One breakthrough is down, and now we have another one to go.
The good news is that thanks to a ghostly appearance by a particularly entertaining and effective Rigo Vaquez on Station 19 Season 6 Episode 4, Jack may finally be on the path toward getting his shit together.
Some more good news is that Theo blessedly gave Maya enough of a wake-up call to go home. However, the bad news is that she’s not done spiraling, and she still desperately needs help.
For a Halloween-themed installment of the hour, it wasn’t nearly s spooktastic and fun as one would’ve expected. They were too busy walloping us with all that pain.
Beckett’s interest in Halloween was unexpected, and there were some amusing moments; his jump scare of the crew was funny and his impressed reaction to Ben getting him back was worth a chuckle.
But the other aspects of Beckett were disturbing or frustrating, to say the least.
But the kids trotting around the station in their costumes was the cutest, and the inspiration for a girls program to inspire them to show interest in firefighting sounds promising.
If this is Vic and Andy’s project along the same vein as Ben and the others’ work to get that clinic up and going, it could be fun. It would be nice to see the women of the series focused on something meaningful like that.
Who knows — it’s also something that could potentially be cathartic and helpful for Maya, who eats and breathes being a firefighter.
The series’ ongoing references to the sexism that women face in this field in different ways are consistent, but the execution of how they develop those stories and what they choose to do with them can often use some work.
Yes, it’s sexism that’s behind why Maya gets treated differently than the men when she makes mistakes or because of her ambition. It’s sexism that screwed Andy over for promotions, too.
Like it or not, sexism is why Ross has to hide her relationship or why she gets treated differently, too.
It’s a boy’s club, and that’s been the case since the beginning. All the female characters have been aware of that in some way or another. It was odd that Vic acted as if this was brand-new information.
However, the idea that she could come up with something to inspire young girls to pursue this career if they want it is promising, even if it’ll feel similar to Stella’s pet project on Chicago Fire.
It’ll give Vic something new to focus on when Travis eventually drops her for Eli. As much as Vic is Travis’ biggest cheerleader, Eli is talking sense.
He’s someone that clearly knows what he’s doing, and he’s inspired by Travis and the potential that he has to win this thing and put both of them on the map.
He knows what he’s doing and how to navigate politics, whereas Vic doesn’t. He also is willing to have Travis come out and make his strong stances on matters rather than the vague thing Vic had him doing so he didn’t alienate any voters.
Andy may hate this new guy usurping Vic to help Travis, but it’s probably what’s best if Travis hopes to win this thing. Although, it still feels like Travis doesn’t want this.
Eli also seemed on the flirty side with Andy, so we could see a possible romance there if he sticks around.
Of course, she may still have her hands full, with her attention directed toward getting Jack back on track. You could tell she was relieved to see him at the station, even if he was in a pretty bad state.
And she didn’t stop him from seeing and hugging Prue. That hug must’ve had healing properties because Jack was beside himself the second she ran into his arms. It was the most precious scene of the hour.
It’s progress for Jack, and we have an unlikely source to thank for it.
Can we give a shoutout to the super hot Latin men who were doing the Lord’s work getting everyone into shape? Rigo and Theo were the MVPs of the hour, bar none.
Rigo was a manifestation of Jack’s conscience brought about by whatever drug Eva gave him, and he went into overtime getting Jack to stop his self-pitying and destructive behavior. He hounded him until he went where he belonged.
It was heartbreaking to hear Jack say that he didn’t deserve love. It was disturbing to listen to how lowly he thought of himself.
Even Rigo had to set him straight in that regard and remind Jack that his death wasn’t on Jack either. It’s something Jack needed to hear and believe for a long time.
And he wasn’t going to get that from Eva, who is probably worse off than he is these days when it comes to self-destructive behavior.
Yes, she’s a grieving widow, but she’s so disturbingly toxic that it bordered vile. It’s one thing when you’re on a spiral by yourself, but she kept willfully bringing Jack down with her, only to punish him for it.
She was the one who gave him drugs and then got upset when he told her he was seeing Rigo and accused him of doing things to hurt her. And the glee on her face when the bar patron punched Jack in the face was sickening.
Hurt people hurt people, and that’s precisely what Eva is doing. Hopefully, it’s the last we’ve seen of her.
Jack isn’t ready for work yet and still has a long way to go. But maybe he’s at least ready for a hot shower, a haircut, a shave, and a cleanse from substances. It’d be a start.
If Jack is on an upward turn, they will have Maya in an even darker spot. It was a lot going on with her within the hour.
Beckett pulling a Carrie on her was shocking. It surpassed inappropriate and felt like a violation. It was set up to get to her, as it didn’t hit anyone else.
And putting food coloring in it ensured that she would never get that dye out of her hair. It was a cruel prank. But then, when you recall what she did with the alcohol, it wasn’t entirely unprovoked either.
It’s like they keep matching each other’s energy and falling deeper into the gutter to get at one another, and it’s difficult to watch because it shouldn’t be like this at all.
None of this is normal, acceptable workplace behavior. It’s all toxic for everyone involved, and they can’t keep functioning like this. Something has to give.
Fortunately, Theo is tired of pussyfooting around and is putting things into perspective for everyone. As much as this crew professes that they’re a family, there’s been a stunning lack of honesty about what’s happening for all involved.
What makes Theo’s take on things so refreshing is that he has the history to back why he’d feel strongly about what’s happening, and while he’s close to everyone, he’s not close enough to be complacent.
Many of them are hesitant to call out Beckett, approaching him from the professional standpoint of how his actions jeopardize them.
We saw it with the stunning lack of acknowledgment when they all knew he was drinking or, at the very least, making questionable calls on the job. And how they behaved when Sullivan finally did confront Beckett about it.
What damaged you so badly that you were weak enough to go to the widow of the guy you think you killed?
Rigo [to Jack]
We also saw it and still see it in how the others approach Maya. They love her, and she’s their family. They know her well, and that counts for something. Still, much like Andy’s advice to Carina, it’s this “Maya is just being Maya” approach to everything as if it justifies her behavior or absolves anyone from calling her out directly.
On the one hand, it was an incredible save in the corn maze. From Maya nearly falling off the Ferris Wheel to get a better view despite Beckett’s orders to her sacrificing herself to save that father and son, she was brave, badass, and heroic.
But she was also reckless, stubborn, and defiant. It’s genuinely concerning that she’s at a point in her poor mental health where she’s willingly prepared to die when she doesn’t have to like this.
As Theo pointed out, Maya could’ve guided them through the fire as she did before without rushing in to play the hero. As much as her actions saved that father and son, she also put them, the team, and herself at risk.
And all Beckett could do was watch on the sidelines and hope it all worked out.
The team can’t function properly if they have a colleague who defies orders and goes rogue, potentially risking them all in the process, and a captain who can’t lead properly, take command or even has the respect of everyone.
Their jobs are too life-threatening for this bullcrap.
Theo knows what it’s like when one wrong move causes a person everything, and he doesn’t want to see it happen again. He had every right to be angry and succeeded in getting people to listen to him.
Beckett took heed of what he said about leadership, finally acting as a responsible leader by ending Maya’s back-to-back shifts.
And Maya recognized that she couldn’t keep going in the state she was in without jeopardizing other people and agreed to end the cold war between her and Carina, kissing her wife and going home to sleep.
It made no sense that she kept Carina at bay, not sleeping in their bed together or even having conversations. It hurt that she barely had a reaction to Carina announcing that she could possibly be pregnant.
Maya has a lot of unresolved trauma that eats away at her. It’s brutal to watch, and it hasn’t been pretty in any way.
I think it’s important to show how ugly, unpleasant, and disturbing it is, especially for a woman.
Maya is a woman in pain, hurting everyone around her because of it. She’s hurting herself worst of all.
It’s not pretty or pleasant. It’s difficult, and even knowing what’s happening and why Maya deserves sympathy, sometimes it’s hard to sympathize with her when she does and says certain things.
And all of that is so visceral, raw, and real.
Because on the flip side, we see the toll it takes on her loved ones when she’s like this, too, and none of that should be invalidated either.
The final moment of Maya in the shower sobbing with her injured ankle and red hair was brutal.
On the Sullivan side, it turned out that his secret online girlfriend was Ross. The two of them had a romantic getaway together, reaffirming how deep their relationship is to them, thus complicating the situation since they’re not supposed to be together.
Sullivan was genuinely hurt when he found out she went on a date, and it bothers him that he has to lie and keep secrets about her, but she knows how this will affect their careers, particularly hers.
Eva: I only screwed you because I was lonely and the sex was decent but this is sick.
Jack: There’s something wrong with me.
Eva: There’s a lot wrong with you, loser.
It was probably the most erroneous aspect of the hour, but Boris Kodjoe and Merle Dandridge are so ridiculously pretty and have hot chemistry, so there’s that.
Over to you, Station 19 Fanatics. What are your thoughts on Maya? Has Jack reached a turning point? Hit the comments.
You can watch Station 19 online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.