Grey’s Anatomy Can’t Ignore This 15-Year Veteran’s Cliffhanger Any Longer

Various storylines need to be continued after Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s cliffhanger ending, but season 22 also needs to focus on one character whose fate was left unexplained well before the finale. Amelia’s impossible cases brought chaos to Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale after Jenna Gatlin took it upon herself to decide when Amelia’s team would operate again on Dylan.

While the crisis seemingly ended peacefully, Jenna’s actions directly led to the explosion in Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s ending and indirectly convinced Meredith she needed to spend more time in Seattle. This inevitably drew the attention to another time Meredith was there because of her Alzheimer’s research, getting her what she wanted but leaving another character completely in the dark.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Needs To Reveal What Happened To Jackson Avery

Jackson Appeared In Grey’s Anatomy Season 21’s Premiere & His Story Was Left Hanging

Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s premiere saw Jackson Avery return to try and solve the all-out war between Meredith and Catherine when Meredith published her research’s findings for everyone to freely access, after Catherine opposed the angle Meredith pursued that yielded results. However, Jackson’s fate was left ignored after Meredith convinced Catherine to let her go by treating her in secret.

Meredith and Catherine’s deal obviously made it difficult for Meredith to face Jackson, as she had to keep Catherine’s worsening condition from him as a requirement of her deal with Catherine. At the same time, Meredith and Catherine making a deal must have seemed odd to Jackson, especially not knowing its terms, as Meredith was free to leave the foundation.

Without knowing what Meredith had done for Catherine and knowing how determined Catherine had always been to prevail, such an arrangement when Meredith seemingly got what she wanted and the Fox Foundation didn’t could never make sense to Jackson. Never returning to Grey’s Anatomy season 21 left Jackson’s story effectively open, making it imperative for season 22 to continue it.

Grey’s Anatomy has been airing for decades, but certain episodes of ABC’s hit medical drama will remain infamous, perhaps in perpetuity.

Meredith secretly treating Catherine already caused massive problems in her relationship with Richard in Grey’s Anatomy season 21, as their fight continued for at least half of the season. However, the secrecy surrounding Catherine’s health wouldn’t have only been a problem for Richard, but Jackson too, as Catherine had already adamantly kept the progression of her illness from them before.

Grey’s Anatomy season 21 gave Meredith and Richard the chance to have it out about Catherine’s secret that Meredith hid from Richard, but the same wasn’t possible with Jackson, whom Meredith effectively shut out without any kind of explanation. This makes it necessary for Grey’s Anatomy season 22 to tackle Meredith and Jackson’s inevitable argument, left ignored for too long.

While Meredith keeping Catherine’s secret was the right thing to do, doing so broke Jackson’s trust. This makes their impending fight both personal and professional, as not only did Meredith just shut him out, but she also took her research with her without an explanation to Jackson, who had always been invested in curing Alzheimer’s and made Meredith’s research possible.

Meredith’s Alzheimer’s Research Wouldn’t Have Started As Easily Without Jackson

Jackson Avery Is The Reason Meredith Was Able To Move As Easily To Boston

Grey’s Anatomy highlighted how Meredith cared about her Alzheimer’s research every chance it got, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Jackson and the Fox Foundation. Indeed, Meredith initially only wanted to move to find the school that worked best for Zola, and even considered ludicrous the idea she could study Alzheimer’s in the hope of finding a cure.

It took Jackson’s persuasion, along with his presentation of the facilities at the Fox Foundation in Boston to convince Meredith to study the illness that controlled so much of her life. Preoccupied as she was with Zola’s anxiety, Meredith couldn’t immediately see how studying Alzheimer’s could have helped her daughter; Jackson helped Meredith see how researching Alzheimer’s also helped Zola.

Meredith’s story changed greatly since Ellen Pompeo reduced her role in Grey’s Anatomy season 19, but 1 character still connects Meredith to Seattle.

Losing the foundation’s support showed Meredith how difficult securing funding was, but she never had to go through that at the beginning, because Jackson wanted to be at the forefront of the research that Meredith spearheaded. Meredith didn’t truly listen to Jackson’s perspective, instead wanting to be free of Catherine, when she owed so much to Jackson’s investment in her.

Their history, in addition to how Jackson’s actions effectively made Meredith and Amelia’s advances in Alzheimer’s research possible, warrants Grey’s Anatomy season 22’s return to tell Jackson’s story. This is especially true in light of Jackson’s complete disappearance from season 21, which must mean Grey’s Anatomy only brusquely paused his story instead of abandoning it altogether.

How Jackson Avery’s Presence Can Resolve Meredith’s Problems With Her Research

Meredith’s Research Problems Are Far From Finished Given Its Magnitude

Grey’s Anatomy season 21’s finale showed Meredith’s determination in seeing her research continued, to the point she decided to sever her ties to Grey Sloan to continue funding the research she wanted rather than what her investors wanted. However, the money she got from selling her shares will eventually run out, making the threat of bankruptcy for Meredith’s family return.

This opens the door for Jackson’s involvement back into Meredith and Amelia’s Alzheimer’s research. After all, their initial findings proved their research’s validity, proof that he and the Fox Foundation didn’t have when they started funding it. This can make their new potential working relationship more balanced, as they could equally express what they expected from their collaboration early on.

Considering Jackson’s fundamental input and Meredith’s limited funds compared to a multimillion-dollar foundation, returning to cooperate is inevitable. However, this time they can all put into practice what they learned from their mistakes, leading to a productive partnership that can make Meredith, Amelia and Jackson happy in Grey’s Anatomy season 22.