Grey’s Anatomy season 16 episode 3 preview: Jackson’s new love interest
By Meg Dowell
Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 are coming together in an unexpected way, but some fans are OK with the latest budding romance.
Meredith is still picking up trash, Bailey is still butthurt over feeling betrayed (or whatever her problem is), and Richard and Alex are about to launch their mission to change the world one disastrous hospital at a time.
And as always, romance is thriving for some and gradually going up in flames for others.
Maggie has yet to move on after her breakup with her stepbrother. (They’re technically not related, but come on, it’s still a little weird, right?) But it doesn’t seem like he’s interested in ever getting back together with her — especially now that he might have someone new.
Of all the chaos that’s about to erupt (Bailey, you seriously need to calm down), Jackson’s continuing flirtations with his “new” love interest might be the most interesting — and the most problematic.
Victoria “Vic” Hughes is a Seattle firefighter who usually stars in Station 19, ABC’s current Grey’s spin-off (its first, Private Practice, ended in 2013). She has now made several appearances in season 16, getting all close and comfy with Jackson.
While some fans would very much like to give him a firm punch in the arm — DUDE, YOU JUST BROKE UP WITH YOUR ALMOST-FIANCÉ LIKE FIVE MINUTES AGO — others are just glad Jaggie has come to an end.
Beyond the whole step-sibling thing — which was kind of weird, but at the same time, very easy to justify since they’re grown adults whose respective parents haven’t been together all that long — the main complaint among viewers is that the two had zero chemistry.
You may not have loved Meredith and McDreamy together, for example (looking back, he was kind of terrible). But you have to admit that Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo’s chemistry carried the show through some of its lowest points.
Honestly, Jackson and Maggie just weren’t right for each other. Even if they do get back together at some point, both of them have some issues to work on before they even have a chance of a happily ever after.
Whether or not Jackson and Vic will last really depends on their separate reasons for wanting to grow closer.
It really doesn’t seem like he’s using Vic to make Maggie jealous. That seems much more like something she would do. And while he might be one of the most frustrating men on the show at times, he’s, at the very least, more mature than that.
Whatever is going on between these two is definitely, at least a little bit, rooted in grief. Station 19‘s second season ended with Vic traumatically losing her fiancé, and though he seemed cold and distant toward the end of his romance with Maggie, they were together a long time — she did, for a while, mean something special to him.
People bond over pain. They grow closer. There seems to be a lot of flirting going on, but whether or not their relationship can grow beyond its questionable foundation is likely to be a major, drama-filled plot point moving forward, at least for the first half of the season.
It’s possible that what they are both craving is nothing more than companionship, and what seems like the warmth and thrill of a new romance is simply the comfort that comes with feeling safe with another person, even if that person is just a friend.
I’d personally rather see Jackson embrace the single life for a while. Enjoy being a dad, focus on whatever that skin-growing project from last season was. That’s neither interesting or dramatic as far as primetime television goes, so it’s likely some kind of tension between him and another woman will continue.
But more than anything, fingers crossed Vic doesn’t get hurt. She’s been through enough.
Also, as much as Maggie needs to grow up and figure out how to handle a real relationship, she deserves to have that chance. She should find someone who can both understand her struggles and encourage her to grow while also allowing her to be herself.
Who’s still going to be fighting at the end of episode 3, and who’s going to take a step in the right direction? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Next. Grey's Anatomy: Meredith's insurance fraud might save the show. dark