#Station 19 Season 4 Episode 16 Review: Forever And Ever, Amen

Is anyone else still reeling?

Station 19 Season 4 Episode 16 was a fantastic season-ender and one of the single best episodes of the season, outside of the more poignant installments that dealt with heavier topics such as police brutality, systemic racism, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

It was jam-packed from start to finish and felt a bit overcrowded at times, but not so much that it took away from the episode overall.

From the start, the biggest question surrounding this episode was what exactly did Sullivan do that made Andy so mad and was unforgivable?

We had to wait until almost three-quarters of the way through before we found out, as flashbacks of the events from two days prior to Maya and Carina’s wedding day were peppered in.

Sullivan: Let’s get out of here so we can talk.

Andy: Talk about what? How you threw me over to help your career?

Sullivan: That’s not why I did it. I did it to save 19 from getting split up.

Andy: Except you explicitly offered yourself as her replacement.

Sullivan: No.

Andy: They haven’t even opened an investigation yet, and you’ve already applied for the job.

Sullivan: McAlister’s old school. Look, she disrespected his authority. There was a real danger we could all lose our jobs, not just Maya. There are budgetary reasons he could use to shut down the whole house. That house is your family, your father’s legacy. I saw the big picture, and I stepped in to save my wife’s family.

Andy: Wow, you’re really the hero of your own story, huh?

And boy, was it a doozy, though, in hindsight, it’s something that’s not completely out of character for Sullivan.

Since being demoted, Sullivan has become obsessed with clawing his way back to his former stature and has been willing to do almost anything to restore his previous rank with the fire department, including convincing Dean to drop his lawsuit against the police.

So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone — though it’s still unpleasant to think about — that Sullivan was willing to sell out Maya to regain control of Station 19.

Sullivan can claim he did all of this to keep Station 19 together and protect his and Andy’s jobs, but the reality is he did it for himself.

Maya made a controversial call on the scene of the house fire when she decided to take the injured boy to the hospital in the firetruck instead of waiting for the aid car, going against the incident commander’s wishes.

However, instead of letting an investigation determine Station 19’s fate, Sullivan was more than happy to serve Maya up as a scapegoat, securing himself a promotion and costing Maya her job in one fell swoop.

Sullivan used the waves that Maya has been making within the SFD to his advantage and positioned himself as the safer, more respectable, and cheaper option to lead the firehouse.

It was a cut-throat and calculated move on Sullivan’s part, and all of his endless pleas about wanting to protect Station 19 are utter bullshit.

McAlister: You appointed Bishop. What’s your take?

Sullivan: She’s a good captain, sir. I basically raised her myself.

McAlister: Bishop’s gotten cocky. I’ve been hearing things. Taking her team to protests, defying cops on scene.

Sullivan: Well, those things are separate conversations.

McAlister: But they’re both indicative of Bishop acting outside the bounds of the Seattle Fire Department. Your record…

Sullivan: Yeah, sir, I know. I made mistakes, but I’m clean and sober, strong.

McAlister: We can’t afford any more bad press for our first responders.

Sullivan: No we can’t. This team stood behind me when my job was on the line. They had my back, and I have theirs. I can get this house in order, sir. You do not want these firefighters talking to the press, saying that FD values protocol more than kids’ lives. You need someone who can unite them, and that someone is me. Plus, with me, you get a battalion chief for the price of a captain.

If Sullivan believed the words he told McAlister, that Station 19 has his back and he has theirs, then he wouldn’t have done what he did.

He would have rallied behind Maya, championing all of her accomplishments as captain, and urged McAlister to give her another chance instead of stabbing her in the back.

This is not how family treats each other, and Andy has a right to be furious with him.

Sullivan’s decision has forced Andy to see her husband in a new light, and there may not be a way back for the married at this point.

Before this happened, the couple was struggling as is, but Sullivan’s betrayal may have been the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Andy may not be able to get past what Sullivan did, and we can hardly blame her.

Sullivan went behind her back and got Maya, her best friend, fired under the guise of keeping her family together and protecting her father’s legacy.

It’s a betrayal of the highest caliber, and Sullivan didn’t even discuss this with Andy before offering to replace Maya as commanding officer at Station 19.

Maya: No drama, no stress. I just want to marry the woman I love.

Andy: I don’t mean to be all corny…

Maya: So don’t.

Andy: I’m just really proud of you.

Maya: Well, I guess I could say I learned it from watching you. You and Sullivan have been through it all in a really short amount of time, and you’re stronger than ever.

Andy: Yeah, we’ve definitely been through a lot.

He did what he wanted, not even bothering to consult his wife and partner, and now, Sullivan will have the deal with the consequences of his decision.

It won’t be surprising if Andy files for divorce, or at the very least, wants a separation.

As she told Jack, she and Sullivan got married quickly and maybe confused their feelings for more than they were.

And as the season’s progressed, it’s become harder and harder for Andy to overlook Sullivan’s continual missteps.

Here’s a guy who puts his career and reputation ahead of her feelings and their marriage, doing whatever he wants without consulting his wife.

Everything Sullivan has done lately has been to further his own desires rather than focusing on what Andy wants or needs.

It’s just not working at this point, and it seems that Andy has come to accept this.

Sullivan, though, is somewhat oblivious, not realizing that his marriage may be over.

Sullivan: You really didn’t have to sleep on the couch, you know.

Andy: The only reason I slept here and not at Maya’s is because it’s her wedding day, and I don’t want her to know what you did, not today.

Sullivan: What I did was save your job, Andy.

Andy: This is not a discussion. This is not a discussion. Because today I am a maid of honor, and if we have a discussion I will say some things that are very, very not maiden like or honorable.

Sullivan: This is absurd.

Andy: You don’t get to tell me what’s absurd. Be there by 5.

He sees what’s happened as something that he and Andy can work through, something they can overcome, something Andy will eventually come to accept, but it’s too late for Andy.

She’s seeing the man she married clearly for the first time and doesn’t like who he’s become.

The worst part about all of this is that Maya has no clue about what’s going on.

She’s happily enjoying her wedding day, riding the high of marrying Carina, and has no idea that she’s been fired.

On some level, she knew there might be consequences when she decided to go against McAlister’s orders, but she never thought it would be someone she calls a friend and colleague responsible for her termination.

She never imagined her actions would result in her being relieved of her duties, let alone on her wedding day of all days.

This is supposed to be the happiest day of her life, and now, it’s marred by tragedy.

Maya was already hyperfocused on her outfit, ruining her wedding day, and it will be a hundred times worse when she learns the truth. It will devastate Maya, as she has worked unbelievably hard to get where she’s at today.

Maya: Oh my god, I forgot we were writing our own vows. Oh my god, I got so excited about it. I’m so sorry.

Carina: No, no, no, this is perfect. It’s OK. Listen to yourself. Queen of the clipboard Maya Bishop was so excited about something that she forgot. I love that.

Maya: I love you, and I choose you forever.

Carina: I don’t need to say anything else. We’re good.

She has dealt with misogyny and sexism, conflict with the police department, and problems navigating the line between her job and her beliefs.

However, through it all, Maya has stood tall and been an exemplary leader, someone we would all be proud to emulate, so it just makes everything Sullivan did that much worse.

In a way, Andy was right: What Sullivan did is unforgivable.

Beyond the backroom deals and betrayal, love was in the air for Station 19.

Maya and Carina’s actual wedding pretty much went off without a hitch, and the couple couldn’t help but be head-over-heels in love with each other as they prepared to get married.

Maya: Hi, dad.

Lane: Hi, sweetie.

Maya: I’m bisexual, a queer, I guess they say now. I’m in love with a woman, and I’m marrying her tonight. I just wanted you to know that officially. And mom, you don’t deserve to be cowering in the hall behind him again. You have other options. You don’t have to be here. My soon-to-be wife has offered to take you in, and I would like to, so if at any point you have had enough, you know where we live, and we will always have a bed for you.

Lane: Young lady.

Maya: No, no more from you.

It was the sweetest of ceremonies, and their vows were perfection. And as they said I do, the love between the fictitious characters was palpable.

Their engagement may have gotten off to a rocky start, and marriage may have been proffered for the wrong reasons at first, but Maya and Carina sold me on their love.

All it took was watching them slow dance as Maya’s world unknowingly crumpled around her, and you knew they made the right choice.

The wedding also served as a romantic backdrop for many other characters to couple up, though not everyone got the happy ending they were looking for.

After much convincing from Ben, Bailey, and Jack, Dean was finally ready to profess his love to Vic, only to find out it was too late when he saw her making out with Theo.

It took Dean a long time to build up the courage to tell Vic how he felt, so it was heartbreaking to see Dean’s hopes and dreams dashed.

Seeing Vic with Theo nearly broke Dean. He’s hopelessly in love with Vic, but he cares too much for her to stand in the way of her happiness and thinks she’s found that with Theo.

He thinks he missed his shot at them being together by waiting so long for him to tell her, and  he’ll most likely keep his mouth shut for the foreseeable future, not telling her how he truly feels for seasons possibly.

It’s a tired but true way for the writers to draw out this inevitability, though we can’t be surprised that it happened.

Jack: What are you going to tell [Vic]?

Dean: Can I? We work together.

Ben: Miranda and I were working together when I asked her out.

Jack: So were Andy and I.

Dean: Look how that went.

Ben: All I’m saying is you don’t confess a love like that, when you think you’re about to die, unless it’s a real soul bond. Plus, what if you died on a call and you didn’t tell her?

Jack: Or she meets someone tomorrow?

As for Vic, she, of course, knows nothing about Dean’s true feelings and only reconciled with Theo after Travis gave her the go-ahead.

The writing has been on the wall for ages that Vic and Theo still have feelings for each other, but out of respect for Travis, neither pursued a relationship.

Travis may not be ready to forgive Theo for his role in Michael’s death, but Travis can see that Theo genuinely cares for Vic.

He realized it wasn’t fair for him to stop Vic, also known as the greatest person in the world and the only one he can stand being around more than a day, from pursuing something that made her happy.

So, with Travis’s blessing, it didn’t take Vic and Theo long before they were making out like teenagers.

It was a selfless move on Travis’s part, and he was rewarded with a makeout session of his own.

Like Dean, Travis finally worked up the nerve to tell his crush how he felt after some encouragement from Theo, of all people.

It didn’t go exactly as Travis hoped at first, as Emmett initially rebuffed his advances, but then Emmett seemingly changed his mind, grabbing Travis as the firefighter was about to leave the bathroom and passionately kissing him.

Travis: Emmett, I like you, and I know that I broke your heart, but I didn’t have the guts to love you back, and now that… I’ve been looking at myself a lot lately, I realize that maybe I wasn’t as brave as I thought I was, so I like you, and I want us to be more than friend.

Emmett: Whoa. Travis, um, god, getting over you was maybe the hardest thing I ever had to, and I don’t really think I can do it again. I’m sorry. I just really like being friends.

It’s somewhat ambiguous if Travis and Emmett are officially a couple or if they got caught up in a moment, but Travis wants to try again with Emmett.

Emmett has a right to be cautious, but Travis might win him over if given enough time.

Lastly, Inara broke up with Jack right as the firefighter was about to propose.

Jack would have been proposing for the wrong reasons, and Inara knew that, which is why she ended things instead.

Inara realized that Jack wasn’t in love with her but rather loved the family they had created. 

However, that wasn’t enough for Inara to build a life on, and she decided to go to California with Marcus while Jack stays in Seattle with Marsha.

It was sad that things had to end between the pair, but it was the right call. Inara and Jack both deserve to be with someone they love who returns their affections, not just with the other because they love the life they’ve built.

Some stray thoughts:

• Maya coming out to her father was everything. I loved how she was completely done with letting him control her and even offered an olive branch to her mother. It was a great scene, and I’m so glad her mother came to the wedding.

• Dean agreed to settle his lawsuit. It may not have been the justice or change he wanted, but he realized that the money would make a big difference for Joyce. It was the right decision in the end, but I hope he doesn’t stop fighting for change.

• Ben is in the clear. He is cancer-free and can return to his marital bliss with Bailey. The pair is #relationshipgoals.

• Vic and Travis are in a better place with their parents. It wasn’t a huge part of the episode, but it was nice to see these relationships start to heal. 

• I get that it was a small ceremony, but why didn’t any of Carina’s friends or coworkers from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital come? It was just the Station 19 crowd plus Bailey. Surely, some of the doctors from Grey’s Anatomy would attend such an event.

• Did anyone else find it weird that Sullivan referred to Station 19 as Andy’s family and not his? He’s been at the firehouse for a few years, and he still doesn’t consider them family?

• Was anyone else expecting Andy to reveal that she was pregnant? There’s been some fan speculation that she’s expecting, and I thought the episode might have been building to that, especially as Sullivan referred to Station 19 as Andy’s family. I thought Andy would say something about their family and how she’s pregnant.

So what did you think, Station 19 Fanatics?

Is what Sullivan did unforgivable?

How will Maya react to her firing?

What couples do you ‘ship?

Don’t forget to hit the comments below to let me know your thoughts. If you missed the season finale, remember you can watch Station 19 online at TV Fanatic.

Jessica Lerner is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.