Dr. Paul Stadler first pops up in the 23rd episode of Season 13 of "Grey'sAnatomy," "True Colors."He's attending a Minimally Invasive Surgery Conference in California, which also boasts Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) as a participant. Alex soon realizes that Stadler is his girlfriend Dr. Jo Wilson's (Camilla Luddington) abusive ex-husband, and he fantasizes about beating him up the way Paul beat up Jo. While Alex spends the whole episode tailing Paul, they never come to blows. Instead, Alex rejects Paul's offer to split a cab to the airport, a gesture of kindness and goodwill he would later regret.

Stadler heads to the airport anddoesn't resurface until the 8th episode of Season 14, "Out of Nowhere."ForJo,the then-new chief resident atGrey Sloan Memorial Hospital, the episode's title proves to be prophetic. Stadler shows up unexpectedly in the middle of a hacking crisis at the hospital and does so at the tail end of the episode, wrecking Jo's emotional equilibrium.

In Episode 9 of Season 14, "1-800-799-7233," which is also the number of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the audience learns he'd figured out Jo's pseudonym and tracked her down because he wants her to sign a divorce agreement so he can marry his new fiance Jenny (Joy Lenz). After the papers are inked, Jo reaches out to Jenny, concerned Paul might be abusing her as well. Jenny denies that there's anything wrong with their relationship. But Jo knows Paul too well. She slips Jenny a piece of paper bearing the titular number, and Paul later confronts Jo over the gesture, informing her that Jenny told him about the note and that he's withholding it from his fiance, strongly hinting that time hasn't changed him at all.

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The Character Everyone Forgets Matthew Morrison Played On Grey's Anatomy - Looper