"The Big Chill"[1] is the first episode of the third season of 9-1-1: Lone Star, and the twenty-fifth episode overall. It aired on January 3rd, 2022.
Synopsis[]
An unexpected arctic cold front brings an ice storm to Austin and a variety of weather-related emergencies. Meanwhile, Owen deals with the fallout of the 126 closing, as Tommy, T.K. and Gillian settle into new employment and Judd and Grace prepare for the birth of their first baby. [2]
Plot[]
In May, Captain Owen Strand is in a meeting with Billy Tyson and Chief Bowman to decide the reprimand for Strand striking Billy in the face after he announces the closure of the 126. Owen tells Billy that the fire was only used as an excuse to shut down the 126 because Billy always wanted to be the Captain and never got to. Chief Bowman tells Owen that it was being shut down because there was no room in the budget to rebuild it. Owen requests a chance to audit the books to find a way to save the 126 but the scene ends with no response.
The rest of the 126 meet Owen outside the building questioning him on what happened. He tells them he has been suspended and they are expected to stay at their temporary assignments permanently. He convinces them that this is not the end and that they will continue fighting "until hell freezes over."
Time jumps to January, and a couple is driving in a snowstorm while listening to the radio telling people to stay off the roads due to dangerously icy conditions. They almost crash and decide to get out and walk. Before leaving they say goodbye to a bunch of baby turtles in the back of their van. They head out to look for more turtles and while looking find a boy trapped under the ice.
8 hours previously the news warns people about the upcoming snowstorm. At her new job, paramedic Captain, Tommy Vega is told she should be upselling medication to patients. TK Strand questions Nancy Gillian about whether his ex-boyfriend Carlos Reyes has been invited to the 126 firehouse party she is hosting.
Judd Ryder paints his nursery as he complains to his wife Grace Ryder about what is happening that morning. He declines a call from Marjan Marwani and then heads to work.
Marjan stands on the sidewalk watching them begin demolition on the 126 firehouse before racing across the street, chaining herself to the building and halting demolition. She is told that the police have been called and begins livestreaming the event. She requests people visit their GoFundMe where they need $4.6 million to reopen the 126. It begins snowing so they shut down construction. Carlos shows up and arrests her for trespassing.
In the police car, Carlos tells Marjan that everyone is devastated about the closing of the 126 but they have accepted there is nothing they can do and so should she. She accuses him of talking about T.K. and their relationship.
Owen is chopping wood at a cabin he is staying at when he meets his neighbor Sadie Becker who has just gone through a divorce. She warns him to be careful because people in Texas tend to go crazy in the snow.
Captain Vega and her team tend to a man who has a chunk of ice in his neck. The 129 fire station shows up, including Mateo Chavez. Tommy asks fire captain Jack Tatum for assistance in cutting the ice. He tells her he will do anything for the woman who saved his life and tells her he will put his best man on it before pointing out Matteo. Matteo cuts the ice and they go their separate ways as Matteo looks longingly after them.
Marjan is sprung from jail by Billy. When she realizes this she tells him they should just put her back in the cell. Billy tells her she could thank him because he could have suspended or even fired her. She points out that firing her would only give her story more traction. Billy tells her that raking him over the coals on social media is not helping anybody. He requests her help to build the department up instead of tearing it down like she has been. Marjan asks him why she should help him when Owen has done everything he was told to do for punching Billy in the face but none of it was enough to satisfy the department. Billy tells her that Owen is not being completely honest with her and that there is still one thing he won't do. In order to prove it he sends her Owen's contract for employment. Billy then asks her to get Judd to return his calls but Marjan tells him he should take a hint.
Tommy and her team are on their way to the hospital with the man who got ice in his neck. He almost bleeds out but they pull over to pack his wound with snow to gain enough time to make it to the hospital.
The 9-1-1 dispatchers are warned about the upcoming influx of calls that are expected to happen. Grace takes a call from a man about a break-in at his furniture store.
Carlos responds to the call and requests backup but is told they are twelve minutes out. Once inside he finds two veteran men, Sargent Vincent Thompson and Major Garrett. Carlos has his gun raised towards Thompson, telling him to get out of the bed, until he notices Thompson is wheelchair-bound. Carlos relents when he realizes they are just trying to stay warm.
Marjan confronts Paul Strickland and Judd at their new firehouse and tells them that the 126 was not knocked down. She also shows them a letter of apology that Owen was supposed to sign in order to be reinstated. Marjan tells Judd that Billy wishes to hear from him and Judd says that he can go to hell. Paul and Judd tell Marjan that they agree with Owen's decision not to sign the letter. She argues saying that if he had been there he could have been helping to fight back for the 126. She leaves stating that she is taking a snow day to get Owen back.
Carlos takes the two Veteran men to a warming center where they reluctantly ask for a place to stay. As he is about to leave a tree goes through the window.
Judd calls Grace to tell her about the apology letter and Marjan's decision to go see him. Judd believes Owen was right to refuse to apologize but Grace disagrees. Their call gets disconnected soon after.
Marjan arrives at Owen's cabin and heads straight to cuddle his dog Buttercup. Marjan tells Owen about the halted demolition but he seems uninterested. She tells him the universe has spoken to them but Owen thinks they have done everything they can. Marjan confronts him with the apology letter he was supposed to sign but he tells her it would be a lie because he was not sorry. She says he has let his pride get in the way but Owen tells her that becoming Captain won't change anything as there is still no 126 station. Marjan asks him how he can give up but he tells her all that will gain him is more hate, and that he hasn't given up, he has given in. He is trying to enjoy the world instead of fight it. She leaves defeated and angry refusing to stay and leaves the apology letter on his table.
Carlos helps to tape up the window at the warming center before shouting begins. Garrett tells him that Thompson was in a POW and doesn't like enclosed spaces. Thompson yells about wanting out as they both try to convince him it is not safe outside. The building begins to shake and things fall from the ceiling. Carlos yells at everyone to get out of the building and carries Thompson out in his arms.
T.K. and Nancy clean up the ambulance after their last call while Nancy tries to subtly ask questions about why T.K. and Carlos broke up but he refuses to answer.
Judd, Paul and Matteo show up with their new firehouses to the warming center, which has caught fire.
Carlos brings the people from the warming center to the furniture store of the man with the break-in call. Tommy and her team show up to triage the residents. Carlos gets uncomfortable seeing T.K. and is too distracted to answer simple questions. He soon snaps out of it when he realizes someone is missing.
Carlos rushes back to the warming center and informs the firefighters that a teenage girl is inside. They wonder about her possibility of survival after the first collapse and the chance of another collapse after they have added gallons of water that has since frozen.
The firefighters prepare on how best to attempt to save the girl. Her parents arrive and thank them for doing their best to try and save her.
Matteo, Judd and Paul search for her with heat signals. They hear her bang on something and listen for her until a part of the building collapses and traps Paul.
Owen takes Buttercup for a walk, complaining about the speech that Marjan gave him. Buttercup takes off as they are about to head home. They find a man in the snow but he only speaks Spanish and Owen does not understand what he is trying to say.
Marjan is driving home when she swerves to avoid hitting a crashed vehicle and ends up crashing her vehicle into the ditch causing the airbags to implode.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
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Trivia[]
- The episode's title was first revealed on Ronen Rubinstein's Twitter on September 7, 2021. [3]
- As of this episode, Brianna Baker (Nancy Gillian), Kelsey Yates (Isabella Vega) and Skyler Yates (Evie Vega) are promoted to the main cast.
- Owen's full name is Owen Marshall Strand.
- The ambulance that Tommy, Nancy and T.K. work out of at Paragon is the 119.
- Carlos and T.K. broke up between the time jump.
- Grace mentions that the baby is a girl by referring to the baby as 'she' when she finds Judd painting the nursery.
- Carlos' mentions that this isn't the first time he's had to arrest Marjan.
- Marjan had poured sugar in a bulldozer's gas tank and cut the hydraulic lines of a crane.
- Owen mentions that he has been in the hill country for a month and a half, so roughly mid November.
- Grace drinks chamomile tea when she's ill.
- Captain Jack Tatum mentions he`s been on the job for 37 years.
Cultural References[]
- The cold front in Travis county is a reference to the 2021 Texas power crisis, when three severe winter storms swept across the United States, that caused a massive electricity generation failure in the state of Texas, leading to resource shortages for two weeks.
- Marjan mentions Jamie Lannister, a character from Game of Thrones.
- Judd mentions Elsa's Frozen Place from Frozen (2013).
Continuity[]
- 8 months have passed since the events of "Dust to Dust".
- Mateo is seen to have a better respect from his temporary captain and firehouse, presumably due to his heroics in "Dust to Dust".
- Marjan tells Billy she regained 7.1 million followers back on Instagram. She had previously lost a couple thousand due to the incident she was blamed for in "Slow Burn".
Multimedia[]
Promotional Images[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Videos[]
