Geeks logo

Have You Watched This?

An attempt to jump outside my wheelhouse

By Alexandria StanwyckPublished about a year ago 6 min read
1

So I don’t usually write stuff like this, reviews, and such. But I felt that this episode was worth talking about.

***

Let’s get a couple of things out there. First, I am not one to cry regarding the fictional (or realistic-like) lives of on-screen characters. (Yeah, I’m that girl who didn’t cry during the famous Cory Monteith/Finn Hudson memorial episode.) Now, this should not be confused with complete heartlessness; I still feel the lump in my throat or the hand tugging on my heartstrings at deaths and heartbreaks.

Second, mental health has been stigmatized for years, and it isn’t until recently that shows and movies have been working hard to open the audience’s eyes to the truth. As one who struggles with mental health daily, it is a breath of fresh air to see a more realistic perspective on more common disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

Spoilers for Station 19 S6, specifically E7 ‘We Build Then We Break’ & E8 ‘I Know A Place’

One of the best examples of this is the current Maya DeLuca-Bishop storyline. Throughout Station 19, Danielle Savre’s Maya is the notoriously tough and competitive chick, willing to place others and herself on the back burner to reach her goals. But, her merciless nature is balanced by her extreme care for her friends and family.

Since the start of season six, Maya has been on a downward slope of alienation and self-destruction. Incessant that she was fine, we saw Maya over-exert herself to the point of injury and constantly risking the life of herself and her team. In the previous episode, ‘We Build Then We Break,’ she finally hit rock bottom, 5150’d by her partner Carina DeLuca, forcing Maya to be on a psychological watch at Grey Sloan for 72 hours. The final scene is a tearjerker; my eyes were watering by the end.

‘I Know a Place’ (premiered 3/2) gave us the start of what I hope will be Maya’s road to recovery. The episode opens with the obsessive cleaning of every inch of her apartment, which stated later, Maya had been doing since about 4 a.m. With the help of the recurring character, Dr. Diane Lewis (Tracie Thoms), and a desire-to-win timeline, Maya has a breakthrough moment, featuring a little self-love for her three-year-old self. (Sniffles as I’m writing this.) Hold on, I need to break out the tissues.

Okay continuing.

Having Diane and Maya paired together was a stroke of genius. Diane has always been the one to come to the aid of the firefighters’ mental health, starting with firefighter Rigo Vasquez’s death and then returning on later occasions, such as the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. It is no mistake, then, to see her back to help Maya. I very much anticipate that we will see future scenes with Thoms and Savre, because, as stated, “there is much work to be done.”

We also see a crucial moment with Victoria Hughes (Barrett Doss), near the end of the segment. After nearly losing her boyfriend Theo Ruiz (Carlos Miranda) and bestie Travis Montgomery (Jay Hayden) during a call, a dam of emotion bursts forth. Vic’s “always have to be a nurse” speech gave me major deja vu as the whole experience was eerily familiar. After losing her fiance to complications after a fire, it is understandable she would feel triggered, and it was nice to see her not shove down her feelings to take care of everyone else.

Picture from 'Survived the Shows' website

“Sometimes I need a nurse” is one of those quotes I need to have engraved and hung for me to stare at. It is a reminder to me and others with a self-neglect attitude for the sake of being there for others; it is okay for us to break down every once in a while too.

The emotion-driven performances kept coming with Merle Dandridge’s Chief Natasha Ross, a character forced to keep her feelings in check due to her gender, race, and the nature of her job. In the last episode, Ross, along with two Station 19 firefighters, placed themselves between police and an anxiety-driven kid trying to get home. With the added fact the whole incident was recorded, you (or more I) would think Dixon (Lachlan Buchanan), the antagonistic mayoral candidate and police chief, would back off for at least an episode to lick his wounds. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

Dixon proposes the following: Ross stands with the police at that night’s press conference to give an illusion of unity to prevent future incidents similar to Jamal’s from happening. (Not his words, but we see through right through him.) When Vic points out the wrongdoing of the officers, Dixon proceeds to drop this gem of a point; “my people got it wrong, just like your people got it wrong when they leaked my wife’s and my private information from that Crisis One call.” As if that wasn’t enough, he mentions the potential of a lawsuit and bad press for the fire department, using it as blackmail. (Again not outrightly said, but it’s pretty apparent.)

Picture from TV Fanatic website

Yes, I agree; it was messed up for Travis to give his campaign manager, Eli Stern (Rob Heaps), the go-ahead to leak private information from a Crisis One call. Besides the blatant privacy violation, Travis dropped to Dixon’s level of dirty campaigning, even if it was something he regretted soon afterward. But, just a note, if you’re trying to get the firefighters to back your mayoral campaign, maybe don’t threaten them with a lawsuit, genuine or otherwise.

However, despite the looks and comments of Andy (Jaina Lee Ortiz) and Vic, Ross decides to take Dixon on his proposition, seemingly to protect the firefighters. Later that night at the press conference, after a line of pretty words from Dixon, Ross starts to follow through with the farce, “I want to echo Chief Dixon,” before calling out the evident profiling in the case of Jamal and praising Crisis One’s de-escalation of a volatile event. To top it all off, she invites the police department to become Crisis One trained. (Drop the mic, Ross!)

I love what happens next; Sullivan (Boris Kadje) uses the excuse of bringing paperwork to Ross just so she has someone to open up to, and open up, she did. Ross fought against her military-trained nature to fall in line and drew a line in the sand between the firefighters and the police (or more Dixon). Sullivan’s assurance she did the right thing, even though they are all in Dixon’s crosshairs, makes me even more sure, or honestly more hopeful, that these two are endgame.

Don’t think I’ve forgotten about a certain grumpy captain. Sean Beckett (Josh Randall) has been going on his own downhill journey with his alcoholism, to the point he is drinking on the job. It makes me almost surprised that he hasn’t been called out on it yet, but with the previous accusation cleared by Ross, they might have to catch him in the act before something like that happens. As much as I hope that happens before something horrific happens to Beckett or the rest of the team, I am mentally preparing myself for the worst.

Wow, that is a lot of dark and heartbreaking. But at least Andy’s and Eli’s bantering amid everything going on was a nice sort of sunshiny break to balance things out.

***

New episodes of Station 19 are available for streaming on Hulu every Thursday. If you enjoyed this review, let me know by either liking or commenting below. If this is a hit, I might do it again.

quotestvreviewpop cultureentertainment
1

About the Creator

Alexandria Stanwyck

My inner child screams joyfully as I fall back in love with writing.

I am on social media! (Discord, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.)

instead of therapy poetry and lyrics collection is available on Amazon.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.