random musings on pilot episodes

I am, in retrospect, really impressed with the pilot episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Disney+ just suggested that I watch a show I've never heard of: Station 19. It was about firefighters, so I decided to give it a go. It wasn't until halfway through the pilot that I realised it was a Grey's Anatomy spin-off.

Grey's Anatomy has gone on for far too long, and is, by all accounts, not really worth watching anymore. But I watched the first few seasons, and still remember them fondly.

Anyway, back to Station 19.

Having watched the pilot, I can tell you that the characters include:
- the main character
- the main character's dad
- the main character's best friend
- the main character's ex-boyfriend from high-school
- the main character's ex-boyfriend from five minutes ago
- the sassy gay guy
- the guy who used to be a doctor

For the vast majority of the characters, all I know about their personalities is how they relate to the main character. And I know nothing whatsoever about her personality.

Whereas, when I had watched Grey's Anatomy's pilot, I could have told you that the characters were:
- the main character, whose mother was a kickass surgeon but now has Alzheimer's
- the competitive intern
- the pretty intern
- the nervous intern
- the arrogant intern
- "the Nazi", the no-nonsense boss of the interns
- the head of the hospital
- surgeon who just slept with the main character
- surgeon who picks on weak interns to keep the rest in line


Also, Grey's Anatomy manages to cram a ton of plot into that first episode. And Station 19 really doesn't. I honestly had to look it up and check that it was only 43 minutes, because there's so much episode in there.