Soooo, ABC’s Thursday (3/22/18 @ 9 PM) 2-hour premiere of “Station 19” (S-19) uncovered where actress Jaina Lee Ortiz slipped off to. All this time my bff, Dana, and I have been impatiently waiting for Ortiz to return to Fox’s “Rosewood” with Morris Chestnut (Dr. Beaumont Rosewood), the self-proclaimed Beethoven of Pathology (but with a congenital heart defect that drives him to appreciate life and its essentials). The season finale of Rosewood left us fan fiends, clinging to the expectation of its “now nonexistent” subsequent season opener. Ughhhh The agony of anticipation deferred.
Ortiz not only slipped away from sunny Miami to rainy Seattle, but also away from the police department to the fire department. She hasn’t abandoned her blues, though. And interestingly, she traded in her police chief father figure for an on-screen father, the captain of S-19. Her role segue, albeit safe, was professionally sensical.
Passionate roles seem to fit Ortiz like a glove. She’s a badass (Rosewood, ass-kicking detective S-19, a makes-her-own-rules firewoman), romantically torn between her co-workers (Rosewood, Dr. Rosewood and the police dept. pathologist S-19, her fireman lover and her childhood police neighbor), suffers from losing of a deceased parent (Rosewood, her dad S-19, her mom), etcetera. Still, she reigns as the boss babe of the blues.
But I’m conflicted: I loved the “Holmes and Watson” chemistry between her and Chesnut, complemented by their sexual tension. But then what S-19 lacks in Rosewood’s crime-solving duo, it makes up for in group chemistry and charisma. Although S-19 is emotionally deeper and more socially layered, my verdict’s still out. I’ll have to wait and see what the show’s creator, Stacy McKee, has in store for Dana and I, whose loyalty to Rosewood has yet to be adulterated.
Okay, perhaps I’m a teeny bit city-biased. Hey, S-19 is in my hometown (Seattle, the “Emerald City,” also my birthstone)!! For the time being, my bff and I “may” have found us a worthy Rosewood placeholder. But S-19 had better step it up if it hopes to beat out the high chemistry bar set by Rosewood.
We’ll be watching more episodes to determine whether Ortiz’s Miami fire actually makes the coast-to-coast trek, or whether S-19’s downpour puts out her flames.
Jacob Gamet
DOC #883302
Great review and synopsis; especially the Holmes Watson comparative, as it is one of only four shows I enjoy. If I get a chance to view S-19, I will look into Ortiz’ talents. I know she’s got the moves, as all salsa dancers are known for, and she’s a Californian which gives her two points with me.
Rock on Mr. Gamet.