Station 19 Season 2 Episode 1: No Recovery Review

Station 19‘s short first season left us on quite the cliffhanger so if you need a recap check out our season review here. With everyone’s lives on the line and no clear resolution in sight, hopefully this storyline is wrapped up by the end of this premiere to stop us from another week of wonder and dread.

Synopsis: Lives hang in the balance as members of Station 19 fight a raging inferno inside a skyscraper. Meanwhile, Pruitt’s health is in grave danger at Grey Sloan; and a seasoned firefighter with a mysterious past arrives at Station 19, leaving everyone to wonder what the future hold. (TVGuide)

Writer: Stacy McKee

Director: Paris Barclay

Rating: TV-14

Running Time: 43 mins

Airs: Thursdays at 9pm on CTV (Canada)/ABC (United States)

“No Recovery”starts off with Andy talking about the haunting sound of the Pass Device, a distress unit sewn into a firefighter’s suit that goes off after they have been motionless for a long period of time. It is the sound no one wants to hear. Cut to the explosion in the building as Andy tries to get help up to her, but they can’t send anyone up to help her. Dean is able to bring down the civilian, but the Chief won’t allow him to re-enter the building to help Andy find Jack. The Chief calls Andy and gives her the order to evacuate, but she disobeys and continues up.

Throughout the episode, the crew’s relationships and their beginnings are shown through a series of flashbacks. Maya and Andy meeting at the academy as the only women in the class. Dean and Jack overcoming their differences to graduate. Travis and Victoria as she helps him face his fear of hospitals after his husband’s death and many other short interactions showing how everyone was introduced to make the pain of this situation that much harder to witness.

At Grey-Sloan, Bailey brings Pruitt into the hospital and starts compressions as Ryan looks on and tries to call Andy. Back at the building, Andy is racing up the stairs as she passes Maya and Victoria exclaiming she needs to find Jack. Maya tells Victoria to continue downward as she races to catch up with Andy. Outside the building, Dean is confronted by Molly’s mother who is looking for information concerning her whereabouts. Ben is climbing down the stairs slowly dragging Molly down the stairs to bring her to triage so he can return and get Travis down to the EMTs. He tries to keep Molly calm by talking about things she likes, but her lung collapses and she starts gasping for air. He creates a makeshift air hole using the needle from the EpiPen and decides he needs to carry her the rest of the way down.

Meanwhile, on Victoria’s descent she runs into an unconscious Travis and pleads for him to open his eyes. She’s able to wake him and starts to pull him down the stairs leaving a trail of blood. At base camp, Dean pleads with the Chief to let him re-enter the building and rescue Jack, but he refuses the request. Dean has other plans and decides to head back in alone. Andy and Maya head up to Jack’s floor where the door is pressurized, melted and burning hot. Andy will not stop until they get into the door and Maya agrees to help. They manage to break it open, pry the door off and enter. Ben stops for a rest to readjust Molly’s air hole as Dean passes by. Travis passes out allowing Victoria to yank him faster down the stairs.

On their floor, Andy and Maya start to hear the Pass Device and fear it’s coming from Jack. She wants to rush in, but Maya wants them to take their time and be smart. At the hospital, Ryan continues to try to call Andy about her dad and his stable status, but all he can do is watch the news with Bailey as they worry about their loved ones. Dean reaches Victoria and, despite wanting to find Jack, is able to help her carry Travis down the stairs. At base camp, Ben informs the Chief of Molly’s status while the Chief informs him of his team’s whereabouts. He gets a hug from Molly’s mom and jumps in the vehicle hoping to beat the clock and save Molly’s life.

Moments later, Dean and Victoria exit carrying Travis as EMTs grab his unconscious body and cart him off. The Chief suggests Victoria get checked out and hydrated then asks for an update on her team. She starts to berate the Chief for his decision to leave Station 19 stranded in the building alone, but he had to make a difficult decision and she has to accept that just like he has to live with the consequences. In the car, Molly flatlines causing Ben to call into Grey Sloan and talk to Bailey, who is ready and waiting for his inbound patient. He wants to help, but she reassures him that they will update him as soon as they know something. He turns to leave when another vehicle arrives with Travis and Victoria. He frantically asks if everything is okay, but Victoria wants nothing to do with him and bumps into him angrily as they enter the hospital.

DeLuca takes in Travis and starts to chat with Victoria, but the machines start beeping and they need an OR. Ben sits with Molly’s mom who wants some reassurance, but he isn’t seeming optimistic. Grant arrives at the hospital looking for answers, when Ben and Victoria find him and fill him in on the situation. Ben explains what Travis told him to do and everyone is unhappy with his decision. Andy and Maya continue their search for Jack and are able to pinpoint the sound where they find Jack, alive, underneath a pile of shelves and debris. They bring him down to base camp and check his vitals, where Jack opens up about facing death and that his final thoughts were about her. All of this is cut short when Andy gets a call from the hospital.

Molly’s mom opens up to Ben about Molly’s aspirations for life and breaks down about her daughter doing what she wanted to by helping people. DeLuca comes out and explains the situation to the team, but Ben gives it to them straight: Travis will either live or die on the table. Bailey comes out of surgery and reveals to Molly’s mom that she did not make it which causes Ben to run off. Victoria races off after him and they confide in each other about Travis’ situation. Dean confronts Jake about convincing him to leave and berates him for making him feel like he left him to die. Andy arrives at the hospital and sees her dad hooked up to the machines. Ryan informs her that he collapsed because the chemo has been causing the cancer to regress and it took a toll on his body, but either way it’s good news.

Unfortunately, the bad news is that Ryan decides it’s time for him to move on from Andy. Cut to six weeks later as Andy looks over the Seattle skyline. They head downstairs to greet Travis who is out of the hospital and on his road to recovery. He’s supposed to be at home resting, but today is the day we have all been waiting for. The episode ends as the Chief and Pruitt arrive to announce the new captain of Station 19 is,. Robert Sullivan, an academy instructor that has a past with some of the crew whose sole focus is on absolute discipline.

Captain’s Log

• What is Robert Sullivan’s deal?
• Will his past with Jack and Dean cause problems?
• Can Ben deal with another death on the job?
• How long will Ryan and Jack be able to resist Andy?
• How much will Pruitt be around the station?

Overall, this was a good premiere episode. It not only built up the tension of the cliffhanger from last season, but added to it by integrating various flashbacks throughout the story to help show us how tightly knit this family of firefighters really is. The pain and struggle that they all dealt with during this call felt more real than any other situation thanks to this style of storytelling. Everything comes to a head as finally the question of last season has been answered leaving us with more uncertainty on how this station will run with a new face at the helm. With the addition of flashbacks to help fill in the gaps on this family’s history, this season can only get better from here.

Score: 8/10

What did you think of “No Recovery”? Was it a satisfying return after last season’s dramatic cliffhanger? Let me know in the comments below!

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