As the episode opens, Maddie returns to work following her near-death experience… or so we think. When Maddie takes a call, we quickly discover she’s having a nightmare and reliving the trauma of her attack before waking up in a panic.
The following morning, Chimney is surprised when Maddie tells him she’s going back to work. Maddie tells Chimney about having nightmares every night as she tells him how she thinks her dreams are trying to tell her something. She feels like it’s been five weeks since she’s done her job and that she’s not been there to help. She thinks getting back to work will help her finally shake the night terrors and reclaim her voice.
Fast forward to Maddie returning to work, this time for real. She has some jitters, and Josh assures her she’s got this as Maddie takes her first call from a young boy whose dad has passed out and is trapped in the room with smoke pouring into the apartment. The 118 are called to the scene as Maddie relays the info about the trapped boy as her voice begins to fade on her. She goes to help instruct the boy to hang a blanket out of the window to help Bobby find him, but her voice literally disappears before she can relay the plan to the boy. Josh steps in and the 118 get to the young boy and his father in time, but Maddie has now fully lost her voice.
Maddie goes in to get checked out at the hospital, but all her tests come back clear, which leads the doctor to suspect the loss of her voice is a trauma response triggered by something specific. The doctor suggests vocal rest and some therapy to help her work through the root issue.
Maddie and Chimney work on some of the vocal therapy exercises, but Maddie is struggling with the scars of her attack and doesn’t know how to kill a monster that’s already dead.
Athena drops in to visit Maddie to check in and ask how she’s been. Athena admits that she can’t stop thinking of Amber as well as she reminds her that Amber might have taken many things, but she didn’t take Maddie’s gift. Maddie seems to suggest she’s not afraid, to which Athena assures her that fear is normal and that she’s tusseled with plenty of monsters. She reminds her that they took down a serial killer together and reminds her she’s just a text away if she needs anything.
The next day, while at the park with Maddie, Jee suddenly goes missing. Panicked, Maddie begins trying to call out and finally finds her voice just as she finds Jee on the slides.
The episode ends with Maddie returning to work once again, her voice regained as she reclaims her life.
Eddie considers returning to LA as things get off to a rough start in Texas
After missing episode 11, Eddie returned in episode 12, just sadly not in the way fans might be hoping for as his return does not come via a trip to LA, but rather the show fulfills its promise of following Eddie’s journey as he moves to Texas.
Early in the episode, we see Eddie head to a local firehouse to interview for a job with Captain Morales. The captain mentions how Bobby gave him a glowing recommendation and also mentioned that Eddie would always have a job at the 118. This seems to cause some concerns for the captain as he had another recent hire come through only to leave them to follow his wife to another city. Eddie assures the captain he’s not leaving and that he won’t regret hiring him before he leaves with the captain letting him know he’ll be in touch.
Following the interview, Eddie joins his parents and Christopher for breakfast as he tells them about his interview and hopes to hear from the captain soon about locking down the job. As they’re talking, a package arrives. It’s a PS5 that Eddie has bought for Christopher and he quickly asks where he should set it up: his home or his grandparents’ home. His mom comes up with every possible excuse for why not to set it up at Eddie’s new place as Christopher agrees to set it up at his grandparents' house. When frustrations kick in, Eddie’s dad tells Eddie that he overheard him bragging about having a firefighter dad cooler than any of the other dads as he reminds Eddie to give it time.
While working on his place, Eddie finally gets a call back from Captain Morales, but it’s not good news he has to share. As Eddie tells Buck over FaceTime, there is a hiring freeze that could last anywhere from two months to a year. As he spirals, Eddie wonders if he should just come back to LA as at least there he had a job and was able to provide for Christopher and make him proud as a firefighter. Surprisingly, Buck is the one who talks Eddie out of that plan as he tells him he needs to see this through and figure something else out.
With limited options, Eddie trades his truck in for a more eco-friendly ride as he begins working as a rideshare driver. After a rough start, Eddie gets some helpful advice from a passenger who used to be a rideshare driver and his luck begins to finally turn around as he begins making good money on tips. There’s just one problem: Eddie doesn’t tell his family the truth about his job as a rideshare.
This lie blows up in Eddie’s face when he picks up a ride for a boy and his friend group which happens to include Christopher. Both pretend not to know one another, and Eddie calls Buck after to get some advice. Buck tells Eddie he needs to call Christopher or text him and clear the air, and Eddie takes his advice after getting off the phone.
The text helps kick things off nicely as Eddie and Christopher begin texting back and forth. Just as Eddie invites Christopher to get dinner, he hears a knock at the door and is surprised to see Christopher, who has come to return the PS5, not out of anger, but to help his dad save. The pair patch things up as Christopher makes it clear he wants Eddie to stay.