Station 19 killed off Ripley on Thursday night and ABC viewers are still reeling. During a crossover event between Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy, the main focus was the health of Fire Chief Lucas Ripley.
During the previous episode of Station 19, Ripley was involved in an explosion during a fire. He breathed in some acidic gasses and it was starting to break down his body from the inside.
The call to the fire had almost immediately followed Ripley (played by Brett Tucker) getting asked by Vic (Barrett Doss) to marry her. He didn’t give an answer and then she thought she was being stood up when he was late to a dinner date. Instead, he had collapsed in the street after buying Vic flowers.
?❤️ #GreysxStation19 pic.twitter.com/bHWWgeCuvO
— Station 19 (@Station19) May 3, 2019
Why did Station 19 kill off Ripley?
Brett Tucker, who plays Ripley on Station 19, had become a large part of the cast during Season 2 of the show. His relationship with Vic, played by actress Barrett Doss, had been one of the intriguing subplots of the season. A lot of the relationship between the two characters was fleshed out during the May 2 episode.
There were only faint rumors about what might happen with the Station 19 cast during the crossover with Grey’s Anatomy. It was never announced that Brett Tucker would be leaving the Station 19 cast, so his death came as a shocking blow to many viewers. This was, simply, event television at its best from ABC.
Moving forward, the death of Chief Ripley is going to have a lasting impact on the rest of the Station 19 cast. The final scene from the May 2 episode, called Always Ready, brought a lot of tears to viewers. That scene is shared below, as the firehouse all comes together to grieve and support Vic.
Brett Tucker leaves Station 19 cast
The Station 19 season finale is coming up soon and it will showcase the team trying to deal with a California wildfire. It’s unclear why they are traveling to California and not helping with Washington fires, but that’s what will take place. First, though, the next episode will have the Station 19 cast dealing with the death of Ripley and celebrating his life.
It’s possible that Brett Tucker could still pop up in flashback scenes during the final two episodes of Station 19 Season 2. His character is going to be a main topic of conversation, especially since the preview for the next episode hints at Vic skipping the funeral.
Station 19 airs Thursday nights at 9/8c on ABC.