ABC's Station 19 - Episode 2.05 "Do a Little Harm"
Captain Sullivan continues his efforts to bring together the fire and police departments by hosting a training seminar that does not go as planned. Ben and Miranda have an honest conversation about their marriage, leading Miranda to make a tough decision about their future.
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.
"Do a Little Harm" was written by Angela L. Harvey and directed by Sylvain White
This hour doesn't feature a major emergency that demands the immediate attention of Station 19. Instead, the shift at the firehouse is for emergency medicine training. The firefighters are helping train police officers so they know what to do in any kind of situation where seconds can mean the difference between life or death. It's very beneficial. But it also means the focus of this hour is on the personal drama amongst the characters. Ben is removed from everything else this week. He actually has the day off. The show doesn't really do a great job explaining why he's at home while everyone else is at work for this seemingly mandatory training. It's just important that Ben and Bailey have this heartbreaking conversation about their marriage. Ben doesn't want to have it. He keeps wanting to delay it and not accept what she's saying. And yet, Bailey has to push past that urge. It's so emotional watching her talk about needing to take some time apart in order to get her stress under control. She truly believes that her love for Ben could possibly kill her. As such, there is hope that all of this will work out at some point. It's just very difficult to watch in the moment because they are so strong as a couple. That is the emotional highlight of this hour. Elsewhere, the show is really just introducing backstory for Sullivan. It's clear that he is sticking around for awhile now. Ripley is actually happy with the performance he has done at Station 19 so far. And now, it's clear that the two of them used to serve together. They had different trajectories for their careers. But all of that changed when Sullivan's wife was tragically killed in a car accident. That explains why he is being so difficult and stern throughout this training session. Ripley feels it's appropriate to stay at the station all day long to see how well his friend handles this stress. It ends pretty disastrously as well. Sullivan yells at Maya despite her being the firefighter he has tried to encourage throughout his command so far. Ripley has to step up as the sensible leader the house needs during this shift. Of course, that only pushes him and Vic closer together which is bound to be a romance that comes with significant repercussions. He is her boss after all. There seems to be no awareness of that possible abuse of power. It's bound to get awkward at some point. In fact, there are many awkward dynamics amongst the characters right now. Miller understands that something is going on with Jack. He's not sleeping and seems to have too much energy. He may be going through some kind of PTSD that he doesn't want to talk about. Instead, he just wants to be competitive with Maya about who can get a woman's phone number. That's a new way for both of them to remain competitive where it has nothing to do with their job performance. But it still could be troubling for Jack because he's bound to hit a wall sooner rather than later. The same is also true for Andy as she continues to spiral with uncertainty about how to handle anything in her life. She may not respect personal boundaries with Maya. She doesn't know how to be a good friend for Ryan. She eventually steps up for Maya and yells back at Sullivan. She champions this bond that they have on this job. But that may only further fuel the tension between her and the new leadership of the station. As such, that could only make things more awkward at work.
