S03.E04: Triggers

[ESS]

THE FIRST RESPONDERS ARE INVOLVED IN AN EMERGENCY AT A HIGH-RISE FIRE DRILL 

Ronda Rousey Guest-Stars

The first responders race to save workers in a high-rise during a fire drill; a mother and her sons involved in a perilous car accident; and squabbling siblings fighting over a family heirloom. Meanwhile, Buck delivers surprising news to Bobby, Eddie helps Christopher cope with the trauma of the tsunami, Hen and Karen debate expanding their family and Maddie decides to take action against a possible wife abuser 

[gik910]

Ugh.

I do not like either Maddie or Buck's story lines at all. 

Buck hasn't been terminated - he's on medically necessary light duty. Why can't we have more of him and Christopher? That's gold.  This is trash.

The less said about Maddie going rogue the better. 

[anna0852]

Yeah, both Buckley siblings are making some poor choices. 

[Lady Calypso]

Oh, no, Buck, no. You don't go suing the city and Bobby for wrongful termination. Bobby's just looking out for you by actually giving you light duty. Damnit; I was really hoping he wouldn't go this route. I'm hoping this is merely a one episode arc.

Maddie, don't go stalking this couple if you don't know for sure that this girl is in danger. I mean, she probably is, but lying and sneaking into her life is going to end badly. 

Poor Christopher. But it's kind of nice to get to know his feelings about the death of his mother (something we obviously couldn't care less about but would affect him). Hopefully he starts opening up more. A very strong episode for Eddie as well.

The Maddie/Chimney stuff worked well enough. Same with Hen's stuff with Karen.

[SimoneS]

That was a downer after last week. Buck suing the city and Bobby. Ugh. How can their relationship come back from that?

I know Maddie is acting obsessed and wacky, but I thought her scheme to help the woman was actually well thought out and clever. Become her client, maybe her friend, and be there to help her escape alive. I can't help wondering how this story will end. When her supervisor finds out, Maddie will likely be fired. I wonder if this is the Jennifer Love Hewitt's exit story.

At least Eddie figured out the source of Christopher's trauma so he can now help him. Bosko is annoying and is potential trouble for Eddie.

[preeya]

So Maddie has morphed into the "Gabby Dawson" [Chicago Fire] of 9-1-1. This ain't gonna be pretty or end well.

Edited October 15, 2019 by preeya

[Bulldog]

Well, Buck has come full circle for me.  When the show began, I hated him.  Gradually grew to love him.  Now, hate him again. 

Will they redeem him, or will the Buck stop here!

[NJRadioGuy]

What a colossal letdown after last week. Buck's just proven (once again) he's not mature enough for the job. Maybe he should consider himself lucky he didn't get fired and/or arrested for stealing the ladder truck for a booty call (twice). That could certainly liven up the coming depositions a bit.

I don't know about L.A. or California regs, but here in New Jersey, any 911 dialed-in-error or hangups get a at least one police cruiser dispatched to the location, and two if anything seems remotely suspicious to the call taker. Contact by the officer must be made in person to determine there's nothing wrong. 

Liked the MVA call in general but why on earth didn't they tie multiple lines to the engine (or better still, from both the engine and truck, each at different angles), and run them down to the car to stabilize it before anything else? That one line to the SUV's hitch didn't look particularly stable. Pretty much every vehicle on the road has anchor points for towing that are directly attached to the frame. Usually 2 at the front and 2 at the back. Tie off onto those ferheavensakes.

Also, I wish they'd have shown the mom's rescue. That must have been a hell of an extrication to get her safely, without the risk of falling from being pinned in the vehicle and onto the backboard. No way one person could do that, especially with the vic unconscious. I'd have to think the more prudent way would have been to pull the vehicle back up topside (with the help of an oversized tow and highly-trained technical rescue crew) then slide her out then. The risk of spinal or other complications would be crazy based on what they showed.

Edited October 15, 2019 by NJRadioGuy

[chlban]

Please not more focus on JLH. I love this show, but cannot stand her and there is just too much trying to make her some weird Hero/Victim hybrid. Not a good episode.

[DisplayyName]

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

That was a downer after last week. Buck suing the city and Bobby. Ugh. How can their relationship come back from that?

I know Maddie is acting obsessed and wacky, but I thought her scheme to help the woman was actually well thought out and clever. Become her client, maybe her friend, and be there to help her escape alive. I can't help wondering how this story will end. When her supervisor finds out, Maddie will likely be fired. I wonder if this is the Jennifer Love Hewitt's exit story.

At least Eddie figured out the source of Christopher's trauma so he can now help him. Bosko is annoying and is potential trouble for Eddie.

i think Maddie is supposed to be going batshit crazy, I too, feel like this might be the beginning of the end for her. i'm wondering if she's gonna get that woman killed. ...or herself and buck takes her place at the 911 call center, i've been wondering about this theory for awhile now, she's not popular at all and the show creators listen to their fans. When her ex husband kidnapped her, some people were actually rooting for the husband, ouch. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame 911 fans for not liking her. I don't hate her but the actress who plays her isn't the greatest obviously [to put it lightly] and giving her big storylines was a waste of time last year and it's a waste of time now. It's easy to ignore her because apart from Chimney [and sometimes Buck] she has 0 connection with any of the characters in the show. But I don't blame anyone who has no desire to see her at all and stopped watching the show because of her.

Anyway, I didn't realise how much I missed smug Buck. His scenes at the beginning  of the episode made me feel nostalgic. There was a time at the beginning of s1 when he was like that all the time and most people hated him [i did not]. Making him a backstabber asshole otoh is unnecessary. Talking about backstabbing, I loved the scene where he ripped off Lena's name tag. They should've just got a new tag saying Bosko but no, they had to leave the letter B there LMAO. I guess we'll see where this storyline goes. 

[meatball77]

I like JLH when she's doing her job and when she's interacting with the rest of the cast.  Not when she's doing things that aren't part of her job.

[tennisgurl]

No you dont show, stop this right now! I dont want to see vigilante/possible almost killer Maddie or Buck betraying all of his friends because he has no clue what medical leave is, I dont want this at all! With all the focus on sibling relationships this week, I kept hoping that Maddie and Buck would come together and bond and realize that they were dealing with their respective traumas in unhealthy ways and try and move on, but sadly it was not meant to be. 

Both of these stories both sound awful if they want to turn them into on going plots. I ended up liking Maddies abusive ex showing up and kidnapping her more than I expected to, because it tied into her character arc, but this is just pointless. And Buck is my favorite character, but is now acting like four seasons of character development just never happened, and he is just asshole immature Buck again who cant tell that Bobby is clearly trying to look out for him. Just...what even is this melodramatic character assassination bullshit?

[Empress1]

I didn't like this episode. The best part was when Hen's and Athena's sons were arguing and Athena gave one sharp "Kids!" and they straightened up. She didn't even get up from her chair. I think she even took a sip after she said it. It was just a complete non-issue for her, having broken up however many fights over the course of her life as a parent.

Ronda Rousey can't act and Buck and Maddie are fucking up.

The woman in the car was Paula Jai Parker. This is the first thing I've seen her in since a reality show she did with some other Black actresses who used to work a lot and now, not so much. (She did not come off well on it.)

[Chaos Theory]

Wow and here I thought everyone would love this episode.  I thought it was a really good episode focusing on the Buckley siblings.  Just when Maddie’s life was back on track something throws  it back off and now she is obsessed with the a couple she thinks are in the same position she was a short time ago.

Buck thought he could just fight through what was wrong with him but Bobby pretty much told him he wasn’t coming back and this was after that nice speech about loyalty and family.  Of course he feels hurt and betrayed.

Both Buck and Maddie are very wrong in their actions and they are self destructing but it is fascinating to watch.

Edited October 15, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Jillybean]

How does Buck have a case for wrongful termination when he hasn't even been terminated?

Athena and Bobby have no chemistry but seem to make a good team.

Ronda Rousey is not good.

The kids storyline for Hen and her wife is boring and takes away from more interesting storylines.

Maddie: just no.

Chimney is such a great boyfriend. 

Poor Christopher. He has a wonderful dad, though.

Edited October 15, 2019 by Jillybean

[gonzosgirrl]

I think there's going to be a twist with the Maddie stuff, where the husband isn't physically abusive (though clearly still an a-hole) and the wife is cheating on him. I know PTSD can be a volatile thing, but after all this time, Maddie is set off (to this extreme) by breaking a dish? Meh.

Count me among those who didn't know 'Buck' was a nickname for his last name. Huh. I hate, h a t e this story line. It's stupid, especially after the maturity he showed the last two episodes. Bobby has bent over backwards to a) protect his health, b) protect his job, and c) make sure he got light duty so he could remain part of the community while recovering. So yeah, let's sue him and everybody else involved. Does he really think he could just go back to status quo after that? And he's willing to alienate everybody from the station while it drags on? People who have nothing to do with the decision? Chimney? Eddie? Christopher? Stupid. Unnecessary. And did I mention stupid?

[DisplayyName]

41 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Wow and here I thought everyone would love this episode.  I thought it was a really good episode focusing on the Buckley siblings.  Just when Maddie’s life was back on track something throws  it back off and now she is obsessed with the a couple she thinks are in the same position she was a short time ago.

Buck thought he could just fight through what was wrong with him but Bobby pretty much told him he wasn’t coming back and this was after that nice speech about loyalty and family.  Of course he feels hurt and betrayed.

Both Buck and Maddie are very wrong in their actions and they are self destructing but it is fascinating to watch.

I think the episode would've been more well received if they didn't focus so much on Maddie. The acting isn't good and she's taking up story time and air time that could be given to the others.

[DearEvette]

And here I was liking Fire Marshall Buck! And they had to go and make him do something that makes no sense,

2 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Even if Buck wins, he loses. 

In a real world that would be true. Going through a suit like this would damage a lot of relationships and very possibly he would be seen as the person who couldn't have his team's back if he was just going to sue on a dime like that.

But this is a tv show and somehow after it is all over Buck will be back in the fold.  The lawyer made a statement that I don't think Buck fully realized.  he said Buck couldn;t have any contact with any of the team even tangentially.  That means that he probably can no longer see Christopher.  I get the feeling Buck will realize that this hurts him more than just spending the time getting better would and he may end up dropping the suit.

I understand Maddie's impulse to help that woman, but I honestly don't want to sit through it.  I hop it doesn't go far.

As usual with the show, the thematic tie of the title 'Triggers' was very well on display throughout the episode.  I always like how dedicated they are to showing the many sides of any theme episode.

Also the new person, Bosko? holy man the actress is terrible.  Her scene with Eddie just felt like she was reciting words on paper.  Yikes.

Edited October 15, 2019 by DearEvette

[Chaos Theory]

11 minutes ago, DisplayyName said:

I think the episode would've been more well received if they didn't focus so much on Maddie. The acting isn't good and she's taking up story time and air time that could be given to the others.

I don’t understand the Maddie hate myself.  
 

I really liked watching Hen and the different types of siblings just as she was conflicted about having a second child.   The two brothers who didn’t want to leave each other vs the two sisters fighting over a ring.   

[TVForever]

I'm confused about something. Can Buck sue for wrongful termination when he hasn't actually been terminated? And even if it is allowed to move forward, wouldn't the fact that he is on serious meds right now actually make the fire department's case? I've lost track of the timeline-do we know how long it's been since the accident? Why is Show reversing all the character growth we've seen in Buck since the beginning? This is a stunning show of selfishness and immaturity on his part. .

[Raja]

2 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I don’t understand the Maddie hate myself.  
 

I understand the Maddie hate to be more about the actress for some past real life transgression than for Buck's RN 9-1-1 operator big sister.

But in this episode a second away from murder, she deserves hate. As for little brother and his all I want is back in Station 118. If you win Station 118, especially its Captain is transferred elsewhere.  I got a feeling that Buck's probationary crimes have been retconned out of existence. If not he finds out that his lawyer is just using him as part of the class action and knows he can't win when Buck comes back with his apology and is forgiven.

[Clanstarling]

10 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Well, Buck has come full circle for me.  When the show began, I hated him.  Gradually grew to love him.  Now, hate him again. 

Will they redeem him, or will the Buck stop here!

I see what you did there. 😉

43 minutes ago, Jillybean said:

How does Buck have a case for wrongful termination when he hasn't even been terminated?

Unless there's some weird legal interpretation of "termination" that does seem pretty unlikely.

29 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I think there's going to be a twist with the Maddie stuff, where the husband isn't physically abusive (though clearly still an a-hole) and the wife is cheating on him. I know PTSD can be a volatile thing, but after all this time, Maddie is set off (to this extreme) by breaking a dish? Meh.

I don't like the story line - but the trigger can absolutely be something as simple as breaking a dish if breaking one is in some way associated with trauma. I'd rather the twist be that the woman is the abuser, though the dialogue at this point doesn't sound like it.

26 minutes ago, DisplayyName said:

I think the episode would've been more well received if they didn't focus so much on Maddie. The acting isn't good and she's taking up story time and air time that could be given to the others.

I don't like the Buck and Maddie story lines in this episode - I have no problem with Maddie

[Lady Calypso]

9 minutes ago, TVForever said:

I'm confused about something. Can Buck sue for wrongful termination when he hasn't actually been terminated? And even if it is allowed to move forward, wouldn't the fact that he is on serious meds right now actually make the fire department's case? I've lost track of the timeline-do we know how long it's been since the accident? Why is Show reversing all the character growth we've seen in Buck since the beginning? This is a stunning show of selfishness and immaturity on his part. .

He shouldn't. He wasn't terminated; he was just given light duty until he's well enough to return. I think that lawyer got into Buck's head, along with Buck finding out that Bobby was the one to not clear him to come back. But, as we see, Bobby was totally right. And now Buck is going to ruin his relationships just to try to get back faster. It may work, but he's going to have an icy cold reception when he returns. And honestly, realistically, Bobby would get him transferred out of the station to another one. 

I'd like to attribute this to the trauma that Buck's gone through over the months (it's been about five months since last season's finale) and how he hasn't had the proper help through it, but I also think that they regressed him to his more season 1 self for another reason. 

I can rightfully be frustrated at Buck right now, because he is totally in the wrong and if he loses some friendships, even temporarily, it'll be because of his own actions. 

[DisplayyName]

7 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I don’t understand the Maddie hate myself.  
 

I really liked watching Hen and the different types of siblings just as she was conflicted about having a second child.   The two brothers who didn’t want to leave each other vs the two sisters fighting over a ring.   

I don't hate anyone but obviously, acting wise the actress who plays her isn't on the same level as the others, she's on the same level as Ronda but unlike her she's been acting for like 3 decades. After the strong acting we've seen from Oliver Stark in episode 1, 2 and 3, she looks like a clown in the scenes where she's trying to cry.

I love Hen, I wish they would give her bigger storylines but knowing this show if I'm asking for bigger storylines for her I'll get a near death experience or the death of her wife or [pleasegodno] her child.

I feel like the destruction of Buck's character started [again] in 3x01:

' oh i need to wait for a little while longer and get healthy before i get to be a firefighter again? nah, i quit despite all the hard work i put into trying to get back to the job. '

I know Buck is supposed to be hotheaded and emotional but why make him so immature...

[TVForever]

Sometimes stunt casting works. Sometimes it doesn't.

I think it's clear by now that if Ronda Roussey plans to make a real go at acting, she needs to start taking some classes. 

Like, now.

[DearEvette]

12 minutes ago, DisplayyName said:

I don't hate anyone but obviously, acting wise the actress who plays her isn't on the same level as the others, she's on the same level as Ronda but unlike her she's been acting for like 3 decades.

Ooh.  Ouch.  LOL.   mean, JLH isn't Meryl Streep but man, I don't think she is as bad as Ronda. Ronda made me actively wince.  I can't remember the last time I did that and I watch a lot of shows on the CW.

[NJRadioGuy]

8 minutes ago, TVForever said:

Sometimes stunt casting works. Sometimes it doesn't.

I think it's clear by now that if Ronda Roussey plans to make a real go at acting, she needs to start taking some classes. 

Like, now.

I couldn't agree more. She can't act—yet. She's a tough, hard person and while that would make for a pretty great real-life firefighter, on a primetime U.S. network TV show that's not a big plus. Nor is she particularly as physically attractive as most viewers would want for a lead actor's role.

I'm not saying that's a career-killer, but as it stands right now she sucks the life out of every scene she's in. I'd personally rather forego the eye candy for someone who can emote. I want to feel her pain, sadness, joy, and laughter. And for me to do that, she needs to master the acting craft as well as she did the physical and mental training needed her previous career. I wish her luck, but frankly I don't think throwing her head first into one of the highest rated TV shows in the country was doing her any favours.

[Lady Calypso]

Yeah, Ronda Rousey is no actress. Which is fine, she doesn't need to be, but that means that them trying an Eddie/Lena romance angle is simply not going to work. People just aren't gravitating toward Eddie/Lena because of Ronda (and the fact that Lena and Eddie aren't compatible in the first place since Lena seems so angry all of the time). 

They shouldn't have cast Ronda Rousey as Lena if they wanted her to have a meaty storyline with Eddie, presumably. 

Once again, they heavily miscast Eddie's love interest. 

[Empress1]

44 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I don't like the story line - but the trigger can absolutely be something as simple as breaking a dish if breaking one is in some way associated with trauma.

And it was - in the Maddie flashback episode, her late husband hit her when she accidentally broke a glass.

4 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Lena seems so angry all of the time

I don't mean this unkindly but I think that is just kind of her face. I used to work with a guy whose whole comportment read "gruff," but he was actually a real sweetheart - he just had a gruff face.

[SimoneS]

21 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I don’t understand the Maddie hate myself.  

I like Maddie also. I don't that there is a "Maddie hate" as much as a Jennifer Love Hewitt hate. I don't get that either, but apparently it is based on her previous series.

Edited October 16, 2019 by SimoneS

[rove4]

Count me in with those who are aren't thrilled with the Buck and Maddie storylines.  Someone needs to explain o Buck the difference between Wrongful Termination and light duty after a severe injury.  Presumably the lawyer should know but apparently he missed that day of law school.  🙄  Buck isn't thinking things through or else he's really delusional about how he thinks he'd be received in the station if he wins.  Is he really expecting that he can just waltz back in and everything will be as it was? 

As for Maddie, I also think it'd be more interesting if it turns out she's wrong and there's something else going on with that couple.  

Edited October 15, 2019 by rove4

[SimoneS]

59 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Yeah, Ronda Rousey is no actress. Which is fine, she doesn't need to be, but that means that them trying an Eddie/Lena romance angle is simply not going to work. People just aren't gravitating toward Eddie/Lena because of Ronda (and the fact that Lena and Eddie aren't compatible in the first place since Lena seems so angry all of the time). 

They shouldn't have cast Ronda Rousey as Lena if they wanted her to have a meaty storyline with Eddie, presumably. 

Once again, they heavily miscast Eddie's love interest. 

Wait, she is supposed to be Eddie's love interest? Why, why...? What was Ryan Murphy thinking there?

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, SimoneS said:

Wait, she is supposed to be Eddie's love interest? Why, why...? What was Ryan Murphy thinking there?

Only my assumption based on their few scenes together. It may not be true; I hope it's not true. But I'm just preparing for it to be true, since Lena has gotten a lot of scenes with Eddie in her two (and a bit) episodes.

[Kemper]

I could not stand Buck the first season or so...and I think the actor is about on the same level as Jeniffer Love Hewitt; not awful but not all that good, either.  He seems to get a lot of the story, though...so it must just be me.  

I loved the first few episodes, especially the Buck/Christopher part.  And yes, Buck the actor seems to do a lot better in those scenes.  But I didn't finish watching last night...hate the upcoming domestic abuse storyline.  Well, I haven't seen what, execatly, it is going to be, but I just don't like it...I hate the Buck/lawyer storyline also.  I love Chimney, Hen, Bobby, Christopher's Dad, Athena, etc.  Love the characters and the actors who are portraying them.  Sorry if I have left anyone out.  Don't have much of an interest in the brother/sister drama.

[Jillybean]

1 minute ago, Kemper said:

I could not stand Buck the first season or so...and I think the actor is about on the same level as Jeniffer Love Hewitt; not awful but not all that good, either.  He seems to get a lot of the story, though...so it must just be me.  

His American accent is pretty believable.

I have no problems with the actor, but they need to give him better material.

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, Kemper said:

I could not stand Buck the first season or so...and I think the actor is about on the same level as Jeniffer Love Hewitt; not awful but not all that good, either.  He seems to get a lot of the story, though...so it must just be me.  

I don't know; I thought Oliver Stark did an excellent job in the first three episodes this season, better than what I think JLH is capable of. If not for this tsunami storyline, I might have agreed with you. But with the season finale, and these first three episodes, I think the actor has shown, to me, that he's better than I originally gave him credit for.

Though I'm not happy with the material that they've given Buck now, it doesn't undermine Oliver Stark's acting for me. Buck as a character is all on the writers.

[Raja]

58 minutes ago, NJRadioGuy said:

I couldn't agree more. She can't act—yet. She's a tough, hard person and while that would make for a pretty great real-life firefighter, on a primetime U.S. network TV show that's not a big plus. Nor is she particularly as physically attractive as most viewers would want for a lead actor's role.

I'm not saying that's a career-killer, but as it stands right now she sucks the life out of every scene she's in. I'd personally rather forego the eye candy for someone who can emote. I want to feel her pain, sadness, joy, and laughter. And for me to do that, she needs to master the acting craft as well as she did the physical and mental training needed her previous career. I wish her luck, but frankly I don't think throwing her head first into one of the highest rated TV shows in the country was doing her any favours.

For all of its implausible scenes showing Hen qualifying for the Fire Department and the look of the actresses is a pleasant change from the other TV firefighters and paramedics who are so thin you would think a bone might snap if they pushed a gurney. Rhousey is probably in the class Serena Williams. The champion who looks good enough while some contenders who look better in conventional wisdom get about the same share of media attention.

With the other leads a post partum JHL, Angela Bassett playing 10 years younger than her age, and we know it so it effects our perception of her and Hen, Rhonda Rousey doesn't stick out where she would if on the Chicago or Seattle TV Fire Departments.

[sempervivum]

There's no plotline that can make me hate a show more than 'good guy suddenly/irrationally becomes bad guy'. Next up? 'Bad guy suddenly/irrationally turns back into good guy'. Ugh.

[DisplayyName]

8 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I don't know; I thought Oliver Stark did an excellent job in the first three episodes this season, better than what I think JLH is capable of. If not for this tsunami storyline, I might have agreed with you. But with the season finale, and these first three episodes, I think the actor has shown, to me, that he's better than I originally gave him credit for.

Though I'm not happy with the material that they've given Buck now, it doesn't undermine Oliver Stark's acting for me. Buck as a character is all on the writers.

This. He's barely got any chance to show his talent but when they finally gave him something to do he did an excellent job. JLH gets several chances to show her talent but she's not capable of showing genuine emotions. If she was good, the viewers wouldn't have been rooting for her ex husband to kill her in the episode Flight or Fight. In that episode, she got a chance to show what she's capable of and she was absolutely terrible, even though the storyline was good/intense.

[Chaos Theory]

3 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

There's no plotline that can make me hate a show more than 'good guy suddenly/irrationally becomes bad guy'. Next up? 'Bad guy suddenly/irrationally turns back into good guy'. Ugh.

Maybe because I don’t think Buck is a “bad guy”  in this.   He feels betrayed by the people and person he trusted most who has more then hinted that he might not be back and he isn’t going to bat for him.    Personality I agree with Buck in this case.     He has been given  mixed messages about his place on the team. Just the day before he was told his place was secure the the dinner he was told he should maybe find something else to do.  
 

Maddie on the other hand needs an intervention and maybe to see a shrink about her issues.      She has every right to be triggered but what she perceived to be an abusive situation but the way she is handling it is dangerous.   

[SimoneS]

I agree with the comments that it makes no sense for Buck to sue because he is on light duty. Not only this, but his first step should have been to contact his union rep to take action on his behalf not hire a sleazy ambulance chasing lawyer. This way Buck and dept. would be on the same page regarding the conditions under which he would return to active duty rather than the current uncertainity.

Buck's story has not been well thought out. Instead of him being on light duty, it should have been conflicting medical advice about if he could continue to be on active duty at all which would have raised the stakes and force people to take sides.

Edited October 15, 2019 by SimoneS

[TVForever]

18 minutes ago, Jillybean said:

His American accent is pretty believable.

I have no problems with the actor, but they need to give him better material.

Wait a minute. How did I get to the third season of this show not knowing that Oliver Stark is British?

[tennisgurl]

22 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

Wait, she is supposed to be Eddie's love interest? Why, why...? What was Ryan Murphy thinking there?

Really, Buck is just jealous that Eddie is spending so much time with this new person, and that she is clearly being set up as his new love interest, and not him!!

I would love it if it turned out that Maddie is actually reading the situation with the trainer wrong and is just so hurt from her previous trauma that she is putting her own stuff onto other people. Granted, it sounds like the husband is abusive, but I would prefer it if there was a twist, like the wife is the abuser or there is some other emergency situation other than abuse, or its just a couple in a failing, but not abusive, marriage. Granted the guy sounds like an asshole, but I would prefer Maddie learning that her un-dealt with trauma almost caused her to murder someone who wasnt even abusive than her running in to rescue the wife from her evil husband, Lifetime movie style. 

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, DisplayyName said:

This. He's barely got any chance to show his talent but when they finally gave him something to do he did an excellent job. JLH gets several chances to show her talent but she's not capable of showing genuine emotions. If she was good, the viewers wouldn't have been rooting for her ex husband to kill her in the episode Flight or Fight. In that episode, she got a chance to show what she's capable of and she was absolutely terrible, even though the storyline was good/intense.

I think JLH did alright in her centric episode. Not amazing, but not bad either. She's an average actress, which is totally ok. At least she's not as terrible as the actress who played Eddie's wife, or Ronda Rousey.

2 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Maybe because I don’t think Buck is a “bad guy”  in this.   He feels betrayed by the people and person he trusted most who has more then hinted that he might not be back and he isn’t going to bat for him.    Personality I agree with Buck in this case.     He has been given  mixed messages about his place on the team. Just the day before he was told his place was secure the the dinner he was told he should maybe find something else to do.  

I think the biggest issue is that Buck is completely misunderstanding the situation. He isn't fired; his role just got shifted to a different one until he's off his blood thinners. And Bobby's right; Buck's head isn't in the game. He's focused more on getting back to firefighting than recovering from a very traumatic event. We saw it in the season finale, when he told Maddie that he'd be rushing through his recovery to get back to firefighting instead of taking some time to let his body, and his mind, heal.

Buck's not a bad guy in this scenario; he's just wrong. Bobby should have been honest, yes, but Buck is overreacting by suing the city, the department, and Bobby himself all because he's upset that he needs more time on light duty. He's reacting due to feeling betrayed by Bobby. I mean, he was still pushing to get back faster by asking Bobby to help him out, and that's the wrong mindset to be on when you have a dangerous job. 

I didn't think Bobby was telling Buck that he'd never be a firefighter; I think Bobby was saying that he wasn't ready yet. 

[DearEvette]

2 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I didn't think Bobby was telling Buck that he'd never be a firefighter; I think Bobby was saying that he wasn't ready yet. 

Bobby wasn't trying to say it.  He was flat out saying it.  He was also flat out saying it was all about the medication and the medical condition and all Buck had to do was get better.  They were ready to let him back before he got the embolism. 

This is why the story-line for Buck right now is frustrating because he has clearly NO cause for litigation.  He isn't even fired!  It just makes Buck look like a child who wants what he wants when he wants it and not the professional who is concerned about safety first that he is supposed to be.

Also count me in as one who thinks JLH is fine and her acting level for a tv show like this is also fine. 

7 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I would love it if it turned out that Maddie is actually reading the situation with the trainer wrong and is just so hurt from her previous trauma that she is putting her own stuff onto other people. Granted, it sounds like the husband is abusive, but I would prefer it if there was a twist...

I love this idea.  I would love it if the 911 call had nothing do with the DV and Maddie completely misinterpreted or projected.  Actually it would be a nice twist if the Husband reads as an asshole because he is on edge because of an external threat. Honestly if someone in a car came at me like Maddie did, I'd call them an asshole too and get angry.  So far, outside of a voice on the phone and that scene, we really haven't seen enough of the husband to really know if he really is an abuser or the show is just toying with us and showing him through Maddie's lens.

[Racj82]

13 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Well, Buck has come full circle for me.  When the show began, I hated him.  Gradually grew to love him.  Now, hate him again. 

Will they redeem him, or will the Buck stop here!

Tune it next week.

Same Buck Time

Same Buck Channel

42 minutes ago, DisplayyName said:

This. He's barely got any chance to show his talent but when they finally gave him something to do he did an excellent job. JLH gets several chances to show her talent but she's not capable of showing genuine emotions. If she was good, the viewers wouldn't have been rooting for her ex husband to kill her in the episode Flight or Fight. In that episode, she got a chance to show what she's capable of and she was absolutely terrible, even though the storyline was good/intense.

That's your own personal viewpoint and in no way did I see anyone rooting for her death. The exact opposite actually. Not saying no one wanted her gone. With fans there will come detractors.

I've felt every part of her journey. JHL has done a great job.

[bmoore4026]

Maddie, just because a guy is verbally and possibly physically abusing his wife along with being shook up from the tsunami doesn't give you permission to commit second degree murder.

[gonzosgirrl]

I get that PTSD can be triggered (heh) but something seemingly insignificant, I just thought they took Maddie from pretty much zero - to - ready to mow a bitch down with her car way too quickly. There has been no indication of lingering PTSD over her husband, and suddenly she's considering killing this guy? Didn't work for me.

[preeya]

5 minutes ago, bmoore4026 said:

Maddie, just because a guy is verbally and possibly physically abusing his wife along with being shook up from the tsunami doesn't give you permission to commit second degree murder.

Actually if she hit and killed him it would be first degree murder because she was "lying in wait" which in Cali carries a first degree charge.

[gonzosgirrl]

Also, as someone else mentioned - all those hang-ups and the caller's hinky reaction should've at least precipitated a patrol car visit. I accidentally dialled 9 1 1 once while programming a friend's phone (unaware that you're not supposed to put 9 1 1 on your speed dial) and even though I assured them it was a mistake and nothing was wrong, an officer came by to check, and to then lecture me about the whole situation. It's not realistic they wouldn't have sent someone to this woman's house, except for plot reasons.