'Station 19' Season 3 Episode 6: What is Travis and late husband Michael's heartbreaking backstory?
Travis Montgomery (Jay Hayden) has always been a beloved 'Station 19' character. However, this week's episode unleashed a new side of him. In Episode 6 titled 'Ice Ice Baby', Travis gets a distress call during the snowy blizzard in Seattle.
A woman named Pilar (Phylicia Rashad) is trapped under a ridge and is unable to make her way out. She reminds him of his mother. Even though he knows she will lose her life in the battle with snow, he stays on the phone. "Am I gonna die?" she asks him. He reassures her, "No, we are coming to save you!"
A series of heartwarming flashbacks bring him tons of old memories. Through those flashes from the past, Travis' late husband, Michael (Jonathan Bennett), is introduced for the very first time. Scenes from their wedding ceremony play out, where Michael helps put Travis at ease when he gets the cold feet.
After a long wait, fans got an insight into their relationship and they couldn't be happier. "So glad we got to see Travis and Michael's wedding tonight. Always love the LGBTQ representation on this show," one viewer posted.
Another said, "These Travis and Michael flashbacks make my heart feel so full. And we get to learn about his family!"
Another tweet read, "I really loved those flashbacks. I hope we see more Michael! I’d love to know his surname and see him doing his job w/Travis & how he died. It was incredible! Jay & Jonathan deserve a big round of applause. I love them both!"
Many fans expressed a desire to learn more about their relationship and Michael's tragic death.
Shedding light on the upcoming events in 'Station 19', actor Jay Hayden said in an interview to TV Guide, "It's nice to see a little more of [Travis]' tender side, the way he interacts with Michael — the guy that we've been talking about for two seasons."
He added, "We finally get to put a face on him and see what that relationship was like, and maybe see a different part of Travis that changed a lot once Michael died."
In another interview with ET, Hayden spilled the beans on the myriad shades of their relationship. "It was great to find out what their domestic life was like. The role we play as husband and wife, or husband and husband, or wife and wife. The patterns that we slip into," he said.
He added, "This one does the dishes, this one likes the couch really clean. This is how when one person gets angry, this is how the other one calms them down. Sometimes it's with a touch, sometimes it's with a look, sometimes it's with words."
Revealing more about his "tender side" in the show, he shared, "It was nice to kind of find out who they were. It was nice to see a little more of a tender side from Travis when it comes to Michael."
"It was great to have scenes with Travis' mom and Michael, and watch that relationship, and how we all played off each other. That helped me understand Travis better," he added.
The series may soon proceed towards Travis' life and how he needs to move on. "I think we've seen Travis do a good job of self-sabotaging his relationships since Michael," Jay said in an interview with Hollywood Life.
"It's like either he's not ready or he's making sure to find something that isn't quite right so he can make sure that nobody gets too close to him. So what I think Travis needs to do is identify and probably carve out the things inside of him that need to come to a resolution, so he has room to let somebody else in."
Soon, Travis and Michael's story may become the focal point of the series and that might keep viewers hooked. Only time will tell if Travis will find a new love interest or not. The next episode of 'Station 19' airs next Thursday, March 5, at 8 pm ET on ABC.