A solar flare storm hits the city, causing tech to go haywire and out of control. Meanwhile, TK considers his future as a firefighter and Michelle reunites with her sister.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Almost Dead Guy: The astronaut that gets through to Grace is dying of radiation poisoning due to the solar storm, he is able to stay alive long enough to speak to his wife and daughter, telling them both how much he loves them and he’ll be watching over them.
- Big Damn Heroes: When TK is close to fainting from breathing in the gas and smoke from the fire while giving Ellen rescue breaths, Owen pulls him out of the bus while the rest of the 126 work on freeing the bus driver.
- Bittersweet Ending: After the solar storm and the ensuing chaos, the 126 experiences their share of personal gains and tragedies outside the solar storm’s chaos, particularly Michelle and Theresa.
- Bitter:
- Just because Iris was found and reunited with her mother and sister doesn’t mean that things between them can easily return to normal, especially when Theresa’s excitement about re-integrating Iris into their new home life triggers a panic attack from the latter.
- Sweet:
- Amidst the craziness of the day, TK is finally able to figure out his place in his own life, and decides to go for a romantic relationship with Carlos.
- Even after Michelle and Iris’ reunion ends on bad terms, their care for each other remains strong enough for the two sisters to have a nighttime picnic together.
- Bitter:
- Blame Game: Played between Mateo and Paul on who broke Owen’s espresso machine.
- Book Ends: After an emergency in the “Pilot” (1.01), Carlos tells TK his dad is an impressive man. In this episode, the season finale, this happens in reverse with Carlos telling Owen that TK is an impressive man.
- But What About the Astronauts?: Inverted. The astronauts aboard the ISS are among the fatalities in the wake of the solar flare.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: When recovering from his gunshot wound, TK struggles with the choice of whether or not he wants to return to firefighting, and his loss of agency with his addiction and the move from New York to Austin.
- Family of Choice: TK lampshades this after telling the 126 about his drug addiction history and his moment of clarity when saving the woman on the bus.TK: I choose this family… ‘cause this is where I belong.
- Freak Out: Iris freaks out at the hospital when her mother starts talking about her coming home, claiming that she already has a home back at the homeless camp.
- From Bad to Worse: After a bus flips and hits a fire hydrant, TK attempts to rescue the pinned driver as it begins to fill with water. With none of his usual equipment, TK tries to free the driver’s legs, only for a fire to start in the back due to a gas leak. TK tries to use the extinguisher in the bus but it is nearly empty and he is unable to put out the fire, while his back is turned the water is now up to and going over the driver’s face. The driver tells TK that he’s done everything that he could and that he should leave her to save himself as the bus now fills with smoke. However it does get better, TK performs mouth-to-mouth, continuing to give the driver air while she is under the water and he does this long enough, for the 126 crew to get to the scene, rescuing both him and the driver.
- Full-Name Ultimatum: Just as Iris storms out of the waiting room, Theresa calls out her full name: Iris Lynn Blake. This gets her daughter to stop in her tracks, stunned; Theresa then relents and leaves Iris with some borrowed money and her sweater.
- Group Hug: Mateo initiates one after TK confesses to the team his past drug addiction and overdose and that he wants to continue being a firefighter with the 126.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: After getting knocked out and having her van stolen, Michelle wakes up to find herself in Iris’ tent after the latter rescues her, which makes her realize Iris was part of the homeless camp by Sanctuary Hearts for the entire three years she’d been volunteering there and searching.
- Holding Hands: While they watch the aurora borealis, TK takes Carlos’ hand in affection, establishing their Relationship Upgrade.
- How We Got Here: Right after the opening scene, showing TK and Carlos noticing cellphones, electric scooters, and traffic lights suddenly malfunctioning; and Michelle’s call to her mother shorting out just before she’s attacked by the homeless junkie from “Bum Steer”, the episode shows what’s happening with the rest of the 126 five minutes preceding the upcoming emergency.
- Impeded Communication: The solar flare causes numerous electronic and communication devices, such as radios, TVs, and cell phones to not working correctly.
- Internal Reveal: TK tells the rest of the 126 about his drug addiction and overdose.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Owen shows little to no concern that “his baby”, the expensive espresso machine he got shipped from Italy - according to Marjan, has stopped working, the whole team knows that something isn’t right and are concerned.
- Oh, Crap!: Several of these come with the power surge.
- This is Mateo's reaction when the Percussive Maintenance on the espresso machine doesn’t work, then when Owen arrives at the station and has… surprisingly no reaction to the malfunction.
- TK when he realizes that Ellen is sinking under the water, and has to stop trying to remove the debris pinning her to give her rescue breaths.
- Percussive Maintenance: Mateo attempts to fix the fire house’s expensive espresso machine this way after it stops working.
- Perma-Stubble: TK’s five-o-clock shadow has grown out a little more during his recovery.
- Relationship Labeling Problems: Carlos broaches the subject to TK during their date, unsure about where they stand after the season’s events. TK responds that he doesn’t know, either, since he’s going through his own identity crisis.
- Relationship Upgrade: TK and Carlos officially become boyfriends.
- Revenge: The man that Michelle pepper-sprayed in the face in “Bum Steer” (1.07), surprises Michelle in her van and smashes her head into the steering wheel, knocking her out. He then steals her van.
- Season Finale: Second part of the two-part finale.
- Shout-Out:
- Carlos comments on TK’s thoughts on topics like one of the Dallas Cowboys’ running games, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and songs by Billie Eilish.
- Slow-Motion Fall: TK does this after Owen pulls him out of the flooding/ burning bus.
- Averted as Owen jumps out of the cargo plane to avoid getting caught in the power line explosion.
- Space Station: Grace intercepts a call from an astronaut on the International Space Station.
- Solar Flare Disaster: The cause of the mass power surge throughout Austin.
- Stuff Blowing Up: A plane caught in unpowered power lines, explodes after an electrical surge.
- Sudden Lack of Signal: Due to a solar flare, cellphones all around Austin stop working properly.
- Surprise Car Crash: Due to the traffic lights all being green at the same time, a garbage truck T-bones a bus, causing it to flip.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The man that attacked Michelle and stole her van isn’t mentioned again, and we don’t find out what happened to the van.
- You Did Everything You Could: When Ellen is about to be submerged while still pinned to the floor of the bus, she tells this to TK. He isn’t having it, but they’re luckily both taken out of the bus once backup arrives.
