We generally associate grief with reactions to death and loss. The second episode of Season 7, "Good Grief," Station 19 illustrates these reactions through several storylines: the death of a career, ambiguous loss, and losing oneself. However, alongside the pain, it also demonstrates grief's ultimate power: uniting found families.
"Good Grief" is full of action, featuring funerals, an ill-advised hookup, patient zero, and a malpractice suit, alongside family fights and celebrations. Attempting all of this within 45 minutes reiterates the importance of utilizing every moment this season. And while some pacing may feel a bit rushed, the Station 19 team has been able to do just that while hitting on most things fairly well. We knew these episodes would be packed in order to develop our characters and their stories as much as possible as they near their potential conclusion.
What’s Next for Jack…
In the opening minutes of "Good Grief," viewers are confronted with the final moments of Andy, Chief Ross, and Jack's conversation confirming what we feared to be true after the end of last week’s episode: Jack’s career as an active firefighter is over.
Understandably, Jack isn’t quite ready to accept that reality, but despite his protests for another opinion, Ross reminds him that their conversation is the result of the department’s second opinion echoing Dr. Amelia Shepherd's prognosis from last week. Ultimately, it’s simple: Jack is lucky to be alive, and, due to his head injury and CTE diagnosis (chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma), he's not medically cleared to continue. Andy reminds Jack that "19 will still be here for you, just in a different way," raising the question for both him and viewers: in what way? What’s next?
Could he continue with the clinic? Carina promised to help keep his legacy of ensuring the clinic remains a safe space for the community alive, free from red tape that often hinders access to help. But could he also help it expand beyond Station 19? Or could he pursue work that further serves the community he deeply cares about in different ways?
We're certain we'll see him tackle this question in the remaining episodes as he continues to heal. It's heartbreaking to witness this ending for a character like Jack, one who we’ve been with since the beginning and who has often experienced more losses in life than wins. But it's also exciting to consider the possibilities of how he might fit within the department beyond the station. This has yet to be seen in Station 19 beyond a firefighter's natural retirement, and we’re looking forward to it.
Warning Shots…
While Jack reckons with his new normal, Crisis One gets a call about a domestic disturbance. Ben and Theo respond in hopes of de-escalating the potentially volatile situation with mom Connie and her 20-something son Sam. Connie downplays the disturbance and claims everything is fine.
But Ben notices the bruises on her arms and observes that she’s on dialysis. He offers medical assistance, giving himself and Theo more time to investigate any potential disturbance.. Meanwhile, Theo speaks with the neighbor who called in the incident and learns that Sam has a history of aggression and a quick temper. He also poses a risk for gun violence.
Ben recognizes the threat and immediately jumps into action, telling Connie about extreme-risk protection orders like red flag laws, which allow loved ones to help temporarily remove firearms from individuals in crisis. But just as he mentions this, shots are fired.
Unsurprisingly, it was Sam who fired the gun, sending warning shots in the direction of the neighbor and his dog to “teach him a lesson” for the persistent noise. Police arrive at the scene only to issue a mere citation, stating it's a "he said" situation. Realizing that nothing will change with the police just leaving Sam with what’s essentially just a slap on the wrist, Ben tries to talk to Connie one more time. But Connie and Sam tell him to leave their property, so Ben does, worried and resigned.
But his sincerity and urgency must have gotten through to her, because a little while later, Connie shows up at the station looking for him. She acknowledges she needs help to take the guns away from her son, and he shows her and the viewers how easy it is to find the right resources.
It’s a topic all too familiar to Americans that is deeply personal for many, which makes it extra special that Jason George (Ben) championed this story with the help of showrunners Peter Paige and Zoanne Clack. We hope it helps others learn about protections that can help curb gun violence in communities across the country.
"Hey, Bishop's wife!"...
If looks could kill, Kate would be in serious trouble, because the look Carina and Maya gave her for reducing Carina to just a “wife” and failing to recognize her intelligence and competence when called in for a medical consult was deadly.
While a throwaway line of sorts, Kate’s remark actually highlights a recurring issue in the firefighter drama: despite Carina DeLuca's brilliance and complexity as a character, she’s often closely tied to only Maya's storylines. While it's understandable that they’re often interconnected or even overlapping - because whether ABC wants to admit it or not, they are the primary and longest-standing original couple of Station 19 - Carina's expertise as a doctor has often gone under the radar. Perhaps it’s a symptom of her spending significantly less time over at Grey Sloan (and Grey’s Anatomy) ever since marrying one of Station’s leading ladies - the less she’s in a hospital, the fewer opportunities we have to see her in Doctor DeLuca mode (In theory. This is Shondaland after all).
Canonically in both Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, Carina is known for having a nearly-flawless record in treatment and outcomes of her patients (COVID aside) though it’s not often shown. Fans have been wanting more storylines featuring the badass doctor, and we might finally be getting one centered on her work as an OBGYN.
Be careful what you wish for, though, because it looks like Carina won’t have it easy. At the end of the episode, she’s served with a malpractice suit by a former patient. The patient is mysterious. However, we learn a bit more about her from a conversation she had with Sullivan earlier that day during her clinic visit. She shared that she is a caregiver to her child, who has Cerebral palsy. Although Carina briefly engaged with the woman, she appeared not to remember her when directly questioned by the mother. Something tells us this isn’t a good sign and that it won't be the last we or our beloved Italian doctor see of her.
An Irish Goodbye…
Vic and Beckett are back together in “Good Grief”. The two have been an unexpected yet great duo since Season 6’s penultimate episode where we first saw beyond Beckett’s brash and bullish surface-level interactions and started to connect and sympathize with his character as someone in pain. In this episode, we revisit Beckett's journey toward redemption as Vic accompanies him to his Uncle Vinny's wake at an Irish pub shortly after his release from rehab.
In true Beckett fashion, he warns Vic to "gird [her] loins," realizing she's unprepared for his family's Irish wake. And indeed, he’s right . What follows is his family's welcome, marked by casual misogyny and inappropriate comments, and intoxicated guests pushing drinks on Beckett despite his insistence on sobriety. The party ends with a family fistfight, a cauterized nose (it was quite the event), and Beckett’s realization that sometimes to stay sober, you have to let go of people.
But we must address a potentially controversial point: Does Beckett deserve a chance at redemption? Yes. Has it been properly executed so far? No. Granted, we're only two episodes into the season, and this is Beckett's first appearance. However, a huge part of recovery is accountability and understanding that his actions over the last two seasons hurt more people than just himself. There's a small window of opportunity for the show to pull off quite a large redemption arc that treats all those impacted by his actions - including himself - with dignity. We hope to see it come to life onscreen.
Questionable Choices…
Once is a regrettable mistake. Twice is an active decision. In “This Woman's Work," Travis and Emmett sought comfort in each other after reconnecting over the death of the latter's difficult father, Michael Dixon. Emmett was grieving, and Travis likely faced some guilt for being the last to see Dixon alive instead of Emmett or his wife. The circumstances were messy and highly-emotional, and it seemed inevitable that there would be a reconnection between the exes. They can't seem to stay away from each other, for better or - more often - for worse.
And it’s clear in this episode that Travis is still wrestling with the significance of his actions. He and current boyfriend Eli attend Dixon’s memorial service together, and when Emmett is the one to answer the door to the Dixon family home, Travis chokes. “This is my…Eli,” he says as an introduction. The awkwardness is palpable.
Eli leaves the service early, offering Travis an out, but he chooses to stay, a decision that proves to be a mistake. Moments later, Travis and Emmett find themselves in another misguided hookup. Afterward, Emmett jokes about being the one to corrupt Travis this time, referencing their previous affair. Travis tries to justify the cheating, claiming it's “different.” Yet, given his strong reaction to his own father's infidelity seasons ago, it's surprising to see him making excuses now. We can only hope that the wake-up calls in this episode, such as being praised as a “good man” by Kitty and “a better man than all of us” by Andy, will lead Travis to confront his crisis of conscience.
Clinic Patients and Firehouse Babies...
Clinic chaos hits near-pandemic levels as Maya and Carina treat an injured nanny showing signs of a potentially contagious disease. The clinic locks down, prompting Maya, Carina, Chief Ross, and Andy to work with the CDC to diagnose the patient zero. After successfully confirming that there’s no infectious disease, they send the nanny off to Grey Sloan for treatment.
It's great to see Maya and Carina working together under pressure, even dealing with concerns in their new reality as potential parents. Initially worried that an outbreak could impact baby Liam's homecoming, Carina finds reassurance in Maya's confidence that they can handle whatever is thrown their way. They're at a much different place than just a season ago and they're back to being each other's steadfast presence as they navigate their lives together.
The beautiful chaos continues as they receive news that they're about to become foster moms. This comes moments after Carina is served with the malpractice suit, so we wouldn’t blame viewers if they thought that the back-to-back big life changes feel a bit rushed. We hope they’ll have the opportunity to fully enjoy the parenthood they’ve more than earned.
Now with baby Liam in their arms, they stop to introduce him to the 19 family. It's a beautiful montage backed by Emma McGrath's song, “Silent Warnings”. As the lyrics play, "Call me when you find your way home," the montage is so picturesque for a couple who both came from homes that were often unsafe. Now, they’ve found their home in each other. Seeing them introduce their son to the station, their chosen family, is moving and heartwarming. The montage is wordless, so we’ll just have to imagine that they're welcomed with a loud "firehouse baby" celebratory yell like we've heard before. Nevertheless, it's beautiful.
We wish there were a couple of additional scenes to show the moment that they become a family of three. It's a storyline that has followed Maya and Carina for over three seasons, and not seeing it feels like a missed opportunity for the characters and for the queer families they represent. Perhaps we'll get a scene like it when they officially adopt baby Liam? We can only hope.
19 is Still a Family…
19 is forever a family, enduring through the good, bad, and bittersweet times together. It reminds us of a fraternity of brothers and sisters, where only members (honorary or otherwise)truly understand what it means to be a part of it. Viewers get a glimpse into this family every time we watch and share their stories. This time, we're in a bittersweet moment as the station gathers for a "celebratory" dinner for Jack, recognizing his recovery and the reality that he is no longer an active firefighter.
Jack initially doesn't plan to show up for dinner. Instead, he's seen with Marsha, his mother figure, as they discuss what's potentially next for him. Andy, realizing he didn't take his helmet when he left the station and didn't intend to show up, reaches out to Ben and Theo to do a last-minute pickup to bring him home to the station.
What follows will likely be one of the most poignant pictures that represent the series overall, showing up for each other and standing by each other. Andy prompts Jack to sign under the beanery table, a tradition that happens when firefighters leave Station 19 when they either injure out or retire, so there's a piece of them with the station at all times.
While this montage does not contain dialogue, it feels so intimate and grounding that it needs no explanation. Jack's career as an active firefighter has ended, and his chosen family surrounds him, one by one, as they come to lie down next to him. It echoes previous times throughout the series when everyone has shown up for each other in need. That this was likely filmed shortly after the cast and crew learned about the series cancellation makes it even that more impactful. What we see here is a family, yes, of the characters, but more importantly, of these stories that impact both onscreen and offscreen, and we see them showing up for each other every day and in every moment.
Words: Mariana Weber (she/her)
Watch Season 7 of Station 19 on Thursdays at 10/9 central and the next day on Hulu or the ABC App.
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