True Colors
Episode 3 of Station 19 season 7 starts with Travis lamenting to Vic about the FABruary Winter Pride parade. He thinks there is no need for Pride twice a year. Vic questions why he showed up if he hates Pride so much. Travis explains that he had promised his dad, Paul, that they would meet at the Pride parade.
Paul is bringing along his boyfriend, who Travis knows is a DJ but has never met him. Travis is concerned that the guy might be younger than him, but Vic keeps making jokes. On the other hand, Travis says he is looking forward to introducing Eli to his dad.
Elsewhere, Beckett is back, and Andy puts him on desk duty, for which he is grateful. He has nothing against Pride but wants a quiet start. Sadly, Ben is not having a quiet start to his day, and ends up late because he is taking Little Miller with him, too. As he leaves, Carina shows up at the house; Bailey is supposed to help her with the baby. Carina is overwhelmed by the new baby, the new house, and the lawsuit. Bailey offers to give her some stuff they bought for the baby they lost and tries to get Carina to sleep. She is a mess!
However, Carina can’t sleep. She keeps thinking about the lawsuit and reviewing her documentation from that day. Bailey decides to help her, and they look through the nurses’ documentation from that day. They discover Carin did everything right, and she isn’t to blame. This doesn’t exactly make Carina happy, and Bailey explains that maybe the woman is suing Carina because she is desperate for money.
On the other hand, Maya confesses to Ben that she is scared of not returning home after a call. She is now a new mom and is terrified to die on them. Ben advises her to do her best to get home safely and not overthink it. Maya also worries about leaving Carina alone to handle the new changes. Andy promises to give her some time off when she can afford it.
Things are tight since they are short-staffed with Gibson gone. Also Andy is dealing with the pranks from her team but she is in good spirit since it is FABruary Winter Pride parade.
At the Pride, Sullivan notices that something is off between Theo and Vic. Theo informs him they broke up. Vic focuses on treating a couple and their friend. One of the ladies has an open wound on her arm but is too drunk to notice. Sullivan helps Vic by trying to keep the other two women calm.
One of the women believes she is a prophet and can read people. She advises Sullivan to be patient, and to Theo, she asks him to admit he regrets hurting Vic and still loves her. Hmm!
On the other side of the parade, we see Mayor Osman and Natasha getting ready to be part of the parade. A bodyguard informs the Mayor that protesters are on the ground, but security has condoned them off a few blocks. Natasha asks about the love contracts, and the Mayor promises to have them ready by the end of the day. He adds that Natasha needs to cut 10 per cent of the FD budget.
Natasha realises she will have to make staffing cuts. However, the Mayor doesn’t care. He reminds her that she vowed to do anything to keep her job as Chief. The Mayor also has the great idea of promoting the head of the firefighters union to Battalion Chief to ensure the union does fight back against the new cuts.
Meanwhile, Travis meets Kyle Martin, the man dating his dad. Of course, Travis starts being a douchebag, especially after learning the two are in an open relationship. However, Eli is sweet and even recognises Martin as his dentist. He is a dentist by day and a DJ by night!
Eli tries to ask Travis to tone down the sarcasm, and this is when things go down. Travis drops the bombshell about sleeping with Emmett twice, and Eli reads him for filth like he is Nene Leakes in a reunion episode of the House of the Atlanta.
Eli says Travis is a judgemental prick who overcompensates since he can’t deal with his sexuality! He says a few other words before walking away. Travis seeks a listening ear in Vic, but she is also disappointed in him. She says that Eli’s delivery might be wrong, but he is right about Travis being repressed.
Eli is one of many having a rough time at the Pride parade. Andy gets into a verbal fight with a protester who threatens Little Miller, and Maya spots her brother among the protesters.
Soon after, a car backfires, and it sounds like gunshots. People start running, and a stampede happens. The firefighters do their best to handle the injuries. Andy, Ben and Maya treat a protester who gets beaten up after confronting some paraders.
While Andy hopes the man learns his lesson, Maya worries that it could have been her brother and Travis hurries to help his dad and Martin. He apologises for his behaviour earlier. Sullivan saves the flirty drag queen. Later, Eli returns to check on Travis and officially ends their relationship. His last words to Travis are that he hopes he learns he is worthy of being seen.
Away from the parade, Beckett stays at the station and calls his sponsor. The call is interrupted by a man seeking help. The man is experiencing sharp abdominal pain and reveals he has been taking weight loss medication. Beckett bonds with the guy when treating him and advises him to love himself as he is.
At the end of the day, the team sits despondently to have dinner. Maya reveals that she saw her brother but doesn’t blame him. Andy sends her home to be with her family. The rest decide not to let fear ruin their parade. Travis calls his dad and asks for a favour.
The team holds a parade party at the station with Martin as the DJ. Paul talks to Travis and apologises for teaching him shame instead of acceptance. His internal homophobia trickled down to his son.
Natasha unknowingly gives Theo one of the love contracts. She asks him to have Vic and him sign it and show they are in a consensual relationship. Instead of signing his letter, Sullivan uses it to propose to Natasha, who turns him down again.
The show ends with the team dancing to Beyonce while Maya and Carina enjoy family time in their new home.
The Episode Review
That was a rollercoaster, but the highlight has to be Travis and Paul’s conversation. It was a raw look into what internalised homophobia can do to a child. Hurt children turn into hurt adults, and the cycle continues. Now, we are not excusing Travis of cheating. He was wrong about that, and Eli deserves better. However, we can’t help but feel for Travis’s struggle with his sexuality.
His dad taught him to be ashamed and hide. It can take years before he feels secure enough to be himself. Thankfully, the healing journey has begun. We are only sad that Eli got hurt in the end.
The jury is still out on Theo and Vic. Do you think Theo deserves a second chance? Let’s go back to when it all started going downhill. It was after he became the interim captain and his ego turned him into a new selfish person. Vic did her best to reason, appease, and keep him happy, but he couldn’t care less.
There is also his little rendezvous with Kate, who is still flirting with him. Where was this alleged love he felt for her when he ignored and belittled her so much in the last season? We are all for happy endings, but he should prove he deserves a second chance.
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