It’s been 8 months since the closing of the 126 firehouse and everyone is dealing with it in their own ways. An unexpected ice storm heads towards Austin, resulting in icy related callouts. Meanwhile, Judd and Grace get ready for the birth of their first child.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Beard of Sorrow: Owen sports one during his stay at Hill Country.
- Big Disaster Plot: The first responders must deal with an arctic cold front that brings an ice storm to Austin.
- Breaking The Fellow Ship: In the eight months between “Dust to Dust”, the 126 members have been split between the 122 (Paul, Marjan and Judd) and 129 (Mateo) fire stations, and a private medical company called Paragon (Tommy, Nancy, and TK). Meanwhile, Owen has relocated himself and Buttercup to a cabin in Hill Country after getting suspended for punching Billy.
- Bridal Carry: Carlos carries one of the war veterans in this way when evacuating everyone from the collapsing church.
- Capitalism Is Bad: Nancy’s opinion of Paragon, which claims to focus on both comfort and care for their patients, but seem to lean more towards prioritizing more well-off patients in distress while neglecting the quality of their medical equipment. Tommy also takes offense to their boss emphasizing this practice.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with three:
- While searching for Lindsey in an iced-over church, Paul is knocked off the roof by loose scaffolding and disappears through the flooring.
- While out on a walk after Marjan’s confrontation, Owen and Buttercup discover an injured Hispanic man.
- Marjan swerves to miss a downed van when driving back into the city, accidentally driving off a cliff and getting knocked unconscious.
- Continuity Nod:
- Just like in the pilot episode, Carlos steps in as the arresting officer for one of his friends and tries to talk them out of a crazy plan they have, this time for Marjan when the construction workers report her trespass on the station.
- Due to his heroics in "Dust To Dust", Mateo has gained the respect of Captain Tatum and the rest of the 129 station’s firefighters.
- Marjan informs Billy that she has regained 7.1 million Instagram followers, after the events of "Slow Burn", which saw her lose a couple of thousand followers.
- Crossing the Burnt Bridge: In the ensuing 8 months, a humbled Billy reaches out to, if not make amends, then help the members as much as he can; he pays Marjan’s bail after she’s been jailed for her trespassing and tells her that Owen still has a chance to be reinstated as Fire Captain (albeit with a signed apology), and hopes to talk to Judd at some point. Marjan is understandably distrustful until he sends her the form; Judd outright refuses to talk to Billy; and Owen is too stubbornly bitter and emotionally numb to give a damn about the apology.
- Failed a Spot Check: When checking the church’s list of volunteers and evacuees, Carlos remembers seeing a girl named Lindsey who also had said list, and realizes she’s still trapped in the ruins from the absence of her name on it.
- Freak Out: One of the veterans developed severe claustrophobia alongside PTSD when he was a POW, experiencing a nightmare about being back in prison.
- Girl Next Door: Sadie is introduced this way when she comes back from a walk with Buttercup.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Judd, Mateo, and Paul do this while searching among the church’s wreckage for Lindsey.
- Multipart Episode: First part of a four-episode arc.
- Offscreen Breakup: TK and Carlos break up in between seasons, and when they bump into each other at the furniture shop, their brief reunion is… pretty awkward.
- Ordered Apology: On paper, at least. Billy reveals to Marjan that it was another requirement for Owen to fulfill and earn back his captaincy, but Owen refused to do so. This prompts her to inform Judd and Paul, then drive to Owen’s cabin to try and convince him to sign the form without necessarily being sincere.
- Pet the Dog: In contrast to his slight racial bias in the first season, Billy’s interaction with Marjan is considerably respectful, even when she makes her anger at him clear.
- Shout-Out: Judd has proudly watched Frozen (2013) numerous times, in preparation of having a daughter.
- Social Media Before Reason: Justified with Marjan, who has taken to live-streaming herself performing multiple protest stunts in front of the 126 fire station in order to gain awareness and funding for reconstruction.
- Team Pet: Buttercup returns, accompanying Owen in Hill Country.
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: The construction workers working on the demolition of the 126 station regard Marjan and her frequent sit-down protests as this. She’s pretty proud of it, too.
- Time Skip: 8 months have passed since "Dust To Dust" and Owen’s ensuing disciplinary hearing for punching Billy.
- The Un-Reveal: Nancy and Marjan respectively ask why TK and Carlos broke up, but they ain’t telling anyone.
