Awakening
I’m gonna be honest with you guys, when this episode started and Judd was in charge because of Owen still being out with TK, I forgot Owen even existed for a few brief minutes. Judd is on his game. Everyone worked well under him, and even though it seemed like it was something Judd didn’t want, he would make a fantastic captain one day. Judd, TK, and Owen really dominated this episode as a whole, and I for one loved it, so let’s get into it!
We find Owen at the hospital in TK’s room with Zoe (Natalie Zea) which is kind of an awkward date, but, hey, what do I know? Oh, wait, it totally is an awkward date. Especially when TK wakes up and that’s exactly what Zoe calls herself. His date. Yikes. As TK continues to wake up, he talks to Owen about what happened, and how he doesn’t remember anything.
Owen and I have something in common: we’re both hopelessly in love with TK’s heart. He’s such a genuinely generous person. When he finds out he was shot by a little boy, he immediately asks if the boy is okay. Even I blamed the grandparents at first thought! He assures the boy that he’s alright, and the boy promises to never shoot him again, which honestly made me tear up. I love this insane show.
Elsewhere, Judd is dealing with his father, who is just as stubborn as Judd about accepting help, if not more so. It’s funny to see where Judd gets it, but it also feels a bit smacking-you-in-the-face obvious that this episode is supposed to center around fathers and sons.
Judd and his father end up agreeing to disagree… only for his father to end up calling Grace and asking for her specifically when he called 911. I thought this was actually a very sweet scene, despite Stuart (Barry Corbin - The Ranch) bleeding out from the leg. It’s nice to know that Judd’s love for Grace extends to his family as well.
Overall, it was, in my opinion, a weird episode to place directly before the finale. I understand that they did it so OG 9-1-1 could come back next week, but man, it still felt weird having two narrowly connected episodes back to back.
My favorite part of the episode was, of course, the mention of a certain firefighter in LA who had a piece of rebar go through his head and was back to work within a month. Give me the crossover, dangit! Given that 9-1-1: Lone Star was recently renewed for season two, hopefully we can see that if 9-1-1 is renewed as well.
My favorite quote of the episode was a back and forth between TK and Zoe when TK said, “you and my dad…” and Zoe with an almost straight face replied, “Sorry, was that a question?” I love her.
Austin, We Have A Problem
Finally, finally, finally, we’re getting a TK and Carlos serious talk! They’re going to define themselves! Someone is about to be wooed! Oh, just kidding, this is TK’s fifth or so tangent, aaand now he’s saying he doesn’t know what he wants with Carlos. Well then.
Then the payment device Carlos is using burns out. As does every phone, electric scooter, and streetlight near them. Oh, yeah, and cars are going insane right now. Very fun! Not scary at all! Definitely not something that’s going to keep me up at night thinking about! Folks, it just gets worse.
After last episode’s talk between TK and Owen, Owen is understandably upset that TK might not come back to his team as a firefighter. The whole squad can tell that he’s upset -- which is a stark contrast to them apparently not noticing TK struggling with Buttercup last week -- and they try to fix it themselves. We even get Judd of all people trying to get Owen to open up to them! Ah, how far we’ve come.
Before he really can though, everything goes out on their end as well-- the truck ladders are moving on their own, drills and power tools are turning on, and Owen’s espresso machine, which Mateo/Paul just “broke”, is now working perfectly fine… even though it’s not plugged in. Ah. Alright. Totally normal!
We find out what’s happening is a solar storm, and we haven’t seen one this bad since 1989. Fantastic! This leads to a medical plane crash landing on top of some power lines, and Owen climbing up there, sans ladder truck, to retrieve a trapped passenger. For a man with a lot to live for, Owen sure is reckless.
Back with the other Strand, TK and Carlos go about clearing the street and trying to help anyone who needs it. There’s a woman trapped in a bus that just crashed, and while TK tries to save her, he pulls his stitches. Owen and the 126 luckily show up to save him, just as he’s about to presumably pass out on top of the woman he’s trying to save.
While the situations are different, and anyone who isn’t also watching 9-1-1 would never pick up on it, it just felt like I was watching the season three premiere of 9-1-1, with Buck (Oliver Stark - Into the Badlands) trying to save people from a tsunami while recuperating from an injury, unsure of what his future holds.
The scene was integral for TK, as it caused him to see that firefighting is what he really wants, what he needs, and where he belongs. There’s a very sweet scene of him telling the rest of the firehouse this, and it ends with a group hug, so what more could we expect from a season finale?
Ah, yes, tears. On Grace’s end of things, with the phone lines flooded, they’re picking up calls from around the world. Grace just happens to intercept one from a man in the International Space Station who’s currently dying of radiation poisoning and wants to say goodbye to his wife and daughter. Sorry, is it dusty in here or am I full-blown sobbing right now? The latter. Definitely the latter.
We finally get somewhat of a conclusion to Iris’s (Lyndsy Fonseca - Kick-Ass) story: she has severe undiagnosed schizophrenia, and even though she remembers Michelle and her mom (Mary Kay Place - Girl, Interrupted) she says she can’t be with them because it’s not what they want. Overall, the storyline felt entirely too rushed, and I wish they’d started it a few episodes before so we could’ve gotten to really know Michelle and her sister’s dynamic.
The episode ends beautifully with the firefighters with their respective families, watching the Aurora Borealis. It’s stunning. Paul, Marjan, and Mateo are going to grab dinner together, Judd goes home to Grace, Michelle and Iris have a picnic together in the camp, Carlos and TK stargaze from the hood of a car, and Owen takes Buttercup on a walk. It’s bittersweet.
My favorite scene from the episode is the end scene with Carlos and TK stargazing. While they haven’t fully figured everything out, they're together, and happy, and that’s all that matters.
My favorite quote of the episode is definitely from Judd when Owen jumps down from the plane about to explode and says “I give you a two for style and a ten for timing.”
What did you guys think of the finale? Did it answer all of your questions? Are you excited for season two? What was your favorite moment or episode from this scene, and what are you looking forward to in season two?
