Theo Ruiz was made Station 19’s Interim Captain, giving him a chance to do the role again, but he failed. When Captain Sean Beckett took leave to handle his drinking, Natasha Ross had to find an interim captain. She first asked Andy Herrera, but Andy turned it down because she believed she had earned being the permanent captain of Station 19, which she had. Ross couldn’t tap her boyfriend, Robert Sullivan, because of how it would have looked. Sullivan was the person who deserved the position, but Ross gave the role to Theo.
Theo had been captain before but stepped down after his friend, Michael, died on a call. Michael was also Travis Montgomery’s husband. Travis, Michael and Theo were the best of friends, but after that incident, Travis couldn’t get over what happened. At least not until his current best friend, Victoria Hughes, started dating Theo. Theo has held captains on a high pedestal since. While he may not have gone after the captain role, he was happy when he received it.
Theo Didn’t Trust His Team At Station 19
Right from the get-go, Theo didn’t trust his team. Andy planned a big meal to show their support for Theo, but things went wrong when Jack Gibson fell and hit his head when turning off the burners. He accidentally left one burner on. When they return from the call and find the kitchen a mess, Theo accuses Andy of intentionally setting the fire to make him look bad. He also blames the rest of the team and has them run drills as punishment.
Theo also wouldn’t listen to any of his team, especially his girlfriend, Vic. He Thinks any comment is undermining him. Sometimes, Sullivan and Andy have different ideas of how things should be done, but even when it’s just information or constructive feedback, he can’t handle it. This causes serious problems for Station 19. It puts their safety at risk because they can’t communicate.
Theo has been working with Station 19 for a while. He also worked with Andy before this. He should know his team, their capabilities and when something is an accident. Station 19 is also a family, so making dinner in support of someone is typical for them. But Theo is oblivious to it all. He second-guesses himself and his team. That’s not the way a leader should be. Especially when he knows the team he’s working with. He has relationships with them. It’s not like when Beckett and Sullivan came in and had to build those relationships.
The Lets His Passed Failures Interfere With Doing His Job
Theo’s second-guessing goes beyond not trusting his team. He’s so worried about not letting his team get hurt that it interferes with him doing the job. He puts victims’ lives at risk in favor of his team. While it is important for the captain to keep his team safe, he also shouldn’t be overly cautious when trying to save someone. Losing victims don’t look good for a captain, either. He never figured out how to balance keeping his team safe while saving a victim is time sensitive.
Theo hasn’t dealt with the trauma of losing his friend Michael and then losing Travis from the fallout. He didn’t have his friend when he was grieving. While he has remorse, he never forgave himself or moved on, so he’s overly protective of his new team. And this is also affecting how he acts. He’s too defensive. That’s precisely how Maya was, too, when she was trying to get her captaincy back. But she worked with Diane to overcome her childhood trauma and let go of that anger. Theo needs to do the same if he wants to become captain again and succeed on his third try.
Theo Felt Entitled To The Station 19 Captain Job
Theo was never going after the captain job as Maya Bishop, Andy and Sullivan were. Maya and Sullivan wanted their captaincies back while Andy was fighting for a job that should have been hers in Station 19, season 1 if it wasn’t for her father interfering. He was more than happy to get a chance, though. But Theo held it over Andy’s head like he was more qualified than her to be captain. He was really the third choice to be captain and got it in a technicality, but he acted as if he deserved it over Andy and Sullivan.
Theo Is A Different Person When He’s Captain
Theo was a kind person when viewers first met him. He was also an excellent firefighter. Everything changed as soon as he became captain. Before becoming captain, he would never talk down to his friends. He would have never acted entitled. He supported his teammates. He was highly supportive of Andy when she was Interim Captain of Station 23. That house was hard to lead because it was such a boy’s club. But she turned it around. And Theo was right there with her.
Theo hooking up with his old colleague right after Vic and Theo broke up was also uncharacteristic. In addition, it was during an event celebrating one of his team, Ben Warren. It was a reaction to not being named the permanent Captain of Station 19. This is in contrast to him keeping a pretty cool head throughout his time on the show. For example, when Vic was pregnant, he was supportive, even when she pushed him away.
Theo Let The Captain Job Consume Him
Theo was all about doing the best job he could as captain, to the detriment of his relationship with Vic. He wouldn’t make any time for her. She was juggling taking classes, running Crisis One, and her firefighter duties, and she was still making time for him. But he never made time for her and stopped listening to her. Vic tried to help him while he adjusted to being captain, but he never extended the same courtesy to her as she focused on her career.
None of the captains of Station 19 have quite lived up to the legacy that Pruitt Herrera left. Maya was doing a great job near the end of her tenure before being demoted. Sullivan may have created his own legacy if not for the injury that led to his addiction. Beckett also started horribly, but before his alcoholism, he began getting along with his team. There is a chance that Theo could have become a better captain if given more time. But he would have had to change his leadership style and deal with his trauma.
There’s no doubt Pruitt had his own issues to overcome when he became captain. He wasn’t the person Andy believed him to be when she was growing up. But Pruitt did create a legacy and a family at Station 19. He had time to build that legacy, while the recent Station 19 Captains were not given that time. Of course, Andy would always be named Captain of Station 19, so it was always leading to this. The other captains had to fail so that she could fulfill her legacy.
