S02.E10: A Little Help From My Friends

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

The 126 make calls to a bloody disaster at an ice cream shop and help rescue a boy missing from his own birthday party. Meanwhile, the 126 holds an "intervention" for Owen after he accidentally spills his secrets to new roommate Mateo. Then, T.K. and Carlos take a big step in their relationship, as Grace learns to rely on others in the aftermath of the car accident.

Airing Monday, April 26, 2021.

 

[shapeshifter]

Once again the two 9-1-1 shows had similar plots with the birthday parties gone wrong.

The drinking scene from "okay, just one" to a binge was hard to watch. 

Okay. All of us who have yet to get stuff checked out at the doctor's due to the pandemic are now going to make appointments tomorrow, right?

 

[jewel21]

I'm just glad the doggie was okay at the end. I was so worried he was going to die. 

I felt for the girl at the ice cream place and wanted to break all the phones from the Lacrosse team players. What a bunch of a-holes. 

[possibilities]

Does anyone have an understanding on what is Grace's exact injury? Is it her hip? I don't fully understand how drowning connects to what we're seeing of the aftermath.

 

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

Does anyone have an understanding on what is Grace's exact injury? Is it her hip? I don't fully understand how drowning connects to what we're seeing of the aftermath.

If they stated her exact injury, I didn’t catch it, but I do recall her legs being stuck tight in the accident, preventing her from just being able to swim out when Judd suggested it. I’m not sure if part of her injury is because Judd had to yank her free to prevent drowning, but given his training, we can presume he did what was necessary. Still, there might be some future drama about that, like chronic pain that makes her wish he’d let her drown.  

––been there. uttered that—albeit not drowning 

 

************
 

And regarding Rob Lowe’s smiles (especially at the end) “Smiling Depression” is “not a medical diagnosis,” but it “is a term doctors use” (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/smiling-depression).

Sounds like a useful TV diagnosis for writers to retcon paint themselves out of a plothole corner.

Edited April 27, 2021 by shapeshifter

[BooksRule]

I had to laugh a little at this exchange:

Owen: 'You listenin'?'

Mateo: 'Um hm. To both of you.'

Owen: 'Good, 'cause you need to hear this in stereo.'

Edited April 27, 2021 by BooksRule

[GodsBeloved]

Did I hear correctly? Grace was in the back seat for 6 hours??? Gracie is a stubborn little thing. Not wanting to call Judd while he was on duty? OK so why not call Mom and Dad who were itching to help?

Gracie, Gracie, Gracie

I'm glad she asked for help at the end but I want to know if she told Judd about those 6 hours!! 😂

[Bulldog]

Kind of liked Marjan's takedown of the straight-from-central-casting high school jerks.  Although I wonder if the type of person who would enjoy watch videos of someone in obvious pain/distress would really care if others were laughing at her while filming it.  That said, I've always had an irrational fear of getting my hand stuck in something like a garbage disposal, so the scenes at the ice cream shop were especially hard to watch for me. 

Mateo rooming with Strand might be the most I've ever liked his character ( a low bar, but still).  So, of course they had him move out before the end of the episode.  And the Captain America pajamas were perfectly on point for the character (that's not a compliment).

Was I the only one thinking that the cranky neighbor may have poisoned the dog when he got sick?  Glad I was wrong, although he really didn't seem to like the idea of some unexpected pups showing up. 

I completely get the idea of needing your independence, especially after suffering a debilitating accident.  But, Grace seems like much too sensible a person to take some of the chances she took this episode.   

Edited April 27, 2021 by Bulldog

[DearEvette]

I like how ice cream seem to be a running theme throughout the show.  I wonder if Grace's had melted enough that she could forgo the lid-spoon and just drink it like a milkshake?  And I liked the end where Tj and Own just sat and ate ice cream. 

43 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

Mateo rooming with Strand might be the most I've ever liked his character ( a low bar, but still).  So, of course they had him move out before the end of the episode.  And the Captain America pajamas were perfectly on point for the character (that's not a compliment).

I think they've written him much better this season.  But yeah I liked the drinking-bonding scene.  I thought it was a nice bit of humor. But I am also glad he moved out.  I thought it was a terrible idea for him to live with his captain.  Also he is a gossipy roommate.  So it was for the best.

I think the thing with Grace is that she finds it easy and natural to give help, but very difficult to ask for it.  I don't think that is unusual for people who think of themselves as strong and capable and caregivers.  I also got the hint that Judd was a hoverer and maybe that contributed to her need for some independence.  Too bad she had to be stuck in pain in a car for six hours (I am hoping that was a slight exaggeration) before she had to concede that is was ok and not a weakness to ask for help.  Shallow alert: Tommy's hair during her Grace rescue/pep talk scene was fabulous!    But I did like the last scene of Grace and (deep sleeper) Judd.  The minute he was awake and aware he shot right up, no hesitation.  There was a lovely shot of them -- paused for a moment,  foreheads together -- as he was supporting her as he helped her out of bed.

I was hoping that at least one of the high school jerks would show some compassion or even unease at what they were doing.  The girl was bleeding out and could have died.  I am so happy my own kids aren't that lost to empathy.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I also got the hint that Judd was a hoverer and maybe that contributed to her need for some independence. 

What stood out to me was how Judd did not actually physically intervene so much as just be close by in case Grace would fall. Judd let Grace do the work of getting her body moving. 
But, yes, this:

4 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I think the thing with Grace is that she finds it easy and natural to give help, but very difficult to ask for it.  I don't think that is unusual for people who think of themselves as strong and capable and caregivers.

 

*****

 

4 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Too bad she had to be stuck in pain in a car for six hours (I am hoping that was a slight exaggeration)

I was having to fanwank that the car seat turned out to be more comfortable than her bed or any other furniture at home, because, otherwise, being in a bad position for 6 hours could have set back her recovery considerably. Ice cream or not.

 

*********************************

 

5 hours ago, Bulldog said:

I've always had an irrational fear of getting my hand stuck in something like a garbage disposal, so the scenes at the ice cream shop were especially hard to watch for me.

Maybe because I had a successful but lengthy recovery from a finger crush as a child, I put my hands over my face and peaked out through a crack between my fingers with my eyes almost closed. 

Edited April 27, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Lady Calypso]

Owen: Don't tell anyone about my cancer surgery being cancelled.

Mateo: Ok.

*proceeds to tell Marjan/Paul IMMEDIATELY in his retelling*

Well, at least he's consistent. I will say this is one of his better episodes but...goddamn, Mateo! But he was obviously right in sharing this piece of information, since Owen was just hurting himself by cancelling his important surgery. 

That ice cream storyline was hard to watch. I ended up learning right now that one of my fears is getting my hand stuck in that type of contraption. I had to look away when they actually showed that poor girl's hand stuck in the machine. And what an awful group of teenagers, filming and laughing at her pain. I'm glad Marjan took them down in that way, since it probably would sink in more than her telling them to stop filming. Publicly humiliating them was a smart plan.

Grace going to the grocery store while in immense pain? Come on, girl, you're smarter than this! At least she finally called Tommy for help, even if it was six hours later. And hopefully she told Judd immediately about what she did. I appreciate Judd having plans for Grace while he was at work, though. Having a neighbour be around was a smart idea, but I hope he also had a plan in place in case Grace DID fall and couldn't call for help.

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

Does anyone have an understanding on what is Grace's exact injury? Is it her hip? I don't fully understand how drowning connects to what we're seeing of the aftermath.

There was a shot in Grace's first scene where there was a long scar down her left leg, Her legs were stuck in between the seat and the dashboard so I imagine the first responders had some difficulty freeing her.

[Bulldog]

One of the things I really like about this show in general, and the character of Grace in particular, is that it portrays Grace as a woman of devout faith (and it is treated respectfully, and not as a punchline).  So, I was a little surprised that she refused help from both the man in the grocery store and the woman in the parking lot.  I would have thought she would have viewed them as "angels" sent to help her when she was obviously struggling.  I do think it would be easier to accept help from a stranger (especially with something low stakes like getting something off a shelf or picking up dropped keys) than it would Judd, or her parents, or the neighbor Judd mentioned whom she would fear she was "burdening" by asking for assistance.  I was glad she came around at the end and asked Judd to help her get her walker. 

[Chaos Theory]

There are some people who are just better at giving advice then taking it. 

I really did like the Marjan scene where she got back at the teenagers laughing and filming at the girl in pain.  I also liked the end where Owen brought everyone to give the kid a birthday party.  Yeah it was pure fantasy but it was a fun moment.  

Edited April 28, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[GodsBeloved]

37 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

One of the things I really like about this show in general, and the character of Grace in particular, is that it portrays Grace as a woman of devout faith (and it is treated respectfully, and not as a punchline).  So, I was a little surprised that she refused help from both the man in the grocery store and the woman in the parking lot.  I would have thought she would have viewed them as "angels" sent to help her when she was obviously struggling. 

The way I took this was Grace definitely buys into the "God helps those who help themselves" (and so glad Judd pointed out that is not in the bible). She may have missed out on her angels because she thought she would be like the man at the pool of Bethesda who was lame for 38 years. When Jesus told him to "Rise, take up your bed and walk”, he immediately took up his bed, and walked. Maybe Grace wanted her "pool of Bethesda" moment instead of relying on angels.

[DearEvette]

55 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

One of the things I really like about this show in general, and the character of Grace in particular, is that it portrays Grace as a woman of devout faith (and it is treated respectfully, and not as a punchline).

Yes, thank you for the reminder.  I know when the show first aired a lot of people were pointing out all the diversity but this one element of it largely ignored.  Yes, Christianity is the dominant religion in the US but tv usually portrays it -- especially evangelical or the Southern baptist form of it -- as a punchline or as an extremist, rigid, very judgemental form of it.  It is rarely shown as a living part of a person's existence that is just something they live and practice matter-of-factly without judgement.  Sure a lot of people do lean into all the negative evangelical christian stereotypes and use their religion as a way to justify their prejudices.  But there are just a many who don't but you don't hear about those people as much.

With Grace (and to a lesser extent Judd) the show does a good job of showing that.  It is one of the very few that do it.  So in a way it how it is portraying Grace's religion is also a form of diversity.  Like Marjan's Muslim faith is consciously shown to be not threatening so is Grace's Christian faith.

[saber5055]

Is there such a thing as vanilla rocky road ice cream?

[tennisgurl]

Six hours Grace? That is impressive amounts of stubbornness, especially with two separate strangers offering to help her. It must be really hard for someone who is such a giver to ask for help, but going to the grocery store? Oh Grace, you gotta learn to rely on other people the way they rely on you! I am glad that at least she finally called Tommy, and that Judd was ready to support her, even having plans for any time she might need something and he was on duty. This is tough for Grace, but I am really enjoying getting to see more of Grace and Grace/Judd at least and that this is giving them a really meaty story. Grace is such a strong caretaking sort of person (and Judd is clearly hovering) I can understand why she struggles with admitting that she needs help. 

That hand in the ice cream was just ACK nasty. Good on Marjan for shaming that pack of sociopaths from jerky teen trope factory (you can tell their evil because their wearing letterman jackets!) and glad that the teens at least bonded over it. They even dropped by to give ice cream to the kid without friends in his new neighborhood, which was total wish fulfillment but it was also so cute I cant even call it for for lack of realism. 

Mateo really got stuck with the worlds dumbest roommates, and moving in with Owen didn't really improve things. Even beyond the fact that Owen is clearly going through some stuff, living with his captain just seems like a bad idea. Also, nobody ever tell Mateo your secrets, he will start spilling in about half a second. 

Owen and his "smiling depression" did give me some serious Christopher Traeger vibes. "I am literally dying." The teams intervention was hilariously heartfelt, and it actually tied pretty nicely into Grace's plot, that is can be really hard admitting to vulnerability. I am really relived that Owen's dog is alright, I was very concerned.  I also think its kind of funny that Carlos just cannot make himself call Owen by his first name and not Captain. 

Edited April 27, 2021 by tennisgurl

[marceline]

8 hours ago, Bulldog said:

One of the things I really like about this show in general, and the character of Grace in particular, is that it portrays Grace as a woman of devout faith (and it is treated respectfully, and not as a punchline).  

I do too. Not just her but Judd too. Between them and Marjan, I find the show's treatment of faith refreshing. I say that as someone who broke up with Jesus years ago.

What I don't like is that stunt Grace pulled by going to the store. She's going to lose that baby if she doesn't get her priorities straight. I'd understand if she wanted to walk to the end of the driveway or even cross the street to build her strength but going to the GROCERY STORE during a PANDEMIC and she wasn't even wearing a mask?  Come on.

If Grace sat in that car for six hours then I'm going to assume she's wearing a diaper which is another reason she should've stuck close to home.

I'm not looking to trash Liv Tyler but the character of Tommy just works better than the character of Michelle.

I'd forgotten all about Buttercup. Nothing like a pet getting sick to pull you out of yourself.

[shapeshifter]

55 minutes ago, marceline said:

If Grace sat in that car for six hours then I'm going to assume she's wearing a diaper which is another reason she should've stuck close to home.

Oops. Apparently the writers and I forgot about that, because even if she had a bucket lined with a plastic bag in the car for peeing during the pandemic (as my friend did when driving across country to care for her sister with cancer) Grace could not have gotten herself into a position to use it. 
Yeah. Maybe she did put a Depends on to go to the store. 

About: 

59 minutes ago, marceline said:

going to the GROCERY STORE during a PANDEMIC and she wasn't even wearing a mask?  Come on.

My daughter who's a 9-1-1 operator got fully vaccinated in February, so I'll let that one go.

[Tdoc72]

11 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Is there such a thing as vanilla rocky road ice cream?

I thought the same but then just fan-wanked that she bought both but could only reach vanilla. 

[formerlyfreedom]

11 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I also think its kind of funny that Carlos just cannot make himself call Owen by his first name and not Captain. 

He did finally call him 'Owen' - I think it was at the intervention? But that was a nice little plot point. Very real-feeling.

[Jillybean]

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

My daughter who's a 9-1-1 operator got fully vaccinated in February, so I'll let that one go.

Here in Virginia, we are still under a mask mandate regardless of vaccination status. But of course, this is Texas.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Jillybean said:

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

My daughter who's a 9-1-1 operator got fully vaccinated in February, so I'll let that one go.

Here in Virginia, we are still under a mask mandate regardless of vaccination status. But of course, this is Texas.

Yes, I meant to say because it was Texas. She still wears masks where required.

[CatLady]

I agree Marceline.  Tommy is wonderful and fits in the show so well.  Michelle had to guilt about her sister weighing on her and that overshadowed much of Michelle's time on the show.  Tommy is  take charge, positive and so empathetic.  Gina Torres is always delightful to watch.  I remember her on "Hannibal" with her ex-husband(Lawrence Fishbourne) and she was great on there, though she was not on often.

I have to agree with most posters.  The ice cream scenes were excruciating for me. So horrific and then the added insult of those callous teens laughing at the other two people's pain.  It showed a side of humanity that is as abhorrent as it is prevalent.  So sad. The point that the boy saw someone who was willing to be hurt to help him as opposed to sucking up to soulless humans was excellent.

How nice was it that Buttercup was not ill, just swallowed that thingy of the ex-wife's?

The scenes with Strand and the boy on the rooftop were so sweet.  One could be excused for thinking Rob Lowe is just a pretty face, but I remember him on "Code Black".  His character was dark and very troubled.  Rob did a great job with him as well.  But I do love him on Lone Star.  How can this guy from "Oxford Blues" still look so young?  Incredible.

 

 

[Artsda]

6 hours with the car door open wouldn't the battery had died if the door lights were on?

[shapeshifter]

41 minutes ago, Artsda said:

6 hours with the car door open wouldn't the battery had died if the door lights were on?

I just discovered a few months ago that my no frills (not even electric locks or windows) 2009 Yaris turns off the lights if you leave the door open over night. It started right up.

[Bruinsfan]

On 4/27/2021 at 9:10 AM, shapeshifter said:

What stood out to me was how Judd did not actually physically intervene so much as just be close by in case Grace would fall. Judd let Grace do the work of getting her body moving. 

I thought that was nicely done. I used to assist my father when he could walk with a cane, and my job was to be there to remove obstacles and steady him if he lost balance, not to push him. Providing lifting/pushing force that he wasn't in control of was actually counterproductive unless it was to help him up from a fall (or toilet seat).

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

I thought that was nicely done. I used to assist my father when he could walk with a cane, and my job was to be there to remove obstacles and steady him if he lost balance, not to push him. Providing lifting/pushing force that he wasn't in control of was actually counterproductive unless it was to help him up from a fall (or toilet seat).

Now that you mention it, I think being around my mother when she could still walk as well as Grace in this episode made me notice how Judd held back from over-helping. I remember waiting interminably for Mom to open the door to the dining room patio because if she was going to eat out there when no one was around to help, she’d have to do it herself. 

[CB-LXX]

On 4/27/2021 at 6:58 AM, GodsBeloved said:

Did I hear correctly? Grace was in the back seat for 6 hours??? Gracie is a stubborn little thing. Not wanting to call Judd while he was on duty? OK so why not call Mom and Dad who were itching to help?

Gracie, Gracie, Gracie

I'm glad she asked for help at the end but I want to know if she told Judd about those 6 hours!! 😂

I can just picture her on a 911 call, chastising (not in a bad way though, more in a tone of encouragement) to get someone to do what needed to be done), so I was a little disappointed to see her refuse any help, from anyone. I think she'd be the first one to tell others to never be ashamed to ask for it, or accept it. I'm glad too that she finally did, but gosh...

[TVForever]

On 4/27/2021 at 8:06 AM, Bulldog said:

Kind of liked Marjan's takedown of the straight-from-central-casting high school jerks.  Although I wonder if the type of person who would enjoy watch videos of someone in obvious pain/distress would really care if others were laughing at her while filming it.  That said, I've always had an irrational fear of getting my hand stuck in something like a garbage disposal, so the scenes at the ice cream shop were especially hard to watch for me. 

 

Same. When we remodeled our kitchen last year, we did not include a garbage disposal for that very reason.

I'm curious, though. It feels like it should be procedure for the crew to block direct views of the rescue (talking about the ice cream shop) to the extent that they can. To give the patient some privacy, maybe? Any first responders here that can speak to this?

On 4/27/2021 at 9:06 AM, DearEvette said:

. 

   But I did like the last scene of Grace and (deep sleeper) Judd.  The minute he was awake and aware he shot right up, no hesitation.  There was a lovely shot of them -- paused for a moment,  foreheads together -- as he was supporting her as he helped her out of bed.

 

I LOVE those two. 

[possibilities]

10 hours ago, TVForever said:

 

I LOVE those two. 

Let this show be a lesson to TV writers everywhere: a good marriage can be great TV. You don't need to base your show on bickering, betrayal, and generally shitty relationships.

[llongori]

On 5/2/2021 at 7:57 AM, TVForever said:

Same. When we remodeled our kitchen last year, we did not include a garbage disposal for that very reason.

 

This is not be relevant to the topic, but if you need a laugh -- Niles and Frasier and the garbage disposal.  For the record, I too have a healthy respect/irrational fear of having to reach into a disposal.

 

[TVForever]

9 hours ago, llongori said:

This is not be relevant to the topic, but if you need a laugh -- Niles and Frasier and the garbage disposal.  For the record, I too have a healthy respect/irrational fear of having to reach into a disposal.

 

Exactly!! Thanks for the laugh!!🤣

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, TVForever said:

10 hours ago, llongori said:

This is not be relevant to the topic, but if you need a laugh -- Niles and Frasier and the garbage disposal.  For the record, I too have a healthy respect/irrational fear of having to reach into a disposal.

Expand  

Exactly!! Thanks for the laugh!!🤣

🤣🤣🤣 🤣🤣🤣 🤣🤣🤣

Thank you @llongori! I needed that too. 😄

And now, after being a tenant rather than a property owner for my entire adult life, I think I know the real reason half of my abodes did not have garbage disposals. 
Interestingly, the homes I rented in the last 20+ years that did not have garbage disposals coincidentally (?) also had serious potential fire risks. My current garbage-disposal-less attic's dried out, crumbling cedar surfaces would ignite in seconds with one spark; my 9-1-1 daughter says the firefighters would evacuate and not try to save it.
The place I lived previously for 5 years had serious electrical wiring issues; the landlady claimed a garbage disposal wouldn't work because the water pipes were too narrow, but now I'm guessing she just had a fear of garbage disposals. 
And now I suspect landlords of disposal-less apartments are likely concerned/paranoid about being sued for a garbage disposal maiming, whereas a fire that destroyed the unit would be an insurance payday (plus, the leases always tell the tenant they need to get their own property insurance).

 

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by shapeshifter

[LaylaGirl]

This is not be relevant to the topic, but if you need a laugh -- Niles and Frasier and the garbage disposal.  For the record, I too have a healthy respect/irrational fear of having to reach into a disposal.

I have the same feeling towards garbage disposals. It began after I read "Fire Starter" by Stephen King, which includes a very graphic scene involving a garbage disposal. I can't remember if the scene was in the movie, but just reading it changed my view towards disposals.