Station 19: Sully and Natasha write a new love story

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.

Sully’s Station 19 Season 7 Promise To Natasha Mirrors A Grey’s Anatomy S10 MerDer Story

Derek Resented Meredith Because He Didn’t Wish To Pause His Career In Grey’s Anatomy S10

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 worries plaguing Natasha that Sully didn’t know about fully mirrored a Grey’s Anatomy season 10 story that completely degenerated by season 11, almost destroying Meredith and Derek’s relationship right before Derek’s death. Indeed, by Grey’s Anatomy season 10, Derek had promised to take a step back in his career to focus on his and Meredith’s family so that she could have her moment to shine and progress her career. However, his brain sensors research with Callie and his presidential brain mapping initiative made Derek go back on his word, causing him to put his career first once again.

Before accepting, Derek refused the US president’s offer twice despite not wanting to, choosing his family only because he had promised Meredith. In return, this made Derek take out his anger on Meredith and those closest to him, making them miserable because he resented Meredith as she refused to stall her career to follow him. This fight continued from Grey’s Anatomy season 10 to 11, and it would have destroyed them had Derek not died. With Natasha’s worries revolving around Meredith and Derek’s central problem in Grey’s Anatomy seasons 10 and 11, Station 19 season 7 essentially reversed their story.

Knowing Natasha’s Fears Helps Sully Not Making Derek’s Mistake

Derek & Meredith Never Tackled Their Power Disparity Seriously Before Their Career Problems Arose

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.