Even Better Than the Real Thing is the tenth episode of the sixth season and the 87th overall episode of Station 19.
Short Summary[]
A simulation fire training goes dangerously wrong. Maya tries to make amends, and Bailey encourages Carina to listen. Meanwhile, Jack's sister shows up at the station with a friend, an injury and an attitude.
Full Summary[]
Ben puts the garage doors down in the barn. He looks at his watch, which reads 7:56.
In the gym, Vic and Sullivan work out. They check the clock. 7:58.
In the locker room, Theo checks his phone. 8:02.
In the beanery, Andy is decorating a cake. As Maya walks in, carrying a casserole dish, the alarm goes off. Andy tells her the cake is red velvet and welcomes her back as she rushes out. Maya sees that it says, "Welcome Ba." The rest of the team races to the trucks.
They arrived at the training facility ahead of station 88 and line up. Beckett says it's training day.
Beckett comments on 88 being slower than 19. One of their firefighters nudges the probie, Firefighter James, to stand in a different spot as they line up. The firefighters of 19 tease 88 for being slow. Beckett welcomes them all to the training and says they're going to do three simulations. The conditions are controlled, but the fire is real. They're racing with the clock and each other, working to get better unity and communication. Phase one is response time and 19 responded first. They get ready for their first simulation and watch Beckett greet Lieutenant Cooper, who was Beckett's probie. Beckett says Cooper can help him set things up. Andy feels sorry for Cooper being a probie with Beckett, but Cooper says Beckett was the best captain he ever had. He also tells Andy and Vic they aren't winning the next phases.
Maya asks Jack if he can cover her for desk duty for a minute, but Jack's already on desk duty and covering for Travis. Maya says it's her first day back and she's only cleared for desk duty. Jack asks where she's going and she admits that she's going to take food to Carina in the hopes Carina will forgive her. Jack tells her to go.
Eli arrives at what he learns is Andy's apartment. They're doing construction by Travis's place and Eli told him they needed a quiet environment for a press junket. Travis is really nervous about it. Eli talks him through his anxiety and reassures him.
Carina is doing yoga and brushing her teeth in her office when Bailey comes in. Carina explains that she was out of toothpaste at the hotel, so she stopped to get some on the way, but her water bottle was empty. It's been a rough morning. Bailey's sorry she's still at a hotel. Carina used to love room service, but now it tastes like heartbreak. Bailey has come to ask Carina to volunteer additional hours at the clinic. The station's clinic can survive without her for a few shifts and they need to be open longer hours to serve people coming from abortion-hostile states. There's a knock at the door and Maya comes in. She brought Carina lasagna. It's not as good as Carina's, but she hopes Carina likes it. She puts it down. Bailey says it looks delicious, but Carina says she can't just come in there with lasagna. Maya says she can and she did because she loves Carina and now she's leaving. Once she's gone, Bailey tells Carina to eat the lasagna her wife made for her. It might turn her day around. Bailey gets paged away and tells Carina to think about what she said.
Beckett says the next phase is timed runs. 19 will go first, then 88. They have to put out a fire and evacuate a victim. Inside, Cooper tells James to keep up. James gets separated from Cooper during the drill, but Cooper finds him and they continue the drill.
Jack finds Maya sitting at the desk and asks if she worked it out with Carina. She doesn't answer, which he takes as a no. Just then, Brooke Hill and Clara come in. They're leaning on each other and carrying helmets. Jack explains to Maya that Brooke is his sister as they start to look them over. Clara says they got into a fight with some asphalt and Brooke says they were wearing helmets.
Station 88 finishes their drill. 19 teases them again for being slow, so Beckett has Andy read off the times, which show that 88 was two minutes faster than 19. Beckett tells them to compare notes and suggests Cooper and his team could teach 19 a thing or two. Andy is happy to see a lighter side of Beckett. If they're stuck with Beckett, she wants it to be this one.
Clara says they were riding between lanes to get through traffic. Another car tried to merge and didn't see them, so Clara swerved and fishtailed. Jack examines Brooke's ankle, which is injured and needs an x-ray. Maya adds a CT scan for head trauma. Clara and Brooke do no want to go to the hospital because what they were doing is illegal. Maya insists the ER doctors won't rat them out, but they still won't go. Brooke says she's still on her parents' insurance, so if she goes, they'll know and ask questions. Jack insists on them going. Clara is upset because Brooke said he was chill. Maya says it's not his call anyway because she's the lieutenant and she insists. They admit they can't go to the hospital because they had marijuana edibles.
Travis is asked how he'll make Seattle better. He talks about a needle-exchange program and how much good it'll do. Eli initially tries to get him to stop talking, but when Travis says it's not about him making their lives better, but how they'll work together to make everything better, Eli starts to come around and encourages him. The interviewer says people are dying to weigh in on this. Once Travis is off, they celebrate.
Vic says Beckett's playing favorites. 19 is his team, but Cooper was his probie. Cooper says they're just jealous. To make it interesting, he wants to bet on the outcome of the drills. Whichever team loses buys the other team drinks. James asks what Beckett is normally like. As they start to explain, Cooper chastises James for talking. Beckett tells Cooper to set up for the next drill.
As they bandage up Clara and Brooke, Jack impresses upon them the dangers of what they did. They say they thought the pot had worn off. Clara asks if they're done because she needs to get the bike back to her dad's garage before he notices it's gone. Maya asks if he won't notice she's banged up and she's sure he won't. Clara winces, but denies anything is wrong. Maya says she doesn't have to pretend she's not hurt to look tough, but Clara doesn't want to go to jail for lane splitting while high. Brooke asks if they can go now because she needs to find new jeans. Jack says she needs to find new friends. He tells Clara not to do drugs with Brooke ever again. Brooke is upset. They go to leave, but Clara collapses. Maya catches her and lays her on the floor.
Maya says Clara is bleeding internally, so they need to go. Brooke can ride with them. They get her into the aid car.
Theo, Vic, and Ben give James some pointers. He thanks them, but that's what they're there for. He says not the folks at 88. Theo says he knows it's tough, but they do have his back. They just have to haze him a little first. Andy hears Beckett and Cooper talking about Cooper going right from a call to his daughter's birth. Beckett helped by taking him lights and sirens to the hospital. Good thing because Sarah would have killed him if he missed it. Beckett asks if he ever proposed to her and he hasn't yet. Beckett tells him to do it and he says he will. He already has the ring. He's just waiting for the right moment. Beckett starts the next simulation.
Jack ventilates Clara on the way to the hospital. He tells Brooke her vitals are stable and assures her Clara will be okay. Jack has recognized that she's freaking out on the inside, like he does.
Bailey asks if Carina is feeling better. She isn't and couldn't enjoy the lasagna. She was thinking if she gives up her hours at 19, she's giving up her only connection to Maya. Bailey says Maya seems to be trying to connect with her now. She asks if lasagna means something to them and Carina says it means a lot, but Maya told her to leave. She told Carina they were done. Bailey doesn't believe they're over. She and Ben have been through it all. They were even separated once. Weaker hearts wouldn't have survived, but they did and came out stronger. She and Maya will get through this if they want to. Carina grimaces and says she suddenly feels sick. The lasagna tasted funny. She runs for the bathroom. Bailey sniffs the lasagna, says it's not right, and throws it in the trash.
Maya says Jack could have stayed at the hospital and she would have covered for him, but he thinks Brooke doesn't need him. Maya points out that she showed up at the station high after a motorcycle crash. Jack says when he was in foster care, he was the one who took care of everyone. He stole food for the little kids and looked for socks to wrap cuts in when the bleeding wouldn't stop. He thought he knew what it meant to be an older brother, but now he's not sure what to do with Brooke. Maya says he should just be there for her. He'll figure it out. He just shouldn't do anything they're uncomfortable with. They have to find a balance. She realizes how different she sounds from her old self. She's the last person who should be dishing out advice. They agree they're both messy people and each of them thinks they're the messiest. Maya's phone rings and it's Bailey. After listening to Bailey, she asks where she is. She hangs up and has Jack turn.
Cooper wants to up the ante on their bet. Beckett says the third phase is about cohesion, efficiency, and multi-tasking. Both teams' fire attack units will be inside at the same time, putting out the fire and searching for a single dummy to rescue. Whichever team recovers the dummy wins the round. It's Copper and James from 88 against Andy and Ben from 19. They take their positions and get started. Inside, James remembers the advice the others gave him about following the hose line. They find the dummy, but an explosion knocks them both over as they prepare to evacuate.
Beckett radios in to the firefighters, questioning what the explosion was. James wakes up and checks on Cooper. He radios for help and Beckett sends Andy and Ben to rescue them. They find James and Cooper and get him out and put out the fire.
Once they're outside, they get Cooper onto a gurney. Beckett radios Dispatch and tells them about the incident. He walks over just as Ben takes off Cooper's mask to reveal a head injury. Beckett tells them to get him into the aid car, which they do.
Vic and Theo tend to James. He says there was a ball of fire. It wasn't like the other simulations. Cooper saved his life. Vic tells him to keep his oxygen mask on. Vic and Theo realize something went really wrong with the simulation. Theo looks over at Beckett, but Vic stops Theo from confronting him. Andy tells Beckett the fire's out. He tells her to send 19 back to the station and cover 88's jurisdiction while he goes to the hospital with 88.
Travis continues his press junket. When he tells the story of finding bull semen in a fire, Eli unplugs his microphone. Travis is upset when Eli says he has seven more.
Carina is curled up on the bed moaning when there's a knock at the door. She opens it to find Maya, who brought fluids. Carina rushes to the bathroom before she can finished talking and vomits. She tells Maya to go away because she doesn't want to see her, but Maya can't leave her like that. Carina says she can. Maya asks Carina to open the door, but Carina says she won't let Maya in because she's sick and tired. Seeing Maya at her work was torture. She asked Maya for space. Maya understands, but they're married and she plans to stay that way. If they don't talk eventually, they won't survive this. Carina feels like Maya just wants to check her off as an item on her checklist of things to fix in her life. She vomits again, then says Maya made up with her friends and got her job back. The only thing left is for Carina to forget everything that's happened and come home, but she's not going to do that. She's done being dragged around like a doll. And now Maya's literally poisoned her. She slumps against the wall. When Maya checks on her, she says she's cold and asks Maya to bring her some blankets. Maya grabs the blanket off the bed and takes it into the bathroom, where she wraps it around Carina.
Everyone at 19 is quiet. Vic asks someone to say something before she screams. She wonders if Ross even knows what happened. Andy is sure she knows by now. Sullivan says there will be an investigation. Until then, they have to wait to see what caused it and if Cooper's going to live. Vic's not sure she wants to know. Andy says they need to ground themselves in what they know. Theo says Beckett messed up, but Sullivan reminds him they need evidence, not just speculation. They need to wait for the facts.
Travis is wrapping up his last interview when the host says they've heard that Dixon's campaign's internal polling shows that they're in a dead heat. He's ahead of Osman for the first time. He asks for Travis's reaction. He says he's humbled by the support, but the only poll that matters is election day, so he'll continue to work to earn their votes. Once they're off, Travis and Eli celebrate. Eli says if things keep trending this way, he could actually end up being mayor.
Maya hangs fluids for Carina, who is still vomiting. Carina asks if Maya isn't support to be at work. Maya says she is working. Nonstop vomiting can be dangerous, so she's preventing catastrophe. Carina says she baked the catastrophe into a lasagna. She wonders how Maya could even mess up a lasagna. Maya admits that she might have taken it out of the oven too early because she wanted to get it to Carina when it was still hot. Maya asks if it at least tasted okay. Carina thanks Maya for coming and leans back into her body. Maya thanks Carina for letting her in. Maya gets a text from Jack saying they have to head back. She tells Carina she'll stay, but Carina tells her she should go. She then admits she doesn't want to leave because if she's afraid if she walks out, she doesn't know when she'll see Carina again. Carina assures her she will update Maya on her condition in a few hours and Maya will see her again.
Ben and Beckett come in and Ben says Cooper didn't make it. Vic asks about James, who is physically okay. Theo blames Beckett and asks if he's drinking again. The others warn him to stand down, but he says bursts of flames like that don't happen unless someone has screwed up. He wants to know what was really inside Beckett's water bottle. He says Beckett can prove him wrong by taking a Breathalyzer. Or showing them his water bottle. Beckett tells Theo he's the captain and Theo needs to have some respect. Beckett says if he hears another word about this before the investigation is completed, he'll have Theo suspended without pay.
Andy makes meatballs. When Sullivan comments on the day, she asks if he needs a meeting. He says he does, but he'll go when he can. She asks if he can tell her something just between them. She's worried they're about to fall off a cliff. She gave Beckett the benefit of the doubt for team unity, but now she's not sure. Sullivan says he thinks Beckett's off the wagon, too, because of his behavior. He could have put it all to rest showing them his water bottle, but he didn't. Andy says Cooper has a little girl and he was supposed to propose to his girlfriend. Sullivan says there are no guarantees in life, especially for them.
Travis joins the rest of the team to clean their trucks in the barn. He heard what happened and he thinks his life's about to change on election day and he just wanted to be a firefighter with his team for a while.
Jack is at the desk when Brooke comes in on crutches. Her ankle is wrapped. She says Clara will also be all right. He asks why she's there and why she contacted him in the first place. She thought they could be friends. She knows he grew up wishing he could be part of her family while she grew up wishing she could escape it. Jack says if she knew how he grew up, she wouldn't be saying that. She wants him to tell her about it because she doesn't feel like she belongs with the family. If he's the missing piece, she wants to find that out. She wants him to give them a chance without being a lecture-y big brother. He asks if that means she wants to start over. That sounds good to her. They re-introduce themselves.
Ben FaceTimes with Bailey, who says she'll have more hands at the clinic now. She wants them to plan a date night. He's looking forward to it.
Beckett sits in his office and drinks.
Eli finds Andy hanging up gear. He's there to return her apartment key. She says she hopes he didn't roam around where he wasn't supposed to, but he's still holding out hope for a personalized tour. He's asked around and heard she likes dancing. It's given him inspiration for their date. He heard about her day. He spent the whole day listening to Travis talk to people from all around the city. People are tired of the polarization in politics. It leaves people feeling alone and exhausted. Andy says her team's morale is hanging by a thread and she doesn't know what to do. She's tried keeping the peace, but it's not working. He says that's never been successful. She's tried everything else. Eli says neutrality can only take you so far. People eventually see through it. Politicians underestimate voters, but voters catch on. A strong stance is worth more than a mild peacekeeper. She's not a mild peacekeeper. She's a strong person, the strongest person he's ever met. He's there for her and wants to help lighten her load. Andy leans in and kisses him. After a few moments, she pulls back and walks away.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Jaina Lee Ortiz as Lieutenant Andy Herrera
- Jason George as Dr. Ben Warren
- Boris Kodjoe as Lieutenant Robert Sullivan
- Grey Damon as Jack Gibson
- Barrett Doss as Victoria Hughes
- Jay Hayden as Travis Montgomery
- Danielle Savre as Lieutenant Maya Bishop
- Stefania Spampinato as Dr. Carina DeLuca
- Carlos Miranda as Lieutenant Theo Ruiz
- Josh Randall as Captain Sean Beckett
- Merle Dandridge as Fire Chief Natasha Ross (credit only)
- Pat Healy as Michael Dixon (credit only)
Special Guest Star[]
Guest Stars[]
- Rob Heaps as Eli Stern
- Anna Daines as Brooke Hill
- Johnny Wactor as Lieutenant Cooper
- Chloe Lanier as Clara
- Jesse Posey as Firefighter James
Rescues[]
Training Day[]
Stations 19 and 88 participated in a training drill. During one of the drills, there was an unexpected explosion, which threw Lieutenant Cooper back along with Firefighter James. The firefighters worked to get Cooper out then took him to the hospital while James was given oxygen at the scene. Despite their best efforts, Cooper died at the hospital.
Brooke and Clara[]
Brooke Hill and Clara came into the station after a motorcycle accident. Maya checked out Clara while Jack examined Brooke. Brooke's ankle was injured as well as Clara's leg and Jack and Maya both said they needed to go to the hospital. They refused because what they were doing was illegal and on top of that, they had consumed marijuana edibles prior to the accident. Clara had abdominal pain, but denied anything was wrong until she passed out. Maya and Jack took her to the hospital to be treated for internal bleeding. Brooke later reported that Clara was going to be okay.
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Brand New Swagger" | Aloe Blacc & Tim Myers |
|
| "I Think I Belong Here" | I Am Hymn |
|
| "Feel - with Kyson" | Yuul, Kyson |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
- This episode's title originated from the song Even Better Than the Real Thing, originally sung by U2.
- This episode scored 4.30 million viewers.[1]
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
Quotes[]
See Also[]
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A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
| Station 19 Season 6 | ||||||
| #01 | "Twist and Shout" | #07 | "We Build Then We Break" | #13 | "It's All Gonna Break" | |
| #02 | "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" | #08 | "I Know A Place" | #14 | "Get It All Out" | |
| #03 | "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" | #09 | "Come As You Are" | #15 | "What Are You Willing to Lose" | |
| #04 | "Demons" | #10 | "Even Better Than the Real Thing" | #16 | "Dirty Laundry" | |
| #05 | "Pick Up The Pieces" | #11 | "Could I Leave You?" | #17 | "All These Things That I've Done" | |
| #06 | "Everybody Says Don't" | #12 | "Never Gonna Give You Up" | #18 | "Glamorous Life" | |
| << Season 5 | Season 7 >> | |||||