SPOILER ALERT! This put up comprises particulars from the a centesimal episode of Station 19.
After final week’s grueling 24-hour shift, Station 19 followers had been in all probability hoping for a heartwarming story to have fun the collection’ a centesimal episode milestone. Nicely, that’s not precisely what showrunners Zoanne Clack and Peter Paige had in thoughts.
When the episode begins, everybody remains to be reeling from their final shift. One thing is clearly nonetheless occurring with Vic, Ben and Travis are nonetheless on the outs, and Maya is making an attempt (and failing) to raise everybody’s spirits. To make issues even worse, Andy informs everybody that Theo has left Station 19.
However wait, that’s not all. Actually minutes later, Natasha tells Vic that the Seattle Hearth Division is eliminating Disaster One as a part of their price range cuts. Someplace in there it’s additionally revealed that Ben is probably taking steroids, presumably for his again harm. That’s certain to come back again to chunk him.
At this level, it’s perhaps 5 minutes into the episode and, simply while you suppose it couldn’t get extra grim, it does. Andy’s pinning ceremony, which ought to be a cheerful affair, is interrupted by an influence outage and a name that the House Needle is on hearth as a consequence of an influence surge on the sub station throughout the road. Nobody is de facto in the suitable way of thinking to be dealing with this, however they rush out to the scene anyhow.
Vic and Travis head for the elevator, the place there’s a group of individuals caught mid-air. One younger man is having a panic assault and, as Vic is propelling down to assist them, the lady inside begins to have a seizure. She requires backup however, in the intervening time, it’s simply her making an attempt to handle a reasonably chaotic scenario. Tensions develop between the husband and the younger man having a panic assault, as a result of the younger man retains taking Vic’s consideration away from his spouse. Ultimately, Maya and Beckett arrive as backup, however they’ve obtained their very own points, as a result of Beckett doesn’t appear to belief Maya all that a lot.
In the meantime, Robert and Ben are headed into the hearth. Earlier than they will handle it, the hearth surrounds them and the hose they had been utilizing runs dry. It’s wanting fairly bleak for them and, after an explosion within the room, everybody on the bottom begins to panic. Andy, who had been struggling to handle the scenario and was positively doubting her place as captain after that final tough shift, jumps into motion and leads her group inside with extinguisher spheres, saving the 2 males on the eleventh hour.
After every part is beneath management, Mayor Osman holds a press convention outdoors the House Needle to thank the SFD for his or her onerous work and guarantee the general public that every part is ok. Besides, every part isn’t tremendous. Vic blows up (figuratively, in fact) in entrance of the group, telling them that Disaster One is the rationale she was capable of assist these folks within the elevator, and Mayor Osman is making an attempt to eradicate it. Again on the station, Andy orders her to go house and lower her shift early.
In the course of the commotion after his rescue, Robert drops the engagement ring he’d gotten for Natasha, and he or she finds it on the bottom. Again on the station, she lastly lets him suggest to her.
And as if all that isn’t sufficient, Carina’s been coping with a disaster of her personal all day after an impatient driver tried to hurry round her in a parking storage solely to slam into one other automotive and critically injure the folks inside. She helps them out and, simply as she’s decompressing from that, she’s knowledgeable that her eggs aren’t viable, so she received’t have the ability to do IVF. She’s devastated, however Maya means that they use her eggs to get Carina pregnant as an alternative.
Lastly, the episode ends with Andy’s pinning ceremony. This time, there’s not a name to interrupt the particular second.
Deadline spoke with Clack and Paige about crafting the a centesimal episode and what to anticipate as the ultimate season of Station 19 attracts to an in depth.
DEADLINE: When you considered what you wished the a centesimal episode to be, what had been a few of your objectives?
ZOANNE CLACK: Our objectives had been to be an iconic episode for an iconic milestone, coping with an icon of Seattle. So we actually wished to offer justice to town that now we have been defending for all these a few years and simply actually make it action-packed and lots of group constructing. That was type of the aim, but additionally we had a earlier thought that Peter likes [to share].
PETER PAIGE: I feel the aim was with the a centesimal, we wished to be the most effective of every part that the present is. You need to be probably the most action-packed, probably the most emotional, you need nice humor, you need nice character progress, with all of these issues working at their very, very, very highest stage. So you should put the group in a very fascinating, difficult scenario. We talked first about going to Korea. Two of our characters are half Korean. We thought that may be actually fascinating private alternatives, and we are able to create a firefighter change with a South Korean station and create some fascinating motion the place they’re preventing fires in unknown circumstances. We simply thought that could possibly be actually, actually cool.
We couldn’t get it collectively within the period of time that we had after the strikes earlier than we got here again, after which we had been like, ‘Okay, we’re setting that down. What can we try this we’ve by no means carried out earlier than, that takes the present to an 11?’ One of many first ideas that got here to us was what if we save the House Needle?This factor is not possible, and it was terrifying. I’m not gonna lie, two days earlier than we began taking pictures this, I used to be like, ‘We’ve to rewrite this. That is loopy.’
CLACK: However I’ll say that the House Needle folks had been wonderful.They helped us type by way of all of the little nooks and crannies of the House Needle and precisely what was occurring there.
DEADLINE: Talking of character progress, Episode 4 is so pivotal to the expansion that occurs in Episode 5. By the point this episode begins, they’re all at their wits finish.
CLACK: It’s concerning the group being fractured and having Andy on her management journey, having to deliver all of them collectively. Additionally simply having such an incident that they must rely on one another they usually have to appreciate what’s actually at stake from them being fractured. I feel the right imaginative and prescient of that was the distinction within the pinnings, from the start when it was very rote, very simply mechanical, after which on the finish when it was emotional and actually heartfelt. You could possibly actually perceive the journey that they went by way of from Episode 4 to the top of Episode 5.
PAIGE: We actually considered Episode 4 as a springboard into the a centesimal. We very particularly, within the structure this season, we knew we wished an actual nadir at that second in order that ascending the literal House Needle, the literal tallest construction in Seattle, would really feel even increased. I do suppose we did that actually efficiently. We wished Andy to have an enormous, large, large fail, which is one thing that 19 just isn’t used to, and definitely she just isn’t used to. But it surely simply makes the victory all this sweeter.
DEADLINE: What’s going on with Vic? That public outburst through the press convention is definitely going to get her in sizzling water.
CLACK: Nicely, Vic has gone by way of a lot simply within the entirety of the present historical past. She typically will deflect it with humor and probably not undergo it — push it down, push it again. However she would at all times be there for everybody else. Then in fact when she took over Disaster One, she began taking the psychology [on]. So she was actually there for everybody else and that is type of a mirrored image of placing all of that on your self. Not only for Vic, however for anyone who’s going by way of this type of burnout, empathy fatigue. It’s simply beginning to actually gnaw on her.
She has this historical past with Disaster One the place Dean began it, she took it over, she pulled it as much as the place it’s now. That was the one factor that she was protecting collectively. In her skilled life, she was nonetheless on it. She was doing fantastically. She had one little crack in the course of saving the folks on the elevator, however she pulled it off utilizing her Disaster One [training]. For [Mayor Osman] attempt to use that as the rationale [they saved the day] but additionally understanding that he has taken it away, that was simply the final straw for her. She’s gonna undergo a journey.
PAIGE: I don’t suppose we are able to even say it’s her backside simply but.
DEADLINE: With these cuts looming, there was already a lot pressure. I can’t inform if her outburst will make it worse or higher, or perhaps worse then higher?
PAIGE: Nicely, the mayor ain’t completely satisfied. The third line of Episode 6 is, ‘We’re making an attempt to save lots of your job.’
DEADLINE: So, issues are solely getting extra intense. We’re not taking our foot off the fuel pedal.
PAIGE: Not but. Yeah, we solely have 10 episodes, so we needed to get as many miles out of them as we may.
DEADLINE: There’s lots of strife on this episode but additionally some completely satisfied moments. Robert and Natasha are lastly engaged. Why was this the suitable second for that to occur?
CLACK: Natasha has been on this tug of struggle with the mayor, AND she’s been forwards and backwards. She’s been giving a bit piece of herself away. She’s not been who she actually desires to be, not been her greatest self. So, on this episode, she sees that Robert is about to die. She understands why she’s been saying no on a regular basis up thus far, as a result of she loves this man. She desires to be with him. However when she realizes that he’s about to die, and that she’s been giving little items of herself all of this time, she realizes what she wants to maneuver ahead, and that’s what she requested for.
She’s very literate along with her wants, and when she confirms that he’s capable of give it to her, then she will be able to transfer ahead. Sullivan has simply been this stunning, fantastic, mild, humorous character all through the primary half and so he’s not giving up. It was as much as her to know why she was saying that. I feel in that second, she was capable of perceive herself higher and due to this fact was capable of open up extra for him.
DEADLINE: I’ll say, her wants had been very legitimate as a girl. To see him validate her was nice.
PAIGE: I’m so glad. I like the softness that they permit for one another. These two troopers, who each of whom could be actual onerous asses. There’s a second in Episode 6 the place they even discuss it a bit bit, who’s the uptight one, [and] are teasing one another. Persons are very multi-dimensional, and it’s been very nice attending to crack him open and see his playful boyishness. It’s such a stunning shade on Boris, the actor. I’m so grateful we obtained to place it on the present.
DEADLINE: What the heck is occurring with Ben?
PAIGE: What is occurring with Ben? Ben is protecting secrets and techniques. Secrets and techniques usually are not good.
DEADLINE: I do know that everybody at Station 19 might be so disillusioned in him however all I may take into consideration when he pulled that needle out was that Miranda goes to kick his a**.
CLACK: [Laughs]. Nicely, Miranda Bailey does seem on our present.
PAIGE: Any time Ben is protecting secrets and techniques from his associates and Miranda Bailey, you have got motive to be involved.
DEADLINE: Maya and Carina lastly appear to be getting a cheerful ending on this episode after going by way of some points within the final episode. How did you come to the concept that Maya ought to donate her eggs?
CLACK: We’ve had plenty of discussions. It was like, perhaps Maya may get pregnant however then she firefights. Can she be on the desk? How boring would that be? We’ve simply actually set this tone for Carina that she actually wished to really carry a child. So we figured one of the simplest ways to have the each of them collectively could be to have Maya donate her eggs. I feel that egg donation just isn’t one thing that’s quite common to debate overtly, however that girls do all on a regular basis. So we thought it was actually an fascinating strategy to each have the companions collectively and totally collaborating as a group on this IVF course of, and convey up this egg donation factor that’s infrequently mentioned publicly.
DEADLINE: It was a candy second for them, particularly as they’re actually new to parenting, deciding that regardless of the hardships they’re dealing with with Liam, they’re dedicated to rising their household.
PAIGE: Like we stated, we wished the a centesimal episode to the touch on all these iconic storylines that we’re carrying by way of the your complete collection, and that was actually one we wished to have an enormous pivotal second.
DEADLINE: As you talked about, the pinning ceremony on the finish is de facto stunning, as is that they montage of Andy. Why was that the be aware you wished to finish on?
CLACK: We’re simply wanting again at the entire magnificence that was and can proceed to be.
PAIGE: It’s 100. This present begins with Andy’s ambitions to develop into captain, that’s the place it begins. And right here we’re 100 episodes in, it felt elementary to the structure of this collection, wanting again a bit bit on what she’s been by way of to get to this second carrying her father’s badge.
CLACK: I additionally suppose that since we made her captain in Season 6, and this was such a pivotal episode and the pivotal second, we wished to reset that. She is captain, and now that she’s actually come into her personal after coming off of [Episode] 4, the place she was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do that.’ To have had her victory, it was simply completely set with that pinning the place she’s like, ‘Sure, I can do that.’ Now the second half might be how she’s going to do that.
DEADLINE: So, we all know we’re not taking our foot off the fuel pedal. Is there the rest you’ll be able to say concerning the remaining 5 episodes?
CLACK: I feel extra of Station 19 — the chaos, the motion, the love, the neighborhood. There’s lots of neighborhood within the again half. Plenty of simply the group coming collectively to go towards outdoors forces and be stronger collectively.
PAIGE: It’s a present about household, essentially. It was vital to us, I feel, to have a look at the ways in which households develop and alter and evolve, and the way they will evolve in methods which might be troublesome and painful and delightful and vital all on the similar time.
