She reports to work and tries to sweeten up Beckett with some healthy muffins that “are a choking hazard.” She is hoping Beckett can threaten Gibson to come back to work. Beckett tells her that Gibson didn’t take an official leave. He just left with no explanation and therefore he is not willing to hire him back as he thinks Gibson is unreliable. Andy shares her concerns with Sullivan. He advises her to stop fighting Gibson’s battles for him and give him the dignity of his own experience. Carina and Ben are taking inventory of the clinic at the fire station and Ben can sense that there is tension between Maya and Carina. Travis is stressed out after getting a 14-page questionnaire to get an endorsement for the union. He is frustrated that Dixon is still leading in the race because he has a hold on the police and the fire union. Vic and Theo try to motivate him and keep him focused on the goal which is not letting Dixon win. As they continue enjoying the breakfast, the aid team is called to handle a domestic situation. Ben and Maya respond to the call and are shocked to find that the house belongs to Dixon. Dixon and his wife Kitty had a fight and Maya projects her childhood trauma on Kitty and assumes Dixon is abusing her. As it turns out, Kitty and Dixon have a toxic marriage where they both abuse each other and sweep it under the rug like it is normal. The situation with Dixon hits Maya hard as she is also in denial that her marriage is in trouble. Ben tries to offer her some advice but she is not interested in letting anyone help her. She claims she is dealing with it in her way. Why is she blind to the obvious fact that it is not working out and she and Carina are painfully falling apart? The team gets another call to handle a fire after an electric car overheated. Andy and Beckett have different opinions when it comes to how to fight the fire. Andy calls Beckett out on being a bad captain who is giving up on Gibson and not uniting the team. Andy was raised by a fire captain who believed the team is a family that should be there for each other. Beckett on the other hand, couldn’t care less as long as the job gets done. Another keen observer, Vic notices that Maya and Carina are not doing well and she offers to listen to Carina. Carina is worried she might be pregnant but Maya is not in the right head space and has been ignoring her. She is not sure if this is the right time to have kids anymore. Vic helps her take a pregnancy test and while waiting for the results she helps Carina figure out what she truly wants. She wants a family and is still deeply in love with Maya. In the end, they choose not to check the results so that Maya and Carina can savour the moment together. After coming back from their respective calls, Maya breaks protocol and tells Vic and Travis about their domestic abuse call at Dixon. She thinks they can use that information against him in the campaign but Ben adamantly orders them not to use that information. Later, Andy mobilizes the team to help Gibson fix the roof at his girlfriend’s house. She wants to subtly assure him that they still have his back and his family.
The Episode Review
It is a grey area whether Andy should forcefully help Gibson or not. As Sullivan said, Gibson will let them know when he is ready to be helped. I am not sure about this because I think Gibson thinks he has no right to burden them. He won’t admit he needs help and Andy is doing the right thing. It is the only way Gibson will see that he has a family that loves him through the highs and lows in life. That is what family does; it helps even when you feel or think you don’t need help. My heart continues to bleed for Maya and Carina. It is painful watching them act like strangers to each other. They need to listen and communicate but will they be able to salvage their relationship? I am also dying to find out if Carina is pregnant, I hope it brings them back to each other’s arms again.
