For Mother’s Day in Shondaland, we spent some time with the messiest moms across the Shondaverse — now, for Father’s Day, it’s the guys’ turn. And oh, boy, are there a whole bunch of dads who fit the messy bill in your favorite Shondaland shows. Some of these men and their relationships with their children are complex and nuanced; some are just downright horrible to the core. Either way, they deserve to be called out. So, prepare yourself: We’re about to dive into a whole pile of piping-hot daddy issues.
Thatcher Grey, Meredith and Lexie’s dad
A complicated one to kick things off! When Ellis left Seattle with Meredith, instead of fighting for his young daughter, he pulled himself completely out of her life and went and got a new one. For the most part, Thatcher was an incredible dad to Lexie … until Lexie’s mom dies of the hiccups and Thatcher loses it, not only slapping Meredith across the face (never forget!), but then becoming an alcoholic who eventually needs Meredith’s help — and internal organs, with a liver transplant. Every scene with the two of them is tense and full of regret and anger. In a real showcase of how Grey’s Anatomy didn’t just let all the messy dads be messy with no reprieve, we get a season 15 episode in which Meredith goes to sit with Thatcher while he’s in hospice, and they both say the things they never got to say to each other before it’s too late. Again, it’s a moment full of anger and regret but also full of forgiveness, kindness, and complicated love.
Eli Pope, Olivia’s dad
Oh, Papa Pope. A man Scandal fans love to hate. Or hate to love. In Shondaland, where good speeches rule, Papa Pope is the king. He also happens to be the king of lies, secrets, government conspiracies, murder, keeping people in holes, hating Fitz, doing horrible things in the name of protecting his daughter — you get it. So, like, not really the warm-and-fuzzy type.
Jimmy Evans, Alex Karev’s dad
We hear a lot about Jimmy before we meet him — he was physically abusive to Alex, Alex’s mom, and his younger siblings, and then he ditched his family, leaving Alex to take care of his mother in the throes of a mental health crisis. In short: Jimmy Evans sucks. When he arrives at Grey Sloan after a car accident and suffers complications because of his lifelong drug use, we finally meet him, and it’s hard not to feel protective of Alex. Seeing his dad again was never going to be cathartic — instead, it brings up a whole lot of dysfunctional feelings and terrible memories that Alex had been working so hard to bury. And Jimmy and Alex’s relationship ends in about as painful and chaotic a way as you can imagine. (Remember? Shane’s been fudging his work hours and has a mental breakdown in the OR over Jimmy’s body? Remember?!) Messy until the very end.
Mac Harkness, Annalise’s dad
We all know Annalise didn’t have the easiest childhood, and a lot of that has to do with Mac. After she’s assaulted by her uncle, Annalise tries to tell her father what is happening, but he won’t listen to her, and eventually he abandons his family. When he shows up again in the present day and reveals that he and Annalise’s mother are back together, it’s no wonder Annalise has more than a few bones to pick with him. Sure, it’s kind that he stays and cares for Ophelia as she deals with dementia, but Mac has a lot to make up for.
Robert Avery, Jackson’s dad
Two episodes of Grey’s Anatomy are dedicated to Jackson Avery figuring out his daddy issues, so you know those babies run deep. It’s not hard to understand why: Robert Avery — born into immense privilege, once a doctor like his own father (a terrible guy in a very different way!), married to an immensely talented surgeon, and father to a young son — becomes overwhelmed by the expectations that come with his last name and simply walks away from it all and disappears from everyone’s lives. He never seeks out his son. Even worse, when Jackson finally tracks him down in a bar in Montana, Robert doesn’t recognize him. Honestly, reading that back, I can’t believe Jackson got only two episodes to sort all that out.
Paul Montgomery, Travis’ dad
Ugh, this guy! Yeah, sure, by the end of Station 19, we learn that Paul’s intense homophobia, many times focused on his son Travis, is born from the fact that he himself is gay. He cannot be honest with himself and instead projects his hatred of himself onto his son. And on top of that, Travis has to learn from Grindr that his dad is stepping out on his mother. It enrages Travis, both because his mother deserves better and because it ruins dating apps for him for a while. Not cool, my man! It’s nice that Paul processes his sexuality, comes out of the closet, meets a very handsome man, and makes amends with Travis.
And yes, it’s great that Travis is able to move past his daddy issues; that’s healthy for him. But it doesn’t matter to us — we can still be mad at this guy on Travis’ behalf. It’s what good friends and audiences do!
Carlos Torres, Callie’s dad
Speaking of homophobes, when devout Catholic Carlos Torres learns his daughter Calliope is dating a woman named Arizona, he is incensed. Not because her name is Arizona, although I’d get that, but because his daughter is dating a woman. He cuts her off financially and emotionally; he brings his priest to the hospital to try to get her to “pray away the gay.” It tears Callie apart. Thankfully, mostly in part to a real banger of a speech from Arizona about how his daughter is exactly who she’s always been, Carlos not only comes around on accepting his daughter for who she is but also becomes one of her biggest champions when she and Arizona finally get married.
Lord Featherington, Penelope, Prudence, and Philippa’s dad
Does Lord Featherington even have any kind of relationship with any of his daughters before he dies? Does he even speak to them? I mean, I know he’s busy coming up with plans on how to pay off his gambling debts with more gambling, but he could acknowledge their existence once in a while. Instead, he is cold and clueless, he squanders all their dowry, and then gets involved in something so shady, he winds up being killed, leaving the women in his life to deal with his mess. It may seem harsh, but perhaps the Featherington gals were better off without this clown.
Lane Bishop, Maya’s dad
It’s kind of wild that Maya and Travis weren’t closer friends since they both had a tremendous amount of daddy issues. By the end of season three, Maya finally comes to terms with the fact that her father abused her and her family mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. He may have coached her to an Olympic gold medal, but he also turned her into someone who believed she could only be loved when she was winning. And let’s not even get into the number Lane did on his son. There are bad dads, and then there is Lane Bishop.
Fitzgerald Grant, Jerry Jr., Karen, and Teddy’s dad
This may be controversial, but just because he’s a hottie full of sexual tension doesn’t mean he can’t be a bad dad too. And let’s all be honest here: Fitz was a pretty terrible dad even before we learned about how he was kind of cool about murdering people when needed! Sure, he had a lot going on being the president of the United States and all, but he could’ve paid just, like, 10 percent more attention to his kids. Maybe then he would’ve known about the secret social media account Jerry Jr. (RIP!) made to troll his dad.
Pruitt Herrera, Andy’s dad
Let’s be clear: Pruitt Herrera is a hero. We love Pruitt! But even the kindest men can be messy, and Pruitt can really be messy. The man contains multitudes. And the biggest mistake this guy makes is a heartbreaking one — he lies to Andy for much of her life about her mother dying. Elena had every right to take off, but the elaborate lie Pruitt tells to explain her absence rather than let everyone deal head-on with the situation is pretty awful. Even more awful? He dies before Andy learns the truth, which means he can never explain himself, and Andy can never hash it out with him. Oh, and there was that time in season one when Pruitt basically calls his daughter a slut — not cool either, dad!
Richard Webber, Maggie’s bio dad and Meredith’s for all intents and purposes dad
No, Richard Webber does not handle the news of the existence of his secret daughter well, but to be fair, who would? Maggie shows up in season 10 and completely upends everything he thought he knew about Ellis Grey, and basically reveals that the woman he loved stole his chance to be a father from him. It’s a lot to process. Richard and Maggie’s relationship is quite rocky in the beginning, to say the least, but a lot of that is because of the situation they’ve found themselves in. Now, in regard to his pseudo-daughter, Meredith? The low points in their relationship, that’s all on Richard (and Meredith, of course; we know she can be a chaos agent when she wants). In the early days, a lot of the friction between Richard and Meredith stems from the guilt he feels over not doing more to protect and care for Meredith as a child. These days, the two can still butt heads, but that’s usually due to one or both of them being stubborn — remember when Richard stopped talking to Meredith because she didn’t break HIPAA protocol and tell him about his wife’s health status? Child behavior! Dad child behavior! Still, Richard tries his best, and through all the, well, mess, Richard and Meredith’s father/daughter relationship is one of Grey’s Anatomy’s most complex and lovely.
