I guess we should pick out some black clothing, as Ryan is most likely not going to make it.

While his life hanging in the balance at the end Station 19 Season 3 Episode 2 isn't enough evidence to conclude definitively that he will die, there are other clues that strengthen the argument.

For one, Station 19 Season 3 Episode 3 is titled "Eulogy." The episode synopsis states "While Pruitt grieves a monumental loss, Andy refuses to do the same and, instead, throws herself into work."

In addition, Ryan confessed he still loved Andy before he was shot.

Andy: What happened in San Diego?
Ryan: Jenna cheated on me.
Andy: Ouch. How’d you find out?
Ryan: Oh, she told me.
Andy: She told you.
Ryan: Yeah, she wanted to hurt me.
Andy: Why would she want to do that?
Ryan: Well, the day before she asked me if I was still in love with my ex.
Andy: Oh.
Ryan: And I said yes.
Andy: Oh.

• Permalink: And I said yes.

Anyone familiar with TV tropes will know that a sudden declaration of love or two characters getting back together can spell death for one of them.

I think this is done to heighten the emotion surrounding the death of said character, as just when he or she gets a moment of unfettered joy, all is lost.

It's a cruel trick that I somehow keep falling for.

Despite the invitable outcome, there's still the question of how Ryan's death will happen.

Ryan: You know Andy, whatever happened with you and your dad …
Andy: He called me a slut.
Ryan: Oh, what?
Andy: I mean, not in some many words, but yeah.
Ryan: Were you being a slut? Hey, sluts have all the fun. I am pro slut. Is it Jack?
Andy: No.
Ryan: Sullivan?
Andy: How did you know that?
Ryan: I know you. I see things. Your captain though, yeah, that would piss your dad off.
Andy: My dad accused me of crapping where I eat, which is an expression I would be happy to never hear again in my life. This thing with Sullivan, it’s something I’ve never felt before. It’s like a feeling I can’t shake or get over unless I hate him, but you can’t hate your captain and function, and that is what makes my dad right, which is what is so enraging.
Ryan: So you love him? You crapped where you eat.

• Permalink: It’s like a feeling I can’t shake or get over.

Will he be transported to Grey Sloan and die on the operating table on Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 11?

Or will "Eulogy" open with his funeral and then flashback to Ryan getting pronounced dead after doctors were unable to save his life?

If it's the former, there's a good chance Station 19 fans who don't watch Grey's Anatomy will be confused by the timeline of events. 

This season, the two shows are more intertwined than before. While slightly more "realistic," as there's bound to be some crossover with first responders and doctors, it will also create problems for those who watch just one of the shows.

An example of this was when Bailey and Ben decided to take a "sabbatical" from their marriage on Station 19 Season 2 Episode 5.

Vasquez: I know you’re new at this, but when the lights and sirens are on, you know, the streets are just a suggestion.
Ben: You can’t save anybody if you show up dead, and I’m not new.

• Permalink: When the lights and sirens are on, you know, the streets are just a suggestion.

For those who watched just Grey's Anatomy, at that time, we had no idea something was amiss in their marriage until Grey's Anatomy Season 15 Episode 8 -- nearly two weeks later.

That's important information Grey's Anatomy fans should have known but were just left confused by the recent turn of events instead.

For me, I think the two series would be more successful if they follow along the lines of Grey's Anatomy and its first spinoff, Private Practice.

Those two shows existed within the same universe, but you weren't forced to watch both to understand the separate plots, save for the occasional crossover.

It’s been a while. It’s been too long. Last time I saw you I was still a … I think I was doing anesthesiology. Anesthesiology’s dull; it’s boring. I put away all that adrenaline chasing that put you here, and I … I learned to like crosswords and spent my days watching people sleep and waking them up. I think I did that because I couldn’t wake you up. Anesthesiology, surgery, everything I do in my life it all comes back to you. I’m trying to save you, to put your skull back together. I’m a firefighter now – first on the scene – and I still hear your mom’s voice in my head whenever I run toward danger.

Ben

• Permalink: Anesthesiology, surgery, everything I do in my life it all comes back to you.

I understand this move may have been made to boost Station 19's numbers, but it could have the opposite effect and alienate fans.

Another move the series seems to be incorporating is episodic flashbacks.

The flashbacks were necessary for Station 19 Season 3 Episode 1 to bridge the gap between Station 19 Season 2 Episode 17 and Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 9. 

This time, they weren't necessary but did offer some much-needed insight into Ben.

Ben: Everyone keeps telling me to stay in my lane, that I’m not a doctor anymore, but I am still a doctor, and I’m a firefighter. I am highly trained in both those fields. That should make me an asset, not a liability.
Sullivan: What makes you a liability is you run into burning buildings without permission. You deliberately defy your captain’s orders.
Ben: Yes, yes, I am defiant sometimes. I’m also brave. I’m wired for adrenaline, and I care about my fellow man. I’m smart, captain, and I’m capable, and I can think six steps ahead, and I’m tired of apologizing for that.

• Permalink: That should make me an asset, not a liability.

For years, Ben has been a cowboy, pulling off dangerous stunts without regard for the consequences.

In his mind, these acts, though impulsive and disregarding his superiors' orders, are the only way to save a patient or victim.

Though being reprimanded for his actions, Ben always seemed to find a way out of the situation, with little lasting effect. Without those consequences, he never feels the need to react differently in the future.

However, we learned he has experienced life-altering consequences for his actions.

I thought I was done being mad at Ripley for dying, but here I am, pissed at a dead guy.

Vic

• Permalink: I thought I was done being mad at Ripley for dying.

As a teenager, he and some friends went on a joyride. While all fun and games at first, one of his friends ended up in a persistent vegetative state after the car crashed into a tree.

That set Ben on a tedious path, leading him to choose anesthesiology as a career, initially.

Beyond the hidden psychological mumbo jumbo of trying to "save" Danny continually, anesthesiology is, as Ben put, it dull and boring.

There's not a lot of damage you can do as an anesthesiologist, making it the perfect career option for a reformed adrenaline junkie.

Everybody walk out. Seattle Fire. Sir, you need to evacuate right now. Put that candy down and walk outside. Hey, everybody out. Attention shoppers, this is the Seattle Fire Department. If you haven’t noticed there is currently an ongoing fire here at Roger’s Five and Dine. In an orderly fashion, please make your way to the front of the store and out the exit doors. Everything’s pretty cheap, so please leave your stolen goods where you found them.

Travis

• Permalink: Please leave your stolen goods where you found them.

However, you can only suppress who you are for so long, especially if you're not constantly reminded of the consequences.

Time goes on, and the aftermath fades away. Eventually, you find yourself longing for something more, and you go for it.

That's exactly what happened to Ben.

With Danny and the accident in his periphery, he was able to pursue his heart's desires, which became surgery and then fighting fires. 

Travis: And yes, there are bad people out there with a crazy number of guns, but there are good people too, kind people, people who fight for justice and take care of their neighbors and build houses and plant trees. Ignore the fear mongering or rise above it. So, don’t waste your energy worrying you’re going to get shot. Use it to fight for the world you want to be a part of. Use all that energy to make your fully functional legs lift you up out of this pee-stained suit and march you toward the world you want to live in.
Jesse: You should run for office or something.
Travis: Nah, I like my job.

• Permalink: Nah, I like my job.

He didn't give Danny a second thought until a call reminded him of his teenage antics.

You would think that would be the reminder that got Ben back on track, but in the end, he had not even apologized for disobeying orders, again.

He then went on to haughtily state, given his experience, he should be viewed as an asset, not a liability.

I wanted to reach through the TV and shake some sense into him.

Vic: Can I move in with you when I get fired?
Dean: I just called him a sex offender.

• Permalink: Can I move in with you when I get fired?

No one is saying he doesn't have a unique set of skills that shouldn't be utilized; what they're trying to say is there's a way to do things without putting himself and others at risk. 

Ben got lucky this time, but if he went into a structure fire without the necessary gear and against the captain's orders, he could put the rest of Station 19 at risk as they would have to go in after him.

It's just a mess all around. 

Dean: Herrera, heads up.
Vasquez: It’s Vasquez.
Dean: You took Herrera’s spot; you take her name.
Vasquez: You think us Latinos are all the same?
Dean: Hilarious.
Vasquez: I forgot it’s all PC, kumbaya crap here on the A shift.
Vic: We prefer A team, actually.
Vasquez: I’m sure you do. Over on the B shift, we call you guys “The View” because there’s one of everything. There’s two of you though.
Jack: At what point are well allowed to hit this guy?

• Permalink: At what point are well allowed to hit this guy?

0

I do think the physician response team is a good idea, and Ben would make an ideal candidate to lead it.

I'm afraid, though, that his arrogance will get in the way, and it'll cost some people their lives. 

Lastly, a new fire chief was appointed, but he wasn't the man the firefighters were expecting.

I'm not sure in what universe the mayor thinks a former cop is qualified to run the entire Seattle Fire Department, but I guess we'll just file that under suspension of disbelief.

Dean: He looks like a sex offender.
Maya: The new chief is a cop?
Dixon: Former cop, not sex offender.
Dean: Um, I thought that was live because news conferences are usually live.

• Permalink: He looks like a sex offender.

Besides being wholly unqualified, Chief Dixon was upfront about his ideas to revamp the department.

First, he wants to utilize the media to enhance public perception, which isn't a bad thing. 

However, he wants to use Maya as the spokeswoman for the department.

It's Dixon's way of saying, 'Look how diverse and accepting we are. This, right here, is a former female Olympian who has risen to the rank of lieutenant. Isn't that amazing?'

Maya: Why are you acting like you didn’t get picked for prom king? Huh, I didn’t take you as the kind of guy who would let the disillusion of our brief romantic relationship affect our ongoing professional one.
Jack: Maya, we dated for months.
Maya: Dated? I must have missed the part where we were having brunch and shopping for towels. We had sex – abundant and skilled sex – but it was just sex. Jack, seriously there was barely even pillow talk.

• Permalink: Jack, seriously there was barely even pillow talk.

I'm not implying that Maya doesn't deserve accolades or praise; what I'm trying to get at is that Dixon only sees her as someone who will make the department look good.

He doesn't care how hard she works or all the effort she puts into the job; he cares about public opinion.

At this point, I don't think Maya minds -- or knows -- that she is being used.

To her, this is just another thing that strengthens her case about why she should be made captain.

Vic: Who do y’all think is going to be the new captain when Sullivan makes battalion chief?
Dean: Herrera.
Travis: What, you don’t think it’s going to be Herrera?
Vic: You know what, I’m not saying anything, so.
Dean: OK, you did say something. Snorting is saying something; now say words.
Vic: She ain’t out sick.
Travis: Say more words.
Vic: Sullivan benched her.
Dean: What? Why did he bench her?
Vic: Because she broke his heart, or he broke her heart. I don’t know; I haven’t worked it out yet.
Dean: OK, right. He’s captain, she’s lieutenant, they were secretly in love and none of us knew about it? Shocking.
Vic: OK, everything in life comes down to two things: love and war, sex, maybe money
Dean: Definitely money.
Travis: Herrera and Sullivan, really?
Vic: Well, I have zero proof. This is all gossip and speculation.
Dean: I love gossip more than I should.
Travis: Same.

• Permalink: I love gossip more than I should.

Even though she was just promoted to lieutenant, she had a point that, unlike Andy and Jack, she doesn't let her personal life interfere with her work.

She would qualify as a "controversial choice," per the next episode's synopsis.

Maya's promotion to captain, though, is contigent on Sullivan becoming battalion chief.

Sullivan wants it, and Dixon is ready to hand it to him. The only problem could be Pruitt.

Pruitt: Ryan, good to see you. Staying out of trouble?
Ryan: Except the imaginary kind, yes sir.

• Permalink: Except the imaginary kind, yes sir.

Pruitt threatening Sullivan to call Dixon if the captain didn't end things with Andy was the most helicopter parent move of the season so far.

It's one thing for him to scold his daughter for her life choices -- which I didn't like how it went down -- but it takes thing to a whole other level than to get in the middle of the situation.

Andy is a grown adult who can make her own decisions and doesn't need her dad bailing her out when things go wrong.

In fact, she has been insistent that Pruitt stay out of it, but he refuses to listen.

Jesse: I see shootings on the news every day, and at school, the lockdown drills – lock the doors, lights out, stay quiet. I always knew I would be in one of these eventually; I knew it, I knew it. My brother also told me, ‘Jesse, it’s statistically unlikely,’ but I know. I know. I don’t even go to the movies anymore. Every time I go to the grocery store, I check for all the exits. I didn’t even want to come here to try on this suit, but my sister’s getting married, so I had to get a suit, and now I guess if I die here, they’ll bury me in this suit.
Travis: Hey, hey, hey, Jesse, Jesse. You’re not going to die; you’re not gonna die. I mean eventually, we all are going to die, but you are not dying now, not in this store, not in that suit.

• Permalink: I mean eventually, we all are going to die, but you are not dying now.

This is just another thing that's going to contribute to their fractured relationship this season.

Some stray thoughts:

• Jack and Maya had different reactions to their breakup. For Maya, it was no big deal, but Jack was nursing a broken-esque heart.
  
  Two important lessons can be learned from this: First, it's never a good idea to date a co-worker, or "crap where you eat" as Pruitt put it. Second, it's always beneficial to DTR (define the relationship) so miscommunications can be avoided.

• Vasquez is such an asshole, and I was actually glad that Jack slept with his wife. That should show him not to mess with Station 19, or at least remember, this firehouse has a penchant for sleeping with one another, so he best lockup his wife. (That was a joke).

• When shows try to do "PSAs of the week," it's usually a mixed bag, something that was true with the way Station 19 handled gun violence.
  
  I felt the teenager in the department store's rant about his fear of being shot was a bit heavy-handed. However, the series rebounded when the young boy shot Ryan.

  The boy and Ryan had been pretend shooting at each other all episode, so when the boy picked up a loaded gun, he probably assumed nothing bad would happen.
  
  After all, no one was injured with the finger guns, so why should a real one be any different. It was a great move for the series to then warn about the dangers of improperly storing handguns in homes.

So what did you think Station 19 Fanatics?

Will the series kill off Ryan?

Who will be promoted to captain?

Should Station 19 prohibit relationships between co-workers?

Hit the comments below to let me know your thoughts. If you happened to miss the latest episode, remember you can watch Station 19 online at TV Fanatic.

We sure would appreciate a follow of our new Twitter account as we work to rebuild our audience! 

@TVFanatic

Jessica Lerner was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in October 2021.