S03.E06: Monsters

[ESS]

THE FIRST RESPONDERS DEAL WITH SOME SCARY EMERGENCIES ON HALLOWEEN

Athena and the 118 respond to bizarre emergency calls on Halloween, including a flock of crows terrorizing a field trip, an office employee having a close encounter with an eight-limbed creature and a ghost-like girl wandering a neighborhood. Meanwhile, Maddie remains convinced that she is doing the right thing in taking a 9-1-1 call into her own hands.

[gonzosgirrl]

Eight-limbed creature?! I will be (not)watching those scenes through my fingers. #arachnophobia

[gonzosgirrl]

I love crows.

And no spiders. 

[rhys]

I don't recall the 8 limbed creature.

who was staying with the teens at Athena's house?

poor Athena walking into that sty. Urg.

the woman driving around with the dude in her windshield? Good grief! Poor guy. Hope he makes it.

Edited October 29, 2019 by rhys

[gonzosgirrl]

I feel like Maddie will be proven right and everyone will be apologising, even though her reprimand and consequences were completely deserved.

[rhys]

What if it turns out the husband tried to make the 911 calls?

[SimoneS]

Good to see the Buckley siblings are on the road to recovery. Bobby has to know that even though he can be a pain in the ass that Evan B. is a good guy. As for Maddie, I am glad that there are serious consequences for her behavior along with concern about her mental health. She didn't just escape an abusive situation, she killed her husband to save herself. She desperately needs the therapy.

Next up, Eddie. Hopefully, Even finds out that he is street fighting and puts a stop to it before he is seriously hurt. At least, we didn't have to suffer through Lena this week.

I enjoyed all the crows attacking those trouble making kids and the crow stalking Chimney was funny which helped make the abused children and guy through the window less horrific.

[DearEvette]

I am not gonna lie, the entire episode I was like "but what about the guy in the windshield?!?!?!"  Forget about Maddie, get back to that story.  LOL.

The Maddie storyline just made me cringe the whole night.  Her walking through that woman's house.... just no.  Girl, no.  I still hope the husband isn't an abuser and Maddie is just projecting her own issues.

What was it about super bratty kids?  First the kids throwing rocks at the bird and being smartasses with their teacher and then the kid at the firehouse being a total jerk to Buck.  I blame the parents...

Even though I knew everything would resolve itself, the resolution just felt like very little payoff for two episodes worth of story.

Man, Athena walks into these places with no backup.  She's done it before.  I just get nervous for her. 

I would have loved to have a Halloween party like he one Athena's kids was having.

[SimoneS]

5 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Man, Athena walks into these places with no backup.  She's done it before.  I just get nervous for her. 

Same here. I am always terrified when Athena goes into somewhere dangerous without back up. How come she doesn't have a partner? Is this the norm? Also, why does she rarely call for back up?

[Ohwell]

That man in the windshield story was based on a true story, and several shows/documentaries have been done about it.  It happened in 2003, she's eligible for parole in 2027.   What she did was so horrific, I hope she serves her full sentence.  

At least the guy on 9-1-1 survived. 

https://people.com/crime/chante-mallard-2017-movie-about-homeless-man-murder-windshield/

Edited October 29, 2019 by Ohwell

[Lady Calypso]

Man, some of the cases this time around were horrific. That guy in the windshield storyline was hard to watch, especially knowing it's based off of a true story, except THIS one was shaped to make the woman look better than the real life case.

So...I am glad that the Buck stuff has seemed to be mostly resolved (besides the fact that he's still on blood thinners) but man, did they almost completely ruin Buck in two episodes. It ended better than I expected, so there's that. I am back to liking Buck, although he REALLY needs to be careful on the field. I was really hoping for a scenario where Buck would tell Bobby that he needed to stay on light duty after the windshield incident, but no such luck. I guess I have to just hope that he doesn't get injured again on the job.

Nonetheless, some really great scenes with Buck and the team. I would have been totally fine if they didn't have Hen try to convince Bobby to let Buck back out on the field after one shift, but I think what she said was accurate. Buck's reckless, but he means well and it's important to remember that he's not trying to be reckless. He HAS grown a bit from his early days as a firefighter. But he DOES need to slow it down so hopefully he learns that soon.

Now, can SOMEONE please go figure out that something's up with Eddie and help him? Please? 

Also, show, you are REALLY teasing the Buck/Eddie stuff. Their makeup scene could EASILY be misconstrued as a couple getting back together. 

The Maddie stuff went about as well as I expected. I'm glad that they also (mostly) wrapped up THAT plot really quickly. I know we will probably get one more episode with the couple to either prove Maddie right or prove that the wife was the abuser, not the husband, but at least the worst of the storyline is over for Maddie. Hopefully she gets that help that she needs. As for Chimney, LOL at the crow stuff.

Athena, please stop going into scary places without backup. Seriously. I loathed those parents in the two seconds that we saw them. Those poor kids.

[tvgoddess]

I couldn't get into this episode. I don't even know why. The cases themselves were mildly interesting, but it just seems kind of meh. No real shocks or surprises. If there are, they always spoil them in the previews. And the whole Buck thing is already over and done with pretty much, with Bobby being made to be the bad guy for not letting him get into the calls right away. A down episode for me.

[preeya]

Why doesn't Athena have a partner? She's always patrolling by herself.

The guy in the windshield for two days, too unbelievable.

Something doesn't sit right with the Maddie thing. Perhaps the situation is not what it appears to be.

[Bulldog]

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but I fail to see how one can have a brain injury so severe that you do not notice the man lodged in your windshield for two days, yet you can drive around the city and apparently continue with your normal daily activities without any problem.

Buck heavily bleeding after getting cut helping the man in the windshield only proves Bobby was right all along.  A normal person, would think "gee, what if this had happened in the middle of a fire fight or some other situation where medical help was not immediately available."  But, Buck is not a normal person.  And apparently by the end of the episode, Bobby wasn't either.  Is it wrong that I kind of enjoyed the kid making fun of Buck during the Halloween festivities?

I did like that someone named Hen seemed to know an awful lot about crows.  

[Raja]

2 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Same here. I am always terrified when Athena goes into somewhere dangerous without back up. How come she doesn't have a partner? Is this the norm? Also, why does she rarely call for back up?

On the LAPD Sergeants normally drive alone. The nearby units she is supposed to be supervising would be the ones awnsering calls with her backing them up. But since LA has more land area and fewer patrol officers on duty than most big cities that a roving Sergeant is often the first police to arrive. For show purposes I thought she needed a partner to act with. Teaching the rookie who drew his gun on her son and to get him away from a bad senior cop was where I thought that story might have lead.

Meanwhile the local Sheriff's Deputies and suburban cops sometimes have one officer units, LAPD rarely does. Most often a Traffic Division cop working in a car instead of a motorcycle 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Raja

[all fall down]

I HATE birds so that first story line was hard for me to watch. 

They must have cut the 8-legged creature story, I don't remember seeing that. 

I was glad to see Maddie get reprimanded for her 'stalking'. I hope we get to see how that story plays out with the husband and wife. 

The two real life stories (windshield man and the kids in the house) were decent. Glad Buck got to see some action and he and Bobby are getting back to normal. Hope he and Eddie can repair their friendship. 

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, Bulldog said:

Buck heavily bleeding after getting cut helping the man in the windshield only proves Bobby was right all along.  A normal person, would think "gee, what if this had happened in the middle of a fire fight or some other situation where medical help was not immediately available." 

I really thought that's where they were going with it, having Buck come to realize the risks he was facing and placing his crew in, and he would agree to wait until his condition improves enough to come off the meds, but then, that's not our Buck, is it?

[preeya]

14 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

I really thought that's where they were going with it, having Buck come to realize the risks he was facing and placing his crew in, and he would agree to wait until his condition improves enough to come off the meds, but then, that's not our Buck, is it?

He's not that intelligent.

[marymon]

Some day tv will get a field trip right.  No (good and smart) teacher just lets the kids run around by themselves and expects them back at noon.  And no (good and smart)  teacher just takes a head count and not a check of names.

Windshield guy  The lady hit the guy but there was a bike rider there too did he not call the police?

Edited October 29, 2019 by marymon

[tennisgurl]

I hope this is either the end of the Maddie stalking story (after everyone correctly called her out on putting her own shit on other people and being creepy) or she will find out she made a mistake, like the wife was really the abuser or he is having mental problems and she was calling because she was worried he was suicidal or some kind of twist. I dont want it to be "Maddie was right all along and was the hero and everyone admits she was right all along because she conveniently met another version of her" as the end to the story. Or we can just pretend like none of this happened, like the Buck story!

This whole thing with Buck has been a hot mess, that has really set his character back a season and a half, and I am happy to just pretend it never happened. It was all so dumb and awful, I refuse to let it stay in my brain longer than it has to. It did crack me up that Eddie being all mad at Buck when everyone else seemed over it quickly, and then them making up, really gave off couple vibes. The show is officially fucking with me!

The cases were fun/disturbing and I liked how Halloween was weaved in and out of them, like people mistaking the poor guy in the windshield for a decoration, I  especially liked the crows that you dont fuck with. Of course Hen would know all about birds! The other stories, with the man in the windshield and the kids in the basement, were both really disturbing, and I wanted more follow up with both. Like, what the fuck was up with those parents? Can we hear from the kids? What kind of brain injury allows a person to drive around going about their business for two days without noticing a guy in the windshield? They definitely tried to give her more of an excuse and make her more sympathetic with the brain injury, unlike the woman who this was based on, who really was a monster.

Edited October 29, 2019 by tennisgurl

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I was really hoping for a scenario where Buck would tell Bobby that he needed to stay on light duty after the windshield incident, but no such luck. I guess I have to just hope that he doesn't get injured again on the job.

That's what I thought too but all this made me do is wonder if the person who started this arc talked to the person who ended it.  To recap

1. The season starts with everyone ready to welcome Buck back to work until he has a blood clot.
2. The blood thinners, and blood thinners only, make Bobby push back on Buck's return to work. (Because Bobby had no problem with it until the clots).  I've already ranted last week about the ridiculousness of Bobby getting to make a work decision based on medications an employee is taking without it being standardized so I won't reiterate it.
3. Buck sues and returns to work.  He gets cut and bleeds a lot. I thought that was going to make him realize that maybe he should avoid a more risky role.  (Not that I think he has to. I don't know how a real world fire department would feel about it.)  But no, it somehow makes Bobby realize Buck's ready to get back in the game. This is a problem because
   1. Buck's mental ability to come back to work was not an obstacle in the season premiere.
   2. And keeping his ish together to selflessly help people while not wearing a uniform was already something Buck displayed during the tsunami. I'm not sure what was so different here.

I think it would have worked better if Bobby had been made to be more of a bad guy and overprotective to an unreasonable extent.  They could tie it back to his past. As it is, none of it makes sense the way they told it.

Quote

Also, show, you are REALLY teasing the Buck/Eddie stuff. Their makeup scene could EASILY be misconstrued as a couple getting back together. 

They really were tonight.  Not even a Christopher mention as a buffer.

[DisplayyName]

i'm always overly dramatic, ignore me. Is the crow Chimney kept seeing throughout the episode a sign that him or someone close to him is going to die?

[peace355]

One thing that has been annoying me with Maddie is how she answers the 911 calls sometimes. I've noticed it a few times where someone calls with a shocking incident, like the windshield man and her first response is "i'm sorry what!", its like I get they are trying to show her surprise but it's not very professional or helpful!

I'm glad they aren't dragging out the Maddie secretly stalking the woman. I was surprised at Chim's reaction and the comparison to what Maddie's husband to him. It's not something I would have thought about but I was glad he called her on it.

Yay for Buck and Eddie back to being friends!

I think after the strong start to the season and intensity of tsunami, some of the episodes that have followed have been a  bit of a let down, particularly with some of the Buck stuff.  Still fun episodes but those first few episodes are hard to top.

[gonzosgirrl]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I hope this is either the end of the Maddie stalking story (after everyone correctly called her out on putting her own shit on other people and being creepy) or she will find out she made a mistake, like the wife was really the abuser or he is having mental problems and she was calling because she was worried he was suicidal or some kind of twist. I dont want it to be "Maddie was right all along and was the hero and everyone admits she was right all along because she conveniently met another version of her" as the end to the story.

Totally where they're going, IMO. I think they telegraphed it with the woman say (shakily) she was 'not that woman" when Maddie first tried to explain why she did. I hate it too, but I'll be amazed if they don't go there. 

[Dani-Ellie]

4 hours ago, DisplayyName said:

i'm always overly dramatic, ignore me. Is the crow Chimney kept seeing throughout the episode a sign that him or someone close to him is going to die?

Hen mentioned that crows remember faces. The crows were attacking the kids because the kids attacked them first. However, the opposite is also true; crows have been known to give a person presents if the person gives them a present (usually food) first. Chim gave the crow granola to distract it when they were sneaking the kids out of the barn. The crow, in turn, returned the name badge Chim dropped.

[Chaos Theory]

The Birds!  The Birds!   
 

Not the best day for the Buckley siblings but at least they both hit rock bottom and things are looking up for Buck and Maddie too if she follows her bosses orders which it looks like she will do.  She was out of control even if she was right about the woman.   Chimney was right her creepy stalker plan was entering into Doug territory.   
 

I kept yelling (not really yelling) at my tv during the Eddie and Buck scene that they needed to kiss and makeup.   But I guess a bro hug will do.  Is Eddie still in fight club?   I guess he is obeying the first rule of fight club and not talking about fight club.

And Athena walks right into a horror movie or more to the point a straight from the headlines horror story.

Chimney and his crow was funny.  “Are you a good omen or a bad omen?”

Edited October 29, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[sashayshante]

8 hours ago, Bulldog said:

'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but I fail to see how one can have a brain injury so severe that you do not notice the man lodged in your windshield for two days

Not a doctor, but I do work in trauma and think I can explain. When you go through something extreme, like a car accident, parts of your brain produce an enormous amount of chemicals (cortisol, adrenaline, etc.)  That can impair your pre-frontal cortex aka the reasoning center of the brain and shut it down completely for a period of time. It's why vets can hear a car explode and think they're back in combat on the front lines even if they're in a super market parking lot. She certainly saw the body, but her brain wasn't functioning properly enough to understand the significance of what had happened.

[Raja]

32 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Did Athena have probable cause to enter that house?   I haven't given out candy  for many, many, years.  Is that all it takes for the police to enter a house, walk into one that isn't all decked out for Halloween?  Yeah, there was one small broken window, I still don't think that is enough to enter a house.

There is no way that someone could drive around that long with a dude through the windshield without being stopped.

I think Segeant Grant can write up the report of the broken window along with hearing the coughing so thus a welfare check. On a Law & Order mothership episode of course the parents walk. On SVU or just about any other cop show the circumstances would allow the search.

Some days you just don't see a cop, and I live a few blocks from LAPD South Traffic and pass the Culver City Police HQ on the way to work, With only one 9-1-1 call before Buck it was written off as a Halloween decoration and not a priority.

[gonzosgirrl]

2 minutes ago, Raja said:

With only one 9-1-1 call before Buck it was written off as a Halloween decoration and not a priority.

I love a good Halloween decoration as well as the next guy, but I can't imagine trashing the windshield of my car for it. It was obviously smashed and not just like the fake arms hanging out of the trunk or car door. In the age of the cell-phone video, that shit would've been all over Twitter in a heartbeat.

[anna0852]

Absolutley loved Sue firmly yet professionally smacking Maddy down on the stalking! She didn't let Maddy sidetrack her, she stuck to the facts and she insisted on suspension and psych evaluations. Go Sue! (And I say that as someone who doesn't mind Maddy)

[Racj82]

I think Maddie will be right at the end of the day. People seem to be annoyed by that. But, that wouldn't negate the fact that her actions were 100 percent wrong. Her intentions were just and sincere. But, it is not her place. Both things can and will be true.

Fun fact about the windshield incident. Yes, it was based on a true story. But, even more ridiculous than this plot was that when a tv movie was done about the case it starred Mena suvari as the woman...who was black in real life...and she wore cornrolls. 

[Evagirl]

12 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

The Maddie stuff went about as well as I expected. I'm glad that they also (mostly) wrapped up THAT plot really quickly.

Sorry, not gonna happen.  I just read this in a recap:  

"And her problems are only just beginning. Upon receiving Tara’s formal complaint, Maddie’s supervisor took her off the floor pending a full psychological evaluation. As executive producer Tim Minear recently told TVLine, “Maddie’s trauma is far from over,” and the show clearly intends on addressing it fully."

I too, was hoping this was the last of Maddie's PTSD thread.  I bet dollars to donuts, the victim will be killed by the hubby and Maddie will then go through survivor's guilt or something.  They didn't bring her on the show as a regular just to have her sit and monitor 911 calls.  IMO, there are enough threads going on with the 118 crew without Maddie being thrown into the mix.  I don't know why, but I just don't like her character, and I don't like the way her character treats Chim.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

What Buck had said to the mother was awesome.  He basically told the woman the he will see her kid at the parole hearing. 

Regina King was on an underrated show called Southland in which she played a cop, and she once told a bad-ass kid something similar - I think it was "See you in juvie in a few years, you little fool." I loved it.

I assume the kids were based on that case with the parents with a dozen kids who were chained up and malnourished. (Was there incest in that case? I can't remember.)

I am actually glad they are showing Maddie with PTSD because it would be really unrealistic for her not to have it. She was in a violent, abusive marriage for years, fled, which is traumatic in and of itself, was kidnapped, witnessed a man murdered in front of her (the store clerk), thought her husband killed the man she was seeing, and murdered her attacker. Of COURSE she has PTSD. She needs years and years of therapy. (No shade - I am very pro-therapy.)

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Chimney and his crow was funny.  “Are you a good omen or a bad omen?”

I laughed when he was like, is anybody else seeing this?

[tvgoddess]

3 hours ago, Dani-Ellie said:

Hen mentioned that crows remember faces. The crows were attacking the kids because the kids attacked them first. However, the opposite is also true; crows have been known to give a person presents if the person gives them a present (usually food) first. Chim gave the crow granola to distract it when they were sneaking the kids out of the barn. The crow, in turn, returned the name badge Chim dropped.

I liked the return of the name badge, but otherwise it just reminded me of the movie The Birds so I thought the crows were creepy as hell.

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

Absolutley loved Sue firmly yet professionally smacking Maddy down on the stalking! She didn't let Maddy sidetrack her, she stuck to the facts and she insisted on suspension and psych evaluations. Go Sue! (And I say that as someone who doesn't mind Maddy)

What is the character name of the guy she works with, the one that dressed up as a pirate? I love him, he's so funny.

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, tvgoddess said:

What is the character name of the guy she works with, the one that dressed up as a pirate? I love him, he's so funny.

Josh. I had to look it up a few episodes ago because I could never remember his name. Josh is a great addition to the cast. 

41 minutes ago, Evagirl said:

I too, was hoping this was the last of Maddie's PTSD thread.  I bet dollars to donuts, the victim will be killed by the hubby and Maddie will then go through survivor's guilt or something.  They didn't bring her on the show as a regular just to have her sit and monitor 911 calls.  IMO, there are enough threads going on with the 118 crew without Maddie being thrown into the mix.  I don't know why, but I just don't like her character, and I don't like the way her character treats Chim.

I'm ok with the continuation of Maddie's PTSD. I think I'm more thankful that the stalking itself is over and done with. Similarly to Buck's attitude about the lawsuit that he caused, I'm glad that that particular thread is done, even if the respective stories for the characters aren't necessarily over. Maddie still has to deal with her trauma, and so does Buck. Those particular plot points aren't over yet, but the nasty actions that they were developing are over. Maddie won't be stalking the poor woman anymore, and Buck won't be threatening lawsuits for his job back anymore.

[Jillybean]

2 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I don't think anyone deserves to be harassed, certainly not by a little douche bag.  What Buck had said to the mother was awesome.  He basically told the woman the he will see her kid at the parole hearing.   I was surprised she didn't  throw a fit that someone could talk so mean about her darling little angel.

Well, the kid was dressed in black and white stripes like an old-timey jailbird, and I think the way Buck said it was to pass it off as a joke.

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, Racj82 said:

I think Maddie will be right at the end of the day. People seem to be annoyed by that. But, that wouldn't negate the fact that her actions were 100 percent wrong. Her intentions were just and sincere. But, it is not her place. Both things can and will be true.

I like Maddie and think JLH is perfectly fine. I wouldn't be annoyed if she were right, I just think it would make for a better, smarter story if she weren't.  Since from what I am seeing in other comments, the story-line is supposed to continue and be about her PTSD and her Trauma, making the other woman a true DV victim would, imo, not really make it about Maddie's own personal issues,  but would make it a story about her simply saving another DV victim. 

If she were wrong, then it really would be about her own trauma and psychological state and how she is processing things and her lack of follow up and care i what is making her make some questionable decisions.

[ajsnaves]

4 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Did Athena have probable cause to enter that house?   I haven't given out candy  for many, many, years.  Is that all it takes for the police to enter a house, walk into one that isn't all decked out for Halloween?  Yeah, there was one small broken window, I still don't think that is enough to enter a house.

There is no way that someone could drive around that long with a dude through the windshield without being stopped.

I am a criminal defense attorney, which is why I frequently do not watch crime and lawyer shows.  They anger up the blood too much procedurally.  I would say, in my opinion she did not have grounds to enter the house.  The broken window was not in the front of the house. She had to go through a gate to get to the back of the house.  The question would be, was the gate with the broken lock enough to get her into the back yard? The defense attorney in me would argue no it was not. She should have parked her car and woken up a judge too try to get a warrant. (Which based on how little she actually had, could have been denied). Now that’s not very interesting TV though, and the legal outcomes of cops’ decision are seldom, if ever, seen in court.  By entering that house, she risked the entire case against the parents, except with the first child. (That said, I am sure a prosecutor could chime in with the exact opposite opinion as mine.  That’s what makes my job so much fun.)

As to the driving around with a body in your windshield, no way a cop would have seen that and NOT stop her, because of the obstructed view. (I’ve seen stops for air freshener hanging from the mirror.) 

Buck reminds me of my clients who never listen to everything I have to say, but only here the parts they want? If he listened to his lawyer, he would have heard that even if he got his job back, he would probably not be welcomed back with open arms.  He was told that twice. Once at the beginning, and again after the offer came in. But he just heard “Get your job back.” He only heard the bad news from Bobby after he had the blood clot, because that’s all he could hear then. Boy needs to listen to everything.

As to Maddie, I like that both Chim and her boss made clear that even if she is right, she was wrong here. She needs help. And she needs to recognize that herself.  I am ready to move on to that phase of her story too.

[theredhead77]

I had no idea the man in the windshield was based on a true story. How awful.

The kids held in the basement was based off the real life Turpin case.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/19/us/turpin-parents-sentencing-friday/index.html

I'm new to this show and I get their premise is snap-shots of several events but I wish they had spent more time on the kids storyline.

[SuzieQ]

Might have already been discussed before, but the beginning of each episode reminds me of Six Feet Under.  Was bugging me because it seemed familiar but I couldn't place it.  Last night it hit me like a ton of bricks!  

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, ajsnaves said:

I am a criminal defense attorney, which is why I frequently do not watch crime and lawyer shows.  They anger up the blood too much procedurally.  I would say, in my opinion she did not have grounds to enter the house.  The broken window was not in the front of the house. She had to go through a gate to get to the back of the house.  The question would be, was the gate with the broken lock enough to get her into the back yard? The defense attorney in me would argue no it was not. She should have parked her car and woken up a judge too try to get a warrant. (Which based on how little she actually had, could have been denied). Now that’s not very interesting TV though, and the legal outcomes of cops’ decision are seldom, if ever, seen in court.  By entering that house, she risked the entire case against the parents, except with the first child. (That said, I am sure a prosecutor could chime in with the exact opposite opinion as mine.  That’s what makes my job so much fun.)

I'm not a lawyer, but I did wonder if she had a right to enter the house the way she did. 

Also, I thought her reasoning for even entering the house was stupid, just because the house doesn't have Halloween decorations.   I won't even get into her entering the house alone and not calling for backup.  I guess we were supposed to watch Angela Bassett play badass cop for the umpteenth time. 

[Bulldog]

3 hours ago, Jillybean said:

Well, the kid was dressed in black and white stripes like an old-timey jailbird, and I think the way Buck said it was to pass it off as a joke.

This.

And if he wasn't joking, then Buck was just acting on the same level as some snotty nosed pre-teen.  Actually, that would be par for the course w/Buck.   

[meatball77]

3 hours ago, ajsnaves said:

I am a criminal defense attorney, which is why I frequently do not watch crime and lawyer shows.  They anger up the blood too much procedurally.  I would say, in my opinion she did not have grounds to enter the house.  The broken window was not in the front of the house. She had to go through a gate to get to the back of the house.  The question would be, was the gate with the broken lock enough to get her into the back yard? The defense attorney in me would argue no it was not. She should have parked her car and woken up a judge too try to get a warrant. (Which based on how little she actually had, could have been denied). Now that’s not very interesting TV though, and the legal outcomes of cops’ decision are seldom, if ever, seen in court.  By entering that house, she risked the entire case against the parents, except with the first child. (That said, I am sure a prosecutor could chime in with the exact opposite opinion as mine.  That’s what makes my job so much fun.)

I think it would have actually have made a better story if she'd been stuck outside for a while.  Waiting for a warrant while the parents arrived who were looking for their daughter.

[Mystery]

To me it felt like there were too many stories, treated too quickly. 

I didn't like Hen telling Buck that the only reason anyone might act angry is because they were following Bobby's lead. 

Really the only part I liked was the crows. 

[Clanstarling]

19 hours ago, rhys said:

who was staying with the teens at Athena's house?

Apparently no one. I trusted my kids - but no way would I trust a crowd of teenagers alone like that. And I'd hate to be a neighbor having to hear the damn movies and teenagers next door (now get off my lawn!)
 

15 hours ago, Moose135 said:

I really thought that's where they were going with it, having Buck come to realize the risks he was facing and placing his crew in, and he would agree to wait until his condition improves enough to come off the meds, but then, that's not our Buck, is it?

Nope, it is not. He and his sister are both deficient in the "thinking logically and considering consequences" field.

14 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

That's what I thought too but all this made me do is wonder if the person who started this arc talked to the person who ended it.  To recap

1. The season starts with everyone ready to welcome Buck back to work until he has a blood clot.
2. The blood thinners, and blood thinners only, make Bobby push back on Buck's return to work. (Because Bobby had no problem with it until the clots).  I've already ranted last week about the ridiculousness of Bobby getting to make a work decision based on medications an employee is taking without it being standardized so I won't reiterate it.
3. Buck sues and returns to work.  He gets cut and bleeds a lot. I thought that was going to make him realize that maybe he should avoid a more risky role.  (Not that I think he has to. I don't know how a real world fire department would feel about it.)  But no, it somehow makes Bobby realize Buck's ready to get back in the game. This is a problem because
   1. Buck's mental ability to come back to work was not an obstacle in the season premiere.
   2. And keeping his ish together to selflessly help people while not wearing a uniform was already something Buck displayed during the tsunami. I'm not sure what was so different here.

I think it would have worked better if Bobby had been made to be more of a bad guy and overprotective to an unreasonable extent.  They could tie it back to his past. As it is, none of it makes sense the way they told it.

They really were tonight.  Not even a Christopher mention as a buffer.

One thing that really ticked me off is that Hen dismissed the other firefighters' reactions as taking the lead from Bobby. (in the middle of posting just as @Mystery posted the same thing) As if they couldn't make up their own damned minds about what Buck did, and laying the blame on Bobby for what was originally a MEDICAL issue. Not to mention everyone forgiving and forgetting within less than 24 hours.

I guess I'm not a kind person, because I've been knocked back to season one in my dislike for Buck, and while Maddie's never bothered me before, I really dislike the storyline and the stalking. Well intentioned or not, like Chim says, it was like her ex-husband.

And Chim ruled this episode, from the crows to the truth telling to both Maddie and Buck.

[lorbeer]

4 hours ago, ajsnaves said:

As to the driving around with a body in your windshield, no way a cop would have seen that and NOT stop her, because of the obstructed view. (I’ve seen stops for air freshener hanging from the mirror.) 

This is what I was thinking! One thing is to have a Halloween decoration, another if that decoration can be a cause of danger. It's like somone wouldn't snow of their windshield... police should stop her a lot sooner.

[Madding crowd]

So they can’t think of an original Halloween story? The crows on the monkey bars thing was lifted exactly from the movie The Birds, the windshield story was real and the abused kids was obviously based on The Turpins.

I think Maddie’s heart is in the right place but she can’t do her job if she insists on getting involved with the calls she receives. There is nothing she can do if this woman doesn’t want help. Tired of Buck whining and I usually like him. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Madding crowd

[marceline]

So the cyclist was supposed to be trapped in the windshield for two days? And there's no pee or poop anywhere? This is the kind of writing I hate. I have no desire to see the details but - real talk - the mere act of going through the windshield would probably have resulted in that poor man evacuating his bowels. Let alone hanging there for two days. That's exactly the kind of thing I hate about Ryan Murphy shows.

Athena going into the backyard made me think of the killing of Atatiana Jefferson when a cop shot her through her window. I know Athena knocked on the front door and announced herself which was the right thing to do but watching her walk alone into the backyard with gun drawn I couldn't help remembering that story.

The homage to The Birds in the open was pretty impressive but I have to ask: how and why did Hen become an expert on crow behavior?

[Racj82]

3 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

So they can’t think of an original Halloween story? The crows on the monkey bars thing was lifted exactly from the movie The Birds, the windshield story was real and the abused kids was obviously based on The Turpins.

I think Maddie’s heart is in the right place but she can’t do her job if she insists on getting involved with the calls she receives. There is nothing she can do if this woman doesn’t want help. Tired of Buck whining and I usually like him. 

Basically all of their 911 calls are based off of true life events and 911 calls. They didn't do anything different than normal here. And they did a homage to the birds? A very small segment of the show for a little humor. Don't have a problem with it.

[Bulldog]

12 minutes ago, marceline said:

The homage to The Birds in the open was pretty impressive but I have to ask: how and why did Hen become an expert on crow behavior?

My guess is because the writers decided they needed a character to backfill some bird facts for the story.