Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers for Station 19’s Season 5 episode “The Road You Didn’t Take.” Proceed with caution if you’re not caught up.
The last episode before Station 19’s season finale sent Andy and Jack on a road trip to meet the biological brother that he found out about last week. There were a dozen ways that meeting could have gone down, but what transpired in “The Road You Didn’t Take” was a truly heartbreaking scenario for Jack. However, in the end it led him and Andy to a revelation that may just help Andy as she faces trial for killing the sexual predator who attacked her.
In helping Carina and Maya try to have a baby, Jack’s genetic testing revealed that he has a brother. The man who answered the door at the huge house to greet the firefighters clearly had lived a privileged life — the opposite of Jack’s, as he grew up in the foster care system, suffering abuse from multiple foster parents. Jack got the wind taken out of him when he realized that his brother had not been given up for adoption and had in fact been raised by their parents; he was dealt an even bigger blow when he realized that his birth parents had three more children as well.
Jack looked to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and Andy smartly ended the conversation and got Jack back in the truck so they could leave. As they returned home, Jack — obviously devastated — thought about how he grew up, being passed from predator to predator, and he lamented that when he was able to get out of a bad situation, another child was given to the foster parents, and the abuse continued for someone else.
This was when he and Andy realized that predators have multiple victims — likely including Jeremy, the man who attacked Andy. If they could find someone else hurt by Jeremy, they could help Andy avoid getting convicted for murder.
It seems utterly ridiculous that Andy — the victim of a sexual assault — is in this much trouble for defending herself against a man who attacked her, and she continued to fight an uphill battle in “The Road You Didn’t Take.” Her lawyer said that her colleagues being able to testify as character witnesses was a big win for Andy, and why everyone continues to treat Andy like the criminal is beyond me. Hopefully something good will come from Jack’s tragic meeting, and this can help Andy clear her name.
Some other stories seemed to be developing ahead of Season 5’s final episode, with Ben and Miranda set to sign papers to officially become Pru’s parents, so we might be in for some trouble, if Dean’s parents decide to hold Ben to his word that he’ll quit being a firefighter. Also, Carina’s green card meeting was scheduled, and since nothing ever comes easy for Seattle’s bravest, I have to admit that I’m worried about what that will entail.
Next week’s season finale is guaranteed to bring the drama, but no matter what happens, fans can find comfort in the fact that our favorite Seattle firefighters will return in the fall for a sixth season. Station 19 returns at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 19 on ABC. As many series are in the midst of their spring finales, be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering soon!
