Station 19 Review: Can’t Feel My Face (Season 5 Episode 2)

Station 19 Season 5 Episode 2, “Can’t Feel My Face,” turns up the heat by testing relationships with new dynamics and pushing broken systems to their boiling points. 

The former fosters a fresh take on the firehouse family we have come to know and love. The latter creates a captivating, necessary platform for stories Station 19 is oh-so-great at telling.

The two significant relationships at play in “Can’t Feel My Face” brilliantly juxtaposes each other. It is fascinating to watch how Andy and Robert deal with conflict versus Maya and Carina.

Moreso, those differences are tell-tale signs that Station 19 is dedicated to representing relationships and all of their peaks and valleys. 

Surrera can’t work right now because Andy and Robert need to work on their own first. 

Andy having sex with Beckett isn’t ideal, but it’s still liberating to watch her make a messy decision for the sake of herself and what she wants rather than to salvage a relationship as a memento of her father.

Also, why can’t she have messy sex with a sorta bad guy as part of her arc? Men do it all the time. 

That divorce (the one between herself and Pruitt’s shadow) will be an ongoing, probably frustrating, battle, but it’s one that Andy needs to experience to see herself in a new light — her light.

Station 19 creates a parallel with Robert in that while Andy does things for Pruitt, he does things for Andy. That dependency presents itself through the reasons behind Robert’s sobriety resurfacing.

This conversation isn’t new for Robert and Richard Webber, but it is evergreen to Robert’s recovery and overall quality of life.

This show will undoubtedly delve deeper into Robert’s sobriety and the complicated process of learning to stay sober for oneself and letting that be enough.

That journey will allow us to see Robert in a whole new light because it takes him out of the uniform, out of the Fire Zaddy role, and lets us see him as a man living a life with struggles not unlike anyone else.

That perfectly aligns with the messages embedded in this episode of not seeing others’ tragedies as content and, in turn, looking at every person as a human being rather than a problem to solve or ignore.

Both Andy and Robert’s journeys this season are so uniquely personal that they will encourage an immense level of vulnerability. This episode sets up the tip of that iceberg, which both of them will eventually hit.

The beauty of it is that, just like an iceberg, there is still so much to discover about Andy and Robert below the surface.

Alternatively, the core Marina scene in “Can’t Feel My Face” doesn’t instill a ton of confidence that Station 19 has the time to explore the depths of both Maya and Carina’s experiences. 

Season 5 is the show’s second season in which Stefania Spampinato is a series regular, but Carina only plays a supporting role in Maya’s arcs.

Spampinato and Danielle Savre are so effortless exceptional together that it’s easy to read in between the lines and piece together Carina’s day. The point is that it shouldn’t be the reality, not anymore.

If Richard Webber can pop over as Robert’s sponsor, what stops the show from following Carina to Grey Sloan? Station 19 can’t assume that everyone watches Grey’s Anatomy and sees the ins and outs of Carina’s job as an OB.

Even a few scenes in “Can’t Feel My Face” would have done Maya and Carina’s conversation about having babies all the more justice. It could have created a stronger comparison between the workplaces. 

Hopefully, this is something Station 19 resolves moving forward because we could all use a little more Carina DeLuca in our lives. 

Regardless of that disparity, Marina shows up and shows out in this scene. It’s so well written by Kiley Donovan and directed by Peter Paige that it makes an intimate and personal moment public without ever bursting the bubble of their safe space.

“Can’t Feel My Face” reiterates that having a child is like ripping your heart out and letting it walk around the world. That sentiment breathes new life into this Maya and Carina scene because of the brilliant decision to let Maya continue getting ready, despite this conversation ripping her heart out while she walks around.

It’s a smart decision to amplify the existing emotions in the scene that also reflects Maya’s need to be put together all the time because she is unfairly judged more harshly than her male counterparts.

Carina’s calming nature instantly grounds Maya’s nervous physicality, which exemplifies how well this couple works in all situations. They get each other through the peaks and valleys.

This scene is a character-driven one that lends itself to the overarching plot of this season thus far — broken systems need to change to support everyone, not just a few.

The inclusion of Crisis One to Station 19 is seamless because of the inherent empathy and passion for this kind of work at the characters’ cores. It’s moving to watch Dean, Vic, and Emmett deescalate a situation, help a family, and remind them of their rights and resources. 

It sets an example for what could be and serves as a reminder that mental health matters. But, more blatantly, Crisis One shines a big light on the long-term effects of a corrupt policing system.

Not to mention, the program introduces what could be a compelling storyline about Dean and imposter syndrome. All of these moving pieces set up the potential for Season 5 being the show’s best yet.

The team is shouldering a lot of professional and personal responsibility, but it’s a sign of a bright future that they still find their way back to each other at the end of the day. 

Stray Thoughts

• Vic and Travis having an orgasm competition is so on-brand for them.
• Nari feeding the firehouse is so sweet.
• When did Emmett join Crisis One?
• My skin crawled at the mention of Dixon.
• Jack asking everyone if they’re high shouldn’t be as endearing as it was.
• Emmett would carry around his Crisis One binder to be prepared at all times. 
• Maddox may be worse than Beckett.
• Carina saying “egg skins” instead of “eggshells” is adorable. 

 

What did you think of this episode of Station 19? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Station 19 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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