Warning! SPOILERS about Station 19 season 7, episode 7 ahead.
Station 19 season 7, episode 7 tied up various loose ends for storylines introduced at different times throughout the firefighting drama, simultaneously portraying thrilling calls and challenges faced by channeling Station 19’s usual “care bear” approach. With only three episodes remaining in the series, Station 19 season 7, episode 7 began wrapping up some of the mysteries and headscratchers introduced at the beginning of the series, even suggesting possible solutions to the big SFD budget problem that has been hanging over everyone’s heads at Station 19.
A celebration of the team like most if not all episodes in the firefighting drama’s last season, Station 19 season 7, episode 7 focused as much on their unity as on singular characters’ storylines. With Carina finally having her hearing following Wendy Wilson suing her and Maya facing her brother Mason after having spotted him at the Pride parade, the episode included big developments for the DeLuca-Bishop family. Station 19’s encounter with the Tulalip Tribe’s captain proved once again Andy’s captain skills and introduced fire-fighting expertise not shown before, hinting at future improvements for Station 19 after the show’s end.
Maya’s decision to help Carina pursue IVF by using her eggs prompted various funny moments in Station 19 season 7, episodes 6 and 7 because of Maya’s usually logical and detached approach when dealing with feelings, which disappeared as she dealt with HCG shots. However, Maya’s heightened emotionality as a result of the treatment made her feelings unavoidable, helping her deal with things that bothered her for a while but that she had avoided facing for a long time.
Since seeing her brother Mason among the Winter Pride protestors, Maya couldn’t stop thinking about who he was and where his life had brought him. Station 19 season 7 repeatedly hinted how Maya’s ending would be family-focused, and her fear that she wouldn’t be a good mother was intertwined with her family history and Mason having slipped through the cracks. Maya admitting her worries about being a good mother and choosing to face Mason couldn’t have been possible without the hormones putting her in touch with her feelings, as she would have just avoided her fears like in the past.
Bailey had already explained to Carina how the lawsuit she had been served had more to do with the patient’s needs than Carina’s potential malpractice in Station 19 season 7, episode 3, but Carina witnessed it firsthand during the episode. While the lawsuit initially scared her, never having had to deal with one before, thinking back about Wendy Wilson’s delivery of Nora reminded Carina that she had done everything in her power to reduce the associated risks of Wendy’s delivery, not being at fault for Nora’s cerebral palsy.
Living through the hearing and noticing how it would have been unlikely that things went in Wendy’s favor made the hearing’s senselessness even more noticeable. While Carina’s career seemed relatively safe, what put the focus back on helping her patients, which was what Carina always wanted to do, was giving Wendy her number so that Carina could direct her to the right resources. Overhearing Wendy’s phone call and hearing about her struggles firsthand made Bailey’s conjectures real, convincing Carina even more of how they all came out as losers from the lawsuit, making her helping Wendy the only reasonable thing.
Theo choosing to bring Paula to Station 19 instead of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital established how much he missed his old crew. Although his choice visibly affected his new partner Dominic, it also proved how much the crew at Station 19 influenced him, transforming Theo from a rule-stickler to someone thinking about his patients first. While Theo’s choice was the right one because it respected the patient’s wishes, it was evident how much better he still worked with Ben and Travis.
Although it’s unlikely Theo will return to Station 19 even if Vic’s plan to detach Crisis One’s budget from SFD’s were to work, his tendency to always rely on his old coworkers might still push him closer to them. After all, Theo’s resignation was motivated by not feeling like part of the team, but Station 19 season 7, episode 7 proved he still was. After patching up Paula, he and Dominic even attended Station 19’s after-shift get-together at Joe’s, hinting at Theo’s wish finally being granted even as he and Station 19’s crew didn’t work together anymore.
Station 19’s firefighters being called to the Tulalip Tribe area caused various problems when Andy didn’t trust Julie’s words about their ceremony having a permit, but Captain Elliott Henderson’s arrival finally set everything straight. Henderson and Station 19’s cooperation not only easily managed all the rapidly evolving problems caused by the baby gender reveal party, but the fires wouldn’t have been contained as quickly had Andy not trusted Elliott’s firefighting expertise and knowledge of the land.
Andy helping Elliott cut down a tree on fire despite not being trained in tree felling effectively saved the Tulalip Tribe’s area and ceremony. Placing her trust in Elliott’s knowledge also showed that Andy was capable of following someone else’s lead despite being captain, proving she truly put the well-being of civilians before everything. Moreover, trusting Elliott reminded Andy of the importance of community, and their encounter eventually gave Vic the idea of how to save Crisis One and deliver SFD’s budget cuts, hinting at their budget problem being solved sooner rather than later.
Maya and Mason’s reunion in Station 19 season 7, episode 7 went the worst possible way, resulting in a clash between the two siblings, who could only defend their own point without seeing where the other was coming from. While Maya went to Mason to try and understand what went wrong that led him to such a hateful band of “brothers,” Mason remained stuck in his own beliefs, even spewing hate after learning about Maya having a wife and a son. Sadly, their encounter proved Carina’s previous point about forcing help on their brothers not bringing anything good right.
Remembering the stories of their time at home with their parents might have convinced Maya, who had worked on reframing what happened to her as a child, but Mason’s hurt was palpable in the way he recounted how he always felt like he didn’t matter in their family. Maya rightfully set some boundaries to protect her family’s happiness and well-being, having some kind of closure from meeting Mason and seeing what had happened to him, but, all in all, their reunion only highlighted how heartbreaking their entire ordeal was.
Meeting Elliott and the Tulalip Tribe reminded Andy that not every decision rested solely on her shoulders. While she would have tried to sort out the budget problem alone in Station 19 season 7, episode 7’s beginning, Andy finally asked her team ideas by the episode’s end, showing a new style of leadership never seen before under Sully, Pruitt, or Maya at Station 19. Sharing the burden set Andy apart as captain in Station 19 season 7, slowly making it more likely for her promise of being Station 19’s best captain to be kept.
Vic’s idea to fund Crisis One using multiple sources also seemed the winning solution as it not only freed up the SFD budget but also continued Dean’s legacy by letting the program become bigger. While Station 19 season 7, episode 7 didn’t specify whether the idea would be successful, Andy involving all her firefighters in brainstorming was already a step forward, proving all the objectives they could reach with a captain that embodied Station 19’s values of “coloring outside the lines.”
Ben’s back pain plagued Station 19 season 7’s initial episodes, even hinting at first that his injury could have stopped his firefighting career, bringing Ben back to Grey’s Anatomy after Station 19’s end. Ben secretly taking drugs in Station 19 season 7, episode 5 also suggested something more serious was being kept hidden, but his coming clean about benefitting from testosterone injections eventually dispelled all worries.
Ben telling Miranda about his injections finally stopped all the secrecy about the treatment, scaling down the problem and eliminating all doubts about a serious illness possibly stopping his firefighting career. Still, Miranda’s point about the reasons behind Ben’s unwillingness to come clean with her highlighted how that story might continue, possibly reconnecting to Ben’s hesitation to debate potential weaknesses with Miranda after it took so long for her to accept his career change.
Station 19 season 7 starting with Travis meeting Emmett again and repeatedly cheating on Eli with him destroyed the possible relationship he could have had with Emmett and the actual relationship he had with Eli. With the forgiveness of his father taking center stage in Station 19 season 7, episode 3 and being worried about Vic’s well-being after that, Travis didn’t have the time to start a new relationship. However, Travis’s flirty banter with Theo’s new coworker Dominic hinted at a possible romantic future between the two.
Besides Travis and Dominic’s instant connection, the pairing could also work because of their difficult individual past and how open they were about it. Dominic candidly sharing about his divorce and asking about Michael during what could count as their first date also led Travis to confess something intimate, which he had always trouble doing with past boyfriends. Similarly, having behaved terribly with Eli and Emmett and realizing it knocked Travis off his usual high horse. This could finally let Travis start a relationship with Dominic as equals, guaranteeing a fresh start, unlike his previous, turbulent relationships after Michael’s death.
Natasha taking Vic’s side after Mayor Osman only wanted her fired already showed how ready she was to fight for the SFD she wished to build. However, Station 19 season 7’s earlier episodes consistently showed Chief Ross just accepting Osman’s strict orders without fighting back, clearly afraid there could have been repercussions against her if she didn’t. Still, Natasha kept offering as a reason to have her as chief instead of someone else the fact that other chiefs would have just executed Osman’s orders, without fighting for her and Station 19’s values.