Jackson and April's union has been fraught with tension from the words "I do." (You'd almost think this was a nighttime soap!) First, there was Mama Catherine's (Debbie Allen) insistence on April (Sarah Drew) signing a post-nuptial agreement, then came the clash over religious views and raising children, which was soon followed by the tragic birth and death of their son Samuel, which drove April to become a trauma surgeon in the army, thereby abandoning Jackson while he was still grieving so she could focus on her own grief. Like we said, fraught with tension.

"In many ways, they are each other's person and have been since well before they began a romantic relationship, so there's a lot of investment there," Jesse says. "And all of that adds to the sense of betrayal and disappointment on Jackson's end. He really felt abandoned by her and it's hard to, even with all your best intentions, forget that. But that's where they find themselves."

Though his character may be going through the wringer at the moment, Jesse admits the tone on the set is a brighter one this season—and he's pleased viewers are picking up on it. "I'm glad that's coming across because that's certainly, I think by design," he says. "It's felt both on camera and off, a little bit lighter. Refreshed, to be honest. I think everyone's been here a long time and we've kind of hit reset…We're kind of in a different spirit this year, so, yeah, I think the cast feels newly not committed, but excited. We're not treating it as business as usual, we're trying to re-inject some new energy this year."