Crossover episodes between Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 characterized every season of the firefighting show and have been a staple for the last six seasons of the medical drama, 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.
Often taking place during midseason finales or season premieres, Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 crossovers end up either covering major incidents in Seattle that involve both Station 19 and Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital or events that forever change the stories of the shows’ main characters. While some crossover episodes solely pack dramatic incidents, most crossovers also include eventful developments, which threaten to unsettle the team’s foundation at Station 19 or imperil individual characters in Grey’s Anatomy. Of the latter category, eight 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.
Station 19 Season 5, Episode 1
It prompted 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. Although the call at the end of Station 19 season 4 proved the Station 19 team heroic, it was also a clear act of defiance against the firefighter in charge, guaranteeing Maya couldn’t have survived as captain. 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 & got Ben & Miranda Pru
Grey’s Anatomy season 18, episode 5, “Bottle Up and Explode!” added Dean to the characters killed off in Station 19, which greatly changed 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 and 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
It introduces 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. His 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. 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.
