I Loved Seeing Jackson Avery Back On Grey’s Anatomy, But His Return Set Up Another Character Hiatus

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Okay, huge warning: I’m about to talk about the Grey’s Anatomy episode “Goodbye Horses,” which aired on October 30th. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can find it streaming on Hulu if you need to get caught up before we dive in!

It’s always great to see Jackson Avery back at Grey Sloan Memorial, and his recent appearance on Grey’s Anatomy was no exception. This season has already brought back several beloved former cast members, and Jesse Williams’ return in “Goodbye Horses” was a highlight. My only concern is that his storyline feels like it could lead to another extended absence for one of the doctors.

The October 30th episode preview hinted at conflict between Jackson and Meredith Grey, and the episode delivered. They disagreed strongly about publishing research on Alzheimer’s that seemed biased, and also clashed over a major medical case Jackson was working on in Seattle. Ultimately, Meredith decided to focus on her own research and agreed to fly back to Boston with Jackson on his private jet.

Thanks, Dr. Avery. Just as Meredith was getting back into surgery and teaching the younger doctors at Grey Sloan, she’s suddenly needed for Alzheimer’s research – and to see if she remembers her kids. I suppose we can’t really be upset about that.

Ellen Pompeo has strongly hinted she won’t be a full-time cast member on Grey’s Anatomy again, so it makes sense her character, Meredith, isn’t settling down in Seattle. Plus, before Season 22 started, it was already known that the show was facing budget cuts, meaning the main actors would appear in fewer episodes.

This recent departure is particularly noticeable because it follows so closely after Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) took time off to cope with the death of Monica Beltran and the dangerous hostage crisis that happened before it.

Okay, so here’s the deal with Meredith Grey – Caterina Scorsone is taking a temporary leave from Grey’s Anatomy. Deadline is reporting she’ll be absent for about eight episodes of Season 22, and won’t be back until sometime in 2026. Apparently, the storyline involves her diving deep into research – she’s trying to understand why Alzheimer’s treatments work differently in female mice due to estrogen levels. It’s a fascinating scientific angle, but it means we’ll be missing her on screen for a while. No firm date on her return just yet, but it sounds like it’s all tied to this important research plot.

That sounds like a really demanding task, so she’ll likely be away for quite some time. It’s good to know she’s with Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) and her kids, which is more than we knew about Amelia’s plans during her time off.

Jesse Williams is back on the show, joining Kelly McCreary and Kate Burton who have recently reprised their roles. Burton continues to appear as Ellis Grey through flashbacks and dream sequences. Additionally, Sophia Bush and Floriana Lima are returning as Teddy and Owen’s former partners, now that the two doctors are separated.

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My only other issue with Jackson Avery coming back is that we didn’t hear anything about April Kepner. However, I’m choosing to believe that if there’s no news about them, it means everything is going well.

Will we see more former characters return to Grey’s Anatomy? The show has been incorporating actors’ temporary absences into the storyline, and fans are wondering who will appear next. Find out when the medical drama returns to ABC on Thursday, November 6th at 10 p.m. ET, and on Hulu the following day.

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2025-10-31 16:40