‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Couple Breaks up During Season 16 Premiere

Grey’s Anatomy returned with a lot of answers, twists and surprises in its Season 16 premiere, including one breakup many had seen coming. The long-running ABC medical drama returned for a brand new season Thursday and wasted no time to address its biggest cliffhangers, including the end of a popular relationship.

Spoilers ahead for Grey’s Anatomy Season 16 Premiere: “Nothing Left to Cling To”

Thursday’s premiere picked up immediately where May’s season finale left off, with Jo (Camilla Luddington) going into psychiatric treatment, Alex (Justin Chambers), Richard (James Pickens Jr.) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) getting fired for tax fraud and Maggie (Kelly McCreary) freaking out after Jackson (Jesse Williams) gets lost in the heavy fog.

The episode saw as Meredith spoke with a lawyer and admitted she was responsible for the criminal activity that got DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) arrested. She is surprised when the attorney tells her they will sort everything out and she is free to go home, but has to make sure she is apologetic at trial.

In the wilderness, Maggie continues to call out Jackson’s name and he quickly answers, saying he is stuck helping two climbers who were injured in the fog, and one of them was hanging from a cliff. As luck would have it, a fire truck arrives at that moment with Vic (Station 19‘s Barret Doss) and another firefighter ready to help Jackson and Maggie with their predicament.

Jackson and Vic pull the climber to safety and race to Grey Sloan for treatment. After both of patients are wheeled into the hospital however, Maggie and Jackson are left in the ambulance sitting in silence, thinking about the big fight they had had the day before.

A week passes and Jackson and the female climber are labeled as heroes for saving the man’s life. He tries to talk to Maggie at that point but she lashes out once again for “leaving” her in the wilderness alone after their argument.

After another week, Jackson stands looking at a scan from the male climber, whose condition is deteriorating and Maggie comes in. They discuss the case and go into a metaphor about things that are broken and too far gone to be fixed. When Maggie asks him if he’s talking about their relationship, he confirms.

Another week passes during the episode and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone), DeLuca, Meredith and Maggie are in the kitchen and discuss Maggie’s relationship status. She reveals she and Jackson are officially broken up, but they will be friends and connected by their parents’ marriage.

Maggie and Jackson first started seeing each other in Season 13 and have been a polarizing couple among fans ever since. Despite exchanging I love you’s in the Season 15 premiere, their difference began to put obstacles in their path ending with a big fight in which they called each other out for their weaknesses. The fight was left open-ended in the Season 15 finale by Jackson’s disappearance into the fog.

Could Maggie and Jackson reunite in the future? It seems there might be someone getting in the middle soon, but anything is possible.

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.