Station 19 – Season 7 Episode 4 “Trouble Man” Recap & Review

Trouble Man

Episode 4 of Station 19 season 7 starts with Andy spacing out during an intense call. She has to make quick decisions, and everyone awaits her orders. We travel back 21 hours earlier after their first call of the day. Travis worries about Ben, who seems hurt, but the latter acts tough. On the other hand, Vic wants Theo to stop apologising for messing with Kate five minutes after they broke up.

Everyone overhears their loud argument and starts judging Theo. However, Andy points out that they aren’t saints and advises them to get back to work. She wants the team to be ready for the full moon later that night, which seems to drive everyone crazy. As they discuss this, Kate mentions the Q word, and everyone accuses her of jinxing them.

In between calls, Travis tries to check in with Vic, but she says she is fine. She is not fine! Meanwhile, Beckett tries to cheer her up with a news article about a previous rescue. Still, Vic ignores their concern and pours herself into work.

Elsewhere, Maya is off and at home with Carina and Liam. They are doing their best but can’t agree on their parenting approach. Carina wants to be a bit hands-off with Liam regarding sleep training, while Maya wants to comfort him. Carina thinks it is because of Maya’s upbringing that Maya is taking the “smothering” approach with Liam. This leads to a fight, and Maya walks out to clear her mind.

Carina freaks out and calls her multiple times, but Maya’s phone is dead, and she misses the call. Later that night, Maya returns to find an anxious Carina, ready to continue their fight. Unfortunately, Carina closed the door behind her in a hurry to confront Maya on the patio. Maya calms her down and finds a way to open the door.

Later, the two talk honestly about their fears. Maya admits she is scared of dying on the job and Liam will grow up in a hate-filled world, while Carina admits she is worried they can lose Liam, and Maya will run away every time it gets hard. She also says she wants to keep trying IVF, and Maya is supportive. After ending their fight, they fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Back at station 19, things continue to get hectic. Natasha calls out Andy for her behaviour towards the protesters during the Pride Parade. Natasha also informs Andy about the impending layoffs and asks her to make a decision about her team. Andy says she is not ready to lose anyone after Gibson, and Natasha advises her to focus on being a captain and make the necessary transition.

After her talk with Natasha, Andy orders the team to hand in a full audit by the end of the day. Theo and Vic start to wonder what is happening behind the scenes.

At the same time, calls keep coming back to back and everyone is getting tired. Travis keeps pointing out that Ben is not in good shape, but Andy says Ben was cleared for duty and asks Travis to drop it. Ben is one of many; Vic is also not herself. She is barely talking and seems emotionally exhausted.

In between calls, Kate continues to make her ill-timed jokes. She also tells Theo about an opportunity to go private, which Theo initially ignores. Kate also gets into it with Vic when she offers a half-baked apology about what went down with Theo. In turn, Vic doubles down on her and says it must be easy for Kate to be self-centred as she is dead inside.

Meanwhile, Travis confesses to Theo that he also made a mistake. They promise to do better, but things are still awkward between Vic and Theo. Sullivan tries to rally the team to understand Andy.

The team gets another call, and resources are stretched thin. The team is forced to deal with a heartbreaking accident that leaves many kids dead. After the call, the team is more than emotionally drained and struggling. Even Natasha is affected as she listens to the call. Andy promises to get everyone some therapy at the end of the shift. Currently, she has to figure out how to save the team.

After that sad call, Beckett breaks down, and Sullivan comes to his rescue. As a fellow addict, he can understand Beckett better. The two bond over this, and Sullivan encourages Beckett to hang in there and have faith in Station 19 to help him.

Later, Sullivan starts to worry about the budget cut rumours. He asks Theo about his experience when Station 23 closed down. Theo says he is concerned, but Sullivan shouldn’t worry about the budget cuts. Theo believes Natasha’s relationship with Sullivan exempts him from being laid off. Andy also asks Sullivan if he knows what happened regarding the deal Natasha, Travis and the mayor made before the elections. Unfortunately, Sullivan is clueless.

With no other choice, Andy goes to Natasha to ask about the deal. Natasha explains that the mayor is set on cutting the budget and is not the first politician to go back on his words. Natasha insists Andy knows what she needs to do since she has many lieutenants on her team who are eating up their budget. Andy lashes out, saying Natasha is sacrificing them for her own gain. Natasha doesn’t take this lightly but tries to understand Andy is overwhelmed. She gives her a stern warning.

After another call, 19 returns to the station more tired than before. Travis and Ben get into it and nearly start punching each other. Andy loses it and asks them to take it down a notch. She pulls Ben aside, and he assures her that he is fine. A few minutes later, Ben realises they are missing a hydraulic spreader, one of the most expensive tools. A fight starts again, and Andy gives them an earful, pointing out their jobs are in danger.

Vic takes a short nap away from the drama and misses another call. On the other hand, the team struggles to put out a gas fire without their hydraulic spreader. Theo comes up with a plan, but it backfires and nearly kills everyone. Andy also realises that Ben is in pain and benches him. In the meantime, they still need to save a man locked in a room inside the shop, but time is running out.

Andy radios Natasha, and she sends another team to handle the fire. Theo initially refuses to leave the scene, but Travis sets him straight. The team hands over to Station 15 and returns to their station. There, they find a disoriented Vic, and Andy warns her not to miss another call again.

After the call, Sullivan asks Natasha if the team is paying the price for their sake. Natasha pretty much admits this but says she is willing to continue to do what needs to be done.

The episode ends with Theo resigning to save the team from further budget cuts. Andy is speechless, and we visibly struggling. She looks at the picture of her dad on her desk. In a way, it feels like her dream is crushing right beneath her feet. I am sure she is wondering if she will live up to his legacy of being a great captain and wondering how he did it.

The Episode Review

A lot was going on in this episode; everyone was dealing with their personal problems, and the 24-hour shift heightened their emotions. It is possible that Ben hurt his back while dancing during the Pride party held at the station in the previous episode. He should have admitted he was hurt, but instead, he chose to work through the pain. If things had gone wrong, he would have endangered his team. Sorry, but Travis was right on this!

We have Vic, who is emotionally drained but insists she is fine. It is concerning as she was not her bubbly self, and we can’t blame her. It must be hard to work a gruelling 24-hour shift with your ex and the woman he kissed five minutes after their break-up. Hopefully, she will seek help before the burn-out further affects her work.

Then there is Maya and Carina, our new parents. They are the only ones making us smile in these tough times. Even though they are figuring things out, they are handling it better than before. They are communicating and taking it one step at a time. Fingers crossed that they stay in this happiness bubble forever!

On the other hand, we have Sullivan and Natasha. It is always complicated with them. We started with Sullivan proposing during a coffee drop and ended on a rough patch. Natasha is caught between a rock and a hard place. She is damned no matter what she chooses. It can’t be easy being her. However, we can also see Sullivan’s point of view and why he feels guilty.

As for Beckett, he handled this shift relatively well. Thankfully, he had Sullivan, who understands his situation and is willing to help. Seeing them put their past issues aside and even pray together was nice.

Lastly, we have Theo. At the end of the episode, he makes a bold decision, but will his resignation save 19?