Did ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Kill off April Kepner?

April Kepner is leaving Grey’s Anatomy, but not in the way we all thought.

After a serious car accident teased the possible death of the fan-favorite trauma surgeon, her co-workers were able to save her life.

The episode begins with the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial receiving invitations to Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Alex’s (Justin Chambers) wedding. The hospital is rocked when Matthew Taylor (Justin Bruening) comes in after his car was in an accident.

He announces that April was in the car with her before he passes out, leaving Owen (Kevin McKidd), Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) confused. Owen heads to the site of the crash to search for April.

He finds the doctor unconscious on the side of a river by the car. At the hospital, Meredith tries to tell Jackson (Jesse Williams) about it once he knows for sure. The doctors find that April has no pulse and because of a cold front, her body needs to be warmed before she can be pronounced dead.

“She’s not dead until she’s warm and dead,” Meredith says.

The doctors fight to warm up April’s body as fast as they can. Meredith breaks down when she tells Alex (Justin Chambers) to help and the pair rush to help their friend.

In the O.R., the doctors continue their attempts at reviving April, Alex confesses he didn’t really like her at first, but that’s because he wanted to be more like her.

After Jackson is done with surgery, he overhears one of the interns talk about April’s emergency as he rushes to the O.R. and loses it at the sight of his ex. Owen encourages all of the doctors to pray for April as they wait for her heart to restart.

As they wait, Maggie (Kelly McCreary) notices her heart restarting and starts to shock her. However, April presents low brain activity. Later, Arizona announces that April and Matthew had been seeing each other for months and they fell in love again.

Hours pass as the doctors wait and see if April will recover. Jackson tells April he’ll believe in God if she wakes up, begging for the life of the woman he once loved. At that moment, April squeezes his hand and she wakes up.

As Maggie checks on April, Bailey wheels Matthew in and the couple share a sweet moment as they both celebrate being alive and back together.

With “Cold as Ice”, Grey’s Anatomy began to set up April Kepner’s (Sarah Drew) exit after nine seasons, with only one episode left before her departure.

April’s Introduction

April Kepner was one of several surgical residents to be introduced after the Seattle Grace-Mercy West merger on Grey’s Anatomy‘s sixth season. At first, April was portrayed as an insecure yet-cunning student, often disliked by the other residents and interns in the hospital because of her personality.

April did not immediately win over fans of the show as she annoyed Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and the rest of the crew. She even developed a crush on Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) when he was chief and she accidentally got him shot by startling the shooter during the season six finale.

Getting to Know April

April shocked her co-workers and viewers alike when she revealed she was a virgin during an episode in season 7. The revelation made Meredith and the rest of the crew grow protective of April, and as she opened up more and more about her backstory, they all became friends. 

Losing Her Virginity

In true Grey’s Anatomy fashion, the moment when April lost her virginity was at the worst moment possible. The night before the surgical residents were supposed to take their Boards exam, April and Jackson (Jesse Williams) explored their relationship beyond being friends and the pair ended up hooking up.

While a monumental plot point for the series, kickstarting the couple’s epic relationship, April later reveals the hook up made her break her promise to God about waiting until marriage and the emotional toll causes her to fail her boards. However, she is certified a year later.

Her Relationship with Matthew

Despite their deep feelings for each other, April and Jackson decide on season 8 that it would be best for them to be friends. While working in the E.R., April meets paramedic Matthew Taylor (Justin Bruening), who is also a devoted Christian.

The couple grows closer and closer throughout the season and Matthew proposes to her outside of the ER with an adorable flash-mob proposal. The stage is set for April’s magical barn wedding in the middle of season 9, but the series once again throws a curve ball when Jackson interrupts the wedding and tells April he loves her. April leaves Matthew at the altar and marries Jackson.

Japril

Jackson and April had a whirlwind relationship many fans loved. From best friends to friends with benefits and later husband and wife, the couple offered viewers a fairytale romance, until life got in the way.

With April’s devout Christian beliefs and Jackson’s atheist tendencies, the couple often found themselves at opposite sides of arguments, but they always settled their differences.

Tragedy strikes

Things changed between the couple, however, after April got pregnant with her first baby, and the child turned out to have a genetic disorder that meant it would only live for a few hours after birth.

The loss of their baby took a toll on the couple, leading April to enlist in the army and leave Jackson for a year. His resentment slowly lead to the couple’s divorce… but April had a secret.

Harriet

The day April and Jackson finalized their divorce, April shocked viewers by revealing she was pregnant again. Much of the show’s 12th season revolved around Jackson and April amicably waiting and bonding over the birth of their new baby, which happily turned out to be healthy.

Fans were afraid when April went into labor during the season 12 finale at Meredith’s house, but thanks to Ben Warren’s (Jason George) surgical skills, he successfully delivered baby Harriet into the world with no problem.

Crisis of Faith

April’s journey throughout her last season has been a rocky one. The trauma surgeon saw the return of her ex-fiance Matthew after his wife comes into the ER for the birth of her baby. The mother dies following complications of birth and leaves Matthew alone to raise their baby. At the same time, a teenage boy is brought into the hospital after having been shot by police after trying to get into his own house.

After the boy dies, April snaps and begins to doubt her belief in God, which leads her to make reckless choices like drink and sleep with surgical interns.

April stays in the “dark place” until she treats a minister, who makes her see that God works in mysterious ways and is still there when times are tough.

Her new beau

When Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) accidentally gives the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial weed cookies at a meeting, April and Bailey have a hilarious conversation while under the influence where she reveals she’s seeing someone new.

Speculation rose among viewers that April was dating her ex Matthew, or Dr. Thomas Koracik (Greg Germann), who she had hooked up with while he was in town helping Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) and Alex (Justin Chambers) treat a young patient.

The new man was revealed during Thursday’s episode to be Matthew. Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) reveals the pair reconnected after Matthew’s wife’s death and kept it a secret, but fell in love all over again.

Two Cast Exits

Grey’s Anatomy shocked viewers in March after news broke that Drew and Capshaw would be leaving the series at the end of the current season.

While there were plenty of clues about how Arizona Robbins (Capshaw) would be written off the show, no details were given about how April Kepner would exit the series. A worrisome fact when the promo for Thursday’s episode teased the character’s possible demise.

What Comes Next

Sarah Drew will not be out of a job for long, as she has been booked to star in the CBS reboot of Cagney and Lacey alongside Blindspot veteran Michelle Hurd.

Drew will play LAPD Detective Cagney, Lacey’s nimble and easygoing partner and protege. Hurd’s Lacey is athletic, polished and a former high school track and field champion.

The Grey’s Anatomy season finale will air Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.