Hey, a new sapphic shipper?
That’s right, you read it right. There’s a new sapphic shipper on the block for us to enjoy and ship A LOT.
First let’s understand where this couple came from
“ Station 19 ” , released in March 2018, is a series that goes far beyond “ Grey’s Anatomy ” (despite being a spin-off). The main cast is excellent, just as Meredith ( Ellen Pompeo ) is the center of attention at the hospital, here we have Andy Herrera ( Jaina Lee Ortiz ) as the main character, she is the typical protagonist of the ShondaLand universe: many times she does not please the audience, since she carries with her the dilemma of always being right. But the writers did a great job with the script for this series and we have a cast that plays their roles in an incredible way. I dare say that this spin-off was one of the best so far in the “ Grey’s Anatomy” universe.
But here we will focus on a character who is both loved and hated by the public (yes, guys, not everything is rosy). Maya Bishop ( Danielle Savre ) is a former Olympic athlete, firefighter and Andy’s best friend. Known among her friends as ” sweet broken Maya” , we have a complex character full of secrets. Throughout the narrative we see her making decisions that are not always “sensible” and having attitudes that are often questionable even among her friends. When Maya’s story is shown in the production we realize that her traumatic behavior is due to the harsh and abusive upbringing she grew up with from her father. She spent years being mistreated by him and this caused very deep wounds. With this we have a woman who cannot open up to others and who thinks she can solve everything by force (it is serious). Maya is one of the best firefighters in Seattle and gains prominence when she takes on the role of captain of Station 19, even though she has to go through some unpleasant situations along the way, even distancing herself from her friends.
In the midst of all this transition, Maya meets Carina DeLuca ( Stefania Spampinato ) who is already known and loved in the universe of “Grey’s Anatomy” . The development of this couple begins in a bar (new, right?) and right from the first scenes between the two of them we notice the affinity and chemistry they have together. Throughout the season we see Carina and Maya go through SEVERAL SITUATIONS – including a romantic trip, which in my humble opinion was one of the best moments for both of them in the series. But since not everything is rosy, Maya is reluctant to open up to Carina, she even mentions in one episode that the doctor was nothing special to her, just a “hookup”.AHAM MAYA, AHAM. And I’m already showing my indignation here: Carina is an incredible character who deserved more screen time both in her original production and in “Station 19” . She is light, charismatic, well-built and has impeccable comic relief. She is a woman with strong opinions and who makes it very clear to Bishop that she is involved from head to toe in their relationship and that she will not give up trying to make it work.
But since we’re talking about Shonda Rhimes and Krista Vernoff … We realize that she doesn’t open up entirely to Carina, due to the years of abusive relationship she lived with her father – as I said, she’s a very complex character. Therefore, this prevents Maya from being 100% coherent about her feelings for DeLuca, which becomes a big problem for both of them, but I won’t talk about it too much because (SPOILERS).
Why I recommend shipping Marina
As we know, the LGBTQIA+ community is always forgotten at barbecues, but sometimes we get really good things that serve as inspiration and strength.
I recommend that you watch “Station 19” because the series is really well developed and that you ship Marina (a combination of Maya + Carina), as they are two incredible, strong and well-built characters. The writers’ choice to bring Carina into this spin-off was simply brilliant. Together they show that being a couple goes far beyond the simple details that we observe in others every day, they serve as an example to reflect on how we behave in our own relationships and how we treat the people we love.
There are a lot of people out there saying that they are Calzona 2.0 and all I have to say is: if at the time that Arizona ( Jessica Capshaw ) and Callie ( Sara Ramirez ) were together on “Grey’s Anatomy” they were developed like Carina and Maya are, maybe there wouldn’t be so much misfortune coming from these two. And let it be clear that I’m not comparing couples here, I’m just pointing out.
Now why I don’t recommend shipping Marina (and watching “Station 19” )
Honestly? I have no reason to tell you not to watch this series, “Station 19” really addresses important issues and makes us engage with absolutely every character. ShondaLand seems to have finally listened to the fans’ requests and is improving the scripts (or not so much).
Now, about the reasons not to ship Marina… Maybe Maya is one of the least understood characters in the series and for this reason it is difficult to watch her doing certain things and acting like she doesn’t care, when in fact, her heart is in pieces. Carina is a character that we fall in love with instantly, but many times she is not treated as she deserves (including by Maya herself).
