‘Station 19’ Recap: Why Is Greg Tanner At The Station?

It’s time to get more of a backstory on Ryan and his dad in Station 19 Season 2, Episode 6. Meanwhile, Jack and Ben open up about their personal problems. Everyone has fears and problems they need to face.

Ben Finally Opens Up To His Colleagues

The last episode ended with Ben leaving the family home and moving into the station house. It takes a while, but by the end of this episode, Ben opens up to his colleagues. Many of them will understand what Ben is going through. Maybe not on the same level, but they understand that family members and friends worry about them. Being a firefighter is a dangerous but rewarding job.

However, his colleagues are worried because Ben doesn’t open up. He runs from his problems by focusing on his work and that’s something he’s always done. At least the writers have kept Ben’s personality consistent over the years.

Pruitt Fears The Future

Ben isn’t the only one with a worry for the future. Captain Pruitt is also worried. He fears that he’s getting pushed out of the station because of his illness and that worry passes onto his daughter, Andy. It doesn’t help that Andy and the new captain, Sullivan, don’t exactly get on.

Fortunately, Sullivan didn’t call Pruitt in to fire him. On the contrary, Sullivan wants Pruitt’s advice and help. It’s not surprising to hear that Sullivan is struggling to connect with the team (maybe he shouldn’t have changed absolutely everything when he came in and pitted friends against each other) and now he wants Pruitt’s help to bond.

Pruitt is in just the right place when Ryan’s dad, Greg Tanner, shows up bloody and in need of help. Greg never showed up to meet with Ryan but, apparently, it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. He’d been beaten up and his phone was ruined, so he couldn’t call his son to explain. Now he needs Pruitt’s help to patch up the wounds.

Andy sees Greg there, so naturally calls Ryan to let him know. It’s not surprising to hear that Ryan didn’t believe a word his dad was saying. It’s a convenient excuse, right?

Greg Plays The Victim Card

Despite Ryan and Pruitt not believing him, Greg continues to play the victim card. Ryan is certain that his dad is lying, because that’s all Greg has ever done. So when Andy returns from a call, she decides to throw some home truths towards Greg.

Andy doesn’t hold back, either. She makes it clear that he’s a bad father and man. There have been countless times Ryan needed his dad, but Greg would just leave town and never call. It’s not surprising that Ryan has trust issues with everyone.

And that’s when Ryan walks in. When Andy gets another call, Ryan is left talking to his dad. After an argument, Greg finally explains that he got in trouble in Florida and “may or may not” be on the run. Ryan is fed up of the vague language, knowing that Greg won’t say the full truth to a cop.

All Greg wanted to do was see his son and tell him how proud he was. That’s when Greg passes out. It turns out Greg’s condition was far worse than he initially made it out and Andy had to revive him. There’s clearly more to this but we won’t find out for a little while longer.

Andy Faces The Captain

We all knew a confrontation between Andy and Captain Sullivan was coming in Station 19. It was brewing all episode. Andy didn’t like that Sullivan came to work on the day of his wife’s death anniversary and just acting like a jerk the whole time. That was why Andy got in his face and pulled him up about his actions.

In the end, the tensions aren’t quite as dramatic as many would hope. Sullivan and Andy both admitted they were partially in the wrong and decided it was time to mend this bridge between them. They agree to meet over coffee and something suggests that there’s going to be more than a lieutenant/captain relationship between them.

Jack’s Hiding A Secret

Finally, it’s all about Jack. Well, in a way. Jack is hiding something from the whole team. He has PTSD from that fire back in the Station 19 Season 1 finale. He almost died and now he’s scared that it might actually happen. Because of it, he’s not sleeping much.

It’s going to be refreshing to see the show go down this route. Very few firefighter dramas choose to include a PTSD storyline and I’m glad to see Jack’s survival is leading to something like this because it’s a very realistic and necessary story to tell.

What did you think of Greg’s story to Ryan? Do you think something more is going to happen between Sullivan and Andy? Will Ben and Bailey make up?

Station 19 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.