Which season of Station 19 do you love the most? That’s the question to answer as we get ready for the start of the seventh and final season.
Are we happy about it being the final season? Not at all. Right now, this is what we have to work with. At least we get a final season. It could be a lot worse with an abrupt ending, especially after THAT cliffhanger at the end of Season 6.
So, now we take a look at the six seasons that have come so far, ranking in terms of heat. It’s not just about the relationship heat, but about the storyline heat.
Season 1: Station 19 didn’t get the strongest start
Despite me falling in love with the series from the beginning, this series didn’t get the best of starts. The storylines were a little choppy as we got to know the characters. It was hard to like everyone that we were supposed to like, and the love triangle-style storyline was a bit of an eyeroll for TV.
However, the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off shared some promise. Travis quickly became my favorite, but there were so many other reasons to like the others. We even saw them work as a team as they learned about Vic’s fear of fire and helped her deal with that so she could thrive in a job she loved to do.
Season 5: Too many stereotypes
Having a female fire chief should have been a great move. It gave us a chance to see woman take control and make decisions. And yet, we got the same old tired storylines for women in power. It’s time to give us something fresh and new.
Now yes, this series is all about bringing some real politics and elements to the story. That would mean we can’t have a female chief who is held to just the same standards as a man. We know that women in positions of authority have more scrutiny on them. They’re expected to exceed the expectations of their male counterparts. Yet, there are other storylines that we could have seen done differently. How about the mess that is Ross and Sullivan’s backstory and relationship?
Then we have the death of a beloved character. Now, that happened for various reasons, and it wasn’t really that that dragged the season down. It was the custody battle that came afterward. That was wrapped up way too neatly for the majority of fans, and definitely for me. It’s almost like the show didn’t want to see something drag on, but custody battles like this can take years, and it’s okay to show that on TV!
Season 4: This was a heavy season
Sometimes, real-life storylines need to stay away from TV. Yes, there is a duty to bring to light many of them. There are just times that shows focus too much on them. Station 19 Season 4 was one of those times.
With a series like this, we needed focus on COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter. The problem is the season was pretty stuck on just these two things at a time that we were all living them. I don’t think we really needed a constant reminder of what we were living. Most other shows did an episode to connect to the real world and then jumped to a fictional “post-COVID-19” world to make shows an escape from reality.
There were some great other storylines focused on throughout the season. It’s just a shame that they weren’t more prominent. It’s hard to remember some of the calls, which is what a show like this should be about.
Season 6: Too many in-house fights
It is often hard to get a good balance between love, ambition, and overall storylines. Station 19 Season 7 certainly showed that.
First of all, we had a lot of questions about Jack’s storyline considering he just up and left. Then we had questions about Carina and Maya. There were concerns about what was going to happen to Station 19 considering there was still no permanent captain, yet Maya had threatened Ross to get that position back.
This whole season seemed to be just about in-house fighting as different lieutenants proved they could do the job better. On top of that, we had Travis’s political storyline that seemed to go nowhere, and moments where Carina and Maya’s storyline just didn’t make a lot of sense—don’t get me wrong; I love these two together and want to see them happy, but sometimes their storylines need a bit more thought.
Season 2: Two of the best episodes ever
The two-part Season 2 finale are the two most highly rated episodes of the whole series. That’s not surprising. There is a major event that the writers tackled brilliantly. Yes, we’re talking about the death of Chief Lucas Ripley. By the way, Ripley and Vic is the way the show makes it clear that this type of relationship can work.
We got to see how everyone grieved the loss of Ripley. The writing made us safe for losing a character we weren’t even sure we liked at first.
Overall, the storylines were well-written. Pruitt Herrera was still around to offer his advice and keep everyone in check. However, we also got to see Sullivan come in and take over. This was a great chance to show how difficult characters can work their way into our hearts.
The biggest downside is Maya and Andy’s friendship that seems non-existent. But as I watch more seasons, this struggling is important. While they’re friends, they are also both highly ambitious people and that sets up for problems.
Season 3: Showing us how to say goodbye
Station 19 Season 3 certainly brought the most heat when it came to relationships. Andy and Sullivan’s relationship went from zero to 100 pretty fast, and this was so important for later. We got a chance to see how Andy clings onto people and has a lot of growth to do—growth that we see later on.
Then there’s the fact that this season brings us a major death. Yes, we lose Pruitt Herrera in such a heroic way. He doesn’t have long anyway, and he makes sure that his death is going to mean something. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s fulfilling. Nobody wanted to see Herrera go out on a hospital bed.
There were a few moments that seemed a little lacking. Vic seemed to deal with her grief a little too quickly. I guess one of the great things about the writing is showing how everyone is so different. Andy spiraled in her grief, while Vic held on and worked through it—something we also see her do later after the loss of Dean.
Station 19 Season 7 premieres on Thursday, March 14 at 10/9c on ABC. Catch up on the series on Hulu.