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Synopsis: Station 19 receives a call from concerned neighbors regarding a resident in their apartment building, so the team heads out to investigate. When they arrive to evaluate the scene, they’re shocked by what they find inside. Meanwhile, in an effort to create a solid working relationship between the fire and police departments, Ryan takes an unlikely member of the team on a ride-along. (TVGuide)
Writer: Anupam Nigam
Director: Tessa Blake
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 43mins
Airs: Thursdays at 9pm on CTV (Canada)/ABC (United States)
“Home to Hold Onto”starts off with Victoria waking up at David’s place AKA Mr. Station 23. Andy is up early organizing some of her stuff in Maya’s place who says it’s a distraction from upsetting her father. Victoria arrives to dish about her latest escapade when Andy starts to show a looser side to her which surprises the girls. Jack arrives at Dean’s to pick him up from his beautiful waterfront cottage, complaining that they’ve never hung out there, before heading in to work.
Captain Sullivan feels there was a disconnect between them and the police on the last call and decides to send Jack out on a ride along with Ryan. At the mess hall, Ben discusses wanting to take up kayaking to Dean as he reveals that Jack told everyone about his secret house. Victoria comes in and gets some congratulations for her night when Travis arrives for his first day back prompting Victoria’s mood to change and storm out.
Ben goes to Captain Sullivan to try to explain himself and his passion for the job, but Sullivan is very dismissive. The girls discuss Sullivan and why he was chosen over a woman when he overhears and explains that the woman who was primed for the job ruined her chances and so he got stuck with the job. Travis confides in Ben, asking if everything seems weird with Victoria. Turns out she never told him about last night. He confronts her about her distant behaviour, but she shrugs it off.
At the station, Pruitt stops by to give Andy a dead plant as an excuse to catch up when they receive a call about a ceiling collapse. On the drive, Sullivan asks when he expects to get Maya’s Lieutenant application, but she seems hesitant to step on Andy’s toes. They arrive where two men explain that the apartment above them is leaking profusely and they are concerned about their elderly neighbour Evelyn. They hear the building moving and upon prying it open they find it overstuffed with stuff. Sullivan sends Dean to grab some support beams while teaming Travis up with Victoria. The rest of the team talk to Evelyn through the door who reveals she had some recent heart surgery and being trapped under boxes could cause her to have a cardiac episode meaning they have to act fast.
Sullivan opts to send Ben into the apartment alone, but Andy wants them to wait for the engineers. He turns to Maya and asks for her opinion, who says they should send someone in, but it should be Andy, due to her size and experience, and he agrees. Andy maneuvers her way through the box maze in Evelyn’s apartment, but accidentally grabs a mousetrap and goes tumbling to the floor. She crawls over to Evelyn, who is laying on the ground and is in bad shape. They can’t wait to get her out, she needs to treat her now. Andy has to drain fluid from around Evelyn’s heart. She’s able to drag Evelyn out of the room and Sullivan pulls Andy out before the ground collapses beneath her. Sullivan compliments Ben on his work and then reassures Andy after she has the realization that if they went with her plan Evelyn might have died.
On the ride along, Ryan sets some ground rules for Jack saying that traffic stops can be some of the dangerous situations a cop can face. Throughout their time together, Jack opens up and says he wants to get rid of this pettiness between them, but Ryan isn’t buying it. During one of their routine stops, Ryan feels a bit off about the situation and calls it in as a child abduction in progress. Upon confirmation from an amber alert, Jack wants to confront them for the safety of the child, but Ryan knows they need to wait for backup for her safety and it better come soon because the man starts to get impatient. Ryan confronts the man and tells him to just give up before he endangers his daughter. With her now save, Ryan confides in Jack about the bittersweet feelings of being a cop when compared to a firefighter.
At the station, Andy asks Maya about her decision to backup Sullivan rather than her, but Maya fights back about her choice causing tension between them. Maya goes to Sullivan’s office to announce she submitted her Lieutenant application. Travis offers to help Victoria, but she won’t budge and he wants answers. She breaks down and explains that he told Ben to leave him to die and that he quit on everyone including her. Sullivan intervenes and tells them to keep their baggage out of his house.
Andy heads over to her dad’s house where she returns the plant and explains he needs to live life. He sits her down and she asks if she was ever a more relaxed person and apparently she was before her mom died. She notices Ryan and her dad reveals that he occasionally comes over to see him. The episode ends as Dean sits down for a beer on his dock with Ryan and Jack where they talk about their days and open up about the struggles of the job and the baggage it leaves them with.
Captain’s Log
- Will David from Station 23 stick around?
- Will Maya’s application cause a rift between her and Andy?
- Are Jack and Ryan becoming friends?
- How long will Travis and Victoria’s relationship be rocky?
- What is Robert Sullivan’s deal?
- Will his past with Jack and Dean cause problems?
- How long will Ryan and Jack be able to resist Andy?
- Will Travis have a setback in his recovery?
Overall, this was an alright episode. The call of the week was a good parallel to the issues that Andy is facing, allowing her to learn and grow in both her personal and professional lives, but outside of that the episode lacks in the charming moments that most episodes have had. The constant drama between these firefighters as they go from best friends to bitter enemies feels a bit forced at times at it seems everyone has to have a falling out with each other at some point. Thankfully, the ride along brought some much needed bonding between Ryan and Jack that helped show a more vulnerable side of them to one another.
Score: 6.5/10
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