‘Station 19’ Introduces Complicated Love Triangle During Premiere Episode

The first episode of Station 19 kicked off with a lot of action but, like all Shondaland dramas, it also established some complicated personal relationships.

During the first half of the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff’s two-hour premiere, viewers were introduced to the firefighter drama’s complicated love triangle, comprised of series lead Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz), firefighter Jack Gibson (Grey Damon) and cop Ryan Tanner (Alberto Frezza).

Near the start of the episode, viewers meet Jack, a reckless firefighter who doesn’t think before plunging into action. Later in the hour, Andy and Jack start kissing at the fire station when Andy finds an engagement ring in Jack’s pocket.

At first he says she wasn’t supposed to see that and that he wasn’t planning to propose in that moment, but a freaked out Andy loses it and the couple is interrupted by a call to an apartment fire.

Outside the blazed building, Andy sees a police car parked in front of a fire hydrant. She calls police officer Ryan Tanner and lashes out for parking in a red zone as she crushes the fire truck into his patrol car.

“Does she always talk to cops like that?” newbie firefighter Ben Warren (Jason George) asks.

“Only the ones she went to prom with,” Maya Bishop (Danielle Savre) says.

The story takes a tragic turn when Andy’s father, firehouse captain Pruitt Herrera (Miguel Sandoval) goes missing inside the burning building, after Jack leaves him behind to inspect a child’s room.

“How the hell did you get separated, he told you not to go up on your own,” Andy screams at Jack. The firefighters find their captain passed out in the kitchen, and with the fire burning fast and causing explosions, their only choice is to jump from one of the windows to safety.

The captain is taken to Grey Sloan Memorial hospital as a distraught Andy blames Jack for her father getting injured. At that moment, Ryan steps in and calms Andy down as Jack watches from afar.

Later in the episode, Andy finds out her father has cancer, which caused him to pass out during the call. When she confronts her father, who must have felt the symptoms for some time before the accident, he announces he is stepping down as captain, making Jack the leader of Station 19 until they find a replacement.

At her house, Andy gets a visit from Ryan, whose parents live next door, and Andy tells him what happened in an emotional speech.

The two share a sweet moment and a drunk Andy kisses her old friend, leading to a steamy hookup.

The next morning Jack talks to Maya about his feelings for Andy, saying he believes they could be happy together, but if she doesn’t feel the same way she has to tell him. Andy walks in and listens to most of the conversation from across the room, and confesses to her best friend about Ryan.

Maya tells Andy she shouldn’t let her emotions distract her from what she really wants, which is to lead the firehouse, and after an emergency involving a woman stuck between two buildings, Andy decides to spring into action.

She goes to her father and demands to be considered for the captain position, as she is good at her job and deserves a shot. Pruitt decides to promote Andy to lieutenant and leave both her and Jack in charge of the station until a new captain is named, meaning the competition is on.

Station 19 airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.