Following a string of deadly explosions at federal law enforcement facilities across New York City, Karen lands in a bomber's crosshairs — and Frank isn't happy about it. Meanwhile, Curtis makes a grisly discovery regarding Lewis.
- The Atoner: It looks briefly like Billy is willing to accept responsibility for Stein's death when he tries giving Madani a pep talk. "Maybe try blaming the enemy." Then he turns around and suggests, "Maybe it's the dead guy's fault".
- Attack Its Weak Point: When Lewis finds himself on the losing end of his fight with Curtis, he attacks his prosthetic leg and takes it off.
- Beneath the Mask: After being beaten and strapped to a bomb by a much younger man, Curtis admits that he feels just as broken as the other returned vets that he tries to help.
- Berserk Button: Frank has two in regards to Lewis. The first is threatening Karen, the second is anyone saying the two of them are similar.
- Combat Pragmatist: Lewis uses anything he can get his hands on during his scuffle with Curtis, such as a pot and Curtis' prosthetic leg.
- Continuity Nod:
- Karen is clearly thinking of her encounter with James Wesley (though not mentioning the specific events) when asking Senator Ori if he’s ever felt afraid for his life, or been in a situation where a gun can mean the difference between life and death.
- The radio station where Karen and Senator Ori do their radio debate is WNEX, the same station that hosts Trish Talk.
- The network broadcasting Frank's return is WHiH. This network's vans were seen at the shooting of Detective Blake.
- Karen's remark to Frank on the phone when he offers to protect her is to say, "Do not do this and say it's for me," which is very similar to her "I'm not yours to protect" remark to Matt when he offered to go with her into protective custody.
- Distressed Dude: Curtis, after losing the fight, is tied down to a chair with a bomb vest, which is as well the triggering device to other claymore mines in the room.
- Everyone Has Standards: While Frank used explosives before (killing a couple of the Kitchen Irish this way and blowing up Schoonover's boat) he doesn't take kindly to terrorist bombing.
- Grievous Harm with a Body: Lewis beats Curtis with his own prosthetic leg.
- Handicapped Badass: Curtis may be a retired marine with one leg, but he's still capable of giving Lewis a beat down, forcing him to go for his prosthetic leg.
- Heroic BSoD: Madani is devastated by Stein's death. She won't even get out of bed.
- Honor Before Reason: Frank nearly gets caught by the police because he refuses to leave Curtis until Lewis tells him how to defuse the bomb.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Lucky for Russo that Dinah is so damn out of it. If she weren't still completely numb with grief she would have noticed that Russo knew how Sam was killed—with a knife. This probably won't matter.
- Improvised Weapon: Lewis defeats Curtis by snatching his prosthetic leg, and beating him up with it.
- Internal Reveal: David tells Dinah about Rawlins, the heroin, and the cause of Ahmed Zubair's death. Curtis and Frank learn what Lewis had done and New York learns Frank is still alive.
- It's Personal: Frank is incensed that Lewis is going after Karen. Otherwise you might expect him to have some sympathy with a fellow, struggling vet.
- Kick the Dog: Russo belittles Sam, the man he himself killed, by supposedly trying to comfort Dinah, telling her basically that he was pretty damn stupid to get killed by a knife while holding a gun.
- My Greatest Failure: Frank reveals that Curtis lost his leg because Frank hesitated to shoot a pregnant woman who turned out to be a suicide bomber.
- Never My Fault: Lewis. Frank remembers him as a kid who blames everyone else for his problems.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Curtis had Lewis down on the ground. Only the fact that he tried to talk him down again is what gave Lewis the opportunity to take Curtis out.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Lewis and Frank are repeatedly compared by several people throughout the episode. Frank however takes great offense to that.
- Oh, Crap!: Karen, David, Madani, and Frank all have some concern when the world learns that Frank is alive.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Madani tries to have sex with Russo. Russo has has already been established as The Casanova... but he says no. Russo genuinely has feelings for Madani.
- Pet the Dog:
- Frank is actually able to convince Lewis of telling him which wire to cut to save himself, and most importantly Curtis.
- Russo tries to talk Madani out of her Heroic BSoD when she just wants Sex for Solace instead.
- The Stakeout: Frank and Micro are surveilling Madani's apartment when the bombs go off in a nearby street. It's not portrayed as glamourous with them shivering under sleeping bags on a cold roof and urinating into bottles.
- Stylistic Suck: Karen goes on the Ricky Langtry show, and host Ricky is using a cardioid mic, which has a front and a back. The front is for talking into, the back picks up echos and room noise and cancels them out. Our boy Ricky is talking into neither front nor the back, but the top of the mic like a goddamn asshole. And as the show comes on air, the guy managing the sound board turns all the dials ALL THE WAY UP.
- Suspect Is Hatless: When Frank realizes that he knows Lewis, he tells Micro that the bomber is "Lewis and he drives a cab", asking him if he can find him in a database. Micro points out that this is not a lot to go on. Frank then gives more details, such as his age range, ethnicity, and his status as an Army veteran, which Micro admits narrows it down.
- Title Drop: The label "Front Towards Enemy" is printed on the business side (the part which will expel multiple ball bearings when it explodes, killing enemy personnel) of Claymore mines, of which there are about half a dozen on the bomb Lewis rigged on the O'Connor apartment — including one on the front of Curtis' vest.
- Viewers Are Morons: The only explanation for why Karen, Ori, and Langtry are talking into the far end of cardioid mics. There's no way the folks in charge of the show don't know how different kinds of mics work. You talk into the side of that kind of mic, not the tip.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Ellison when he realizes that Karen had secretly known all this time Frank was alive.
- Wire Dilemma: Frank doesn't know which wire to cut when he finds the bomb tied to Curtis. He ends up convincing Lewis to tell him it's the white one.
