We Are Family is the third episode of the fourth season and the 46th overall episode of Station 19.
Short Summary[]
The future of Sullivan's career hangs in the balance as his disciplinary hearing gets underway, and Ben, Dr. Richard Webber, Emmett Dixon and former Fire Chief Dixon are called to testify. Meanwhile, the crew investigates an electrical fire at a neglected apartment building that serves as the home and performance space for some of Seattle's most prominent drag queens.
Full Summary[]
Maya exits her bedroom to find Carina in the kitchen, humming as she makes French toast. Maya wraps her arms around Carina from behind and kisses her shoulder as she tells her she normally just makes a protein drink and drinks it on the way to work. Carina scoffs at that and feeds Maya a bite of French toast. Maya says it might be better than sex, which Carina takes as a challenge. Maya and Carina talk about the guilt they feel for being happy while people are dying or are forced to be apart from those they love. When Carina mixes up an English idiom, Maya corrects her and they laugh. Suddenly, Maya looks around at Carina's boxes and pauses for a moment.
Marcus shows Jack his new train, which goes backward as well as forward. Inara interrupts and sends Marcus to help Marsha unload the groceries. Inara then tells Jack he doesn't have to keep bringing them groceries, though he insists that he wants to do it. He checks in with Inara, who says she's doing really well.
Dean finds Travis and Vic staring sadly at a group of fruit cups. Dean is also upset that they no longer get eggs and bacon, but Ben says it's not safe to eat family-style anymore. Dean wants to cook for himself individually, but the food in the fridge is also all individual servings.
Sullivan enters the station and is soon followed by Richard Webber. It's their first time meeting in real life. Richard is there for his hearing, which is being held at the station so they can socially distance. Richard tries to reassure him as he prepares. When Andy walks through, they have an awkward moment, but Richard encourages Sullivan to go talk to her. Sullivan asks her not to be present at the hearing, so she wishes him luck.
Travis runs into Emmett, who is also there to testify at Sullivan's hearing. Emmett tells Travis he's working at the hospital, doing contact tracing. Travis has to leave when the aid car is called out.
Ben sits sadly in the back of the PRT. Andy comes and sits with him. She asks him to help Sullivan out at the hearing, but Ben only promises to tell the truth. Andy wants a shot at being fine with Sullivan, and thinks Ben can help get them that. Ben reiterates that he'll tell the truth.
Jack, Dean, Vic, and Travis arrive at an apartment building. They're there for a smoke smell. They don't smell it at first, but then it hits them. As they look for a way in, Travis spots Rainbow Trout, a drag queen he's seen perform, walking down the street. He tells her he's a huge fan and then he and Vic continue to track the smell.
Sullivan sees the commission preparing and doesn't think he'll be able to stay clean if he can't be a firefighter. Richard tells him to get his feet underneath him, right here and right now. He coaches Sullivan to take a deep breath and take things one minute at a time.
Andy goes to Maya's office and asks if she's going to testify at Sullivan's hearing. Maya tells Andy that Sullivan asked her not to. He doesn't want Andy there either. They're four weeks into a 90-day separation and he thinks her being there will be a distractingly. Maya realizes that's why Andy's been sleeping at the station. Andy asks Maya to bust in and bring everyone so they can see who Sullivan really is. Maya is sorry, but she can't because he asked her not to.
Jack announces to the residents that they'll be cutting the power momentarily and advises them to evacuate. Dean, who is trying to get into the building, complains about being hungry. He's not like Jack, who has a rescue family that feeds him every morning. Travis approaches, followed by Rainbow Trout, who lives in the building. She tells them the smell has been there for a few hours, but they thought it was a nearby plant. They've had power outages, but that's not unusual in their building. She agrees to let them into the building.
Inside, the smell is worse. She tells them there are fifteen units in the building, but three are empty due to the virus. Jack sends them to cut the power and check the building for the electrical fire. Travis is disappointed not to get to go up to the Rainbow Trout's apartment.
Emmett testifies about the day Sullivan overdosed as he's questioned by Parker Lowther. Emmett also reveals that Ben knew about the overdose and didn't turn him in. Lowther asks if he doesn't think someone should have reported it sooner. Ben is watching from above.
Rainbow Trout leads Jack and Dean into the apartment. There's music playing because she says they've been streaming their shows online since lockdown started. Once the song is over, Rainbow Trout introduces them to the firefighters. They think they're actually adult performers at first, but then Rainbow tells them they're real firefighters. They start searching the apartment for the fire, followed by Izzy Packing.
Richard speaks about Sullivan's sobriety and how hard he's worked on it. He explains how hard it is to cope with addiction. It's a daily battle. Nothing is as hard as the first step and Sullivan has taken that first step. As Richard goes to leave, Lowther calls for Dixon to come in next. Sullivan is horrified to see Michael Dixon come in.
Emmett joins Ben to watch from above. Ben tells him he did a great job.
Dixon testifies on when he first learned of the drug problem. He claims he didn't report it immediately because he was conducting an internal investigation. He implies that the drug use might have been going on longer than he knew about and may have led to the death of Pruitt Herrera. He then talks about Emmett and implies that Sullivan used Emmett being gay to keep him quiet. Now for Dixon, the charges against him were dropped, though he did resign as fire chief, claiming he did so because he wasn't happy with how they handled the case. Instead, he is now working for the police department again, as deputy chief of operations.
Jack and Dean look for hotspots in the apartment. Izzy knows what they're doing because she's a volunteer firefighter for station 7. Dean finds a door and opens it to find the room full of smoke. They've found the source. He closes the door and tells them to get out. Jack begs them not to run in their heels.
Vic and Travis check the rest of the building and warn the residents to evacuate. As they work, they talk about Emmett and Travis realizes with horror that Emmett was like his dad. Vic says that happens to everyone. She dated a guy who was like her dad, working all the time and constantly broke. They hear Jack on the radio asking for additional help.
Maya tells Jack they're four blocks away and he reports that they suspect the fire is inside the walls and they're evacuating. Andy is upset that Dixon testified at Sullivan's hearing. Maya sees Andy's knee shaking and tells her that Carina moved in. And she wanted it and loves it, but there's also an alarm going off in her brain because she's allergic to monogamy. Or maybe it's just that Carina is light and lovely and she's not. She's dark and messy. And she needs to be able to call her friend who is also dark and messy when she's freaking out. And she can't. Andy tells her she can call. Maya wonders if that's true because she heard about Andy's life crumbling from Jack.
They arrive at the scene and get an update on the evacuation. Andy sees a car parked in front of the hydrant. Maya tells her to do what she has to do, so she breaks the windows and threads the hose through the car. From the sidewalk, Ruby Red Slippers captures that on film and tweets it with a caption about not parking in front of fire hydrants.
Travis evacuates another resident, who isn't happy. As he prepares to go back in, Ruby Red Slippers flags him down. He's starstruck. She tells him her sisters haven't come down yet. They went back for the valuables and she hasn't see them since. Travis says they'll get everyone out. Maya tells Vic and Travis to continue evacuation and sends a hose up to the fifth floor so it's ready when they find the fire.
Jack and Dean have finished evacuating the fifth floor of residents and are still searching for hot spots. Jack tells Dean that Inara and Marcus are not a rescue case, which Dean says he knows.
As Dixon goes to leave, Ben confronts him about his false testimony, but he brushes it off and advises Ben to let Sullivan go down and not go down with him. Ben tells him he doesn't get to talk about 19 like he's part of the family. Once more, he tries to tell Ben to let Sullivan go down
Izzy is leading Rainbow Trout down the stairs, saying they have to go even though she's in pain. She hurt her ankle walking in bare feet. Andy offers her help, but Izzy says she's a firefighter and can handle it. She kicks off her own shoes, picks up Rainbow, and starts carrying her down the stairs.
Ben is next to testify, talking about his decision to sign off on the missing fentanyl. He was encouraged by Sullivan to do so. Another commission member jumps in and asks how he can be certain something like that won't happen again. Ben can't. He is actually certain it will happen again, because there's a huge drug problem in the United States and it's systemic, so changing one thing won't fix it. Despite this, the commission chairman decides to shut down the PRT.
Jack and Dean think they found the fire. Just as they prepare to cut a hole to check, Elizabeth Gaylor comes back through. She's come back to get Big Red, a wig, because Izzy loves her. Before they can stop her, she opens the door to the fire, causing a smoke explosion that throws all three of them back.
Maya repeatedly calls up to Jack and Dean, but gets no response. She calls up again and finally gets an answer from Jack. He tells her what happened and says he's bringing the civilian out. He goes to rouse Elizabeth to get her out.
Andy calls out to Maya, saying she and Cutler are okay as well. They pass Jack on the stairs and he directs them to to the fifth floor.
Izzy gets Rainbow out and Ruby runs up to them happily. She realizes that Izzy really is a firefighter, but Izzy says firefighter or not, you don't leave a sister behind.
Maya calls for more help and ushers civilians to move back. There's still no answer from Dean, so she sends Vic and Travis in to get him.
As Andy arrives with the hose, Dean tries to crawl away from the fire. He radios Vic and Travis and alerts them to his location. He tells them he has an exit, but his knee is injured, so he'll need assistance. They tell him they're almost there. Once they arrive, they wrap their arms around his shoulders and help him walk out. Once they're gone, Andy turns the hose on the flames.
Jack comes out with Elizabeth and puts her on a gurney. Her sisters surround her as paramedics check her out. As she's wheeled away, Travis and Vic come out with Dean, followed by Andy and Cutler with the hose. Jack takes Vic's place with Dean. Elizabeth is loaded into the aid car and Travis helps Izzy climb in with her.
Jack tells Dean his kneecap is dislocated. He distracts him and reduces the dislocation. Then he puts ice on it. He tells Dean that Inara is his friend and asks if he has a problem with that. Dean assures him that he doesn't. He recognizes that Jack never had a real family and Inara, Marsha, and Marcus remind him of the people he lost. He's happy for Jack.
Maya gets a call from Ben and Andy overhears and asks if it's over and if it's bad. Maya doesn't answer.
On the way to the hospital, Izzy explains to Travis that her meemaw gave her the wig, Big Red. Izzy came out to her when she was twelve, but she said she already knew and didn't care and would swing her purse at anyone who said differently. Big Red was her favorite wig and it became Izzy's favorite as well. But she'd let it burn up a million times if it meant keeping her sisters safe. They picked her up when her meemaw died. They taught her how to do drag and how to be part of a community. They're her tribe. Maya comes on the radio, telling Travis to meet them at the house once he got her to the hospital. He says that's his tribe. Izzy asks if he doesn't have any queen friends. He says he used to do some drag, but she means being friends with other gay people, saying every queen needs a queendom. Travis tells her her sister will be okay.
Sullivan is standing at the sink in the bathroom when Ben comes in. He's there to wash his hands. Sullivan apologizes about the PRT. He understand if Ben never wants to speak to him again. Ben says Sullivan didn't intend to take anything from him and that matters. They're 19 and they fight the fight together.
Sullivan is given three minutes to address the commission and decides to use them. He stands up and starts to talk about the mistakes he's made. Then he talks about all the good decision he's made, the lives he's saved. He's not ready to be done with that. He'll spend the rest of his career making it right. Suddenly, the barn door opens and Travis, Vic, Maya, Andy, and Jack filter in, along with Ben and Emmett. Maya introduces herself and says they're all there to speak on Sullivan's behalf. Each of them takes a turn talking about him. Ben in particular tells the commission that Dixon wasn't part of the team. He was out for blood, to let responsibility fall on anyone but himself. The chairman asks for a recess.
The team enters the beanery, where Dean is eating a lasagna. They tell him he missed it, but he's certain Sullivan did fine without him. Jack asks how his knee is and he says it's fine. He's just icing it. Ben comes in then and tells them the PRT is done and Dixon is back. As they complain, Vic slips Dean's lasagna over to herself and starts eating it. Ben tries to stop her, but they all say they're a pod and they're going to eat family-style, like they always have. Ben finally backs down and leaves. Emmett apologizes for his dad being the devil and leaves as well. Travis calls out to him and runs to catch him.
In the hallway, Travis apologizes for what he did and asks if they can be friends because he needs more gay friends. His friend circle was Michael's friends and when Michael died, they drifted apart. Emmett agrees.
Andy goes to Maya's office. She doesn't know what happened to their friendship, but she knows she never forgave Maya for things that weren't all Maya's fault. Instead of processing, she isolated and let it stay bottled up because that's how things were handled in her family. And Maya freaks out about French toast because she never felt safe around the breakfast table as a child. She misses having a friend just as messed up as she is. Maya points out that she has Jack. They apologize to each other again and Maya tells Andy to move back in, until the separation is over. Andy reminds her that she just moved in with Carina, but Maya says she makes French toast so good, Maya orgasmed a little. She misses Andy. They see the commission file out and know the time has come.
Out in the barn, the team asks Sullivan the verdict. He tells them he's still a firefighter, but they stripped his rank. He's a grunt now. And since no other station will have him, it's up to Maya. Maya welcomes him back to 19.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Jaina Lee Ortiz as Lieutenant Andy Herrera
- Jason George as Dr. Ben Warren
- Boris Kodjoe as Robert Sullivan
- Grey Damon as Lieutenant Jack Gibson
- Barrett Doss as Victoria Hughes
- Jay Hayden as Travis Montgomery
- Okieriete Onaodowan as Dean Miller
- Danielle Savre as Captain Maya Bishop
- Stefania Spampinato as Dr. Carina DeLuca
Guest Stars[]
- James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
- Pat Healy as Michael Dixon
- Lachlan Buchanan as Emmett Dixon
- Colleen Foy as Inara
- Michael B. Silver as Parker Lowther
- Sherry Vine as Rainbow Trout
- Roxy Wood as Izzy Packing
- Camden Garcia as Elizabeth Gaylor
- D.J. "Shangela" Pierce as Ruby Red Slippers
Co-Starring[]
- Mark Edward Smith as Commission Chairman
- Lauren Cook as Teresa Jane
- Ansel Sluyter-Obidos as Marcus
- Haskell V. Anderson III as Annoyed Neighbor
Rescues[]
Apartment Fire[]
The engine and aid car were called out to 77 Joy Street for a smoke smell. They arrived at the building and tried to track the smell to its source. They got assistance from a resident, Rainbow Trout, to get inside to find the source of the smell and cut the power. When they found that one apartment had a room that was about to ignite, they started evacuation and called for backup. When she found the fire hydrant blocked, Andy broke the windows on a car and ran the line through the car. One of the residents, Elizabeth Gaylor, had been missed during evacuation and pulled open a door, causing a smoke explosion which sent her, Dean, and Jack flying back. Jack came to first and carried the resident out after making sure Dean was okay. Dean was unable to get out himself as he had injured his knee, so Vic and Travis came in and got him. As Elizabeth Gaylor was sent to the hospital in an ambulance, Jack reduced Dean's knee dislocation. While this happened, the other firefighters fought the fire and were able to put it out.
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Runnin'" | The New Reflections |
|
| "Juice" | Lizzo |
|
| "Luminous" | Alice and the Glass Lake |
|
| "Hold on for a Miracle" | Svrcina |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
- This episode's title originated from the song We Are Family, originally sung by Sister Sledge.
- This episode scored 5.58 million viewers.[1]
- Carina makes Maya French toast for breakfast, which she did before for Owen in Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
Quotes[]
See Also[]
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A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
| Station 19 Season 4 | ||||||
| #01 | "Nothing Seems the Same" | #07 | "Learning to Fly" | #13 | "I Guess I'm Floating" | |
| #02 | "Wild World" | #08 | "Make No Mistake, He's Mine" | #14 | "Comfortably Numb" | |
| #03 | "We Are Family" | #09 | "No One is Alone" | #15 | "Say Her Name" | |
| #04 | "Don't Look Back in Anger" | #10 | "Save Yourself" | #16 | "Forever and Ever, Amen" | |
| #05 | "Out of Control" | #11 | "Here It Comes Again" | |||
| #06 | "Train in Vain" | #12 | "Get Up, Stand Up" | |||
| << Season 3 | Season 5 >> | |||||