Grey's Anatomy: 10 April Kepner Plot Holes That Make No Sense
During her time on Grey’s Anatomy from season 6 to 17, audiences saw April Kepner mature from irritating surgical resident to fully-fledged trauma surgeon. She had her ups and downs at Grey Sloan over the years, and definitely had her fair share of dramatic story arcs. However, eagle-eyed fans will notice that not all of April’s storylines and characterizations always made sense.
With so many seasons under her belt, and one of the most complex character arcs the show has seen to date, it’s no surprise that some of April’s stories had a few plot holes and inconsistencies. But whilst some are easy to brush aside, others are too glaring to ignore.
10 Her Faith And One Night Stand
From the get-go, April was depicted as a devout Christian who practiced abstinence. However, on the night before her board exams, she made the decision to sleep with Jackson, and as a result, she failed her board exams the next day.
What makes little sense here is not that April and Jackson were interested in one another romantically, but that her rigid beliefs seemed to suddenly change overnight. It's not that people can't change their minds, but more that at this point in the show, it was out of character that April would choose to disregard her vow of abstinence at all, let alone on the eve of such an important day.
9 She Passes Her Board Exams In June
In season 10, April finally passes her board exams after initially failing them at the end of season 8, after her one-night stand with Jackson. However, whilst she passes her boards in June, the other residents don’t bring it up until the Halloween episode in October, four months later.
This oversight didn’t exactly alter April’s story going forward, and so it seems more like a writing error or timeline inconsistency rather than a character plot hole. But regardless, that the four months it goes unmentioned is strange, to say the least.
8 Leaving Matthew At The Altar
In the season 10 episode, “Take It Back,” April shocked everyone when she left her husband-to-be, Matthew, at the altar after Jackson declared his love for her.
Whilst there’s no doubt that April and Jackson had feelings for one another, it seems strange that they would wait until the wedding day to express them when they had countless other opportunities prior to the day. This may be a moment for the Grey’s Anatomy history books, but it’s quite out of character for the unassuming April to leave her fiancé at the altar in front of all of her friends and colleagues.
7 Her Leaving
When April and Jackson lost their son, Samuel Norbert Avery, after he was born with Type II Osteogenesis Imperfecta, they were both understandably heartbroken. However, whilst Jackson decided to continue on at Grey Sloan, April sought security elsewhere and left to join Owen as a trauma surgeon with the army.
Despite her justified trauma and grief, leaving Jackson alone in Seattle was not April’s finest moment. To abandon her partner at such a difficult moment (and then suddenly return and upend his grieving process), seemed very out of character for the person that fans had grown to know. While the trauma she endured from the loss of her child was likely the catalyst for this sudden departure and a change of scene in order to heal was warranted, Jackson ultimately suffered the brunt of the decision in the end.
6 Her Friendship With Owen
April and Owen had a few memorable and affectionate moments together during their shared seasons. He re-hired her after she failed her board exams, they had each other's backs in the field, and he even asked her to be his best man. However, some fans argue that they weren't ever really friends at all.
Their dynamic was typically always boss and employee, rather than equals, and their conversation almost always revolved around work. In fact, when April was dealing with some traumatic incidents and lost her faith in season 14, Owen didn’t even notice. It seems outlandish to call the two friends when they were really nothing more than amiable colleagues.
5 Getting A Restraining Order Against Jackson
April and Jackson had their fair share of ups and downs during their time together on screen, but some of their more far-out storylines were so out of character for both of them. In season 12, for example, April overhears Catherine advising Jackson to sue April for custody, and so she files for a pre-emptive restraining order.
This brazen (and somewhat shortsighted) move later leaves April reeling when she discovers a peace offering, a crib, from Jackson in her apartment. Not only were her actions premature and contentious, but it’s also very unlike April to be so hostile toward the father of her child without real reason.
4 Harriet
In season 12, April gave birth to baby Harriet, and for a short-lived moment, it seemed that this newborn would be enough to save the rocky relationship between her parents. However, it didn’t take long to realize that these two couldn’t see eye to eye about anything by this point in the season, and as a result, the Harriet storyline fell flat.
This plot served only to prolong the inevitable break up of April and Jackson, and all in all, it made little sense and lacked purpose for the writers to have introduced a baby into the fractious mix.
3 Going Back To Matthew
Back in season 10, April left her then-fiancé at the altar on their wedding day, for Jackson Avery, no less. Whilst some fans argue that April leaving Matthew for Jackson was out of character for the trauma surgeon, it seems just as bizarre that she would circle back to Matthew again.
April went through so much between her leaving Matthew and reuniting with him (including her humiliating him on their wedding day), that it’s difficult to believe that they could just pick up where they left off. In fact, it makes very little sense that Matthew would reunite with April at all, despite any feelings he had once held for her.
2 She Wasn’t The Best Doctor
All in all, April is considered to be one of the best trauma surgeons Grey Sloan has ever seen. However, she was actually fired from the hospital twice: once for neglect, which led to the death of a patient, and the second time for failing her board exams.
It seems baffling that despite her arguably careless mistakes, Dr. Kepner was offered numerous second chances. Not only does this seem unlikely to happen in reality, but with Grey Sloan’s abundance of capable doctors, it seems unrealistic that April would be given a job over other more competent candidates.
1 Her Relationship With Jackson
During their seasons on screen together, April and Jackson were considered by many to be a fan-favorite pairing. However, with so many dramatic and toxic storylines between them, there was plenty about their relationship that didn't make sense.
From the get-go, they hardly seemed like a match made in heaven. They didn't have much in common and had very different opinions about family, faith, and and even their jobs. So why this relationship was painfully prolonged for countless seasons (without even a happy ending) is a mystery.