The several Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 crossovers offered a lot of fun for the fans of the medical drama and the firefighter show, but only a few of them had a massive impact on both shows. Ben Warren’s career move from doctor to firefighter proved the perfect occasion to introduce the Station 19 team, with Grey’s Anatomy season 14, episode 13 functioning as a backdoor pilot. However, not all crossovers between the two shows were life-altering for the characters involved, but a few of them introduced storylines that deeply affected Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19.
Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 crossovers cover major incidents in Seattle that involve both Station 19, Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, and the main characters of both shows. While some crossover episodes simply set up compelling storylines for the two shows to share, there are also ones that threaten to unsettle the team’s foundation at Station 19 or imperil individual characters in Grey’s Anatomy. Eight episodes have been particularly impactful in that they upset the natural order of things at Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy, setting up storylines that took center stage for some time.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 14, Episode 13
Set Up Warren’s Career Change & Herrera’s Friendship With Meredith
Grey’s Anatomy season 14, episode 13, “You Really Got a Hold on Me” worked as a backdoor pilot for Station 19, introducing both Ben in his new role as a firefighter, and Andy as the heart of Station 19, but more importantly, the firefighter who helped out with a patient. Drawing from Grey’s Anatomy’s history with the medical storyline, having Meredith and Andy meet like that easily established a close bond between them.
With Meredith having Andy participate in the OR and Andy covering Meredith by answering the call for the medical advancement contest, their meeting looked like the passing of the baton from Grey’s Anatomy’s protagonist to the new Station 19 character. By working as a backdoor pilot, Grey’s Anatomy season 14, episode 13 essentially set up the world and dynamics that would be seen in Station 19, even just by focusing on Andy and Ben.
In particular, Ben’s journey highlighted his restlessness in being at his old place of work but, as a firefighter, having the knowledge to treat the patients he brought in but not being there in that role, finally showing the difficulties of his career shift. By setting up the world, the tone, and the main players, Grey’s Anatomy season 14, episode 13 created the perfect setting for Station 19 to continue to build on.
Station 19 Season 1, Episode 1
Started Pruitt Herrera’s Cancer Story & Changes In Station 19’s Hierarchy
Station 19 season 1 premiere set up the show’s ensemble, but it also introduced the biggest threats to the fire station’s natural state. Bailey and Meredith appear in the episode as Pruitt’s doctor, further connecting the two shows in an organic way, while the doctors also helped Station 19’s main character Andy through a personal crisis.
However, “Stuck” also introduced Pruitt’s cancer in the most dramatic way possible, with his collapse during a fire. It also explored how the news would impact the larger story and the changes the fire station would have gone through as a result of his diagnosis being made public. With Station 19 season 1 just kicking off its story and characters, this introduced a dramatic element that was character-based rather than just relying on the latest disaster of the week.
Station 19 Season 2, Episode 15
Ripley’s Death Impacted Robert & Vic Deeply And Got Travis In A Bar Fight
There have been several key character deaths in Station 19, but it was unexpected to include one as part of a crossover episode. Ripley’s inhalation of hydrofluoric acid sent Grey Sloan Memorial into a frenzy, with Maggie Pierce sending Station 19 firefighters to look for him after he left the hospital as he was determined to propose to Vic.
The crossover element was small, with Maggie popping up as Ripley’s doctor. However, season 2, episode 15, “Always Ready” was a heartbreaking episode that saw Ripley, one of the pivotal characters on the show, die. Seeing the reaction from the others, especially Vic, makes it all the more tragic. The matter’s time sensitivity also meant Lucas and Vic’s actions outed their relationship with the department, leading to firefighters badmouthing Vic and landing Travis in jail for assaulting one of them who offended Vic to his face.
Station 19 Season 3, Episode 5
Started Maya’s Process Of Understanding Robert’s Abus & Introduced Her To Carina
In framing Station 19 season 3, episode 5 around a team-building trip, “Into the Woods” perfectly set up one of Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19’s longest relationships and a dark storyline for one of the characters. The surprise bear attack in the same woods landed Maya at Grey Sloan with a nose in a bag, catching Carina’s attention. Their meeting at the pub kickstarted Carina and Maya’s relationship, but Maya’s thoughts about her strict father also hinted at her future storyline where she realizes that he was abusive.
Robert’s problems with pain after his leg surgery turned into something worse in this episode, as his insistence on getting Koracick to prescribe him more meds already hinted at something being wrong. However, it’s his stealing the fentanyl vials from Warren’s PRT that effectively started his addiction story, eventually leading to Robert’s demotion anddestroying the career he built up to that moment.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 17, Episode 7
Andrew’s Death Kicked Off Maya & Carina’s Problems
Andrew DeLuca’s death might have given him a hero-worthy ending as he managed to stop the sex trafficking ring he denounced episodes before, but it also impacted almost everyone in Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy. Indeed, his attack left all doctors shocked, but it hit Taryn Helm, Richard Webber, Miranda Bailey, and Levi Schmitt particularly hard, whether they felt guilty for not stopping the traffickers earlier or just shocked by the accident.
However, none was more affected by Andrew’s than his sister, Carina DeLuca. Andrew’s death and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted Carina and Maya’s differences in dealing with things, and it almost broke them up – before having them end up engaged. However, this hard period for them made the fate of Carina and Maya’s relationship one of the unanswered storylines of Station 19 that needs to be resolved.
Station 19 Season 5, Episode 1
The Setup For Maya’s Demotion & Herrera’s Transfer To 23
The Station 19 season 5 premiere “Phoenix from the Flame” shook the foundations of the team, as it simultaneously demoted Maya from captain and sent Andy to Station 23. The previous season had shown the team, with Maya as captain, defying orders to save the day. It was a heroic moment, but the next season picks up with the consequences of that call being shown.
It always seemed clear that Maya’s decision would cut short her career as captain and this episode further cemented that inevitability. However, Andy’s transfer to Station 23 entirely depended on her, Carina, and Maya’s incursion into Chief McCallister’s office to defend themselves against his request for Maya’s resignation as captain, worsening the already dire situation and separating those at the core of Station 19’s team.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 18, Episode 5
The Gas Explosion Took Dean From Station 19
Grey’s Anatomy has also killed off several characters throughout its long run, but in one crossover episode, they actually killed off a Station 19 character, impacting characters in both series. Season 18, episode 5 killed off Dean following his injuries in an explosion in a previous Station 19 episode. The death changed both Ben and Miranda’s lives in Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19.
Dean’s request for Ben and Miranda to be Pru’s guardians had he died gave Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 the chance to explore the team’s grief for Dean’s death, as well as Jo’s perspective on Bailey’s predicament of not knowing she would have soon cared for a toddler. Jo’s angle easily confirmed taking in Pru was the only solution, as no better family could have taken her in than Ben and Miranda, whom Dean chose precisely for that eventuality.
Station 19 Season 6, Episode 6
Maya’s Accident & Team 19 Getting Written Off For Insubordination
Station 19’s bad string of captains started with Beckett. However, while his drinking problem had yet to be acknowledged, Station 19 season 6, episode 6, “Everybody Says Don’t” clearly displayed his differences with Station 19’s crew, who did everything they could to save a patient.
Beckett’s refusal to save Jonathan from the helicopter crash in the safest way possible for him led to the team’s insubordination, guided by Andy, which lighted the fuse of what would become a very difficult and strained relationship between Beckett and the team. However, that call also made Andy bench Maya, who reacted in an even harsher way than expected, prompting her overexertion and accident.
Maya’s arc about her excessive training not only showed her carelessness with her health but also almost destroyed Maya and Carina’s relationship again.
Maya’s arc about her excessive training not only showed her carelessness with her health but also almost destroyed Maya and Carina’s relationship again. This way, Station 19 season 6, episode 6 highlighted how bad leadership influenced all aspects of the job, from the calls to its firefighters’ private lives, affected by their personal problems and lack of leadership in the firehouse bound to eventually cause a fatality.
Although Maya’s accident in Station 19 season 6, episode 6 only temporarily separated her and Carina, it still served as a cautionary tale about what would happen to firefighters under a bad leader, upsetting various characters in Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy.