As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
open/close all folders
Season One
Episode 1 - Pilot
- The death of every member of the original 126 firefighter crew save for Judd, who wasn't able to warn them about the factory’s flammable materials in time. Grace, who is on the line and listening to the whole thing, is similarly unable to do anything about it.
- The absolute terror in Grace's voice as she calls for Judd to respond as he's knocked out by the explosion. The fact that the audience doesn't know they're a couple until later somehow makes it worse.
- Owen finding out that he has terminal lung cancer. Made worse with the talk with Chief Redford, where it’s revealed that he and his fire station, the 252, were involved in the chaos of 9/11.
- Owen finding T.K. unconscious after a drug overdose. After TK is revived, he immediately breaks down crying in his father's arms, and in their next scene, Owen asks if he was trying to kill himself, with the obvious implication they'd been in a similar situation before.
- Even though we don't see it happen, TK's boyfriend dumping him for another man on the same night TK was planning to propose, which led to said overdose. Ouch...
- Judd walks past the memorial wall with the photos of all his "brothers" hanging up. When he looks up, it turns out that’s his first viewing, and the only thing from the old station that Owen didn’t trash. This causes Judd to break down sobbing on the floor.
- A father dying because he refused to seek medical help until his two children were safe. What might make the scene more effective is that one second, he feels and looks fine, the next, the hemorrhaging takes its toll. A very impactful Hope Spot.
- At the end of the episode, TK confronting Owen about hiding his cancer diagnosis from him. The mutual fear from both father and son that they might lose each other is made very clear the moment Owen enters his house— Owen for triggering another drug relapse from TK or worse, TK for losing his father to one more fatal result from 9/11, particularly after the above-mentioned house rescue and watching the above casualty of a father.
- Owen: Something wrong?TK: I was in your office today looking for some gum, and I found a pill bottle instead. Granesitron? I think that’s how you pronounce it? I looked it up, and it’s anti-nausea meds prescribed for chemo patients.Owen: (sighs in dread and searches for words)TK: That cough— it’s lung cancer, right?Owen: I was gonna tell you.TK: (scoffs) Sure you were. How long have you known?Owen: Since before we left New York.TK: Wow. You must think I’m so weak.Owen: No.TK: Admit it. You didn’t think I could handle that.Owen: No. No, that’s not it at all.TK: You thought that fragile TK would spin out and OD again, right. That’s what you thought!Owen: That is not what I thought—TK: Then why would you lie to me every single minute of every day?!Owen: The reason I didn’t tell you about my diagnosis is not because I think you’re weak! It’s because I am… I knew if I told you, looked in your eyes and saw grief or fear… it would make it real.
- While TK is initially, genuinely happy to see that Owen adopted Buttercup, Owen revealing that the dog has the same lung cancer instantly takes the wind out of his sails and sees him express irritation and purposeful distance towards the dog’s antics, much to everyone’s confusion. It’s definitely understandable that while he’s keeping his promise to have his dad’s back, he’s not fully recovered from Owen keeping his cancer a secret.
- He even admits this to Owen when confronted on his aloofness, along with his dread over Owen’s and Buttercup’s mortality. Owen can only acknowledge as much in response.
- Michelle learns her sister developed a mental illness (schizophrenia), which makes her even more devastated that she didn't answer Iris's call that night. Iris had started showing signs, yet she ignored them and could've possibly gotten her help.
- The entire 9-1-1 call featuring Bruce, a man with early onset dementia.
- Not long after Bruce is led away, the firefighters arrive to help the grandfather, who suffered a heart attack while protecting his wife and grandson— and one second later, the chaos worsens with TK getting shot by said grandson, who took the handgun and acted out of fear. His grandmother is in completely justified shock, with Paul and Owen just realizing what happened as TK collapses to the ground.
- TK waking up from his coma, confused, scared, and calling for his dad. When he doesn't remember what happened, Owen has to be the one to tell him he was shot.
Episode 10 - Austin, We Have A Problem
- Michelle finally reunites with an alive Iris, but realizes her sister is still experiencing schizophrenic episodes and can't be easily persuaded to leave her life on the streets to properly reunite with her.
- Their mother coming to that same realization when Iris storms out of the hospital, with the most she can do to help Iris without agitating her further being giving her enough money to make her own way.
- The NASA space station in episode 9's Wham Shot becomes this episode’s final casualty. An astronaut inside managed to survive the solar wave, but ended up with lethal radiation poisoning. He calls the 9-1-1 center, and Grace intercepts. Grace manages to connect to the astronaut's wife and daughter back on Earth and gives them his love, advice, and encouragement. He then talks to his daughter, claiming to be waving to her from space, the little girl calling out as we see his lifeless body floating in the station.
- What makes this a lot more effective is the fact he (and the audience) knows he's dying, but due to the fatal amounts of exposed radiation, and impossibility of rescue, he and us are waiting for the inevitable. It is a very tragic end to both the solar storm calamity and the season.
Season Two
Episode 2 - 2100° Degrees
- The main 126 team’s reactions to Tim’s sudden death.
Episode 5 - Difficult Conversations
- The beginning of the episode deals with a dead body crashing from a plane onto a funeral. Minutes later, it's revealed later he tried to sneak into the country on a cargo plane with his sister, who almost dies from hypothermia but is revived. When told of her brother's death, she starts sobbing that she wants to go home.
- Billy might not have been the nicest person, but seeing Owen and Judd believe that he was possibly a serial arsonist, or working with whoever was, and renouncing him as their friend makes him worthy of pity. Especially after he helped Owen make headway with his independent investigation of the fires and saved him from one such fire that Owen witnessed.
- Carlos tearfully blaming himself for not being more prepared for the fire on his townhouse.
- The ending with Tommy finding her husband Charles unresponsive.
- Everything that comes surrounding Charles' death:
- Tommy has a friendly-turned-harrowing encounter with a man who wanted to see his comatose son for the last time at the hospital, but him being "armed" to prevent his ex-wife from taking away the son's life support nearly ends with a SWAT team raid and his subsequent arrest. The son eventually wakes up at the end, but the fact that he's alive when her husband isn't, the stress from what she's faced all day, and relief to see that the man gets a miracle is enough to make Tommy break down in tears.
- Grace and Judd having to find out about the death from calling 9-1-1 and asking them to retrace an emergency call from Tommy and Charles' house. Having to listen to Tommy's call confirming her husband's death while trying to stay composed is especially painful and heartbreaking, considering the onscreen event already happened at the beginning of the episode.
- Owen punching Billy in the face after the latter comes by to announce that the 126 will be decommissioned for lack of funding; this was just as the two were tentatively reconciling from the arson attacks. Billy isn’t even there to gloat or look down on anyone, just looks extremely guilty and somber having to come by and even break the news.
Season Three
Episode 1 - The Big Chill
- A tearful Carlos has this to say when Nancy assures him that TK still loves him despite their separation:Carlos: If [TK] loves me so much… then why did he break my heart?
- Owen learning about TK’s hypothermic coma, and the possibility of losing him. It finally gives him the kick in the ass he needed to sign Billy’s letter, but he’s clearly fighting back tears when he gives the reunited 126 a Heartfelt Apology.
- Carlos continues to wait with the 126 outside TK’s hospital room for updates on TK’s health, but the self-doubt about TK wanting him present, grief over his hypothermic condition and their break-up, and no small amount of internal conflict about their relationship is all over his face the entire time.
- TK, for his part in said breakup, admits to his own shame and heartbreak when he sees Carlos talking to him in his coma dream, and when a dream version of his mother needles him into saying what happened: after Carlos’ townhouse burned down, the pair of them went house-hunting and found a downtown loft that TK loved. The problem arose with paying to buy said loft, as TK wasn’t financially able to contribute. Eventually, Carlos decided to purchase it himself and made them both owners as a surprise— which worked too well, and an overwhelmed TK initiated their break-up. The regret in his voice definitely confirms Nancy’s earlier statement: that just as Carlos hadn’t stopped loving and missing him, TK hadn’t either but doubts that Carlos would forgive and take him back.Dream!Gwyn: So you panicked.TK: And I panicked. (Both sit synchronously next to each other, and mirror thinking poses as they process)Dream!Gwyn: Because everything felt too good.TK: Everything was perfect.Dream!Gwyn: And then you did the thing.TK: I did the thing.Dream!Gwyn: You blew it up?TK: I blew it all up. […] I hurt him so bad, Mom. What if he doesn’t want to take me back?
- TK, for his part in said breakup, admits to his own shame and heartbreak when he sees Carlos talking to him in his coma dream, and when a dream version of his mother needles him into saying what happened: after Carlos’ townhouse burned down, the pair of them went house-hunting and found a downtown loft that TK loved. The problem arose with paying to buy said loft, as TK wasn’t financially able to contribute. Eventually, Carlos decided to purchase it himself and made them both owners as a surprise— which worked too well, and an overwhelmed TK initiated their break-up. The regret in his voice definitely confirms Nancy’s earlier statement: that just as Carlos hadn’t stopped loving and missing him, TK hadn’t either but doubts that Carlos would forgive and take him back.
- The juxtaposition between Grace giving birth to Charlie and TK waking up from his coma.
- While Grace writhes in pain with Judd and Tommy encouraging and assisting her, Billy is almost entirely ignored even after several months. Now someone can say “Poor Billy…”
- Owen collapsing in the snow in grief over TKnote , with Tommy exiting the bus to comfort him.
- With TK’s case, his occasional spasms are at first written off by the nurses; it’s only when he jolts more purposefully with Carlos at his bedside is it clear: they were signs of him regaining consciousness. After the nurses come back in, take him off life support and stabilize him, the moment becomes both this and heartwarming when Carlos re-enters the room, still unsure of what to do next— then TK weakly, hopefully, extends a hand and tells him to breathe… And Carlos, after a sob, takes it, positioning them both into a comforting hug. They do want each other back.
- While Grace writhes in pain with Judd and Tommy encouraging and assisting her, Billy is almost entirely ignored even after several months. Now someone can say “Poor Billy…”
Episode 8 - In the Unlikely Event of An Emergency
- All of this episode, really.
- The episode’s 9-1-1 call has no cuts away from the sound bites, but it’s not hard to picture the scene or the shock and devastated realization from the bike courier who hit Gwyn as he checks her neck for a pulse, then finds Jonah’s stroller (with the baby inside) scooted just off the road.
- TK’s flashbacks to 2017 shows him at his lowest point, with Gwyn finding him at a Bronx drug den and in the grip of what seems to be a heroin addiction. From the argument she has with him after she hauls him to a restaurant, it’s implied that she realized beforehand how bad it was getting for him, as over TK’s protests, she firmly pre-reserves him a flight to a drug rehabilitation center in Los Angeles. She then stays with him through the flight until they reach the airport exit.
- In the present time, TK is pretty much clouded in his grief as he, Owen and Carlos try to book a flight to New York; not even an impromptu visit to the 126 fire station really helps his mood. He only snaps out of it when their plane suddenly malfunctions in mid-air and he has to treat a woman who was nearly sucked out of the window.
- Before they land, TK confesses to Owen the real reason for visiting the station: his pain felt so intense that he nearly followed through on stealing fentanyl from the ambulance and planned to numb himself. Only Owen stopping outside to check on him kept him from doing the deed.TK: I had two vials of fentanyl in my hand when you found me. I… I was gonna steal them… and get so high that nothing would matter. And I was ready. I would’ve done it if you hadn’t found me.Owen: But I found you.TK: I can’t believe I was gonna do that to Mom. (bursts into tears) I—I’m so sorry, Dad.Owen: (takes his hand quietly) It’s gonna be okay, son.
- Because of the plane malfunction, TK and Owen resignedly accept that they won’t make it to her funeral.
- Before they land, TK confesses to Owen the real reason for visiting the station: his pain felt so intense that he nearly followed through on stealing fentanyl from the ambulance and planned to numb himself. Only Owen stopping outside to check on him kept him from doing the deed.
- It’s brief, but as Sadie, who in addition to drugging TK and Carlos, is revealed to have been the one to have set her art gallery on fire, blew up a parolee’s truck, and sent the two “toxic” messages to Owen and Catherine is led away in handcuffs, TK is looking at the floor, absolutely distraught. Most likely at having to completely restart his sobriety process after just over a year.
Episode 13 - Riddle of the Sphynx
- Carlos becoming temporarily jealous of TK’s NA sponsor Cooper, until he admits to feeling helpless and uncertain about how to help TK through his new sobriety period, wary about a stranger knowing about it, and inferior for not fully knowing about his history with substance abuse. TK in turn rebuts that he’s actually glad Carlos doesn’t know said history, but only because he needs another person who has had similar experiences and can fully understand his struggles, which would also save his life— something he knows that Carlos doesn't quite have.
- A mother gets pinned between her car door and a parking meter right in front of her teenaged son while arguing with him about his custody arrangements and driving out of a court proceeding. By the time the 126 paramedics arrive, free her and check her vitals, they find that she died on impact, much to the son’s devastation.
- As the son laments both his mother’s death and last words of annoyance, TK is visibly holding back tears— undoubtedly remembering the way Gwyn died, and seeing parallels to it with himself and his half-brother.
- Which then leads into Carlos walking in on TK reading through his old photo albums, and clearly spiraling from the earlier call enough to skip one of his NA meetings.
- As the son laments both his mother’s death and last words of annoyance, TK is visibly holding back tears— undoubtedly remembering the way Gwyn died, and seeing parallels to it with himself and his half-brother.
- Owen accidentally sours his relationship with Catherine when his insecurities and rage cause a massive misunderstanding of identity between her ex and, of all people the man’s father.
- A prominent caller in the episode, Al, gradually becomes Owen’s wake-up call to address his own rage. Due to a combination of anger issues and misguided Papa Wolf instincts on his part, Al and his family find themselves in three consecutive emergencies, with the third one ending in his arrest for shooting and killing a drunk driver while the man was being treated in the ambulance.
- Nancy gets caught in the crossfire of the shooting, meanwhile— she comes out of it unscathed, but her shock and regret at both the unexpected shots and seeing the driver’s gaze when he dies, is haunting. Even after the 126 crew somberly prepare to head out after their shifts, and Owen's attempt at encouragement, the event still weighs on her mind.
- Owen, as a young teenager, bears witness to the accidental drowning of his younger brother Tyler when they sneak away from their house to go surfing at the Santa Monica pier. When he and his parents are then notified at the hospital that Tyler died, this causes the family to completely unravel; his mother can’t bear the grief and moves herself and Owen to New York, while his father becomes emotionally adrift to the extent that he protests but ultimately doesn’t stop the two from leaving.
- In the present, Owen visits California to find that his father was admitted to a hospice. Not only that, but in the intervening years following the separation from Owen, he re-married and started over, with a new family sitting at his bedside; one of those members, Robert, has nothing against Owen and even approaches him first in the waiting room to make conversation. However, one of the women (who is presumably Owen’s father’s second wife), expresses hostility against Owen for not reaching out sooner. For any viewers who have more than one extended family with deep-rooted conflicts between each other, that has to be a low blow.
- When Owen finally has a chance to sit and talk with his father, the airing of grievances between the men turns into an airing of deep regrets on both sides: Owen for unfairly blaming his father for their family’s schism and indirectly killing Tyler, and his father for not having the strength to either work things out with his wife or keep in constant and loving contact with Owen for the rest of his life.
- Wyatt, while spending time at Judd’s uncle’s ranch, admits to Judd that while he knows and appreciates what he has had in his life, and doesn’t blame Judd for not knowing about him, he can’t always help but dwell on the one thing he didn’t have: his real father.
- Right after this confession, and after a rattlesnake spooks Judd’s horse so badly that Judd breaks his leg falling off, Wyatt’s desperation and near-helplessness paralyzes him, and Judd has to assure him through the process of treating and resetting the wound until he passes out.
Season Four
- Mouse, the little girl who appeared to help Marjan with surviving a chase from a vengeful Grant, turned out to be a hallucination of Marjan’s childhood self. The feeble but devastated realization on Marjan’s face as Owen carries her out of the ditch is sobering, as is Mouse disappearing in front of her before she passes out.
- Mateo being told on the phone by his cousin Daniella that his cousin Marvin died after stealing a Porsche and crashing it.
- The following sitcom sequence is mostly a kitschy and funny Mood Whiplash, up until Dream!Marvin re-enters the kitchen, “admits” to Mateo’s arson, and allows Dream!Carlos and Dream!TK to arrest him. However the real events must have happened for the two cousins and their family, this is such a drastic thing for Mateo to “portray” as it really happened, even in his imagination.
- Judd experiencing nasty deja vu when Wyatt tells him and Grace about meeting his new girlfriend at college, her pregnancy, and his plans to drop out and become a firefighter.
- Owen breaking the news to TK about Robert’s terminal diagnosis and their potential inheritance of Huntington’s Disease.
- Later that evening, while telling Carlos that same news, TK gives him an out, admitting tearfully to not wanting to be a source of pain by need for care-giving or the neurodegenerative loss of his memories if he tests positive for the illness. Thankfully, Carlos has none of it and re-affirms his commitment to their marriage. He even decides that if TK does end up forgetting who he is, to remind him daily.
- Tommy and Judd face a major conflict of interest after a call at a burning paper mill— specifically, Tommy staying behind attempting to rescue one last worker whose arm got trapped between two rollers; which went against Judd’s orders to evacuate. When he frustratedly reminds her about Charles’ death in the middle of her processing the loss, she angrily shuts him down, which leads to him turning to Human Resources to get her statement on the call.
- While brief, and stopped by both Tommy and Judd before it can turn ugly, their conflict about the paper mill call ends up trickling down to the 126 firefighters and paramedic groups. Hearing the normally friendly banter between the two groups turn genuinely insulting in defense of their respective captains… ouch.
- Wyatt getting hit by a truck and severely injured during a run, much to Judd’s devastation. It isn’t enough to get Tommy to fully forgive Judd, but her brief hesitation with finding Wyatt unconscious and worry for both father and son is real enough to get them back on tenuously good terms.
- Before he’s discharged from the hospital, Judd, Grace, and Marlene learn how extensive Wyatt’s injuries from the accident have gotten— he won’t only have limited use of his arms and hands (with intensive physical and vocational therapy, mind), he very likely won’t be able to continue his firefighter training, let alone walk or run.
- The Sudden Downer Ending to Carlos and Gabriel’s relationship, with an unknown assailant posing as a courier and fatally shooting Gabriel as Andrea is on the phone with Carlos following the wedding rehearsal dinner. The reactions from mother and son, on both sides of the phone, are painful to hear.
- It’s also a worse version of the phone call about Gwyn’s death— where TK only heard about it after the fact and was miles away from the event itself, Carlos is experiencing everything in the moment from start to inevitable end.
- As Carlos prepares for Gabriel’s state funeral, it hurts to watch him trying not to break, from attempting to dress himself with shaking hands to wearing his cap over his eyes to hide tears.
- Robert requesting Owen to help him die, then have it officialized.
Episode 18 - In Sickness and in Health
- The aftermath of Gabriel’s death remains a prominent shadow over the episode, even with TK and Carlos’ wedding coming up.
- Carlos’ mental state stands out particularly— it’s already bad enough that he’s rattled from hearing the shooting, not to mention heartbroken and ashamed that he never tried to reach back out and get to know his father. It only worsens when he learns that the Texas Rangers haven’t yet investigated the shooting, and then on a visit to his parents’ house finds a VHS recording of Gabriel talking about corruption in the ranks.
- During said video, the footage transitions to a younger Carlos running to Gabriel for comfort from a nightmare, which he happily gives. Hearing his reassurances to his son is bittersweet, knowing that this close relationship will be strained later on despite the love remaining feels moreso.
- After finding a man who last called Gabriel and left threatening voicemails, Carlos drives to the man’s home, and in his loss of composure angrily, desperately demands that he confess to killing Gabriel at gunpoint despite said man trying to explain himself and calm him. It’s not known if he would have shot the man or not if Owen hadn’t intervened with help from O’Brien and Major Bridges, but seeing Carlos lose himself in grief this badly is still jarring.
- Carlos’ mental state stands out particularly— it’s already bad enough that he’s rattled from hearing the shooting, not to mention heartbroken and ashamed that he never tried to reach back out and get to know his father. It only worsens when he learns that the Texas Rangers haven’t yet investigated the shooting, and then on a visit to his parents’ house finds a VHS recording of Gabriel talking about corruption in the ranks.
- The wedding itself isn’t free from tearjerkers either, though many of them are happier ones.
- In a deleted scene leading up to the start of the ceremony, TK and Carlos get separate moments with Owen and Andrea to reminisce about Gwyn and Gabriel. While it’s heartening to know they’d be beyond proud of TK and Carlos for coming this far in their lives and finding each other, it’s no less sadder that they aren’t physically there to see the event, and it shows.
- As TK and Carlos exchange rings, Gwyn’s spirit appears to Owen, presumably one last time, from behind to assure him that they both did good with saving TK’s life.
- Owen having to experience another loss of a biological brother he’d gotten close with, this time by assisted suicide and a degenerative illness.
