Warning: SPOILERS for Grey’s Anatomy season 18 episode 16 ahead.
Jo Wilson has been a staple of Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) as a shy resident and saw her progress in her career as an attending general surgeon first and an obstetrics and gynecology resident since Grey’s Anatomy season 17, episode 13. While coming to Grey’s Anatomy later in its run, Jo still became one of the medical drama’s fan-favorite central characters, and while she had to go through very tough times, she was finally happy with her choices in season 17. Grey’s Anatomy season 18, episode 16, "Should I Stay or Should I Go," showed how Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) needing to make good on Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital might threaten Jo’s happiness.
While Jo’s story seemed similar to that of other interns, her relationship with Grey’s Anatomy season 17 she realized she wanted to switch to gynecology, she pursued it and became an OB resident, choosing joy, which she didn’t get any more from general surgery.
Grey’s Anatomy season 18’s residency program being put on probation and lack of physicians threatened that as season 18, episode 16 proved with Bailey begging Jo to come back as a general surgeon and leave her OB residency. While Jo coming back as a general surgeon would greatly help Grey Sloan, it would only cause her problems, as she wouldn’t know if her spot would be taken and when she could go back to study for the career she wants. Grey’s Anatomy season 18 showed Jo being thankful and joyful for two things, namely her daughter, Luna (Annabelle King), and her OB residency, but accepting Bailey’s offer would take one of them away and even risk her chance to come back to it in a few months when the residency program might be saved.
While Grey Sloan’s surgical residency program being put on probation undoubtedly threatened the hospital, Jo didn’t really owe that to Bailey or Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Jo gave a lot to Grey Sloan, and while the hospital also taught her everything she knew, when her transfer to gynecology was approved, despite Grey Sloan Memorial already having a physician shortage, she stopped owing anything to it. Bailey’s request went back on her word that she gave Jo when she let her switch specialties despite the shortage, and Bailey gave her nonetheless permission to switch because she knew she couldn’t keep Jo trapped in a joyless job. By having Bailey ask Jo to come back as a surgeon mid-year, Grey’s Anatomy shows it doesn’t really care for Jo’s happiness and won’t let Jo’s career flourish.
Jo didn’t give an answer to Bailey in the episode, and it’s highly likely that she’ll take Todd’s (Skylar Astin) advice and try to do both. Still, Grey’s Anatomy season 18, episode 16 had Miranda beg Jo to come back even if Catherine (Debbie Allen) suggested the plan to help the hospital should have focused on retaining residents rather than hiring new attendings. This shows that, while Jo will probably do her best to keep finding joy in her new career, Grey’s Anatomy season 18 forgot her wishes, clearly failing Jo in the process.
New episodes of Grey’s Anatomy release every Thursday on ABC.