Episode 5 of "On Call" kicks off with Diaz shrouded in a cloud of gloom, the aftermath of a heart-wrenching breakup with his girlfriend weighing heavily on him. Harmon, sensing his colleague's distress, opens her heart to share her own turbulent past—a divorce from a fellow officer in the LAPD, painting a picture of shared vulnerabilities. Just then, a message interrupts Diaz's reverie, prompting him to request a detour. They need to visit his mother.
Upon arrival, Harmon attempts to make a friendly introduction, but Diaz's mother remains unyieldingly cold, her animosity towards law enforcement fueled by the belief that they ruined her son Gabriel's future. With Harmon back in the car, Diaz's mother reveals a chilling encounter with a relative named Eddy, who warns that East Barrio has placed a bounty on Gabriel's head, a grim repercussion of Diaz's actions.
Tension mounts as they receive a call to action, responding to a domestic disturbance. A frantic woman named Tina pounds on the door of a house, her voice cracking with worry. She claims it's her ex-husband Mark's residence, and he's been holding their daughter Abby captive for two days, neglecting to send her to school.
Harmon approaches the door, which creaks open to reveal Mark's latest girlfriend. Inside, Harmon conducts a thorough search, but Abby is nowhere to be found. Their search leads them to a shed at the rear of the property, where a harrowing scene unfolds: Abby, tied to a chair, with two figures looming over her. With swift, decisive action, they rescue the terrified child and confront the men. One of them, a priest, reveals they were attempting an exorcism, believing Abby to be possessed.
The paramedics arrive on the scene, and one of them, with whom Harmon shares a complicated past—marked by a brief romantic entanglement followed by a request for distance—shares a poignant update. He's spotted Harmon's estranged sister on a beach, stirring up mixed emotions. Harmon, however, harbors resentment, her sister's history of theft to fund her drug habit labeling her a hopeless case. The episode ends on a note of unresolved tension and deep-seated family conflicts.
Harmon and Diaz resumed their patrol, and at long last, Diaz unveiled the tumultuous situation concerning his brother to Harmon. She proposed placing Gabriel under protective custody, yet Diaz countered that such a move would irrevocably devastate Gabriel's life. He inquired if they could broker peace with Smokey to halt East Barrio's aggression, but Harmon dismissed it as impossible.
Their attention was suddenly diverted by a vehicle weaving erratically through traffic. Harmon swiftly ordered the driver to halt. They discovered an elderly man at the wheel, disoriented and clad only in a hospital gown. Harmon declared they must return him to the hospital forthwith.
Just then, Diaz's phone buzzed; it was Gabriel, assuring him he was unharmed and cautioning against any rash actions. Diaz implored Harmon to reconnect him with Smokey, but she steadfastly refused, stressing Smokey's perilous nature, especially after their encounter with Maniac. As she persuaded Diaz to reconsider protective custody, their ears caught the rising acrimony of a couple at a nearby gas station.
Approaching the duo, they saw a child seated alone in a car. The woman accused the man of threatening suicide and beseeched for help. The man's demeanor darkened as the officers stepped in. He drenched himself in gasoline and vowed to ignite himself. Diaz attempted to defuse the situation, but the man flicked his lighter, engulfing himself in flames. In a split second, Diaz rescued the young boy from the car.
Later, Diaz was torn, as the father lay on a ventilator in hospital. Harmon reassured Diaz that his intervention was justified and the consequences would have been dire without it. She then unveiled the whispers surrounding her own past. A year prior, Lasman's partner had become overly aggressive with a suspect. When Harmon intervened to halt him, he physically pushed her. He was terminated for this incident, alongside several others who attempted to conceal it, though Harmon insisted she hadn't filed the complaint. Regardless, others continued to blame her. She sternly warned Diaz against ever questioning her integrity again, as On Call Episode 5 drew to a close.
