S04.E09: Blindsided

[jewel21]

Quote

Athena and the 118 race to save lives after a drunk driver causes a deadly pile-up on the freeway. Meanwhile, Maddie goes into labor and Hen and Karen are devastated as they prepare their foster daughter, Nia, to be reunited with her birth mother.

Airdate: 04/19/2021

[TVForever]

Dang! I missed the baby's name! What was the baby's name? 

[gonzosgirrl]

That was a good episode. I feel for Hen, but also wanted to smack her. Seems like she is not cut out for fostering.

Bobby's reactions to the drunk mom accident was well done.

Chim is a good guy. I'm glad it can still be the happiest day of his life.

6 minutes ago, TVForever said:

Dang! I missed the baby's name! What was the baby's name? 

It's Chim's mother's name but I'm not sure how it's spelled. Sounds like zhe-un. ETA: Captioning says Jee-Yun.

Edited April 20, 2021 by gonzosgirrl

[anna0852]

Her name is Jee-Yun according to my closed captions.

[Irlandesa]

Whew.  I really thought they were going to kill Albert because I don't think they have killed off a main character yet. And I hope they never do.

I'm so glad they didn't. 

I don't know if revisiting the awful Bobby killed his whole family while drunk is the wisest choice to make but here we are.

[Empress1]

A former coworker of mine lost her father (suddenly, heart attack) the same day her first grandchild was born, so I did think they were going there with Albert.

They could have roughed Jennifer Love Hewitt up a little bit for the birth scene.At least spritzed her face and mussed her hair a little!

Little Nia is SO CUTE. But it does seem like Hen isn’t cut out for fostering if she’s going to get so attached.

The look of pride Bobby gave Chim when they got the call that Maddie was in labor was so nice. The way he manages his team is so sweet.

I hope Bobby is ok. Maybe Athena should go to open meetings with him?

[shapeshifter]

9 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Chim is a good guy.

The writers and Kenneth Choi ("Chim") really have successfully created the perfect human, haven't they?

My babies were all 41 weeks, but I didn't think 42+ weeks was allowed without medical intervention. But that was a much more realistic birthing than I can recall seeing on screen, especially the pushing grunts. I wonder if that's because they've had several seasons of researching emergencies including childbirths. 
She was huge, but a lower birth weight (the baby was well under 7 pounds) is to be expected at 42+ weeks.

 

[tennisgurl]

Do not scare me like that show, I was totally convinced for a second that they were going to kill Albert off just as Chim and Maddie were having their baby, I was seriously stressed out. I am so happy that Albert is alright, the show has resisted killing off a major character so far and I am just fine with that. I certainly did not see Albert being in the wreck coming, but I am so relieved that the baby and Albert are both alright, it would have made this day that is supposed to be so wonderful for Chim and Maddie so painful. Kenneth Choi has a great episode, his joy when Maddie had the baby and then when he was talking to Albert while he was unconscious about how he and his brother had finally become close, even beyond just being biologically related, what a rollercoaster. I definitely thought they were going to have Albert die then have Maddie and Chim name their daughter after him, the whole life/death thing, so I am really glad they didnt go there. 

Of course the drunk driver really opens a lot of wounds, triggering Bobby's backstory of what he did when he was drunk and made a terrible mistake, and Hen, who is of course very sensitive now to irresponsible mothers, is really upset. Plus her almost killing Chim's brother and all, its chilling how much damage one terrible mistake can do. I hope that Bobby is alright, he seems to be doing ok and went right to his meeting, hopefully this doesent lead to him having a downward spiral now that this has all been brought up again. Good thing Athena is looking out for him. 

Interesting to see the girl who bullied May into attempting suicide back again, what's her game now? Is she trying to apologize? I kind of forgot about all of that, its been so long. 

Baby Nia is so cute, I feel the most for her out of everyone. This must be so confusing for her, she got so close to Hen and Karen and saw them as her moms and now she has this new person she probably doesent even recognize who's her mom now. Hen is clearly not meant for fostering, her getting so attached is understandable but this is what the end goal always was. 

Great having this show back!

Edited April 20, 2021 by tennisgurl

[Lady Calypso]

37 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My babies were all 41 weeks, but I didn't think 42+ weeks was allowed without medical intervention. But that was a much more realistic birthing than I can recall seeing on screen, especially the pushing grunts. I wonder if that's because they've had several seasons of researching emergencies including childbirths. 

That, and I assume Jennifer Love Hewitt's real experiences with childbirth allowed her to portray it more realistically. 

I have to point out that there's such an importance in giving Maddie and Chimney's daughter a Korean name. With so many shows and movies, when it comes to newborns being named, most of the time, especially with an interracial couple, the names chosen are very Caucasian. I was convinced the name that Maddie and Chimney would choose would be something so cliche, like Hope or Kim, or something unique yet still Caucasian sounding, like Bethany or Lenore. The fact that this show not only did follow a very realistic choice in a family name, but they went with someone on Chimney's side of the family, and the name is something we'd never actually hear on TV, not unless it's an elderly Korean woman. Jee-Yun is a truly unique name for television and I have to give this show props for going that direction, and that Maddie knew Chimney well enough to choose his mother's name as their daughter's while he was dealing with his brother's hospitalization.

That car crash storyline definitely reminded me of that documentary, There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane. I did somewhat expect a twist in them not knowing if she was actually drunk or not. But I guess she was, and I guess this opened Bobby's old wounds in how he accidentally was the cause of 148 deaths due to him being drunk one night. Show, I appreciate you a lot and I'm all for a Bobby storyline, but I'd rather not be reminded that he has the highest death count on this show. 

They did get me thinking that they'd kill off Albert. I'm very glad they also avoided that route. 

I'm guessing May's bully wants to apologize. I personally say for May to delete the request and never contact her. May's bully isn't worth the heartache and painful reminders.

And poor Nia and poor Karen/Hen, but Hen has got to pull it together. She knows what she signed up for. Karen is 100% right.

[Empress1]

4 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I’m guessing May's bully wants to apologize. I personally say for May to delete the request and never contact her. May's bully isn't worth the heartache and painful reminders

Someone I had a toxic friendship (I would actually say we were never friends, but I didn’t understand that back then) with in high school reached out to me in our 20s. I ignored her. I don’t think of her at all and don’t want to - not even in a negative way, I just don’t want to know her anymore. The “friendship” didn’t serve me and I have no interest in revisiting it.

If May’s bully wants to make amends, she can get right with herself without May - she’s not entitled to that grace from May.

[tvgoddess]

I really enjoyed this episode. Of course, I was scared to death that Albert was a goner (especially with the actor's cryptic tweet) but I guess that should have been the hint he would be okay. Still was convinced they were going to make Chim have this horrible thing happened on the day his daughter was born. I'm so glad they didn't do it. Kenneth Choi rocked the bedside scene with Albert. And I love the baby name so much! The whole recap of events leading up to the time she went into labor was a great comedic relief to a pretty serious episode (NORMAN BATES!!!!!!) 

Personally, I'm glad they brought up Bobby's past alcoholism. It would have been weird if they didn't, considering the storyline. And it's good for him to be reminded every so often so that he doesn't relapse. I thought this whole part was done really well. Good job on seeing him attend and lead a meeting.

Nia's little outfit at the end! That leather jacket, awww. Everyone pretty much said already what needs to be said about Hen, but I wanted to just say that Tracie Thoms' performance arguing back to her that there is no fight was excellent. This really is such a deep cast.

Buck figuring out the rest of Albert's message got to me. That was so heartbreaking. I really felt for him.

Kind of expected May to have her bully's friend request play out and get resolved this episode. I guess we'll have to wait and hear more about it.

Preview made me gasp.

Don't drink and drive, kids.

[Court]

Y'all. I didn't know how much I loved Albert until I was bawling through the whole damn episode. I thought the show was going to kill him off. Love love that they picked a Korean name.

[jewel21]

Add me to the group who was terrified they would kill Albert off. I was literally holding my breath during the ambulance scene when Hen was performing CPR. I'm so happy this show didn't go there. 

May needs to decline that bully's friend request but I fear that won't be the case. 

Overall a really good, powerful episode. I'm so happy this show is back. 

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, jewel21 said:

May needs to decline that bully's friend request but I fear that won't be the case. 

I'm assuming that's a season 1 storyline which I didn't watch save for right at the end. Thanks for clearing that up  I thought it was just a throwaway "May is a lesbian with a new girl she's flirting with."

[Aliconehead]

4 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I'm assuming that's a season 1 storyline which I didn't watch save for right at the end. Thanks for clearing that up  I thought it was just a throwaway "May is a lesbian with a new girl she's flirting with."

Yes it was a season 1 episode 2&3.  May was bullied and then tried to commit suicide because of it.  Athena then confronts the one of bullies during a house party who is arrogant and does the “my parents will have your job”. Athena also finds drugs so she arrests the girl. I believe there were two bullies. A former friend and a mean girl 

[Jillybean]

1 hour ago, Aliconehead said:

Yes it was a season 1 episode 2&3.  May was bullied and then tried to commit suicide because of it.  Athena then confronts the one of bullies during a house party who is arrogant and does the “my parents will have your job”. Athena also finds drugs so she arrests the girl. I believe there were two bullies. A former friend and a mean girl 

I had forgotten all of this, and still don't really remember it. I wish we'd seen a flashback or something, which would have been an inelegant but helpful way to connect the dots for people like me who don't recall every plotline from an entire series.

I, too, thought Albert would die, but I don't think of him as a main character. He wouldn't be any loss for the show, but I want Chim to be happy so I'm glad he lived. 

I didn't expect the drunk driver to simply be extremely drunk. She was totally ignoring her child and Maddie on the phone. She didn't speak a word and just kept driving. I thought there would be some medical reason. That was a terrifying and sad storyline. It's miraculous (and unlikely) that the mother, son, and Albert all survived.

I see struggles in Bobby's future. 

I miss Michael.

Edited April 20, 2021 by Jillybean

[shapeshifter]

3 minutes ago, Jillybean said:

I, too, thought Albert would die, but I don't think of him as a main character. He wouldn't be any loss for the show, but I want Chim to be happy so I'm glad he lived. 

Yes, that was my take on it. I mainly didn't want Albert to die because then the baby would have been named for an uncle that died as she was being born, which is not a fun story to share when she's trying to mingle as an adult.

 

5 minutes ago, Jillybean said:

I didn't expect the drunk driver to simply be extremely drunk. She was totally ignoring her child and Maddie on the phone. She didn't speak a word and just kept driving. I thought there would be some medical reason. That was a terrifying and sad storyline.

Yeah, I think they were purposefully leaving it vague as to whether or not she was drunk.
There was an old L&O episode in which the father had drugged the mother (thinking the kids wouldn't be in the car) and planted an empty bottle under the front seat. 
But maybe I'm the only one who flashed back to that?
IDK. Maybe the vagueness of the cause of her condition was supposed to make us relate to the dad who said he didn't know she was still drinking?

Anyway, the kid actor did a great job pleading for "Mom" to pull over, even if they did either rerun it several times, or maybe they decided he was so good they would use all of his takes.

[KeithJ]

I never really cared for Hen's character that much and last night made me like her even less.  Her thinking that she, as a foster parent, can fight to adopt a child away from a birth mother (who is meeting all of her requirements) was really annoying.  I was glad to hear Karen try explaining to her about exactly what their job was as foster parents but Hen didn't want to hear it.

Although, disappointingly enough, I'm sure something is going to end up happening with the birth mom and they're going to get the child back permanently anyway.

[Chaos Theory]

I get what everyone is saying about Hen but she has a thing about bad mothers.  Even her kid isn’t biologically hers or Karen’s and she had to fight to keep custody away from her ex who is technically bio mom to the kid.   Plus there was this whole thing with Hen’s own mom never seeming to give her the encouragement she needed.  Do I can see Hen getting this great kid who she has longer then was intended and making this whole fantasy in her head that came crashing down in an instant and her fight or flight instinct kicked in.   I do like that Karen was the voice of reason and Hen eventually listened to it.

[JH Lipton]

Ujust to quibble a bit.  At night in high fog, we get 3  or 4 car pileups on the Grapevine.  On the 10, in clear weather -- not gonna happen. And of course EVERY car has to burst into flame on contact.

Also, exit 43, near where I live, is 2 miles from exit 41, near Cal Poly Pomona.  There are concrete walls and no drops at that section.

Otherwise, a great episode.

[gonzosgirrl]

21 minutes ago, JH Lipton said:

Ujust to quibble a bit.  At night in high fog, we get 3  or 4 car pileups on the Grapevine.  On the 10, in clear weather -- not gonna happen.

Even if there was a drunk going the wrong way and pin-balling their vehicle amongst the traffic? It didn't seem unrealistic to me, regardless of what highway they were supposed to be on.

I'm not clear why the car basically exploded because the air-bag triggered though (except for plot purposes to get Bobby to that place). Was the vehicle the drunk mom collided with a fuel truck?

[Chaos Theory]

6 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Even if there was a drunk going the wrong way and pin-balling their vehicle amongst the traffic? It didn't seem unrealistic to me, regardless of what highway they were supposed to be on.

I'm not clear why the car basically exploded because the air-bag triggered though (except for plot purposes to get Bobby to that place). Was the vehicle the drunk mom collided with a fuel truck?

I looked it up and here is what I got “long term exposure to high heat and humidity can cause already deployed airbags to explode.”  Which is more then likely why all the firey pileups.   Which by the way due to all the current wires and tech can cause a car to spark and catch fire on collision.  So the scene itself wasn’t completely unrealistic.    

[Bulldog]

3 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Plus there was this whole thing with Hen’s own mom

Is Hen's mother still living with her and Karen?  I had the feeling that was going to be a permanent arrangement seeing as how she was basically homeless. 

[DearEvette]

I really enjoyed the way this episode as constructed, especially the way the pile up storyline enter-twined with everyone. And we got lots of good face time not only with the 118  but also the 911 crew.

Every thing about the Maddie/Chim baby waiting was fun and funny and so sweet.   Chim has great comic timing.  Norman Bates!!!   Uncle Buck!!  LOL.  And I loved the way Sue announced it when she was in labor.  Everybody's face...!  Also I agree, Maddie's delivery looked hella realistic. And the baby's name.  Sigh.  Such a lovely storyline this ep start to finish.

And then comes the car accident.  Holy granola that was stressful as hell.  Poor Bobby.  Not just the drinking but the fire as well. And then the scene between Athena and the dad.  Very well done.  So very sad.  That actor who played the dad did a good job. And Bobby and Athena's final conversation and him going to a meeting.  Really nice synergy there.

And then came Albert.  Dammit.  I mean, I wasn't Albert's biggest fan when he first came but man he won me over.  I like Albert.  Also I thought it was cool how he was one of the early flurry of calls.  And don't realize it til later.  I was hoping they weren't going to do some big life and death circle of life shit with the baby being born and Albert being killed, because I would have been pissed. 9-1-1 don't be tryna get gritty on me!

Yeah, Hen needed to get her thinking right.  She is not a good foster parent if she doesn't fundamentally understand what it means to be a foster.  Karen was great in this, in her perspective and in her responses to Hen.  Also, shallow alert, Karen's hair looked really great. Also, holy moly little Nia was just sooooo adorable. 

And finally, May, girl, do not ignore.  Decline and then block.  I loved that Josh was there when she got the first text and was ready to cut a bitch. LOL. 

Great ep!

[tvgoddess]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I looked it up and here is what I got “long term exposure to high heat and humidity can cause already deployed airbags to explode.”  Which is more then likely why all the firey pileups.   Which by the way due to all the current wires and tech can cause a car to spark and catch fire on collision.  So the scene itself wasn’t completely unrealistic.    

Reminds me of the Tesla crash that just happened with the automatic driver. It took hours to put the fire out and the firefighters had to actually call Tesla to figure out how to stop the batteries from exploding.

[Chaos Theory]

39 minutes ago, tvgoddess said:

Reminds me of the Tesla crash that just happened with the automatic driver. It took hours to put the fire out and the firefighters had to actually call Tesla to figure out how to stop the batteries from exploding.

Modern tech on cars are great for avoiding collisions but when they do happen the very same tech can be the first thing to cause an issue.  

[TVForever]

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

 

And finally, May, girl, do not ignore.  Decline and then block.  I loved that Josh was there when she got the first text and was ready to cut a bitch. LOL. 

Great ep!

I don't know if I've said this before, but Josh has been one of my favorites from his first scene. I would to see him get upped from recurring to regular.

[peace355]

On the pregnancy, I'm glad their was no drama other than them having to wait so long. Would have thought they would tried medical induction rather than the home remedies. I was overdue with my child and they induced me, which then failed and I ended up having c-section, which was fine I opted to do that over their suggestion of trying to induce again!

I'd no strong feelings for Albert prior to this episode, but the tears started coming when I thought he was going to die! I'm glad he didn't especially for Chim, because I only want happy things to happen for him, i also felt for Buck when he was calling out for Albert and him having to tell Chim.

What was the song playing during birth/Albert scene? I feel it's been other shows for dramatic death scene before, which made me think Albert was a goner!

 

[marceline]

Okay, who is Renfro and how do we find him another job? Seriously, I don't recall this character at all. Did he survive the blast from the airbags he didn't disconnect?

It makes perfect sense for Bobby to be triggered. He was a drunk who got a lot of people - including his own family - killed. I'm guessing seeing that burned body reminded him of his wife in the hospital before she died.

It's very obvious that Hen isn't emotionally qualified to be a foster parent. Good on Karen for speaking truth about their situation.

The reveal about Albert being in the car accident was a good one. This show is one that manages to surprise me in good ways.

The case of the drunk driver was pulled directly from the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash. That is one of those news stories that has always stuck with me. The driver on the show didn't strike me as drunk. I expected to learn it was booze and Ambien or some other kind of narcotic that put her into a fugue state.

[starri]

19 hours ago, Court said:

Y'all. I didn't know how much I loved Albert until I was bawling through the whole damn episode

Same.  Although a big part of it was just wanting Chim to be able to be totally happy for a bit.

That is by a wide margin one of the least cliched birth scenes I've ever seen.  

[Maverick]

 I didn't watch the first few seasons.   If Bobby caused the deaths of his family and others while drunk, how was he not convicted, much less a fire captain?

[ajsnaves]

Damn, nothing can keep the Han boys down. Also, are we sure there is not some ancient curse on this family? Cus something is trying to take them out. 

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, Maverick said:

 I didn't watch the first few seasons.   If Bobby caused the deaths of his family and others while drunk, how was he not convicted, much less a fire captain?

It is a great episode you should hunt it up.  Late season 2.  He was an alcoholic/pill addict who had a space heater on in an empty apartment in the building where his family lived.  He fell asleep while drunk/drugged.  The space heater fell over and started a fire.  It was a a whole mess of bad things because the apartment building where his family live and all the people lived wasn't up to code so no alarms or sprinklers.  He got out but a lot of people did not.  He felt guilty about it.  But at that point it was just a tragic accident.  He was later forced to go into rehab and got transferred to the 118.

[Aliconehead]

2 hours ago, Maverick said:

 I didn't watch the first few seasons.   If Bobby caused the deaths of his family and others while drunk, how was he not convicted, much less a fire captain?

Bobby was drinking in a vacant apartment.  He was using a space heater that sparked a fire. Because there were a TON of code violations, ie no sprinklers, etc, it caused the whole building to catch fire.  He tried to get to his family but the fire was between him and the door, and I think a while opened in the floor, he was unable to get them.  I believe he confessed but because of the code violations it did not warrant an arrest.  

[possibilities]

17 hours ago, Jillybean said:

I didn't expect the drunk driver to simply be extremely drunk. She was totally ignoring her child and Maddie on the phone. She didn't speak a word and just kept driving. I thought there would be some medical reason.

I took it to be that she was in a blackout state. But until they confirmed her BAC, I was expecting it to be some kind of seizure where she was frozen and non-responsive.

6 hours ago, Maverick said:

 I didn't watch the first few seasons.   If Bobby caused the deaths of his family and others while drunk, how was he not convicted, much less a fire captain?

He was high and left a space heater near stuff that ignited in an apartment building. He wasn't charged with a crime because the building had multiple code violations which were what made the fire spread and be hard to put out or contain. He feels guilty because his family and a lot of other people died, and because he was high and thus negligent. But I don't think he was technically ever held liable. 

[mostlylurking]

I absolutely hate Bobby’s backstory and how he never suffered any legal consequences. I just really try to forget about it or else I just can’t enjoy the character at all. When Athena said that Bobby was nothing like that lady drunk driver I was like “yeah, he was MUCH WORSE” he killed multiple people plus his own family. 

[Emily Thrace]

16 hours ago, Aliconehead said:

Bobby was drinking in a vacant apartment.  He was using a space heater that sparked a fire. Because there were a TON of code violations, ie no sprinklers, etc, it caused the whole building to catch fire.  He tried to get to his family but the fire was between him and the door, and I think a while opened in the floor, he was unable to get them.  I believe he confessed but because of the code violations it did not warrant an arrest.  

The space heater started a fire because the breakers were not installed correctly. Bobby's actions wouldn't have started a fire if the building was safe. Also a lack of sprinklers and other violations made the casualties much higher than it should have been.  That is why he wasn't charged. Why he isn't rich from the lawsuits against his landlords and the city of St Paul is another question.

[gonzosgirrl]

20 minutes ago, Emily Thrace said:

The space heater started a fire because the breakers were not installed correctly. Bobby's actions wouldn't have started a fire if the building was safe. Also a lack of sprinklers and other violations made the casualties much higher than it should have been.  That is why he wasn't charged. Why he isn't rich from the lawsuits against his landlords and the city of St Paul is another question.

I agree with this. He blames himself, because he created the circumstances that lead to the accident, but it's not like he kicked it over or dropped something flammable on it. I can also understand why he couldn't be a firefighter in the same city any more, and he will forever feel guilty, and he probably should, but it wasn't a criminal act.

Edited April 21, 2021 by gonzosgirrl

[mostlylurking]

25 minutes ago, Emily Thrace said:

The space heater started a fire because the breakers were not installed correctly. Bobby's actions wouldn't have started a fire if the building was safe.

I mean he was impaired and he fell asleep, so maybe if he hadn’t been drunk/high/whatever he was he would have been able to react a little better.  He wouldn’t have been in that vacant apartment in the first place.  I’m sorry, I just think he should not have gotten off scott free. It wasn’t just a pure accident. Just like there is a difference with a person getting in a car accident when they are impaired vs. when they  aren’t. One isn’t a choice, one is. 

All I can think when he starts waxing all wise is didn’t you kill a bunch of people?? Yes it was a tragedy and I’m glad he was able to pick up the pieces of his life as addiction is a disease. However, he shouldn’t be a fire chief. He just shouldn’t have that influential position in society. My humble opinion. 

Edited April 21, 2021 by mostlylurking

[gonzosgirrl]

15 minutes ago, mostlylurking said:

All I can think when he starts waxing all wise is didn’t you kill a bunch of people?? Yes it was a tragedy and I’m glad he was able to pick up the pieces of his life as addiction is a disease. However, he shouldn’t be a fire chief. He just shouldn’t have that influential position in society. My humble opinion. 

He did a terrible thing and paid the highest price, apart from his own life. He's also saved as many or more lives through his work as a firefighter and continues to do so. I think there is room for redemption here.

Edited April 21, 2021 by gonzosgirrl

[mostlylurking]

12 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I think there is room for redemption here.

I hear you, but it’s not like those deaths didn’t have anything to do with his actions.  It wasn’t really an accident.  He made the choice to do drugs/drink (forget which) to the point of oblivion.  He’s definitely paid the price with losing his family and all the underlying guilt, but I just feel he should have paid a price criminally as well.  I really wish this wasn’t his backstory because it’s just a little too much, almost to the point of being irredeemable.

Edited April 21, 2021 by mostlylurking

[gonzosgirrl]

1 hour ago, mostlylurking said:

I hear you, but it’s not like those deaths didn’t have anything to do with his actions.  It wasn’t really an accident.  He made the choice to do drugs/drink (forget which) to the point of oblivion.  He’s definitely paid the price with losing his family and all the underlying guilt, but I just feel he should have paid a price criminally as well.  I really wish this wasn’t his backstory because it’s just a little too much, almost to the point of being irredeemable.

I do think there's a distinction here though. His actions wouldn't have caused the destruction they did if it weren't for the condition of the building. He got drunk, like millions of others do every day. Getting drunk and choosing to drive a car isn't the same thing as getting drunk and falling asleep, since a space heater isn't in and of itself a dangerous weapon (as a car is). If it doesn't short out the wiring, he wakes up with a hangover and a living family. So yeah, maybe 'accident' isn't the right word, but neither is he guilty of a crime, IMO. 

Edited April 21, 2021 by gonzosgirrl
I am physically incapable of not making a typo, lol.

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, mostlylurking said:

I hear you, but it’s not like those deaths didn’t have anything to do with his actions.  It wasn’t really an accident.  He made the choice to do drugs/drink (forget which) to the point of oblivion.  He’s definitely paid the price with losing his family and all the underlying guilt, but I just feel he should have paid a price criminally as well.  I really wish this wasn’t his backstory because it’s just a little too much, almost to the point of being irredeemable.

Every accident is the result of choices someone made.  A parent forgets to lock the gate around a swimming pool and a kid wanders in an falls in and drowns.  A homeowner is too tired to salt the ice the front sidewalk tonight, they'll do it in the morning and a pedestrian slips and cracks their head on the walk and dies.  These and many other things result in tragedies that could have had a different outcome if a different choice had been made.  But even so, there is a difference when that choice rises to the level of criminal or illegal.  Being an alcoholic or addicted to opioids or falling asleep while drunk isn't illegal.  Unlike any of these things, though driving drunk is illegal. 

And honestly, the same set of circumstances could have happened if Bobby hadn't been drunk and had only been exhausted or heavily medicated without being an addict.  The fact that he was an alcoholic was only incidental to why his family died not the reason for it.

And frankly,  because his entire family (and so many others) died because of his (inadvertent) actions I think he was punished way more severely than the criminal justice system could have come up with mere jail time.

Edited April 21, 2021 by DearEvette

[Clanstarling]

On 4/19/2021 at 7:21 PM, Lady Calypso said:

That car crash storyline definitely reminded me of that documentary, There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane. I did somewhat expect a twist in them not knowing if she was actually drunk or not. But I guess she was, and I guess this opened Bobby's old wounds in how he accidentally was the cause of 148 deaths due to him being drunk one night. Show, I appreciate you a lot and I'm all for a Bobby storyline, but I'd rather not be reminded that he has the highest death count on this show. 

Aunt Diane was a horrifying documentary, and the first thing I thought was that this storyline was based on that. I was grateful the child survived, which wasn't the case in that incident. I recently read something about some kind of syndrome or illness (I can't remember where) that could make a person's blood alcohol readings be sky high - without them having taken a single drink. I immediately thought of this case and wondered if maybe the husband had been right all along - that she wasn't drunk and medicine just wasn't as advanced as it is now.

I did not like the cutting between Albert possibly dying and the birth. I mean, it was very well done, but it really disturbed me. I've loved Albert from the start (having loved the actor in "The Librarians"), and did not want to even contemplate his death.

 

[marceline]

Part of me wonders if the story of the drunk driver will be a thread that goes through the rest of the season. I suspect Bobby's struggle to make peace with his past and the issues this brought up will be a story arc and I could see him being called to give a deposition or testify about the accident and somehow through that we learn that the drunk driver actually has a brain tumor.

I can already picture the scene now. Bobby is having some really intense conversation with Athena and Michael and David where he's all deep into the memory of that night and he mentions some weird symptom. David perks up and says "That sounds a lot like the symptoms of a blahblah blastoma" David does her surgery, the charges get dropped, and Jacob gets reunited with his mother who didn't actually drive drunk with him in the car.

[possibilities]

I think they undercut the idea that there was another explanation, though, when they showed a nearly empty booze bottle beside her in the car.

[Chaos Theory]

On 4/20/2021 at 7:37 PM, Maverick said:

 I didn't watch the first few seasons.   If Bobby caused the deaths of his family and others while drunk, how was he not convicted, much less a fire captain?

It was a multitude of issues.   He got drunk in a empty apartment and left a space heater on.   The bad electrical caused a  fire and lack of proper fire safety stuff (like working fire detectors and extinguishers). which a sober Bobby would have noticed but drunk Bobby ignored failed to warn people of dangers before it was too late.     I think Bobby was censured  but never charged because the building had such faulty wiring.   He was responsible for the fire but if the apartment they lived in had been up to code it wouldn’t have burnt as fast and hot as it did.   Even left on a space heater shouldn’t have caused a five alarm fire unless something else was at play.

Edited April 22, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[fireice13]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I recently read something about some kind of syndrome or illness (I can't remember where) that could make a person's blood alcohol readings be sky high - without them having taken a single drink.

 

Auto-brewery syndrome! It's where your body ferments yeast and basically creates beer in your gut. It can be somewhat treated with medications like antibiotics and antifungals to try and rid the body of the microorganisms that are doing the fermenting. Also a high protein, very low carb diet will help with symptoms as it prevents the organisms from having anything to ferment. 

[gik910]

Mostly enjoyed the episode. Glad Albert lived. And now I'm about to go off on the Hen story line- feel free to skip... because I hate it and it's making me furious.  For context - I'm currently a foster parent.

There is almost zero way they would have not known why Nia was in care.  There is almost zero way they would not know her birth mother. If she's actively working her program- they would have been doing virtual visits, there would be quarterly meetings with the entire team (foster parents, bio-parents, social workers, lawyers, Dept. Of Child Services, and a CASA rep most likely due to Nia's age). While it's legitimate that court may be behind due to COVID there is a whole bunch of other stuff that goes on. There is zero way this would have been sudden.  

The way they are portraying this is infuriating. It's a team effort band that team includes the bio-family. 

The whole point of foster care is to provide a child a safe, loving, functional home so they learn what good family relationships are supposed to look like.  

Every single child that has to be placed in care deserves a family who's hearts will break when they return home.  

This is not a whole hearted endorsement of the system. It is screwed up in a thousand different ways. It's an administrative nightmare. Its underfunded. It effects POC families disproportionately. It's underfunded. It's exhausting. And sometimes horrible decisions are made. 

But TV really needs to start representing the reality. Because there is also a huge lack of foster families and those kids need support. They are worth it. 

 

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk

Edited April 22, 2021 by gik910

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, gik910 said:

The way they are portraying this is infuriating. It's a team effort band that team includes the bio-family. 

The whole point of foster care is to provide a child a safe, loving, functional home so they learn what good family relationships are supposed to look like.  

Every single child that has to be placed in care deserves a family who's hearts will break when they return home.  

This is not a whole hearted endorsement of the system. It is screwed up in a thousand different ways. It's an administrative nightmare. Its underfunded. It effects POC families disproportionately. It's underfunded. It's exhausting. And sometimes horrible decisions are made. 

But TV really needs to start representing the reality. Because there is also a huge lack of foster families and those kids need support. They are worth it. 

Ultimately Karen told Hen off in such a way that did correctly tell what good fostering is about.
Unfortunately, it took way too many episodes to get there.