Alert, breaking revelation: This article is about the series finale of ABC’s “Station 19,” now streaming on Hulu.
There has never been a forest fire like the one that got out of control in the series finale of “Station 19” on Thursday.
The chaos wreaked in the Seattle-set spinoff of Shonda Rhimes’ “Grey’s Anatomy” is so massive that it spills over to the show’s mothership. In the ultimate crossover, the overwhelmed staff of Grey + Sloan Memorial Hospital treats the injured in the “Grey’s” season 20 finale, which aired shortly before “19.”
The deadly fire that began in the May 23 episode puts the Station 19 firefighting team fans have grown to love for seven seasons at risk and threatens to spread throughout Seattle. There’s a violent fire tornado, firefighters must use drastic tarps to protect themselves from the all-consuming flames, and amid the chaos, a baby is born in a car.
“We wanted to make every penny count,” says executive producer and writer Zoanne Clack of the big finale. But while every character faces death, the finale also shows a bright future: everyone survives the carnage and has their own happy ending.
“We wanted to satisfy the audience,” says Clack. “We used the flash-forwards to show what they’re living for and fighting for while they’re in danger. What gives them the drive to keep going and not just give up?”
Clack and executive producer Peter Paige addressed the still-burning flashpoints of “Station 19.”
Was there a crossover between “Station 19” and “Grey’s Anatomy”?
The action in the finale quickly shifted to Grey Sloan, where injured firefighter Theo Ruiz (Carlos Miranda) is being taken on a stretcher for emergency surgery. Ruiz’s ordeal in the operating room is a major subplot of the Grey’s season finale. But there are many crises at the hospital, including Captain Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz), who is recovering from her brush with death surrounded by her friends and colleagues.
“We left the mothership and came back,” says Paige. “We love these connections and interactions within the universe. This was an opportunity to do that one last time.”
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What happened to Ben Warren in the finale of “Station 19”?
Ben Warren (Jason George) was a resident at Grey Sloan since season 6 before becoming a firefighter in the spinoff “Station 19.” The dangerous job constantly worried his wife, “Grey’s Anatomy” surgeon Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson).
As Warren watches Ruiz being wheeled into the OR, it’s clear he misses the job. But he races to save lives and deliver the healthy baby with gynecologist Carina DeLuca (Stefania Spampinato). Three months later, Warren tells Herrera that he’s leaving Ward 19 to return to medicine.
“He knew he couldn’t be as good a firefighter because his body wasn’t up to it anymore,” says Clack. “It was a natural progression for Ben to go back into medicine.” The career change also opens the door wide for his likely return to “Grey’s” next season.
Warren’s flash-forward shows him watching his adult children’s graduation with Bailey. The final scene is Pruitt Arike Miller, who the couple raised after her firefighter father, Dean Miller (Okieriete Onaodowan), died in Season 5. Pruitt is graduating from the fire academy.
“For Pruitt, joining the fire department was a bittersweet step because now they have to do it all over again and they are very worried,” says Clack.
What happened to Andy Herrera in the final?
Herrera rallies her team: When she’s forced to take cover from the fire, Herrera puts herself in danger by sneaking away and seeking vital help. Even after she recovers, Herrera has burns on her neck when she receives the biggest compliment from the outgoing Warren – that her father, the legendary Captain Pruitt Herrera (Miguel Sandoval), who died in Season 3, would be insanely proud of her.
With a worthy promotion, Chief Herrera gets the final word of the series, addressing a new group of Station 19 rookies.
“We wanted to show in the final moments that although the show is over, the spirit and energy of Station 19 doesn’t have to stop,” says Paige. “We let Andy carry those words. We knew the show had to end here.”
Herrera is seen leaving the station and heading into a bright, sunny future.
The last group scene of “Station 19” required little acting: “These are all very real tears”
The final group scene of Station 19 is about saying goodbye to Victoria Hughes (Barrett Doss), who is leaving for a new job in Washington DC. Hughes continues the tradition of Station 19 and signs on the floor of the fire station table in front of the entire crew before leaving – including her down-on-his-luck ex-boyfriend Theo (who has recovered from his injuries but walks with a cane) and Jack Gibson (Grey Damon), who left the service because of a head injury.
“God, it feels so final. Why is this so hard?” Hughes says through tears, holding the Sharpie in his hand. There are a lot of tears.
“It was the second to last scene of the show on the last day,” says Paige. “Believe me, those are all very real tears.”
Herrara finally convinces Hughes under the table, and the whole team lies to join her, lining up in two rows, head to head.
Travis Montgomery and Vic Hughes are best friends on “Station 19”
In one final update, we have to mention best friend and fan favorite couple Travis Montgomery (Jay Hayden) and Hughes. When Hughes heads off to Washington, DC, her best friend and clever prankster Montgomery shows up at the airport to accompany her.
“It turns out my life is where you are,” Montgomery tells her.
“Romantic comedies are part of Shondaland’s vocabulary. But what if the great romantic comedy of this finale is actually these two best friends choosing each other? That felt so right,” says Paige. “They got a platonic comedy ending. That friendship is just as valuable as the other great loves on the show.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Station 19’ recap: Watch Vic’s farewell with ‘real tears’
