The morning after Audrey and Chris had sex, Chris wakes her up with a kiss. Audrey slightly complains because it is only 7:34 AM and she wanted to sleep in because it is her day off. She sighs and says that she'll take care of a police responsibly before spending the day with him. They get dressed and try to sneak past Duke, who is putting up a Taco Tuesday sign. Duke spots her and says that her rent is due, but they drive away. They head to the elementary school so Audrey can give a speech for Career Day. In the parking lot, a boy on a bike without a helmet almost hits them and doesn't stop to apologize, while a couple argues in a car.
Audrey wows the kids with a story about taking down a drug cartel, then takes questions. Audrey introduces them to Chris and his Trouble makes the kids and teacher fawn over him. The class ends and the couple prepare to head back. Chris says that he has to go to London in a few days for a science conference. Audrey gets a phone call, but Chris says to ignore it. Audrey realizes it is from the station and takes it.
As the church bells ring for noon, Audrey arrives at the scene of a hit-and-run. An upset Nathan tells her that the victim was a kid who was mangled beyond recognition, and holds up a baggie with a bloody green tennis shoe.
The next thing Audrey knows, she's in her apartment being kissed awake by Chris again, and the clock again reads 7:34 AM. She asks what is going on, but Chris doesn't know what she is talking about. They go downstairs and find Duke setting up a Taco Tuesday sign. Audrey pays off her rent. Duke starts fawning over Chris, but the couple drives away to the school. They almost get hit by the kid on the bike again. Audrey answers the kids' questions before they can ask them. Audrey leaves Chris with the kids and meets Nathan, telling him that she's somehow reliving the day and a hit-and-run will happen around noon. He believes her and they go stakeout the site of the incident.
Duke walks up and says that Audrey forgot to sign the check she give him. She signs it and he walks away. Audrey sees a boy sitting on the other side of the street. She thinks he was the victim, but then sees that he doesn't have green shoes. Audrey and Nathan wonder if they have changed events just by being there. The church bells ring for noon and they hear a crash somewhere up the street. They run up to find Duke has been run over. Nathan tries to help him but he dies. Audrey cries and says that this wasn't supposed to happen.
The day repeats and Audrey gets kissed awake by Chris at 7:34 AM. She runs downstairs and hugs Duke in relief, much to his confusion and delight. She asks Chris and Duke to have breakfast and hang out the whole day and Chris reluctantly agrees. She calls Nathan over to the school and predicts the boy on the bike and the arguing couple to prove that the day is repeating. She fills him in (when she tells him that Duke died in the last time loop, Nathan thinks that he laughed, but Audrey says that he was upset). They figure that the hit-and-run driver is possibly the Troubled person causing this. They try to find a kid with green shoes, but fail.
They stake out the street and set up road barricades. As the church bells ring for noon, while Audrey wasn't looking, a car plows through the barricade and runs Nathan over, then drives off without even slowing down. Audrey runs to him, but he gets up and says that he's fine, because he couldn't feel it. Horrified, she points at his stomach, where he's been impaled by a large piece of wood from the barricade, and he collapses from blood loss. Audrey tries to help him and cuts her hand on the wood. He says it is okay, the only thing he can feel is her and he describes everything he can about the car, a beige sedan.
The day repeats and Chris wakes Audrey up with a kiss at 7:34 AM. The cut on her hand is still there. She treats it and tells Chris she doesn't have time to explain. She asks him to have breakfast and hang out with Duke, then goes to the station and is relived to find Nathan alive. She explains everything, and worries that if her injuries transfer between time loops, then it means that if she dies, she won't come back and the loop will never end. They set up checkpoints on the street, but Audrey asks Nathan to monitor the situation from the station instead of coming to the street. He reluctantly agrees.
Audrey goes to the area and warns people to stay off the streets, while Nathan warns her on her phone to be careful. Duke calls her and says that Chris left to find her. In the background, she hears a radio saying that the Red Sox have made an amazing comeback. Chris walks up and Audrey says that he has to leave, and that she will explain later. He is offended and walks away. The church bells ring for noon and Audrey sees a man standing at the edge of the street fidgeting. He has OCD and cannot cross a street before counting all his buttons. Audrey helps him cross. She calls Nathan and says that the loop may have been broken because it is already past noon and the beige sedan hasn't shown up. Suddenly, a blue sedan charges down the street, headed straight for her. Chris knocks her out of the way and is run over. The car drives off without even slowing down. Audrey looks at Chris' corpse with despair as the man she helped apologizes. She realizes that he was one half of the arguing couple.
The day repeats and Chris wakes Audrey with a kiss at 7:34 AM. She tells him to make sure he and Duke don't go near the street and leaves, vowing to end this day once and for all. She goes to the school and talks to the man she saw before, Anson Shumway. He explains that his ex-wife Berta is threatening to take custody and he drove to the school to pick his daughter Jeanie up. Anson apologizes for not doing things properly and explains that he has OCD. As they talk, Berta Shumway drives up and Audrey asks her what is going on. She explains that their daughter Jeanie is eight and that Anson was unable to take care of her because of his medical problems. When the bicyclist rides by, Audrey is distracted and Anson drives away before she can stop him.
Audrey goes to the station and explains everything to Nathan who believes her. She's very tired because by her reckoning she has been awake for roughly 18 hours straight. She has realized that Anson is the Troubled person causing the loop. His OCD and guilt at witnessing the hit-and-run has caused him to repeat the day to try to make it right. They look up Anson's credit card records and find that he bought green tennis shoes. She realizes that he surprised Jeanie with the shoes, and that she was the victim the first time around.
Audrey goes to find Anson while Nathan tries to call Berta and Jeanie without success. She finds him in his car and explains what is going on, but he is unaware of the time loop and has apparently never heard of the Troubles. She urges him to believe her for his daughter's sake and asks him to stay in his car and tell her where Jeanie is. He finally says that Jeanie and Berta are at an ice cream shop. She says to listen to the car radio because the Red Sox are about to make an amazing comeback. She leaves to deliver the shoes.
Audrey goes to the ice cream shop and delivers Jeanie's birthday present. She says that her father is helping her with police business, then calls his cellphone. Anson listens to the Red Sox announcement and struggles with his OCD to answer the phone. He finally does and wishes his daughter a happy birthday. He tells Audrey that he believes her, then tells Jeanie he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, and that she is blessed because she is free to do whatever she wants. Audrey realizes that he's getting out of his car and begs him not to.
Audrey frantically runs to the street, but it is too late. The beige sedan runs Anson over and drives off. Audrey begs the day to reset, but nothing happens; Anson is dead.
Audrey sadly explains to Chris and Duke what happened. Nathan says that the hit-and-run driver was identified: an elderly man who had gone senile. The blue sedan was his wife's car. Audrey blames herself for failing to save Anson, but Nathan says that Anson sacrificed himself to save his daughter. Nathan teases Duke for fawning over Chris, and tells him the secret is to not look at Chris directly. As Duke snaps out of the trance, Nathan teases him again and Duke tells him to shut up. Chris tries to comfort Audrey, but she says that she will never take a day off again and tells Chris to go ahead and go to London. He walks away, and Audrey stands all alone.
Tropes:
- Continuity Nod: Nathan asks Audrey to check the temperature of his coffee for him, since he can't feel heat or cold.
- Diving Save: Chris pushes Audrey out of the way of the speeding car, causing his own death in one of the time loops.
- Even the Guys Want Him: Nathan teases Duke about Chris's Trouble and refers to it as Duke's "man-crush." But Nathan also reserves judgement because Chris is a handsome guy. Duke was unaware that Chris was Troubled and is perturbed.
- "Groundhog Day" Loop: The basis of the episode. Also, Nathan's second-favorite Bill Murray movie.
- I'm Cold... So Cold...: Averted. In the time loop where Nathan dies from impalement, Audrey holds him and tries to stop the bleeding. Nathan assures her he doesn't feel anything except her.
- Insert Song: A cover of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by Sweet Talk Radio plays over the last scene of the episode.
- Mortal Wound Reveal: Nathan is clipped by the mystery car and gets up seemingly unharmed. But this is because he can't feel the giant piece of wood from a nearby traffic sign impaling him.
- Pulled from Your Day Off: The premise of the episode.
- Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: Anson Shumway, as this is what causes the day to repeat over and over. And Audrey, since she is immune to the Troubles.
- Running Gag: In each version of the time loop, Duke insists on making Chris waffles. Audrey uses it to her advantage in a couple of the time loops to keep Chris and Duke away from the hit-and-run accident downtown, and out of danger.
- The Story That Never Was: Subverted. Audrey thinks that the way to stop the time loop is to prevent the car accident that killed Anson's daughter, since Anson is causing the time loop by trying to do that himself. She is successful in doing this, but Anson isn't convinced this will work, and decides the only way to keep his daughter safe is to replace her in the car accident.
- Take a Moment to Catch Your Death: Technically all the deaths that occur in this episode, as Audrey is taking great pains to prevent them, but in particular, Nathan's, since it looks like he avoided being hit by the rogue car only to be impaled by a shard of wood.
- Time Loop Fatigue: Discussed. Audrey tells Nathan she's exhausted, because the time loop resets just as she wakes up and she has not slept for several days.
- Too Much Information: Before the loop starts, Audrey goes to the local elementary school to give a talk on Career Day. She gets a little too into it, going into detail about a drug bust she worked as an FBI agent that involved bombs and cartels, before realizing her audience, and awkwardly turning it into a Drugs Are Bad PSA. Chris is quietly snickering in the back of the classroom.
- Trauma Conga Line: For Audrey this episode, who becomes more traumatized as the episode goes on, since she's the only one who can remember events from loop to loop, culminating in a Despair Event Horizon when she is unable to save Anson Shumway from his Trouble. She vows never to take a day off again.
