ABC's Station 19 - Episode 2.02 "Under the Surface"
It's a life-and-death situation when a young boy falls into water pipes beneath the city of Seattle. With the clock ticking, the firefighters of Station 19 jump into action to save his life.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of ABC's Station 19.
"Under the Surface" was written by Tia Napolitano and directed by Milan Cheylov
All week long, the ABC promo department has been teasing a Grey's Anatomy-Station 19 crossover event tonight. In reality, it was really just one minor story in Grey's Anatomy that became more all-consuming on Station 19. Jaina Lee Ortiz and Okieriete Onaodowan appeared on Grey's Anatomy while Kelly McCreary and Giacomo Gianniotti appear here. In fact, the two shows are heavily teasing more potential romances between them. That already exists through Bailey and Ben. And now, there is the tease that something could happen between Maggie and Miller. Of course, that was always doomed from the start because of Maggie's complicated relationship with Jackson. And yet, the chemistry is definitely there between the two actors. At times, it felt like things were going in the same direction with DeLuca and Vic. But then, he gets a police officer's number for her. As such, that's setting up a completely different storyline for her. That's basically the extent of the crossover elements. The main story features one kid literally running from one show to the next. He falls into the water line below the city with the fire department scrambling to catch up to him. It's a very precarious journey. One that is only slightly more rewarding for those viewers who tuned into the Grey's Anatomy hour and knew that his mother was dying after an extensive heart attack. It's still meaningful when the family is happily reunited at the end of the hour. And yet, it's more vital to see how the firehouse is adjusting under new management. Sullivan has come in as the new captain. He believes that everyone will fall in line behind him and that Pruitt is going to retire. His clashes mostly come with Andy because she is eager to prove her worth. She wants to show that she has smart ideas and is very capable in any kind of situation on the job. However, her actions prove that she's probably not ready for a leadership position on this crew. She foolishly believes that she can just say something in Spanish in order to criticize Sullivan's performance. She knew that wasn't okay when her father started it. But she normalizes it very quickly to the point where it was inevitable that he understood exactly what she was saying. And then, things got much more dangerous when she jumped into the water to save the kid without any kind of protective equipment that could bring her back up right away. She saw an opening and had to act quickly. It was mostly her trying to be a hero. The show is very smart to not just breeze past that either. She acted foolishly and impulsively. Afterwards, she just wants to talk about how awkward it is around Jack and Ryan. But it's much more meaningful that this has created tension between Andy and Maya. Her best friend was suited up and ready to make this save. Andy got in her way and didn't even succeed with the rescue. It's going to be fascinating to see how Sullivan may be putting tension between Andy and Maya by being critical of one and supportive of the other. Maya is absolutely in the right here and Andy should feel bad about it. But there's still the hint that everything will work out fine because Andy still holds to her convictions of moving out of her father's house and into Maya's apartment. However, that may be awkward if they continue to disagree at work.
