S2 E06: Last Day on Earth

[SimoneS]

Quote

Just when Ryan agrees to talk to it out with his dad, he makes an unexpected visit; Sullivan looks to an unlikely source for some bonding tips.

[SimoneS]

Now Ben is living with Dean and Jack. Ben used to be an anesthesiologist and then a successful surgeon. He can't afford to his own place?  Come on.

So what is wrong with Jack? At first, I thought PTSD, but if he had the same insomnia as a kid, it is more likely he is bipolar, maybe triggered by the trauma of fire fighting? It would explain his insomnia and moving the furniture around at night.

Dermot Mulroney was a great casting choice as Ryan's father, but damn he is a pain in the butt. No wonder Ryan is so screwed up. He is the reason that Ryan cannot make it work with Andy.

How on earth did Sullivan become a captain when he has such poor leadership skills? He needs a leadership course pronto.

I was looking forward to the fall out of Vic and Lucas' night together, but nothing, maybe next week.

[readster]

5 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

Now Ben is living with Dean and Jack. Ben used to be an anesthesiologist and then a successful surgeon. He can't afford to his own place?  Come on.

So what is wrong with Jack? At first, I thought PTSD, but if he had the same insomnia as a kid, it is more likely he is bipolar, maybe triggered by the trauma of fire fighting? It would explain his insomnia and moving the furniture around at night.

Dermot Mulroney was a great casting choice as Ryan's father, but damn he is a pain in the butt. No wonder Ryan is so screwed up. He is the reason that Ryan cannot make it work with Andy.

How on earth did Sullivan become a captain when he has such poor leadership skills? He needs a leadership course pronto.

I was looking forward to the fall out of Vic and Lucas' night together, but nothing, maybe next week.

Well, as much as people think you can just magically get a place when your spouse basically tells you to leave, you can't. However, I agree, we know Ben has no outstanding debt from anything. So, can't afford a place, don't buy it. 

  However, with I agree on Sullivan, same when it showed in flashbacks how hard he was on the rookies from going: "I don't care what your name is, learn dammit!" Same with Ripley and how he could be chief, when he makes very poor judgments in the heat of the moment. Everything coming up with The Storm on both shows, if they have Ripley showing more poor judgment in the field. I really want to know how no one else wanted the job. Because he and Sullivan are proving the classic: "Fall up to success" because I'm not seeing how they could go to Captain let alone move to the highest ranks in the departments. Same with Praitt Herra, why was he never promoted outside of Captain when we saw he was a leader in the field.

[mxc90]

Vic should know better than to have Ripley's name typed in her phone.

Would it be too much for Ryan to say thanks or goodbye to the dispatcher?

I thought Miller hated hugs?

Sullivan should have practiced his socializing delivery in front of a mirror.

If this was Luke Cage "coffee" is code for something else. I'm sure that was on Sullivan's mind.

Eventually the entire station will be living in Miller's house.

I thought it was odd for Andy to whine about medevac getting credit for a rescue. But that's Andy!

There were too many times when the Aid Car call came in to pull Andy away from an argument or expecting discussion. Too convenient.

So Jack is now having issues? We didn't see any build up to this?

Andy kept saying "I" did this and that today but did she forget she was with Maya?

Edited November 9, 2018 by mxc90

[SimoneS]

25 minutes ago, readster said:

Well, as much as people think you can just magically get a place when your spouse basically tells you to leave, you can't. However, I agree, we know Ben has no outstanding debt from anything. So, can't afford a place, don't buy it. 

Ben can could afford to rent a place. He could even afford a hotel for a few nights until he found an apartment to rent. It is too weird that he is now living with Dean and Jack. Guess Ryan, Sullivan, and Ripley will be moving in next. All boys together.

 

24 minutes ago, mxc90 said:

Vic should know better than to have Ripley's name typed in her phone.

That was ridiculous. Not only does she have his last name (she could have just put in Lucas), she has her phone lying around where anyone can pick it up. Even asking Jack for advice was odd. Have they had more than a two second scene before? It would have made more sense to have her ask Travis or Ben. Maybe the show is trying to switch up the characters' interactions.

 

25 minutes ago, readster said:

However, with I agree on Sullivan, same when it showed in flashbacks how hard he was on the rookies from going: "I don't care what your name is, learn dammit!" Same with Ripley and how he could be chief, when he makes very poor judgments in the heat of the moment. Everything coming up with The Storm on both shows, if they have Ripley showing more poor judgment in the field. I really want to know how no one else wanted the job. Because he and Sullivan are proving the classic: "Fall up to success" because I'm not seeing how they could go to Captain let alone move to the highest ranks in the departments. Same with Praitt Herra, why was he never promoted outside of Captain when we saw he was a leader in the field.

Ha. I agree that both Sullivan and Ripley are terrible leaders and have poor judgement. Maybe they are all that the Seattle fire department have to choose from. I see criticism of Andy all the time, but compared to Sullivan and Ripley, I think that she is a much better leader and an an upgrade on the currently leadership even if she doesn't have the experience to be captain.

Edited November 9, 2018 by SimoneS

[tennisgurl]

Ben cant get his own place? Even a hotel room? He was a surgeon not too long ago! 

I thought that Jack had PTSD, but with him talking about stuff when he was younger, maybe this triggered some other semi-dormant mental health issue? Him being bipolar or having some other mood disorder would actually make sense. Jack is kind of a typical Golden Boy type, I think this could be a good story for him. 

No wonder Ryan is kind of a mess. His dad is a real piece of work. Adds some context to his life of young adult crime leading to him being a cop. 

Sullivan trying to awkwardly make small talk about kind of funny, but also super embarrassing. This guy is a leader? A guy who cant even manage basic interpersonal relationships or small talk with his team? What is he, a robot? 

[SimoneS]

10 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Sullivan trying to awkwardly make small talk about kind of funny, but also super embarrassing. This guy is a leader? A guy who cant even manage basic interpersonal relationships or small talk with his team? What is he, a robot? 

I am convinced that they made Sullivan this way just to create drama for the team, but it is disappointing. It would have been great to see Sullivan as a real leader who could mentor Andy and Jack. As he acts now, they both have better leadership skills than he does and should be the ones mentoring him. I omit Maya because if her hearing loss is significant and permanent she is going to have stop being a firefighter sooner than later.

Edited November 9, 2018 by SimoneS

[Dowel Jones]

I'm rather curious as to why the assigned Captain can approve or disapprove the return to work of another Captain.  That should be farther up the food chain. 

Loved Vic and Maya suiting up with rapelling gear and ropes, that, apparently, they carry in the aid car, all to drop down about 20' over an embankment.  I assume they did get the bleeding stopped given the time it took to run back to the aid car and get the stretcher.

I have to confess that I have been paying so little attention to the side plots that the Ryan's Daddy thing completely slipped my mind until they mentioned the poker game from last week.  "Oh, that's who that is."

That truck must have the loudest diesel engine ever.  During their trip back to the station, that's all I could hear on the soundtrack.

Don't worry, Vic.  Jack will never, ever, ever blab your secret romance to the rest of the station.

Slight editing mistake:  When Sullivan called the station to lineup, he was shown with a clean collar (no brass).  When he walks down the line staring at the crew, he has his collar brass on.

[Chas411]

Quote

Even asking Jack for advice was odd. Have they had more than a two second scene before? It would have made more sense to have her ask Travis or Ben. Maybe the show is trying to switch up the characters' interactions.

Jack has very little development or interaction with the cast outside Andy last year. I think they're trying to integrate him more. Probably because of his storyline.

[SimoneS]

I wasn't much impressed by the rescues, but the woman with her hand stuck in the garage disposal wigged me out. It is one of my phobias which is why I use a brush or something else. I never stick my hand in there. Ugh.

[WendyM]

I bought that Ben wouldn't get a place so quickly. He doesn't want it to be final. He's lonely. He wants to be around his team. (But if I were Ben, I'd be at a hotel for a few days.) It's more dramatic this way, too, with the big reveal at the end.

I'm again reminded why I'm glad we don't have garbage disposals out here in the country. That hand was nassssty. 

[Ohwell]

I wanted to bitch-slap that sulking teenaged daughter when she turned on the blender and scared the mother and the firefighters.  I don't care what her issues were, that was so cruel.

I thought it was sweet when the big guy (can't remember his name) hugged Ben.

[clyo22]

I still think Sullivan is a good leader. Last week was the anniversary of his wife's death and the end of his friendship with Ripley. He was unprofessional and lashed out. He shouldn't have. Still he has been making good decisions since he arrived and has been assessing the team well. Even when he decided that Andy should specialize in recruitment, we saw it was a good decision. His wife's death changed him a lot, he shot himself off. After 15 years he doesn't know how to loosen up anymore. That doesn't make him a bad leader. I'm actually slightly annoyed that he "needs" Andy's help with the team now, but I hope he will remain strict and true to himself.

Ripley on the other hand hasn't shown any good leadership yet. But then again everyone is extremely unprofessional on this show. I wish they would show that you can do your job well and the victim/patient still dies. But here someone always has to screw up.

I am disappointed with the development of Vic and Ripley's relationship. I hoped it would be a slow burn, but that doesn't exist in Shondaland. I don't look forward to what will happen with them.

Why do people always have to be roommates in Shonda Rhimes' show. Adults, even when they don't like to be alone, usually don't want to live with their colleagues. Even when those colleagues are also their friends. This is just weird and a plot device to have everyone always together. 

Edited November 10, 2018 by clyo22

[SimoneS]

9 hours ago, WendyM said:

I bought that Ben wouldn't get a place so quickly. He doesn't want it to be final. He's lonely. He wants to be around his team. (But if I were Ben, I'd be at a hotel for a few days.) It's more dramatic this way, too, with the big reveal at the end.

You make a good point about why Ben might have been unwilling to rent a place. Dean hugging him was sweet so that's something.

I think that all these characters living together is basically the show saving money because all those location shoots cost. The only reason that Vic hasn't already moved in with Andy and Maya is that she and Lucas are about to embark on a secret affair.  

20 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I'm rather curious as to why the assigned Captain can approve or disapprove the return to work of another Captain.  That should be farther up the food chain. 

I don't get that either. Herrera has been a captain for much longer than Sullivan so he must have seniority. Any decision about whether or not he returns to active duty should be up to the Chief and others above Sullivan. Also, after those flashbacks with Herrera, Sullivan and Ripley, I don't get Herrera deference to Sullivan. I would think that he would be rolling his eyes at Sullivan and coming down hard on him for his poor leadership skills. There is so much about this show doesn't make much sense.

Edited November 10, 2018 by SimoneS

[readster]

10 hours ago, SimoneS said:

 

I don't get that either. Herrera has been a captain for much longer than Sullivan so he must have seniority. Any decision about whether or not he returns to active duty should be up to the Chief and others above Sullivan. Also, after those flashbacks with Herrera, Sullivan and Ripley, I don't get Herrera deference to Sullivan. I would think that he would be rolling his eyes at Sullivan and coming down hard on him for his poor leadership skills. There is so much about this show doesn't make much sense.

Yes, it would have to be the Section Captain or Section Chief to tell Papa Herra to be fit to be captain again. Sullivan has nothing to do with it, plus when Sullivan told him: "I understand, you need a walk around before retirement." Yeah, that really doesn't come across anything with the flashback either. As I and others have wondered, why was Herra passed up for promotion if he was 19's captain for over 18 years. Especially, if it looks like his wife died when Andy was in her late teens. The time lines are making sense. 

[Lady Calypso]

On 08/11/2018 at 10:17 PM, SimoneS said:

So what is wrong with Jack? At first, I thought PTSD, but if he had the same insomnia as a kid, it is more likely he is bipolar, maybe triggered by the trauma of fire fighting? It would explain his insomnia and moving the furniture around at night.

It does sound like bipolar disorder. He was talking about having all this energy at the beginning of the episode. I do like that they've been consistently showing something's been wrong for the last few episodes. I definitely feel like whatever is wrong was triggered by the events of the finale and this season's premiere.

The hand in the disposal scene is why I'm glad I live in Canada. We don't have garbage disposals so it works out. 

Ryan's dad isn't great. I didn't buy his BS explanation as to why he was really there for Ryan. Dude, if you wanted to be there and not waste time with Ryan and you thought you'd be taken in to custody at any moment, why wait two and a half months until Ryan stumbled upon you?  

With regards to Sullivan, I get that he does need to find a way to connect with the people he's working with, as there needs to be SOME trust built on his end. However, I hope they're not going in the total opposite direction either, where he starts looking the other way when these people screw up, as we know that they'll do. I hope there can be some sort of balance. I don't mind him going to bond with others as well. 

Also, I gotta admit, Sullivan asking Andy out for coffee to talk could go a whole different way, and I hope it doesn't. They already have that topic covered with Vic and Ripley.

So, Ben is living with Dean and Jack now. I'm agreeing that it's really to save on location sets and get to utilize the off station sites more. You can't have Ben over at Dean's all the time in the beginning and ending shots without making it look like he's living there at some point, I guess. Plus, maybe Ben doesn't want to be living alone yet. 

[SimoneS]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

Also, I gotta admit, Sullivan asking Andy out for coffee to talk could go a whole different way, and I hope it doesn't. They already have that topic covered with Vic and Ripley.

Ugh, this never occurred to me. I have been so relieved that the triangle with Jack seemed to be over. I really hope that they don't go there. Actually I thought that they brought in Ryan's father to set up the groundwork for Andy and Ryan to get back together. I like Ryan and prefer Andy with him so I might have on blinders where they are concerned. 

Btw, what happened to Brenda Song's character? Dean was dating her, now she has disappeared.

[Racj82]

3 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Ugh, this never occurred to me. I have been so relieved that the triangle with Jack seemed to be over. I really hope that they don't go there. Actually I thought that they brought in Ryan's father to set up the groundwork for Andy and Ryan to get back together. I like Ryan and prefer Andy with him so I might have on blinders where they are concerned. 

Btw, what happened to Brenda Song's character? Dean was dating her, now she has disappeared.

To your last question, they broke up on screen last season. She didn't disappear. He was becoming too into hanging with her to the point that he was missing sleep and fucking up at work. 

[Chas411]

Was it on screen though? I vaguely remember that I saw him ignore her call and then never saw her again.

[SimoneS]

5 hours ago, Racj82 said:

To your last question, they broke up on screen last season. She didn't disappear. He was becoming too into hanging with her to the point that he was missing sleep and fucking up at work. 

I remember Dean being concerned about the relationship, but not the on screen break up. I must have missed it. Thanks.

[transitfan]

20 hours ago, Chas411 said:

Was it on screen though? I vaguely remember that I saw him ignore her call and then never saw her again.

That's what I remember.  Dean was talking to some of the other guys at the station, phone rings, he looks, caller ID says "JJ".  One of the other guys says (I think) "You need to take that?"  Dean refuses the call and says something like "No, not important".  And I was like, bye JJ.  Kinda sad, as I like Brenda Song, but she was probably only signed for that arc.  I follow Brenda on facebook, and I was tempted to ask her, but I didn't  :)