The first time I saw this clip was a few minutes ago-- for some reason everywhere this episode airs in syndication cuts this part out! This is such an important moment for Dietrich.
When he first arrived at the 12th he would constantly apologize for existing in other people's space, and he felt like an outsider, noting that "it's one of the worst sensations there is, that feeling that you don't really belong, that you're not really part of the group, that everyone else is looking at you thinking 'Who's he? What the hell's he doing here? Where does he come off trying to be one of us?'" Dietrich felt like he had alienated people his whole life, and he didn't know how to fix it.
On top of that, Dietrich couldn't commit to anything. He went through career after career, from beekeeper to lumberjack to actor to medical school to law school to teacher and who knows what else. He was divorced, and gave up other opportunities he had for loving relationships because he was afraid he wouldn't be good enough. He even almost quit policing, but stayed because his friends at the 12th held him accountable and cared enough not to just let him walk away from them.
To hear Dietrich say that these guys made him feel like he belongs and that he loves them is so beautiful and such an incredible moment of character growth. I'm so glad I finally got to see it.
