Station 19 showrunners Zoanne Clack and Peter Paige have explained the ending of season 7, including why certain characters end up in certain places by the end of the episode. The series finale featured the team battling a massive wildfire, trying to make sure its damage was minimal while defending the Seattle area. By the end of Station 19 season 7, Kate is dead, but the final scenes offer the show a happy, hopeful ending for its surviving characters.
Speaking with Variety, Clack and Paige explained why specific characters ended up where they did in Station 19’s series finale. The duo revealed why certain character choices were made, such as Andy becoming Battalion Chief and getting together with Jack, and how the decisions wound up getting made. Check out what Clack and Paige had to say about the final episode below:
Zoanne Clack: We went back and forth a lot [on the final moment], and I guess we ended up compromising. I had this feeling that I really wanted to see the firehouse empty with the lights turned off, kind of like Norman Lear. Peter was really fighting for [something that showed] that they live on and they move on. We both wanted her to be Chief, because it felt like the culmination of her journey. She’s taken this captain journey all through this season, and she’s gonna keep going. She’s gonna keep fighting both fires and for this career longevity, so we merged all those together and we’re able to have that beautiful walk out into the sunlight moment.
Peter Paige: That was one of the reasons we did that. That’s a story we wanted to explore, that isn’t talked about on these shows very often. It’s not a forever career, and it is a career of passion. People talk about it with ballerinas all the time, but firefighters have it too. There is a short shelf life for many firefighters, and I thought it was really important to look at: How does that happen? What happens to them, how do they emotionally get through that? That was what we were trying to do with Jack this season.
And when Jaina came to us, we were talking about her professional endings, and then we started talking about personal ones. She was like, “I mean…Jack?” And we were like, “Jack!” And when we figured that out, we were like “Oh, that’s pretty satisfying.” And when we figured out how to go back in time, that is one of the most creatively fulfilling moments of my career. Zo and I were bouncing ideas back and forth, and one person will go, “Oh, this!” And the other one will say, “Oh, this!” I was like, OK, let me go watch the footage and see if we can actually shoot this, and we broke it down. I just think it’s so thrilling and satisfying and I believe that moment is Andy figuring out it’s always been Jack, and then them holding hands and him saying she’ll never be alone. Even her just saying Jack’s chili is better than Dean’s. You only say that if you’re in love.
Why Station 19’s Series Finale Was A Fitting Ending
Even so, by giving characters from Andy to Jack a fitting ending to their stories, Station 19 offers closure that completes the show in a hopeful way.
Andy and Jack’s character endings were fitting for everything they’d been through during the show, the former especially getting a high-ranking position for all her efforts. However, they aren’t the only ones to end up with a satisfying conclusion, as Maya takes charge of the firehouse in a flash-forward sequence. Ben also ends up finishing his surgical residency, hinting at his possible Grey’s Anatomy season 21 return, while also confirming his happy life with Miranda. It was a fitting ending that offered hope for the future, even if most characters likely won’t come back.
The show ending also consolidates the Grey’s Anatomy universe, which now stands as a single series without any ongoing spinoffs. While this increases the likelihood of originating characters like Ben and Carina making a return to the show, it also decreases the likelihood other major characters will come back. Since the flash forward cemented the fates of many of the series’ heroes, it doesn’t seem likely the flagship show will be focused much on bridging the gap. However, that doesn’t make future returns impossible.
Even so, by giving characters from Andy to Jack a fitting ending to their stories, Station 19 offers closure that completes the show in a hopeful way. Although many characters will live their lives offscreen from now on, some potential returnees like Ben could offer life updates about the rest of the group to other characters. Despite this chapter of the franchise coming to a close, it’s done so in a way befitting the hopeful ending it deserved.
