Started from the Bottom is the ninth episode and mid-season premiere of the fifth season and the 68th overall episode of Station 19.
Short Summary[]
A new chief starts at Station 19. Meanwhile, the crew responds to a young girl seeking help and a call about an SUV flown over a cliff.
Full Summary[]
At stations 19 and 23, the firefighters clean every nook and cranny of their stations. Andy says she wants the station so clean, the junkyard gym sparkles, while Beckett tells his team not to embarrass him in front of the new chief.
Natasha Ross steps out of her car.
Andy tries to rally her team by shouting, "23!" but gets no response.
Ross puts on her blazer.
Maddox is cleaning the kitchen floor, when Andy tells him there's goo.
Ross walks inside.
Beckett tells everyone to shower and get dressed. Sullivan asks about the new chief and Beckett says she's Natasha Ross from San Diego and a former Marine. As he leaves, Ross comes in and sees Sullivan, whom she hasn't seen in 15 years.
Beckett leads Ross into the barn, where the team is lined up. She says she's heard and read a lot about them. Maya introduces herself and says it's a honor to meet her. Ross knows Maya's name and is glad to have a face to put with it.
Andy welcomes Ross to station 23. Ross heard about Aquino and knows he's home and doing his physical therapy. She knows that Andy is a legacy, but says she judges people on their own actions, not their family.
Ross tells station 19 that McCallister left her with a mountain of paperwork, which delayed her ability to visit their station.
She says to impress her, they need to show her their best and make her life easier. She hates paperwork, but she loves seeing people win.
Ross directly addresses Ben and Jack and congratulates them. She approved their clinic plans and the city is dedicating $100,000 to it.
Ross follows Beckett to his office and thanks him for letting her poke around. She's heard that 19 is one of the best teams. Not to mention industrious. He takes no credit for either of their new social programs. He got lucky. He's dodged demotion a few times. She is team second chances, but she wants him to know he's had his. Her predecessors made a clubhouse out of the department and she's there to fix it. She's going to stick around 19 for the day.
Theo asks Andy what she thinks of the new chief. Andy kind of likes her and wants to impress her. They walk into the kitchen, where Barnes is struggling to make eggs. Andy says it's time for them to learn to cook. She pulls out a box of pancake mix and tells them to wash their hands. She has Barnes read the directions out. The cooking lesson is interrupted when they get called out.
Jack is pacing in the day room grunting while Ben watches. Carina comes in and is wondering why Jack seems upset, because Maya told her they got the funding. Jack says they only got $100,000, when they need five times that amount. Carina realizes he's trying to motivate himself and joins in. They try to get Ben to join in, but he isn't interested. Finally, Carina gets him to join and he rants about Ifeya and Bill wanting to put Pru in a school Dean wouldn't want her to go to. The klaxons ring and Ben rushes out. Jack tells Carina he's on desk duty, so he's not going.
Ross tells 19 it's time to move. Sullivan tries to talk to her, but she tells him not to. Beckett tells them they need to get their response times down and an SUV went over Leon's ridge. Ben's phone rings. It's Teddy, telling him Owen's in the car. He climbs into the truck and tells the driver to drive fast.
On their way to the scene, 23 learns that police are on the scene at the initial crash point, but the car has fallen off the road into the ravine. Andy directs them to the closest access road. Theo is doubtful that anyone would survive that drop. Andy asks if there's any update between him and Vic. He doesn't even know if they're still together. He just knows that he loves her and believes she loves him. They were happy and now they're not. He's not allowed to be angry because her friend just died. He wants to help her, but she doesn't want his help. He doesn't know what to do, so he's doing nothing.
Maya says it was interesting with Ross, how she bundled promotion requests and investigations together like they're the same thing. Maya needs an answer. Sullivan says him promoting her to captain wasn't a whim. He stands by that decision. She asks if he'll tell Ross that. He says he doesn't really know Ross, but Maya asks him to say something, if she asks. He says he would proudly. Travis says Vic should have been there to meet the new chief. Sullivan says she needs to get her head on straight before she meets Ross. Travis disagrees, saying she needs to work. Maya says wanting and needing are two different things. Travis thinks she needs to be with the people who are going through the same things as her. They've all lost people and no one benched them.
Andy looks down into the ravine, but the car isn't visible. Station 19 arrives and Ben says Owen is in the car. He wants them to go down immediately and get him. Andy gives orders and tells Ben they need a plan before they can go down into the ravine. Ross steps up, but says she's just observing, so Andy's in charge.
Carina says calendars do well, but not that well. She wants to do something flashier, something they've never done before. Jack doesn't have any ideas. He thinks it's time for someone else to have some ideas. Carina warns him not to turn on her as she's on his side. Just then, Vic comes in. She needs to check her blood pressure. She assures Carina she only lightly jogged to get there. She's not great at sitting home alone. Jack brings her in on the brainstorming. She suggests a car wash, a 10K, or a wealthy benefactor. While they talk, Aarón comes in and asks them to help his sister, Jeni. She's bleeding and he doesn't know what to do. Carina looks and sees that Aarón is bleeding as well. He wants them to help his sister first. She says she started bleeding this morning and it won't stop. Bandages wouldn't stop the bleeding. Aarón tripped and fell while running there. Carina says the hospital is only a few blocks away, but Aarón refuses, saying their mom went into a hospital and never came out. Carina asks if Jeni has any pain. Jeni says she just started bleeding and her stomach hurts. Vic asks how old she is and she says she's 12.5. Carina asks Jeni to remove her jacket, which is tied around her waist, which confirms Vic and Carina's suspicions. Jeni asks if she's dying.
Andy and Maya make a plan to get supplies down to the most probable location of the car. There's been rain, so they have to take it slow or risk additional injuries. Andy sends Ben to prep med bags for when they're ready to go down. When Ben objects, she insists and sends Sullivan to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Theo suggests them going down in waves to put less pressure on the cliff. Andy tells Theo to gear up. He'll be going down into the ravine.
Ben hooks a rope to the ladder truck. He starts rappelling down over Sullivan's objections.
Carina tells Jeni she's not dying; she's menstruating. Jeni doesn't know what that means. She's embarrassed when Jack walks back in. Vic suggests that Jack take Aarón so they can help Jeni. Aarón doesn't want to leave Jeni, but Carina says she's a doctor and promises Jeni's not dying. She asks for twenty minutes and gives Aarón her phone and setting a timer. Aarón goes with Jack into the barn while Carina and Vic take Jeni upstairs.
Ben gets to a landing and starts calling out to Owen. Sullivan then lands next to him and starts chastising him, saying he's giving the Millers all the ammo they need.
Jack grabs some chairs and has Aarón sit down. They have fourteen minutes left, which is plenty of time to fix him up. Aarón starts crying. He tells Jack his mom bled out. He heard someone at the funeral say so. He asks if that's what's happening to Jeni. Jack says no and he'll explain the whole thing while he cleans Aarón up. He asks if Aarón knows what menstruation is. He doesn't. Jack then asks if he knows how babies get made. He doesn't know that either, but that's not Jack's job to explain. He tells Aarón that women can bleed several days every month and be totally fine. That's why women are better than them.
Ben and Sullivan spot the car. Sullivan radios for supplies. Andy says Maya, Theo, and Travis are on their way with them. Sullivan spots a body nearby. Ben checks it out. It's not Owen and he's dead. Ben keeps moving toward the car, calling out. He hears Owen call back. Ben gets to the car and ignores Sullivan saying he needs to check for fuel leaks and goes to check on Owen. There are no fuel leaks, so Sullivan says they need to check stability so he can disconnect the battery. Ben's tired of waiting, so he goes to check on Owen instead. He looks in to where Owen is pinned.
Owen tells Ben that his leg and back are injured and he thinks he can feel bone in his leg. Ben tells him to stay still just as Maya, Theo, and Travis arrive with supplies. Theo calls for tow straps to stabilize the car. Maya has Sullivan help her disconnect the battery so they can work safely. Owen asks about Teddy and Cormac and learns they made it to the hospital. He asks about the heart, but Ben tells him to focus on himself. Ben can't reach him, so he has to put in his own IV. Travis says the ignition is smashed, but the vehicle is in park. Maya has disconnected the battery.
Carina and Vic wait while Jeni changes in a stall. When she starts crying, they check on her. She is embarrassed that she didn't know what a period entailed, even though she can pay the electric bill online for her dad. Vic says she barely knows what happens during a period. Carina tells her that's not something to be proud of. Carina says it's okay, because now she knows. Jeni asks if it's always like this. Carina says everyone is different and cycles change every five years, which is a shock to Vic. Jeni comes out, saying it's not very comfortable. Vic says pads are terrible and tampons aren't much worse. And she's never ventured into diva cup territory. Carina tells Jeni not to worry about that yet. Jeni's worried about the other things she won't know as the girl without the mom. Vic says she can always come back and they'll do their best to fill her in. As Jeni washes her hands, she says she thought pity would be the worst part about not having a mom. Carina asks if they should go meet the boys before her brother storms in. Jeni says he's annoying, but Carina says that's his job as her younger brother.
Maya and Travis pull a branch out of the car as Ben prepares Owen for them cutting off the roof, saying it will be very loud. Owen tries to give Ben a message for his kids, but Ben tells him to tell them himself. While they work, a basket is lowered to pull Owen out. Owen starts complaining about the pain in his legs, so Ben tells him that he and Sullivan are both military guys and gets Sullivan to start talking about it. Sullivan asks him about the last time he got shot and, when he realizes Owen never was, tells about a time he got shot and didn't realize it. They pull the roof off and have Owen bite down on a strap while they free him.
Jack and Aarón toss gummy bears, trying to get them into a mug on the desk. Carina, Vic, and Joni come down the stairs just as the timer goes off. Aarón tells Jeni that Jack explained that it'll happen every month until Jeni is old. Then he gives her the gummy bears, telling her that Jack said he had to be extra nice to her. When they tell Jack they live a fifteen minute walk away, Jack offers to walk them home. Jeni thanks Carina and Vic and offers them help paying their bills online if they ever need it. Vic and Carina continue picking the gummy bears up off the floor when Vic suddenly grabs her chest. She's been having palpitations, but her heart monitor hasn't gone off, which is why she wanted to take her blood pressure. Carina offers to check her off, but tells her not to jog.
Once the car seat is cut away, the firefighters pull Owen out of the car and onto a stretcher. They load him into the stokes basket. As he is lifted, Ben hooks himself to the rigging and rides up with him. Meanwhile, the others climb back up their ropes. Once the basket is on the road, Andy tells Ben to back away as they get Owen onto the gurney. Becket seconds Andy's command, but Ben's not sorry. Beckett says he risked his team's lives with what he did. He's been insubordinate lately. The only reason he didn't get written up for the PRT was because the man lived. Andy stops Ben when he tries to go with Owen, saying Maya and Sullivan have it handled. She orders him back to the station. Andy then tells Beckett to get his team in order before she has to bury another friend. Ross is impressed by her and says so.
On the way to the hospital, Owen complains of pain in his legs. Maya tells him the medication should start helping soon. Sullivan tells Owen about his own accident and how he made it back. They talk more about their military pasts and how it's never really over.
Vic says they're kind of benevolent geniuses and wonders why people can't already get medical care at a firehouse. Carina says it's money. Vic wonders how scared Jeni must have been to wake up to all that blood. Carina's upset with the general state of women's reproductive healthcare in the US, including sex education being exclusively focused on telling kids not to have sex, something that has never worked. Carina hooks Vic up to monitors as they talk. Vic is surprised at what she didn't know about cycles changing as you age. They talk about Vic's cycle changing until Jack walks in. He wants to do a 10K in turnouts, adding a new twist on one of Vic's ideas. People will love it. Carina tells Vic her BP is good, but her heart rate is elevated, so Carina wants her to go to the ER. Vic doesn't want to, but Carina says she wouldn't be a good physician if she didn't insist. Carina says if Vic told her there was a gas leak, she'd jump out the window without thinking twice. Vic agrees to go to the ER.
Ross finds Travis, who is cleaning up equipment at the scene. She tells him he has an impeccable record and wonders why he hasn't made a shot at moving up the ranks. He tells her he likes where he is. He has a role and he's comfortable with it. He doesn't want to end up supervising people who are doing the job he wants to do. He would be good at it, but he doesn't want it. He doesn't want to make a call that leads to someone dying. He thanks her, but insists he won't change his mind.
Andy goes to Ben and asks if she needs to be worried about him. He's the stability on their team, but that's a lot of pressure. He doesn't have to keep it together for them, but he has to stay alive for Pru. And what he's doing is not that. Feeling out of control is affecting his work.
Back at the station, Travis tells Maya that Vic shouldn't be benched. After Michael died, Captain Herrera gave him the space at 19 to grieve. He didn't have to stay at home and face it alone. He needs Vic at work. He just worries about her when she's not there. He asks Maya to talk to Beckett and get him to overrule Jack. Maya reminds him that Vic compromised Crisis One. If Crisis One had gotten scrapped because of her, it would have ruined her. Travis says he's already ruined, which is why she was benched. Maya says she needs time. When she's ready to let them, they'll be there for her. Travis says he definitely doesn't want to be lieutenant because everyone hates a mean lieutenant. Beckett comes in and orders Ben to have three sessions with Diane Lewis. He'll be on desk duty until it's completed. Ben tries to argue, but Sullivan stops him and tells him to get his head back on right. Ross congratulates the team, saying it's clear there's a long-overdue promotion. Maya steps forward, thinking it's her, but Ross says Sullivan will be a lieutenant, over Beckett's objection. She tells everyone to rest and hydrate.
At 23, Maddox tells Andy she commanded the scene well. She calls out "23!" and teaches them to respond.
Sullivan follows Ross out to her car, but she tells him not to be an idiot. She doesn't want the others to know they're friends. He asks if it was some kind of favor, but she didn't even know he was in Seattle until she got there. They're not close enough for her to risk her credibility. He doesn't want to be seen as pulling strings. Ross says McCallister promoted all his buddies. Why shouldn't she? Then she clarifies that she's kidding. She needs people she can trust to lead and keep the teams safe. She knows he's that. She knows about the incident that led to his demotion. The department made a mistake and she wants to fix it.
Carina goes to the exam room where Vic is waiting. She tells Vic her heart is great, but she wonders if Vic knew she was pregnant. Vic says she's on the pill. Carina asks when her last period was, but Vic can't remember. She says days bleed together since Dean. Carina's sure and tells Vic they always do the test in the ER. Palpitations can happen during pregnancy. Vic is stunned into silence.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Jaina Lee Ortiz as Lieutenant Andy Herrera
- Jason George as Dr. Ben Warren
- Boris Kodjoe as Robert Sullivan
- Grey Damon as Lieutenant 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
Guest Stars[]
- Kevin McKidd as Dr. Owen Hunt
- Merle Dandridge as Fire Chief Natasha Ross
- Josh Randall as Captain Sean Beckett
- Natasha Ward as Deja Duval
- Julia Garcia as Jeni
- Michael Mourra as Aarón
Co-Starring[]
Rescues[]
Cliffside Rescue[]
Stations 23 and 19 were both called out for search and rescue after a car carrying Owen Hunt and a driver went down a cliff. When they arrived, they were unable to spot the car from the road. Despite the presence of the new fire chief, Natasha Ross, Andy remained Incident Commander as Ross chose to observe only. Andy had traffic blocked on both sides while they made a plan to get down to the car. They chose to send people and equipment down in waves to avoid putting too much simultaneous pressure on the cliff. Ben impulsively decided to rappel down the cliff without waiting for authorization, and Sullivan followed him. Down the hill, Ben found the car, where Owen was trapped inside, but alive and responsive. They found no fuel leaks on the car. Owen reported that his legs felt like they were burning and his back was in pain. He also said his leg was actively bleeding and he thought he could feel the bone. Theo, Maya, and the rest of the first wave arrived and called for tow straps to secure the vehicle. Maya disconnected the car battery and they ensured the car was turned off. Ben handed Owen a needle, which he used to start his own IV. They removed a large branch that was impaled through the car and then cut the roof off the car while they used the ladder truck to lower a stokes basket. When Owen started to panic, Sullivan calmed him talking about his time in the military. Once he was out, they loaded him into the basket and had him hauled up. Instead of letting go, Ben hooked himself to the side of the basket and was pulled up with him. Once he was up, Maya and Sullivan took him to the hospital in the aid car.
Jeni and Aarón[]
Jeni and her brother Aarón came to the station panicked because Jeni was bleeding and it wouldn't stop. On their way, Aarón had tripped and scraped his palms and knees. While Jack cleaned and bandaged Aarón's scrapes, Carina and Vic took Jeni into the bathroom, explained menstruation to her, and gave her clean clothes and pads.
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Back in the Game" | Desi Valentine |
|
| "Watching Over You" | Frank E. Maddox |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
- This episode's title originated from the song Started from the Bottom, originally sung by Drake.
- This episode scored 4.98 million viewers.[1]
- Goof: When Natasha Ross sees Robert Sullivan, she asks if he lost his sense of humor the same place he lost his hair, implying he had hair when they knew each other before. However, we later saw flashbacks of the two of them together in Iraq and in those flashbacks, he was already bald.
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 5 | ||||||
| #01 | "Phoenix from the Flame" | #07 | "A House Is Not a Home" | #13 | "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" | |
| #02 | "Can't Feel My Face" | #08 | "All I Want for Christmas is You" | #14 | "Alone in the Dark" | |
| #03 | "Too Darn Hot" | #09 | "Started from the Bottom" | #15 | "When the Party's Over" | |
| #04 | "100% or Nothing" | #10 | "Searching for the Ghost" | #16 | "Death and the Maiden" | |
| #05 | "Things We Lost in the Fire" | #11 | "The Little Things You Do Together" | #17 | "The Road You Didn't Take" | |
| #06 | "Little Girl Blue" | #12 | "In My Tree" | #18 | "Crawl Out Through the Fallout" | |
| << Season 4 | Season 6 >> | |||||