In the first episode of season 7 of “Station 19”, the character of Jack is in bad shape following the events of the season 6 finale. Will he manage to get out of it?
ABC broadcast last night in the United States the first episode of the seventh and final season of Station 19, the spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy. And the least we can say is that this first opus left the fate of one of the firefighters in suspense.
A character between life and death?
In the season 6 finale, the firefighters of Station 19 had to deal with the collapse of the dance floor of the hotel where Ben Warren’s (Jason George) Medal of Honor presentation was taking place.
In the final minutes, while Jack (Grey Damon) seemed to be doing well, the young firefighter collapsed. When we find them in the first episode of season 7 of Station 19, Jack is at Gray Sloan Memorial in the hands of Amelia (Caterina Scorsone).
If at first the surgeon is confident about his state of health, she will discover that he actually suffers from encephalomalacia, a scar in the brain due to previous trauma.
Amelia then explains to Andy that he may have lost some of his fine motor skills on his left side. It’s not certain that he can get through it but with physiotherapy, anything is possible.
Doctor Shepherd points out, however, that the chances of him being allowed to become a firefighter again are very slim. After being abandoned at birth, having had to survive in foster homes, each more horrible than the last, and having had chaotic romantic relationships, Jack will have to experience a new ordeal.
An exploration of the risks of the profession
Peter Paige, the showrunner of Station 19, explained on the microphone of TVLine the reasons for this relentlessness against Jack. “It was very important to me to explore what it’s like to give up on a dream, and there’s something about Jack Gibson, in his honesty and vulnerability, that makes him the perfect character to explore that question.”
The showrunner also explained to Deadline that he also wanted to explore the risks of being a firefighter: “It’s something we don’t talk about enough, but the firefighter’s career is like a ticking time bomb. It’s a career that you choose out of passion and which can end at any time. […] This is a question that was important for us to examine.”
It remains to be seen how Jack will recover following this tragedy. One thing is certain, his departure from station 19 does not mean his departure from the series. “Once you are a member of the 19“, concluded Zoanne Clack, the second showrunner of the series, “we are forever“.