Station 19 Has A New Captain, But Did Chief Ross Make The Right Decision?

Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers for the March 30 episode of Station 19, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Be sure you’re caught up before you continue reading!

As expected, Sean Beckett was nowhere to be seen on Station 19, after the embattled fire captain left to seek help for his drinking problem. It only took a Station 88 firefighter dying, Andy Herrera staging a mutiny (sorry, “revolution”), and Beckett going rogue for any action to be taken, and even then, he stepped down voluntarily. As such, Fire Chief Natasha Ross can’t fire him — no matter how grave his mistakes were — so he will be returning to 19 at some point. Until then, though, Ross named Theo Ruiz the acting captain, but did she make the right choice? Let’s look at her options:

Andy Herrera

Theo (Carlos Miranda) wasn’t Ross’ first choice for the interim position. She first approached Andy (Jaina Lee Ortiz). That was the right choice, in my opinion, because it seems like she has proven time and time again since returning to 19 that she has the respect and ability to hold the position. Andy turned down the job, though, because she said if and when she becomes captain, she doesn’t want it to be a temporary position. That’s respectable, because I can’t imagine the humiliation of Andy having to step down for Beckett when he returns.

Robert Sullivan

When Andy turned down the position, she suggested Ross (Merle Dandridge) promote Robert Sullivan (Boris Kodjoe), because he also had the respect of the firefighters and worked well with Ross (she said with a knowing wink). The chief did not take Andy’s advice, likely because of her ongoing romantic (and top-secret) relationship with him. Ross won’t even disclose their relationship for fear of losing the position she worked so hard for, so it’s no surprise that she won’t risk looking like she’s showing favoritism.

Theo Ruiz

Chief Ross cited Ruiz’s investigation into the arson at the barbershop in his old neighborhood for the reason she was naming him acting captain, saying his dedication and professionalism has been exceptional. Now, don’t get me wrong, because Theo is one of my favorite Station 19 firefighters, but as we saw through Vic Hughes (Barrett Doss) in this episode, Theo hasn’t exactly been himself lately. Also, the preview for next week’s episode makes it look like the events of his past captaincy — in which his best friend and Travis’ husband Michael died — might play into his decision-making. Check it out below:

Station 19 will be back at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, April 6, on ABC, and in the meantime, check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming up.