Grey’s Anatomy Stars Defend ‘Jaggie,’ Hint at a ‘Real Hard Left Turn’ Coming
Charlie Mason
Editor
If anyone is going to have a harder time than the audience accepting the pairing of Grey’s Anatomy stepsiblings Jackson and Maggie, it’s her father, Richard. How will he react when he finds out about their growing interest in one another? “I’m trying not to think about that!” portrayer James Pickens Jr. told TVLine at the ABC drama’s recent 300th-episode celebration. “Leave it to Shonda [Rhimes, the series’ creator].
“I don’t want to divulge [too much],” he added, “but I think she’s setting it up to make a real hard left turn with this thing here.”
No matter the direction in which the show takes Jackson and Maggie’s flirtation, the actor hastened to reinforce that, although Richard and Catherine are married, their kids are not brother and sister. “Fans have to keep remembering that,” he said. “They’re not blood-related, so there’s nothing incestuous about it. It’s just that the dynamic is funny. It’s almost like double jeopardy or something.”
Whatever it is, Maggie is struggling with it, too. “It’s a lot for her to digest,” Kelly McCreary admitted at the same event. “She and Jackson just met, really. They’re still getting to know each other.”
However, she suspects that the would-be couple has what it takes to win over not only each other but viewers as well. “Historically, the most beloved relationships on Grey’s are the ones where the characters really challenge each other and push each other’s buttons, and they always come back to the love,” she suggested. “Those are the relationships that people are the most invested in. So if Jackson and Maggie can find a way to help each other be the best people and doctors and, in Jackson’s case, parent, I think the audience will root for them.” (With reporting by Jean Bentley)
I hope the “hard left turn” is them backing out of this non-relationship before it can even begin.
agreed – don’t care for this duo – makes NO sense – like almost all of the couplings
Agree with you about that. I would have loved it if he and April would have gotten back together.
how about a raging hard NOPE to this ship altogether! This would take any sort of likeness developed for Maggie after three seasons
Nah, I would think most would think this was just a bump in the road that is April and Jackson. Now those two are hard won for fans, and Maggie is just a side show for Harriet’s parents to get back together. I just don’t see this relationship lasting. If fans have a hard time with it, they are usual vocal and the relationship or the teasing of a relationship doesn’t last long..
If you base it on the shows previous history with their viewers favourite couples, April and Jackson are never getting back together. On the of chance that they do, it will only be for like a season before either one or both get killed off, someone cheats or there is some other disaster that irrevokably tears them apart for good.
I don’t understand what everyone’s problem is with Maggie and Jackson! I love them together! April’s’s been selfish with Jackson, only thinking about herself! I can’t wait to see things get going with Maggie and Jackson!
I second that. Everyone acted this way with him and stephenie too. I don’t get it.
The issue is the “ick” factor – they’re step-siblings, so it’s a little weird to think of them as being in a relationship. I know the show is trying to convince us otherwise, but the fact is that her dad is married to his mom and they have been thinking about each others as siblings, at least until very recently.
There is no ick. They’re not related, weren’t even raised together. I wish people would stop misusing words. There is no ick or incest.
If after 3 seasons I still have a hard time caring about Maggie, and after 8 episodes I still find this couple void of any romantic chemistry, so that’s going to be a big NO, Kelly. The story is just not appealing at all. Even the actors’ acting is now looking bad.
It’s not about the step-siblings it’s about they have ZERO chemistry and the show is trying to force it. Maggie is coming off desperate. They will not win me over.
Agree
Thats ridiculous! Maggie’s coming off as desperate! Its anything but! She can barely look at Jackson! Ppl should give this relationship a chance! She’s so much better then April!
Lol! Maggie fall in love with every man being nice to her. If he has status. She was just whining about Riggs in 100 episodes and then jumped to her step brother. And really, who over 20 years tells a co-workers baby father, that at the time lived with April, what April said. So immature & selfish.
FIRMLY AGREE.
I dislike Maggie since s13 – the way she treated April and the show was basically turned into Pierce’s Anatomy in s13b with all the screen time and storylines she got. Not interested in seeing her on screen all the time. This M/J just makes it even worse. I understand they want to give her a love story to make her more liked with the audience (everything else they have tried failed) but find another man than Jackson. He belongs with April.
Bingo!
exactly what i think,is not honey there not appealing at all.
Correct…..no chemistry at all. All very awkward….the two do not connect with each other on any level so hard for audiences to even like them together.
I like Jackson with April. Maggie needs to find her someone else. Meredith needs to find a man too
^This!
Yes yes yes
I agree
why they all need to be with someone ? why can they develope character without be a couple ? thats why i love the fact thew christina left ” alone ” to be amazing and conquer the world of ”medicine ”
Maggie needs to find someone she actually has chemistry with. So far, she hasn’t with any of the guys she’s been paired up with (Jackson, DeLuca).
Leave Meredith out of this between her mom n Lexie n Derek she feels like every one she meets dies
And these women need to find a man why? Let me guess, to complete them. Or to be a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her? These characters do not need a man, they are full and complete without one.
The most unappealing Grey’s couple since George and Izzie. No one is rooting for this twosome, and yet the writers are going to torture us by dragging out this mess.
You forgot Callie and Penny. That was so badly forced.
Oh yes! That was horrible- I had blocked it out ha. Penny made no sense for Callie. There was zero sense of fun in that relationship.
I recently re-watched that season – Callie had more fun with Penny than she did in the last few years of her marriage with Arizona. Just sayin…
Yeah that’s a hard NO for me.
It’s so apparent the writers want maggie in a big romance and want jaggie to be the next big thing. Problem is Jackson and Maggie are about as compelling as dry toast. Everything Kelly described of a big pairing is true but Jackson and maggie just don’t have that. The majority is not in anticipation of them getting together. It’s like being forced to watch a car crash.
It’s bad enough the writers had to write Jackson down to match maggie but now you want to tell me that maggie is going to make him a better parent? Lose me with that BS.
Couldn’t have written it better myself. How is Maggie going to make him a better father ? Seriously…..She is so whiny, childish and self-centered yet all the characters on the show love her and are in awe of her for some inexplicable reason except the writers adore her. Harriet has a mother and father who loves her – her aunt can stay far far away her please. Jackson is already a good father – we’ve seen it last season when he had scenes with other people than Maggie.
I have watch this series from the beginning. I have a hard time remembering Meridith’s name. I do not like this season be sons of the whole Jackson and her (Maggie). I have not been a fan of her. Jackson and April fan all of the way!!! This year for shows have been so disappointing. Go ahead with the disappointment and progress to paid Jackson and Maggie
Clearly, I’m in the minority here but I like there two together. But I don’t see how Jackson and Maggie being together would make him a better father. That’s as journey he has to take himself and from where I sit, so far so good.
You’re no alone. I like them together as well.
Count me in, too.
Maybe I missed something, but how is he a bad father at this point? He splits custody with his ex and seems to adore his daughter and spends lots of time with her. And we know he’s not behind on child support payments, so how is he a bad father? Sincerely asking.
Oh, ok was not trying to say or imply Jackson is a bad father. I was addressing the comment in the article that Maggie would help him become a better paren’t which I think is irrelevant because he is already a good dad.
Jackson isn’t a bad father in my opinion neither. I think he’s a great dad. The first baby the he and April had together absolutely killed me when he died. Honestly I think that’s when everything went downhill for Jackson & April!!😥😥
I’ve been waiting for this for two season. I’m excited. I saw this pairing a mile away. Don’t know why everyone’s acting brand new.
We been knew!!
I dont care thats a hard pass for me Japril all day everyday. Maggie needs to find someone available mentally, physically and emotionally. She keeps getting trapped with these guys who can leave whenever their former significant other or her sister are available. Nah no thanks but I know I will have to suffer through their relationship (snooze).
I kind of like Jackson and Maggie together, if only for the reason to see why/how they break up. I hope Maggie gets a good storyline, she’s had a good one last year with her mom, but I’d like to see more fall out from that and dig deeper with her.
Additionally, I wasn’t sold on the Lexie/Mark relationship until the 18th episode of season 5. And they teased it for a good 5-6 episodes before they hooked up in the 10th episode.
So I’m also interested to see how Shonda/the gang sell me on this.
Oh, right! I was also very meh on Mark and Lexie at first. I totally forgot about that. Maybe that’s why I’m not hating the idea of Jackson and Maggie. Honestly the one relationships I really didn’t like were George and Izzie, Callie and Penny, and Derek and…Rose? Was that her name?
I loved Lexi and Mark together & I wish they didn’t want to leave the show at the same time,
I didn’t like George & Callie or George and Izzie as anything but friends.
Yeah, I think “hard left turn” is, hopefully getting out of this horror of an idea. Jackson and April have that kind of love we are rooting for. Jackson has ZERO chemistry with her, and her with him. Awful,awful,awful idea this was.
Jaggie all the way! They are cute together.
Absolutely NO! Derrick & Meredith, Jackson & April have been Grey’s amazing love stories. When Jackson showed his undying love for April in declaring that love when the minister asked for any reason this couple should not be married. In turn April declared that same love & bond for life!!!!! Every marriage has their ups & downs, but their marriage can survive anything & only get stronger!!! Please continue. with the love story like no other!!
I know – Japril’s love story is epic and beautiful. Sarah and Jesse are magical on screen. Only in 13×16 was it reconfirmed that they are each other’s person – best friends, no one knows them better. Now they pretend they never even existed – virtually no scenes for 16 eps. Don’t think that has ever happened before when both actors are around. And we are to believe that Maggie has replaced April as Jackson’s person just like that. Not buying it no matter how much they force or hype it.
NO! NO! NO! I think they make a terrible couple. Maggie’s a big whiner. I like Jackson and April together. They offset each other, being so opposite. Bring them back together.
I agree…they are the best looki ng couple other than Dereck and meridth.
I agree
No no no I want Japril. I dont want Jackson and Maggie together. I know there is no blood relations but still..No Way.
Whatever I was never actually sold on Japril they are totally overrated (I just start watching season 12). Maggie & Jackson has more chemistry than Bailey and Ben. Hell yall are cool with anyone Arizona gets with it. I’m here for Maggie getting her man. Maggie and Jackson make for better couple than Christina and Owen, Owen and Amelia. I can name so many more couples on that show not only do they lack chemistry but their lifestyle differ so much it’s makes no sense for them to even be together (some one who wants kids should not be with someone who doesn’t want kids. Simple stuff like that, but yet we’re suppose to root for them)
Chemistry wise I disagree about Cristina and Owen though I started to hate that couple after a while. Same with Owen and Amelia. Ben and Bailey used to have good chemistry too, but not anymore since imo Bailey treats him kinda bad. Also I didn’t like Minnick either but Carina is great.
Otherwise… No, there is no couple with worse chemistry than Maggie and Jackson imo. I feel like most of the pairings they did lately are horrible ideas.
Great comment. I totally agree with all that you said.
Under wrong comment. Don’t agree with you.
Well said! I’m interested to see where it goes. I say take it there! It makes sense. Something interesting is developing and I want to see it play out. Good or bad. I’ve sat through way worse. (George&Izzie) lol To me April was so much more annoying of a character than Maggie she’s gotten much better I must say but I’m over Japril. I mean they’ve tried how many times. I want to see how Maggie and Jackson play out!
I really did love Owen and Cristina but you are right if Owen really wants kids I mean he should’ve made sure she wanted them to before marriage I mean he did it twice lol poor Owen.
Yes to all of this truth.
Grey’s seems determined to ruin and do away with all of their big much-loved couples the longer the show goes on. Meredith/Derek, Cristina/Owen, Callie/Arizona, Mark/Lexie, now April/Jackson. Makes me hope that the series finale, whenever that will be, will in fact reveal that the past handful of seasons have been a dream and that those “MFEO” couples are together like they deserve to be.
Hah there would be no reason for Richard to handle it badly of tjere was nothing “weird” there. Them being stepsiblings isn’t funny, it’s been an awkward Trainwreck to watch till now and I’m guessing by this interview, it’s not getting better anytime soon. Honestly japril was the last quality couple in this show worth rooting for. Everything since then has been a chemistry less mess that the writers INSIST on pushing.
And I get that Kelly wants a big love story for Maggie but she has to realize this won’t be it. We can barely tolerate this forced “cutesy” buildup, can you imagine if they get angst the way Greys couples do? Literally who’d watch that? All of the reasons she mentioned for people rooting for couples apply to japril. And they can try to convince themselves that everyone will get on board with this pairing but barring the 4 people I’ve seen – I don’t see it happening.
Love Jackson and Maggie and can’t wait to see how it plays out!! (So glad whiny, selfish April has not been on very much!)
So funny you say that. To me no one on the show is more whiny, selfish and childish than all-about-me-Maggie. And shallow. Deluca was not ok since he was an intern, Riggs offered bacon and she fell in love and the only personal thing she said to Jackson is that he is good looking and rich. And did i say hiding from dates. She needs to grow up.
Don’t like her want him back with April. More well suited. Other one is a dog. He is so hot
I think fans will be turned off by this pairing. We want Jackson and April.
Jackson & April are the love story we want! Why not put Maggie & Hunt together? Both want kids, Maggie is brilliant like Christina & Amelia and also needy. There is nothing but awkwardness b/w Jackson & Maggie.
I agree!
No, no, no…..NO!!!! Jackson and April belong together. Deep down, they love each other…April just wants Jackson to fight for her. Jackson and April belong together…NOT Jackson and Maggie. Even Katherine likes April for her son. Come on Shonda…get it right. Gonna lose viewers with this one.
April wanting Jackson to fight for her is the main reason I don’t want them together. If you yruly love someone you dont force them to prove it. Love is there, not a fight.
No. I think Avery should go back with April.
Umm … Somebody may want to tell Kelly the beloved couples stuff she describes is JAPRIL! Also, this article influences my decision to continue not watching this show. Thanks for the heads up!