Nashville Season 1 Episode 9 Explained — Don’s Tragic Backstory

Every “9-1-1” captain needs a tragic backstory — Bobby was responsible for the fire that killed his wife and children, while “9-1-1: Lone Star” revealed that Owen blamed himself for his younger brother drowning when they were children — and the January 22 episode of “9-1-1: Nashville” finally gave us Don’s.

An uneventful family brunch suddenly turned quite eventful when Blue asked Don about his parents, who are apparently no longer with us. When he asked what happened, Blythe fielded the question: “They died when he was 10. There was a fire, and Don was the only one to get out.”

This information only made Don’s speech at Blue’s swearing-in ceremony all the more upsetting. “Fire can damage, it can destroy,” he said, “yet it can also burn away weakness and fear.” This man has demons, y’all. And they’re all on fire.

Dixie also got the spotlight this week, though not for the reasons she would have liked. The polyps on Dixie’s vocal chords have doubled in size, and while her doctor insisted that she have surgery, she said she can’t afford it “…yet.” This refocused Dixie’s attention on her original goal of squeezing Don for every penny he’s got, but Blue wasn’t on board with getting the money from him under false pretenses.

And things only got worse from there. After a duet with Taylor at Blue’s swearing-in ceremony, Dixie began coughing up blood before collapsing on the floor. Blue finally came clean with Don at the hospital, asking him for a $45,000 loan for the surgery. Instead, Don offered to cover it with no expectation of being paid back.

This was great news for Dixie, but not for Blythe, who didn’t appreciate Don making this decision without so much as glancing in her direction first. “I know this is a lot to deal with, but we’ve been through so much together,” Don told Blythe after the fact. “We’ve been through too many fires for me to turn my back on her now.” And Blythe cut back with a heartbreaking response: “You know, until the end of that sentence, I actually thought that the ‘we’ was going to refer to you and me.”

Blythe maintained her position during a follow-up chat, telling Don, “I don’t know why Dixie still has a hold over you, but I will not be taking this crap anymore.” He explained that Dixie was the first person who understood the pain he experienced growing up as a foster kid, so they bonded, but they were basically two kids drowning. “You’re the one who rescued me,” Don told his wife. “You saved me. You are my light, you are my love, and I’d just as soon die than let anyone come between us.” (Nice save!)

Then came a big ol’ twist that even we didn’t see coming: Blue came home and accused Dixie of faking her accident at his ceremony — and she didn’t deny it! In fact, she said she was doing Blue a “favor” by letting him keep his hands clean.

A chaotic incident at a nightclub sent a flood of injured partygoers to the hospital, where Ryan helped Sam cut a girl open to stop her from literally inflating. After a lot of surgical grossness, the procedure was a success, and their patient felt like she could finally breathe. “That makes three of us,” Ryan said, earning them the title of #RelationshipGoals from their grateful patient. Because nothing saves a marriage like shared trauma, right?

Unfortunately, the couple’s good times didn’t last long. An innocent debate about whether to get a cat or dog quickly spiraled into a heated argument about when they’ll be ready to have children. We thought hearing about Don’s tragic childhood was going to be the most awkward part of that family brunch, but we were wrong.

In the end, though, things worked out for the plucky young couple. Ryan agreed that they aren’t ready to have kids, but suggested they could “start with something a little smaller” in the meantime, surprising his wife with one of the kittens rescued by the 113 earlier in the episode. She was overjoyed, then pulled a reverse “Gift of the Magi” by revealing that she also adopted a dog for him!

OK, let’s talk: Given the “9-1-1” blueprint, were you always expecting Don to have a tragic past? Did you predict that Dixie faked her incident? And do you think Ryan and Sam’s marriage Band-Aid will work? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.