Station 19 Season 1 Episode 3: Contain the Flame Review

If you would like to read my review of the premiere, click here.

Synopsis: Upon the arrival of Battalion Chief Frankel, Jack begins his first shift as co-captain and continues to butt heads with Andy on leadership styles. Captain Pruitt has a difficult time following doctor’s orders and winds up back at the station to take on administrative duties. Meanwhile, the rest of the team at Station 19 responds to an attic fire at JJ’s apartment building and a call to a pool house party. (TVGuide)

Writer: Wendy Calhoun

Director: Mary Lou Belli

Rating: TV-14

Running Time: 43 mins

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

“Contain the Flame” starts off with siblings messing around with liquid nitrogen to create some interesting ice-cream for a party they are going to. Ben and Miller bring JJ out of the building for treatment, but she wants to go back in and grab her stuff including a signed Purple Rain record. Meanwhile, Pruitt Herrera is at the station sending out the crew to Ben’s call.

At JJ’s building, the team prepare to go in the building under the supervision of Chief Frankel. Miller talks up JJ while Ben is overexcited after his encounter with death. Ryan brings Pruitt home to make sure he is okay, but Pruitt sees right through it and knows Ryan wants to be with Andi. The team scale the building to the top floor to search for the fire’s origin point. Warren finds it and after Victoria helps pry his claw free, flames burst through the holes. Andi and Gibson butt heads as they determine the best course of action.

As the team follows through with Andi’s decision to make a heat hole, they discover it doesn’t work and revert to Gibson’s plan to extinguish the fire. Meanwhile, Miller returns into the building to save JJ’s hookup buddy Seth. The team cut off the fire and descend from the roof before it collapses, but Miller and his team are still in the building. Luckily he conveniently comes out with Seth and all is well. JJ makes sure to reiterate how Seth is not her boyfriend before she leaves for the hospital.

Chief Frankel berates both Andi and Gibson about their decision making and lack of cooperation on the mission. During cleanup, Miller lectures Ben on getting too invested in the jobs, but contradicts himself as he puts JJ’s Purple Rain record aside for safekeeping. Andi asks her father for some advice on what happened and after a brief and vague explanation exclaims he’s looking into administrative jobs because he’s already bored at home. Andi calls the girls to have some drinks and chat about all the problems she is dealing with. Ryan arrives has an awkward conversation with the girls before leaving abruptly.

The next day, Gibson is in charge and he brushes off all of Andi’s attempts to be helpful. He gives everyone a more laissez-faire approach which does not sit well with Andi. She’s especially upset when she learns her father is working reception under the order of Gibson and gives him an earful for it. As Pruitt looks at them yell, he hears someone use the pole. Uh oh. Suddenly the team gets their first call under Captain Gibson.

Turns out the siblings from earlier who were experimenting with liquid nitrogen poured it into the pool and caused them all to suffocate. The team is able to resuscitate them all, but suddenly Gibson jumps into the pool. After a tense minute, he emerges with an unconscious kid and they are able to rescue her.  Andi questions his ability to read the situation and Montgomery explains his support for Gibson as Captain given his experience and intuition. It isn’t that he doesn’t believe in Andi, he just thinks she needs more time. As they try to get contact info, one of the kids starts to dry drown and the team rushes her to the hospital.

Andi opens up to her girls about Montgomery’s stance on Andi’s lack of experience. The girls admit Gibson did great today, but Andi has got this. Gibson reports to Chief Frankel and discusses his behaviour on the roof, standing by his decision. She says that’s a sign of respect and relates it to him not getting everything handed to him by his “daddy.”Andi overhears this and rushes off, but Gibson stands up for her and her skills. Victoria sits down with Ben and asks what’s wrong. He misses the ability to follow a patient’s stages of recovery and it hits him hard, but Victoria says it’s all a part of the job.

The episode ends as JJ comes to the station and tells Miller that Seth died. She can’t comprehend how she survived and he didn’t and questions how Miller can deal with death on a daily basis. He reveals he shuts down emotionally, but he cannot do that with her. Andi confronts her father about what she heard and asks if she earned her spot. She’s second-guessing herself when Ryan comes in to have his talk. Ryan is concerned that Andi sees him the same way her father does. He doesn’t want to be seen as some dumb kid to her, but someone who has gone through stuff and grown up. Oh brother.

Captain’s Log

• Who will end up becoming Captain of Station 19?
• Will Pruitt Herrera’s cancer take a turn for the worst?
• Will Miller and JJ become a thing?
• Who are the rest of the crew at Station 19?
• Will there be some interaction between A- and B- team at Station 19?
• What will Victoria and Ben’s relationship be going forward? Seems like she may fall for him.
• Will Ben decide firefighting is not for him and change careers yet again?
• Who will Andi pick: Gibson or Ryan?

Overall, this was a good episode. It continues to flesh out the characters and the relationships, although the focus is still on Ben Warren’s difficult transition from the hospital to the firehouse. Andi and Gibson are able to show off their different leadership styles and butt heads while continuing to back each other in their unique work relationship. The subplot of how Pruitt will continue to be a part of the team as well as Miller’s character development are great additions to the multi-layered storytelling of a Shondaland show. Let’s just hope that this love triangle doesn’t turn soar quick. Hopefully the writing gets a bit better than that atrocious last line from smooth-talking “bad boy”Ryan.

Score: 8/10

What did you think of “Contain the Flame”?  Let me know in the comments below!

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Dylan Phillips