'Station 19' Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Ryan's death will haunt Andy forever but bigger shock awaits the team
The review contains spoilers for 'Station 19' Season 3 Episode 3 — 'Eulogy'
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. With a loss as big as Ryan Tanner (Alberto Frezza), it will take a long time for Station 19 firefighters to recover. While everyone grieved at his funeral, Andrea 'Andy' Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) turned numb. Without showing any emotions at all, she became stone-cold and threw herself into work. Her father Pruitt Herrera (Miguel Sandoval) reminisced days from Ryan and Andy's childhood when they were "inseparable."
Giving no time to process the loss, Andy joined Rigo Vasquez to run the ambulance and answer emergency calls. A widespread carbon monoxide leak affected the entire area and one of the brides, Shauna, passed out while she was in her dress. The store owner wanted the dress back and that's when Andy intervened. Meanwhile, Shauna’s dad, Martin, was trying to meet his daughter and make amends for walking out on his family after cheating on his wife.
On the road, Andy saw smoke coming out of a manhole and Martin got knocked out in the explosion. Sobbing uncontrollably, the bride kept repeating, “I am so sorry I couldn't forgive you, I couldn't talk to you better.” To help get immediate medical help, the ambulance left with Travis Montgomery and Ben Warren. Andy then helped navigate Jack Gibson. The Station 19 team saved the store owner but sadly, they couldn’t save Martin. As his daughter watched him die, the team's own loss came on the surface.
Travis lamented to Jack, "A friend got shot by a three-year-old as his mother couldn't keep the gun properly. Or a bride who thought she would forgive her father but instead had his blood on her dress. But don't worry, we saved the woman who risked all the lives for her merchandise."
What's more, is that the episode had one too many crossover angles. Robert Sullivan's (Boris Kodjoe) old leg injury was acting up and he met 'Grey's Anatomy' surgeon Tom Koracick. He didn’t want anyone within the Fire Department to know about his chronic condition as they could transfer him to a desk job. Moreover, he couldn't ask help for health insurance and had to arrange $40,000 for the same. Vic Hughes was all pepped to make a good impression on Jackson's mother and asked Dean Miller to accompany her.
Directed by Eric Laneuville and written by Anupam Nigam, it ended with a big twist. Promoted to Battalion Chief, Sullivan made a controversial choice for the captain. He chose Maya instead of Andy. While Sullivan looks like the bad guy, it was Andy’s father who made the difficult choice. "Andy went numb," Pruitt told Sullivan. "She wouldn't talk, cry or sleep. She deserves the chance. If you give it now, she will blow it. If you love her, don't give it to her, not now."
Taking Pruitt's advice, Sullivan gave his recommendation to Maya. Proud to have earned it, Maya was awkward in front of Andy and told her: "You should talk to Sullivan."
With all the tangled storylines, 'Station 19' seems to be getting controversial by the day. But, it is Ryan's loss that will leave a deep hole in hearts until the end of the series.