After episodes where Sully proposed and Natasha didn’t give him a straight answer, Station 19 season 7, episode 5 finally managed to get them engaged – and in doing so, it referenced a major Grey’s Anatomy seasons 10 and 11 storyline. Station 19’s 100th episode included plenty of dramatic developments, but Ben and Sully’s predicament that left them surrounded by fire and with little oxygen was among the most difficult, putting in danger two of Station 19’s main characters. Almost losing Sully finally gave Natasha clarity regarding his marriage proposals, also explaining why she didn’t seem to take them seriously before.
Sully and Natasha spent Station 19 season 6 fighting over whether to keep their relationship private, with the two torn between protecting their relationship and their careers, as Natasha being Sully’s superior put them in a precarious situation. While the ballroom floor collapse in Station 19 season 6’s finale endangering Natasha made Sully certain of what mattered, every time he asked Natasha to marry him in Station 19 season 7, she didn’t answer clearly. Their talk in Station 19 season 7, episode 5 finally explained it had nothing to do with their love but much to do with Natasha’s fears.
Natasha admitted she had been stalling her relationship with Sully in Station 19 season 7, episode 5, sharing that she had been terrified that someday Sully would want her to play small. Her reveal simultaneously clarified that she really was avoiding answering Sully’s proposal and why, showing that she truly loved Sully, but was also accustomed to men going back on their word. His promise to “never be so stupid and try to make her play or feel small” essentially made it possible for his proposal to be enthusiastically accepted by Natasha right after he promised her.
The power disparity between Meredith and Derek was often at the center of their story, but they never explicitly considered that issue’s practicalities before season 10, with Grey’s Anatomy instead focusing on their unyielding love. Sully learning the prerequisite for which Natasha would consider marriage thus makes her priorities evident, making the problem that arose between Meredith and Derek much more unlikely to appear between them. By clarifying that love wasn’t necessarily enough, also needing a clear and explicit understanding of their priorities, Station 19 season 7 made Sully and Natasha’s relationship have a firmer start than Meredith and Derek’s.
