S03.E16: The One That Got Away

[jewel21]

The 118 fights an apartment building blaze and attempts a daring rescue of a blind woman trapped inside. When Athena responds to a simple accident call, she discovers a potentially more sinister crime. Meanwhile, Hen performs a risky medical procedure after an accident at a televised cooking show and Buck meets a retired firefighter and is inspired to reunite him with his lost love.

Airdate: 04/27/2020

[Machiabelly]

The woman was deaf not blind. 

Holey moley it got dusty at the end. 

[anna0852]

Buck might be impulsive but he has a huge heart and an incredible desire to do good in the world. I love that what started as an immature horndog has developed into a guy unafraid of his emotions, with romantic impulses and the capacity to not only realize he can do better but commit to doing better.

[Ohwell]

I'm usually hard on this show but they got me at the end. 

Kleenex please!

[Lady Calypso]

16 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

Buck might be impulsive but he has a huge heart and an incredible desire to do good in the world. I love that what started as an immature horndog has developed into a guy unafraid of his emotions, with romantic impulses and the capacity to not only realize he can do better but commit to doing better.

I like that Buck has his flaws, but he has the biggest heart out of all of them. He makes plenty of mistakes because he thinks with his heart way more than his head, but he's a good guy who has grown a LOT. 

It's very interesting to hear a little more about the Buckley family. There are so many hints that the Buckley parents are shitty parents. They have never shown up when their children have been in danger MULTIPLE times, and now we have Maddie and Buck talk about Buck's clear abandonment issues and making it sound like leaving Buck behind with the parents was a BAD thing. So I have to wonder how bad they are. Are they abusive or do they just not care about their children or what?

Buck's plot in general was good. He made some blatant mistakes (I definitely yelled at my TV about Buck meddling in Red's life when he barely knows the guy), but he meant well. Plus, he made up for it by giving Red the end he deserved, surrounding by people who loved him at one point or another. And I loved his scenes with Maddie in this episode. They really worked here.

Hen's plot...was less than interesting for me. I honestly wasn't fond of how she handled things. No surprise she ended up being right, but she was so confident that the hospital must have screwed up and not taken her advice and...I kind of wish that she had been wrong. Yes, she is quite knowledgeable in the medical field, but she didn't know what happened after she dropped off her patient who died. Anything could have taken place. 

That being said, it SEEMS like they're heading for a career change with Hen? At the very least, I think they're going to explore her questioning a career change from firefighter to doctor/surgeon. 

A serial rapist plot. It was pretty predictable from the start with Drone Guy that he was spying on his neighbours getting changed. The serial rapist stuff was a little more out there. 

Finally, a fire that they have to fight! I feel like we haven't seen them fight a fire all season.

[shapeshifter]

The character of Buck could be a great role model for kids with ADHD and issues with poor self-control, but are any kids (or even teens) watching this show? They certainly could IMO since the show never gets as gory as any of those autopsy shows or serial killer shows. 

Gosh I hope they manage to do the serial killer plot without crossing the line into gratuitous torture porn.

Edited April 28, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Tdoc72]

As soon as I saw Sasha Roiz (from Grimm), I actually thought he was going to be involved with the bad guy. Like on one of the tapes or doing something shady w/the evidence. I’m not convinced he’s just Athina’s fellow cop. 

Edited April 28, 2020 by Tdoc72

[Irlandesa]

47 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

So I have to wonder how bad they are. Are they abusive or do they just not care about their children or what?

I think Buck and Maddie had a conversation earlier this season where Maddie mentioned that their parents weren't bad people just bad parents.  So I would surmise they were rather distant.  But the show could go back on that and make them worse than that conversation.

49 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Hen's plot...was less than interesting for me.

I know.  This was such a well rounded Buck episode with the daring fire rescue, his friendship to the old firefighter and the conversations with Maddie so I was surprised Hen was the one who was featured in the promo. Previewing the fire would have been just as exciting.

[tennisgurl]

Buck is just such an enormously sweet person, he has developed so much over the course of the show. He just has such a big heart and he cares so deeply about people, both the people in his life and the random people he meets and feels for. He makes a lot of mistakes, mainly because he has rather poor impulse control and his impulsiveness sometimes makes it hard for him to think about the consequences of his actions, but his heart is always in the right place. 

Now, how did these onions get here...

[jewel21]

Damn. I cried at that ending. I had to choke down a sob. 

I don't know much about Buck because I only starting watching this season, but I think this was the first episode where I really liked him and felt for him. 

The serial rapist revelation is intriguing me. I hope they do it justice. 

[Gramto6]

Wow, I give big creds to Buck for what he did for Red in the end. Onions were cut here by someone and I live alone. Buck has sure grown from the first shows. 

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

What was Buck thinking?  I absolutely hate the pop in visit.  If I understand this correctly, the last time Red saw the woman he was once involved with was twenty-two years ago.   Who pop in visits after twenty-two years?  I hate the pop in visit in general.  I think it is rude to pop in unannounced.

Why in the world would Buck drag Red all the way over to that woman's house without finding out if she was interested in seeing Red first?   Buck could have found out that the woman most likely has Alzheimer's.   If Buck had done that before the pop in visit, he would have saved the woman and Red a lot of grief.

I agree about the pop in visit.  Buck's heart might have been in the right place but that was just plain stupid and he should have known better.

[Ohwell]

Also, I had to laugh at that stiff "dancing" between Athena and Bobby.  They just look so uncomfortable together.

[DisplayyName]

This is my favorite episode of the season (so far). I love this side of Buck so much. It's hard to find words to describe how much I loved this episode, it left me speechless, literally.

I love this show when they're writing meaningful shit for the characters instead of:
almost killing a main character in every episode,
throwing every awful thing in their way,
giving them the worst type of cancers
etc. 

 

[The Ringo Kidd]

4 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Also, I had to laugh at that stiff "dancing" between Athena and Bobby.  They just look so uncomfortable together.

It is just a prime example of the amazing chemistry between them.

Sort of like Oil and water.

[iMonrey]

I must be a heartless SOB because I wasn't the least bit moved by the saga of Red, a character we literally just met and will never see again. I get that is was more about Buck, but I fail to see why he doesn't have a girlfriend or should feel abandoned. The cynic in me says the character has been in a holding pattern in case the show can get Connie Britton back.

I was also confused about what they are trying to do with Hen. Was she studying to be a doctor at one point? Have I forgotten something about her origin story? This feels very similar to what they're doing with Foster over on Chicago Fire.

Quote

I wanted to see a follow up on the cat dude that died. 

"Cat dude" was played by Sal Viscuso, who was once a prominent TV actor back in the 1970s, with featured roles in "Mary Hartman Mary Hartman" and "Soap." I'd never have recognized him had I not seen his name in the opening credits. He has apparently stayed active in television but mostly in minor roles like this.

[Jillybean]

5 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Also, I had to laugh at that stiff "dancing" between Athena and Bobby.  They just look so uncomfortable together.

They are not at all convincing as husband and wife. They seem more like friends or even acquaintances/colleagues. I have no idea why they went this route with those two.

8 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I must be a heartless SOB because I wasn't the least bit moved by the saga of Red, a character we literally just met and will never see again. I get that is was more about Buck, but I fail to see why he doesn't have a girlfriend or should feel abandoned. The cynic in me says the character has been in a holding pattern in case the show can get Connie Britton back.

She's coming back next week. Hence the Buck is lonely saga over the past few eps.

[lorbeer]

Am I the only one who like Bob and Athena's pairing? 🙂 I admit it's now hot with fireworks butterfly and so on, but they're for me like a nice old marry couple who deeply care for each other and it's heartwarming. And that's enough for me 🙂 We don't need another Grey's Anatomy 😉

Buck stole my heart 😉 but it was some time ago now, so... 😉 Red was kind of a 'future ghost' but it was a nice story. 🙂 I think 9-1-1 is the only show where cliches just works for me.

Also, I think if we're lucky enough Hen will leave to become a doctor and we will never ever see her again. 🙂 They could bring then some interesting women character to 118 🙂

[Empress1]

5 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I fail to see why [Buck] doesn't have a girlfriend

I don't get it either. He was holding onto Abby, then they made a point of him letting go of Abby and getting back out there, then they just dropped that. Apparently he's stopped dating but they never said why. They've made a point of showing that the rest of the team have fuller lives outside of the firehouse than he does, but why can't he pursue one? He's what, 28? He was talking like he had no chance of building a life. He puts up one picture on Tinder of himself in his uniform and he has 600 matches. And he's got a really big heart, he's cute, he loves kids and the elderly, and he seems like he wants to commit. He could have someone in fifteen minutes. Shit, call me, Buck.

Is that forearm ink (the writing) new?

At the end of my grandfather's life, he made a similar comment to Red about not wanting to be the last one standing. He was almost 87 when he died and he had lost a lot of friends and family by then, including his favorite brother. That's why whenever there are news stories that show people who are 100, 110 years old, I find it sad - at that age you've likely outlived everyone you knew.

When I saw those people saluting Red, I said out loud "Oh my God" and immediately teared up.

So is Hen going to medical school? She/Aisha Hinds has such an amazing smile.

The shirt Maddie was wearing in her last scene was hideous.

[screengem]

With the start of Season 2, I have enjoyed the transformation of the Buck character.  But at the same time, I began noticing how red his lips are, in contrast to all of the other male actors on set.

So when Abby sees Buck for the first time with his really RED lips, she might have second thoughts about their past relationship.

At first I thought it was just a joke.  But in every scene in the past two seasons, it seems as if Oliver just got up from a nap right before a scene, and while he was sleeping, some prankster painted his lips red.

[The Ringo Kidd]

I asked my wife if he was wearing lipstick.

It is definitely strange.

[AdorkableWitch]

On 4/27/2020 at 9:15 PM, shapeshifter said:

The character of Buck could be a great role model for kids with ADHD and issues with poor self-control, but are any kids (or even teens) watching this show? They certainly could IMO since the show never gets as gory as any of those autopsy shows or serial killer shows. 

Gosh I hope they manage to do the serial killer plot without crossing the line into gratuitous torture porn.

I am a grown woman with ADHD and I love/hate Buck because I identify with him. He's got a lot of the hallmarks of adult ADHD. 

[BooksRule]

9 hours ago, screengem said:

But in every scene in the past two seasons, it seems as if Oliver just got up from a nap right before a scene, and while he was sleeping, some prankster painted his lips red.

This reminds me of Nestor Carbonell ('Lost', 'The Dark Knight', etc.) who always looks like he is wearing dark eyeliner, but it's just the natural coloring around his eyes. 

[SoapDoc]

On 4/28/2020 at 3:17 PM, iMonrey said:

"Cat dude" was played by Sal Viscuso, who was once a prominent TV actor back in the 1970s, with featured roles in "Mary Hartman Mary Hartman" and "Soap." I'd never have recognized him had I not seen his name in the opening credits. He has apparently stayed active in television but mostly in minor roles like this.

That's Father Tim? I am getting old!

I think Hen has to be headed to med school or something. Otherwise, she is being way too aggressive...

I liked the sign off for the retired firefighter. I thought that was very moving!

[WescottF1]

Surprised no one has commented so far that Red was played by the actor who played Chief Jerry on another famous firefighter show, Rescue Me.

[tvgoddess]

On 4/28/2020 at 4:37 PM, Empress1 said:

I don't get it either. He was holding onto Abby, then they made a point of him letting go of Abby and getting back out there, then they just dropped that. Apparently he's stopped dating but they never said why.

They said in the episode that it just hasn't worked out for him, so he quit trying. Not that hard to imagine. He probably got into a comfortable pattern of hanging out with the firehouse even when he wasn't working, or hanging with his sister and Chim. He doesn't seem like he's been wanting a girlfriend at all.

One thing that I appreciate about this show and have always felt that they've done extremely well is their inclusion of music to fit the mood/situation, as well as remind one of songs that you realize you like but just never think about very much. Toto's Hold the Line was definitely in that vein.

Edited May 4, 2020 by tvgoddess

[Ailianna]

On 4/28/2020 at 8:12 AM, icemiser69 said:

I don't know why they couldn't have kept drone dude in holding.  Whether that drone was licensed or not, it did cause an accident.

Athena didn't file any state charges on him; she just said to hold him for the feds.  So when the feds decided he wasn't worth their time, there was nothing to hold him while Athena did her investigation.  If she'd even asked him to be held on her trespass as well as the feds, it would have been different.  But then no ongoing story.  And no Renard (Sasha Roiz's character in Grimm--who was a police captain.  Here he's a police lieutenant.)

[Moose135]

On 4/30/2020 at 11:40 PM, WescottF1 said:

Surprised no one has commented so far that Red was played by the actor who played Chief Jerry on another famous firefighter show, Rescue Me.

That's the first thing I thought when I saw him.

[Clanstarling]

On 4/28/2020 at 1:31 PM, lorbeer said:

Am I the only one who like Bob and Athena's pairing? 🙂 I admit it's now hot with fireworks butterfly and so on, but they're for me like a nice old marry couple who deeply care for each other and it's heartwarming. And that's enough for me 🙂 We don't need another Grey's Anatomy 😉

Buck stole my heart 😉 but it was some time ago now, so... 😉 Red was kind of a 'future ghost' but it was a nice story. 🙂 I think 9-1-1 is the only show where cliches just works for me.

Also, I think if we're lucky enough Hen will leave to become a doctor and we will never ever see her again. 🙂 They could bring then some interesting women character to 118 🙂

Not the only one. 🙂