The current television landscape, with its increasing reliance on limited series orders, truncated episode counts, and all-too-frequent cancellations—including Station 19’s untimely one—makes it difficult to believe that many new shows will ever reach the 100-episode count again.
Station 19 has continuously showcased its staying power beyond a simple spinoff series. It’s become the fourth show in Shondaland’s history to achieve this episode milestone. This makes its cancellation even more bittersweet, but it also continues to embolden fans to fight for #SaveStation19 as we near the show’s end.
In “My Way,” Station 19’s 100th episode and the halfway point of the show’s final season, the firefighters turn up the heat and drama at Seattle’s most recognizable landmark—the Space Needle. But it’s not the explosive action that captures this episode’s primary attention; yes it’s a show about firefighters, and as viewers we enjoy the exciting action and effects. But Station 19 has always been at its strongest when it focuses on its character-driven moments. And this episode features them at a new level for the entire team.
The World is Watching…
“My Way” takes place just one shift after the demoralizing events of last week’s episode, “Trouble Man.” The ceaseless calls have taken its toll on the team, leading to low morale and an atmosphere that can only be described as tense at best. At this point, everyone is either in a state of reflection or frustration, except for Maya, who, after spending some much-needed time with her family, is back and in her proud momma era as she tries to crack a few jokes and cheer up the team with an adorable picture of baby Liam in his “new to the crew” firefighter onesie.
He is adorable, but her attempt still falls flat. Before another one can, Andy walks into the beanery to deliver the news that Theo is no longer at 19, prompting shocked responses from everyone but Vic, who seems to care little about anything anymore. Her indifference continues when Chief Ross tells her that Crisis One’s Naloxone initiative was never considered because they’re shutting down the program altogether after this quarter. We’re begging anyone to notice the apparent signs: Vic is not okay!
As the team disperses from a tense breakfast to prepare for Andy’s pinning ceremony, we find Ben taking what is presumed to be steroids to help his back, while a smitten Sullivan ponders how he’ll propose to Ross. We also see Maya call Carina and Liam ahead of Carina’s first IVF appointment, the brief conversation an insufficient substitute for her presence at the appointment for both women, but duty calls.
With Carina called into her appointment, Maya makes a stop at Andy’s office to understand how things got to this point with the team. Andy laments that she screwed up last shift; she feels like she’s destroyed everything her father built with one bad call. Maya gives her much-needed advice that only a former captain would know all too well, saying, “We lose people. It’s the job. […] Learn from it, and [we] move to the next…” Maya knows what kind of leader Andy is; they’ve been on this journey together for seven years, and she won’t let her friend and Captain doubt herself. So it feels full circle for these two when Andy asks Maya to be the one to pin her at her ceremony. Their friendship is complex, but at the heart of it, they’re still two people who will continue to answer the call together.
In true 19 fashion, the team only makes it halfway through Chief Ross’ speech at Andy’s pinning ceremony before a call comes in for a fire at the Space Needle. After all, fire waits for nothing and no one. Yet small smiles appear on everyone’s faces as they make their way to the scene and the new Fire Dispatcher comes on the radio: the voice coming through belongs to Jack. It’s great to hear “Gibby” in his new role, and we hope it’s a way to get him involved in 19’s calls throughout the remainder of the season.
The billowing smoke and press helicopters at the top of the iconic landmark that greet the team serve as a warning of the magnitude of this moment. 19 arrives, and Andy springs into action, assigning her team to attack the scene. Not without a helpful reminder from Chief Ross that the “world is watching.” Thanks, boss. No pressure!
As if on cue, the team’s earlier troubles return. Beckett leaves Maya behind despite her calls for him to slow down; Travis and Vic bicker beyond their usual spats as they deal with trapped civilians on an outdoor elevator; and Sullivan and Ben realize their hoses have inadequate water pressure to tackle the fire. All the makings for a great call, right?
Elsewhere, in a parking garage, we find Carina and Liam on their way back from her appointment, looking admittedly a bit forlorn. But her focus shifts abruptly when a sudden car accident occurs behind them. Carina calls for help and jumps into action to treat the injured patients who turn out to be a bickering brother and sister. Shortly after, Theo arrives at the scene in his new role with a private EMS company, and together they work to secure the patients. The siblings and their squabbling clearly remind Carina of her own late brother, Andrea, who she desperately wishes were still alive to meet Liam. We’re not crying, there’s just something in our eye.
Back on the fire scene, we see our firefighters dealing with their own crises. Vic needs assistance with a patient experiencing an epileptic seizure while she also tries to calm down a young man in the elevator who’s having a panic attack and refusing to listen. He attempts to close the elevator’s doors, kicking off the med bag and supplies, making an already tense situation worse. Maya is frustrated with Beckett’s lack of communication as he rushes to assist Vic without waiting for her go-ahead to rappel down to the elevator safely, which leaves him almost falling off the structure.
Meanwhile, Ben and Sullivan still lack proper water flow to continue handling ignition points as they explore rooms where the fire has spread. It gets more complicated when Jack tells them that a backup generator system that relies on diesel fuel surrounds them, making any additional ignition a hazardous trap and making their situation go from bad to worse. But right as Ben and Sullivan agree to fall back and await more assistance, flames spread to their only exit. Andy calls for any team available to assist, but she’s met with repeated “negative” calls, meaning no other crew is close enough to help. The rest of 19 hear this and realize what it means: Ben and Sullivan are trapped, and all they can do is wait. But soon the two men’s PASS devices go off, warning them that their oxygen tanks are nearly empty. They know they’re in a dire situation. Sullivan glances at the ring he hasn’t given to Ross, and Ben radios Gibby to tell him to look after Pru. Then there’s an explosion.
And then silence.
It’s a tense few moments, but Andy realizes a different station that just wrapped up their attack nearby has extinguisher spheres available to clear a whole room. She races up toward her team with the update, and the rest of 19 join her as they work to ensure no one from their family is left behind. Cue a big exhale of relief as the team – Ben and Sullivan included – makes their way outside together, and all share hugs. No arguments will ever change the fact that they’re family. And their family is all okay for another day.
As the crew begins to pack up the trucks, Beckett approaches Maya and explains why he wasn’t communicating with her: he didn’t trust her. It’s harsh, but you also can’t blame him. This was their first shift working together after all the bad blood between them last season, including when she gave him a bottle of whisky, aiding him in relapsing. It’s one of her biggest regrets, and she apologized earlier in the day, but he states it messed with his mind. However, he realizes now that he can trust her. Trust is a two-way street, though. Maya reiterates that she will always have his back because they wear the same uniform and have the same goal: to live another day.
We appreciate the moment for what it is, but we still believe that for Beckett’s redemption arc to feel full circle, he still needs to apologize for his actions towards the team and especially for how far he pushed Maya last season. We hope it will come to fruition in the next few episodes.
Before the crew heads back to the station, they have to provide background for Mayor Osman’s press conference about the incident. No one is thrilled, but none less so than Vic. As the Mayor touts Vic’s rescue as the most impressive, she interrupts his speech with fervency, stating the only reason the rescue was possible was her training through Crisis One, a program he’s reeling back to save a few bucks. It’s a major disruption, and while the world may not be watching the local press conference, we can be sure the people of Seattle will know about it. It’s a big swing that just might cost Vic her job, or at the very least, an early dismissal from Andy when they return to the station.
Proviamoci, Amore Mio…
As the long night ends and the rest of the team disperses, Maya, exhausted and disheveled, makes her way to her bunk at the station. She’s greeted by Carina and Liam waiting for her, a literal manifestation of who she’s fighting to come home to every day. Maya notices the mess of the bloody clothes set aside and rushes in, concerned. They’re okay, Carina assures, but there’s something she needs to tell Maya. The weight of her words hangs heavy between them. Maya braces for the worst.
With a crack in her voice, Carina reveals that her FSH levels are high, meaning that her eggs aren’t viable. It’s a vulnerable moment that only they share as they process the news. Maya’s heart aches for her wife, knowing this is a dream Carina has wanted for years. But it’s now a dream cut short. A dream denied. They both deserve a moment to grieve a future being reimagined.
But in true Carina fashion, she quickly apologizes to Maya for not being able to give Liam a sibling and for putting them through this when Maya never even wanted kids in the first place.
“I didn’t want to have a family until you showed me what a family was,” Maya professes and assures, stopping Carina’s spiral in its tracks. I love you. It reflects the change we’ve seen in Maya since last season – and since the show’s beginning. Carina coming into Maya’s life fundamentally changed her, challenging her perspective on everything, especially her capacity for life and love. And to be fair, the feeling is reciprocated. Their love healed parts of themselves that they’ve carried for years, and it’s so moving to see Maya not only love openly, but want to do it so fully, to give that part of her.
If there’s one thing to be said about her, it’s that her devotion to Carina knows no limits. So when she swiftly proposes a solution to give her wife another chance at her dream, we’re not surprised. “What about my eggs?” she suggests. “Can we use my eggs? Can you get pregnant with my eggs?”
We – along with Carina – are reassured by Maya’s persistence in making this happen. Maya is still all in on the future they’re building, something that Carina desperately craved confirmation on last season. Short of Maya figuring out how to get her wife pregnant on her own (which, knowing Maya’s determination, we’d never count out), this is a huge demonstration of her commitment to Carina and their family together.
The offer is reminiscent of the firefighter’s quick and assured suggestion in “This Woman’s Work” of “We can,” when she felt confident they could adopt and become Liam’s family. And like in the first episode, while fast in response, Maya says it with such confidence. This time, though, it’s in her wife’s native tongue: “Proviamoci, Amore Mio.” Let’s try, my love. “Proviamoci.”
The significance of this proposal goes beyond the world of the DeLuca-Bishops, though. Maya’s suggestion of reciprocal IVF on network TV is groundbreaking, not to mention educational and world-expanding for all viewers. Station 19 has never shied away from big topics. For Maya and Carina, the show has centered their story over the last three seasons around the everyday realities of queer couples attempting to build their family together: the discussions around birthing or adopting, the considerations of who will carry, the pain and discomfort of fertility treatments, the emotional, psychological, and financial toll it all takes. While Station 19 hasn’t always hit the mark, its attempt to do so is important. In a time where women’s bodies, reproductive health, and queer rights are often under attack or scrutiny, to see the show tackle this topic while also giving a voice to queer women is refreshing and impactful. Station 19 is giving us a gift and making a statement, and we are grateful for it.
Adrenaline-Fueled Moments and Promises of Forever…
Another near-death call brings a big moment for Sullivan and Ross. Earlier this season, Ross mentioned their need to retire big declarations after moments of adrenaline-fueled days, but we think coming this close to losing each other changes things. Maybe it’s just their thing.
Ross explains that she’s been dragging her feet on saying “yes” to Sullivan’s proposals (and yes, there’s been one for every episode this season, so we’re more than ready for this moment) because she fears that one day, he will ask her to play small. She’s already getting that from Mayor Osman, as he holds her job overhead with each new demand he asks of her, but she’s also dealt with it throughout her career at the hands of men who thought she was just a “good soldier.” It’s a feeling that many women can relate to regardless of their leadership level. But this is Natasha Ross. She’s commanding and formidable. So to hear her sound so unsure is heartbreaking. But Sullivan reassures her he’d never be so stupid as to try to dim her light. And we believe him. We’ve never seen Sullivan like this before, so in love, so at peace. Ross makes him different. Love them or hate them, they’re cute. So when she asks, “Was there something you wanted to ask me?” We all know she’s finally ready to give him the answer he’s wanted to hear… “Yes.”
A New Legacy…
After yesterday’s interrupted pinning ceremony, it’s “take two” for Andy’s moment, and this time, it feels right. The team feels back in balance. Or at least, it mostly does (we’re still missing Vic, and she’s clearly hurting). But the show continues. She’s fought for this moment her entire life, and it’s finally arrived at the right moment. Better late than never.
Last week, Andy doubted herself and realized that just because you get your dream doesn’t mean it’s easy. But like every woman of 19, she is a resilient force. She’s tenacious. She’s a fighter. And so even when things have to be fought for, she’s up for the challenge. As Chief Ross praises her skills and leadership, Andy steps forward to receive her pin from Maya. This is a full-circle moment, a testament to their complex relationship. There was a time, even last season, when this wouldn’t have been thought possible. Andy wasn’t settling for interim Captain, and Maya wasn’t in the right headspace to feel happy for her. Their relationship will always be complex, but this moment feels special. A dream they’ve always had, now a reality seven years later.
As Andy reflects on her future outlook and legacy as Captain, one line stands out: “I’m so proud to call you my family and even prouder to answer the call with each of you beside me.” It feels like the primary thread woven throughout all 100 episodes of Station 19, especially as we rewatch a montage of some of the show’s biggest moments play out until the episode’s final shot of Andy. 19 is her house, her family, and her legacy. And she’s ready to write her own story.
