Station 19 Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Into the Woods

Well, we finally have an answer as to why Maya is struggling as a leader.

It’s because she was never exposed to a decent role model growing up.

As flashbacks showed on Station 19 Season 3 Episode 5, her father was downright abusive and only showed her affection after she met his high standards.

If she fell short, well, then Maya could forget about any kindness or social nicety. Heck, she even could forget about human decency, as Mr. Bishop is the paradigm of what it means to be a horrible father.

Before this episode, very little was known about Maya’s past other than she won an Olympic gold medal and has a drug addict for her brother.

During Station 19 Season 1, Maya revealed her parents paid more attention to her than her brother Mason, always putting her training and journey to the Olympics first.

This, in turn, contributed to Mason’s downward spiral and last viewers saw him on Station 19 Season 1 Episode 7, he was still living in a homeless encampment.
Though Maya felt guilty about the role she and her parents played in her brother’s misfortune, she never indicated her parents were anything less than supportive.

And at first, it seemed like our initial belief was right. Sure, Mr. Bishop was intense, but all parents ride their child hard sometimes.

As the hour progressed, viewers got a firsthand look into what Maya went through.

She grew up in a household where love was something that had to be earned, something that wasn’t given freely.
If she succeeded, she was worthy of praise; if she failed, she was nothing.

That childhood trauma has transferred into how Maya leads as a captain.