‘Grey’s Anatomy’ preview: Jesse Williams on Jackson’s new role, chances of a reconciliation with April

Jackson Avery now has a lot more on his plate than he ever anticipated.

Thanks to the Harper Avery Foundation’s involvement in the purchasing of Seattle Grace — something that went down in the last new episode — the surgeon now finds himself sitting at the head of a conference room table and more than his fair share of big responsibilities. Or, as Jackson’s mother Catherine put it in the episode, “Now give your mama a kiss, Jackson; she just bought you a hospital.”

The problem? Seattle Grace is coming out of one of its most trying times — a near closure, a botched sale, and lots of unhappy employees. So how will Jackson handle the pressure? “We get to see Jackson kind of a little bit on roller skates — as anyone would be,” Jesse Williams tells EW. “Any of these characters who are given that responsibility — aside from Webber — it’s a lot to take in. It’s a little messy at first.”

Messy is saying it lightly. After all, if you watched the exclusive clip EW showed you last week, you know that the episode will see Owen resigning from his position as chief after getting wind that discussions were being had about pushing him out of the job. Although, Williams defends Owen’s reaction. “Keep in mind Owen has been dealing with a lot of stress, and Owen is one of the most under appreciated characters on the show — with the amount of work that he carries and the workload he has and the stress of his own marital life,” says Williams. “He’s had enough and may take it out on me.”

And Owen’s not the only one who will “face-off” with Jackson, Williams says. With most of his fellow surgeons now sitting on the hospital board with him, there will be clashes, he says. “It gets to be a lot of friction and tension, and I think there’s going to be a lot of resentment with some of the other characters,” he says. “There’s a lot of room for disaster.”

But the doc handles himself well, Williams says — for the most part, at least. “I think that’s a little bit of what remains to be seen, but I can tell you this: You’re going to see all sides of him. You’re going to see Avery being a little overwhelmed and see Avery man up and take charge. “

Confidence isn’t exactly the word to describe Jackson’s handling of his love life, however. Williams says his character is very much questioning whether his lost love with April is “a fight worth fighting,” considering they’ve both found new people with whom to occupy their free time. That said, “[he] doesn’t have the time or luxury to pine over the lost love. Jackson’s a little worn down by this [new job],” Williams says. “He’s struggling and this job is not helping. It’s not the chick-magnet that he might have hoped.”

In case you missed it, check out our clip from earlier below, and watch an all-new Grey’s Anatomy tonight on ABC.

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