the episode, which was jam-packed with emotion and drama and hospital shakeups, that Jackson and April met up to leave the hospital, walking away hand in hand, and sharing a kiss when the elevator doors closed. Japril fans rejoice! Many fans on social media were impatient to get a status update on the state of Japril, but by the end, it seemed like every minute was worth the wait, according to this Twitter user:
IT WAS WORTH EVERY FUCKING MINUTE JAPRIL ???????????????????? #greysanatomy pic.twitter.com/SFr3ytf1dgMay 27, 2022
The last time we saw Jackson and April together, he had made the decision to move to Boston to run the Catherine Fox Foundation. He asked April and Harriet to come with him, and given that she and Matthew had split up, April agreed. The couple didn’t, however, give much of an indication of if they would try to rekindle their romance — even though fans definitely always thought they were endgame:
Many fans commented on the chemistry between the characters (whose actors seem to have a real-life friendship), which is one of the reasons fans have so passionately been hoping for Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew to co-star in a spinoff. It’s an idea the actors actually pitched before, leading to a fan favorite episode. It doesn’t seem like the years apart have done anything to put out the flame, as fans noted:
Jackson literally lost his breath when April looked at him #GreysAnatomy #Japril pic.twitter.com/Wd0i8eocsJMay 27, 2022
In the finale, Amelia cried to April about her breakup with Kai, and April had fans excited when she said that “Sometimes love comes back around.” After fans got confirmation with the elevator kiss, there might be a new Japril slogan to replace “Fingers crossed for new horizons”:
“fingers crossed for new horizons”“sometimes love comes back around”#japril #greysanatomy pic.twitter.com/An7inEbto4May 27, 2022
Sarah Drew was thankful for the fans’ response to her and Jesse Williams’ return, and she showed her gratitude by sharing a few behind-the-scenes shots of their happy Grey’s Anatomy family.
Thanks for watching everyone! So fun chatting with you! What a wild ride! Here’s a little #japriet love for ya! #Japril @iJesseWilliams @GreysABC #asksarah pic.twitter.com/dLGuhxHvjrMay 27, 2022
Despite all the happenings of the eventful Season 18 finale, Grey’s Anatomy fans can rest easy in the knowledge that all is well and good with Jackson and April in Boston. That will have to hold us over until the ABC medical drama returns for its 19th season this fall. In the meantime, check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.
