The article contains spoilers for the Station 19 series finale, “One Last Time.”

Station 19 showrunner Zoanne Clack discusses why the series finale did not include any major deaths. It was announced late last year that Station 19 season 7 would be the last, serving as a curtain call for the firefighter drama that has starred the likes of Jaina Lee Ortiz, Jason George, Grey Damon, Barrett Doss, Jay Hayden, Okieriete Onaodowan, Danielle Savre, Boris Kodjoe, Stefania Spampinato, Carlos Miranda, Josh Randall, Merle Dandridge, and Pat Healy. Despite the large ensemble cast and a deadly fire emergency, the Station 19 series finale keeps all the main characters alive.

In an interview with Variety, which included the co-showrunner and finale director Peter Paige, Clack explained the decision not to kill off any major characters in the series finale. Clack shared that there was some consideration about potentially killing off main characters. Ultimately, however, it was decided that an ending without grief worked better. Read the full quote below:

I just couldn’t [kill anyone], in my heart and my soul. I couldn’t let it end like that. I mean, we toyed with it. I put it in for a little while, but I just couldn’t. I didn’t want all the grief that comes with losing a comrade, and we’ve been through it a lot of times on this show. Ultimately, I just wanted them to have an ending without the grief.

Station 19 Series Finale Does Include One Death

The Dangers Of The Job Are Not The Main Point.

Even though Station 19‘s farewell shies away from any major character death, the series finale does include a shocking character demise; Kate Powell (played by Kiele Sanchez) gets pulled into a fire tornado during an attempt to save Seattle from a dangerous wildfire. The character appeared in seven episodes overall, joining the team as a replacement for the injured Dr. Ben Warren.

Kate’s death honors the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff by showcasing the dangers that the main characters have faced since the series began in 2018 without sacrificing one of them. It also keeps the option for some of the Station 19 characters to continue, particularly after news that Jason George, who plays Ben, could return in Grey’s Anatomy season 21. It’s unclear if other characters will pop up, but the finale keeps that option on the table.

Series finales are a difficult thing to pull off, which is especially true in the case of Station 19 since the drama’s cancellation left audiences with a sense of surprise and dismay. While it was important for the show to honor the dangers baked into the very premise of the spinoff, it’s likely more important that the heroes were sent away on a happy note.

Source: Variety