How Station 19 Is Handling The ‘Chaos’ Of Maya’s Demotion In Season 5

Station 19 is in for some big changes around the fire station when Season 5 premieres. At the end of Season 4, viewers watched newlyweds Maya and Carina dancing with each other, completely oblivious to the fact that the rest of the station was receiving word that Maya had just been removed as fire captain. That ignorant bliss couldn’t have lasted very long, meaning Season 5 will jump right in to what Maya’s demotion means for the fire house, and the relationships between the firefighters involved.

Andy will be at the center of the drama, naturally, as Maya’s best friend was seen in the Season 4 finale wondering how she could possibly ever forgive her husband Sullivan for the role he played in having Maya removed. Barrett Doss, who plays Vic, spoke to TV Guide about the fallout from Sullivan’s actions and what it means for the members of Station 19 going into Season 5’s premiere episode, “Phoenix From the Flame.” In her words:

New relationships, huh? Vic ended Season 4 unable to fight her attraction to fellow firefighter Theo, despite his complicated past with Vic’s best friend Travis. Theo was indirectly responsible for the death of Travis’ husband, and though Travis gave Vic his blessing the pursue the relationship with Theo if she wanted to, that’s still undoubtedly a tricky situation. Not to mention Dean had finally worked up the courage to reveal his true feelings for Vic before he saw her kissing Theo. 

But while we’ve definitely got an eye out for the new relationships, there’s an established relationship very much on the rocks, considering the way Sullivan used Maya’s situation — in which she disobeyed a direct order so that she could save a boy’s life — to give himself a leg up to get back into the position of power that he lost after stealing drugs amid an opioid addiction. Andy and Sullivan have always been on shaky ground in their relationship, so it wouldn’t be very surprising if Andy unequivocally takes Maya’s side in spite of what that means for her marriage.

Sullivan’s argument will likely continue to be that he took charge to keep more people from getting in trouble, and that his saying he could be the one to get the house in order was ultimately a way to keep the 19 family together. But I’m not sure Sullivan’s proven to have such altruistic tendencies.

Station 19 Season 5 premieres at 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, September 30, on ABC, with a big crossover event with Grey’s Anatomy, which follows at 9 p.m. CT. Be sure to check out our 2021 Fall TV schedule to keep up with all of your favorite show’s premiere dates.