S04.E14: Survivors

[jewel21]

In the aftermath of the shooting, Athena and the 118 are on high alert when a sniper is targeting members of the LAFD. Maddie makes a life decision.

Airdate: 05/24/2021

[night39bird]

This will be exciting scary.....

[gonzosgirrl]

Most anticipated episode so far for me. I'm right on the fence of whether Eddie survives or not.

[CatLady]

So far Eddie is hanging on.  But, Buck is flipping out.  That climb up to that guy so high up made me queasy.

[NeenerNeener]

They should make Buck and Eddie an official couple. They care more about each other than they do about their girlfriends.

[anna0852]

On the one hand I know adults shouldn't put kids in position to provide comfort. 

But I couldn't help thinking that Buck crying in front of Christopher was such a wonderful way to show that men can cry and such a rejection of that 'stiff upper lip' crap.

[gonzosgirrl]

I guess that 911 isn't the show to kill off both of a kid like Christopher 's parents. It was a nice convo between Buck and Eddie at the end.

It was a twist to have Bobby get shot. 

It felt like this could've been a series ender if they weren't renewed. 

[Empress1]

Just now, gonzosgirrl said:

It was a nice convo between Buck and Eddie at the end.

It was, although Eddie really should have asked Buck before making him Christopher's guardian. That's not something you spring on someone.

My best friend told me that she considered asking me to be her kids' guardian if anything happened to them - she joked that they were going to surprise us and name me and her husband's single friend guardians and maybe we'd end up together.* She was OF COURSE joking; she's a lawyer so she'd never spring guardianship on anyone. (They went with her sister and BIL. Her husband's brother and SIL are the runners-up.)

*I've met him a bunch of times over the course of our friends' decade-plus-long relationship; if anything were going to happen, it would have already.

Glad Maddie is getting help. JLH is doing well with the PPD storyline. And Chim is so sweet with her.

Little Nia is SO CUTE. Just precious.

[DearEvette]

Aw, 9-1-1 never let me down.  I love their finales because they are always hopeful.

I am so glad Bobby and Athena had that talk.  They needed it.  And that shot of her walking through literal fire for him was a pretty definitive statement of her commitment.

I like how the show isn't afraid to show male vulnerability and the friendship between Buck and Eddie is so lovely. But I do think they give the shippers a lot to hope for, LOL.

Good season.

[tennisgurl]

Alright show, now your just fucking with me with all of this Eddie/Buck content. Eddie even made Buck Christopher's legal guardian in case Eddie ever died? What if this fanfic that somehow ended up in the pages of this script? I do love how open Buck and Eddie, especially Buck, are with their emotions and how open they are about how much they care about each other. Nobody does utter panic or tears like Oliver Stark does, he really just goes hard, no holding back trying to look cool or badass just pure emotion. 

Really good finale for a really good season. Even though I knew intellectually that everyone would be fine, it was made for some seriously intense viewing. Poor Buck was in shock the whole episode, him collapsing while Christopher hugged him was so much, he was trying so hard to keep it together but he just collapsed when he finally realized that Eddie was going to be alright. Even Maddie was commenting on how this is yet another trauma for Buck to deal with, and that was before Bobby was shot and he doesn't even know that his sister has PPD yet. He is going to need even more talks with his therapist in the near future. 

Poor Maddie, I am glad that at least she is talking to Chim now about what's happening with her. The Buckley's just cannot catch a break. 

I loved the serious veggie chopping dad energy Bobby was throwing at Buck after his latest shenanigans. He isn't mad, he's just...disappointed. I am really glad that Bobby and Athena apologized and talked things out, but it did make me very concerned when Bobby got shot after they had these nice talks about retirement and their future together. Luckily Athena ran in there straight through fire guns blazing to save Bobby, and they ended on a nice family dinner. This show always pulls together really good finales, they usually end on a nice high note. This almost felt like a series finale, but I am really happy that we are getting more, I am psyched to see Albert as a firefighter. 

[toodywoody]

I said oh no, Bobby is pissed the heck off as he was chopping the veggies.

I am glad that Hen and Karen got to see Nia. I am also glad that Bobby and Athena made up and that the episode picked right up where it left off.

I am glad Maddie talked to Chim. I don't understand why she quit her job though.  I know she just got back from leave but she could have gone on another to deal with her PPD.

[CatLady]

I loved all the outcomes of the finale.  Last week was so unnerving and shocking that the show needed some resolutions and some happy scenes to counter all that gloom.

Athena really heard Bobby and showed him in the most demonstrative way how much she loves him.  And of course, the whole family, complete with Daddy and his boyfriend at the end was great. Harry and May are so lucky that Athena and Michael are so willing to work together to be present together in their lives as opposed to how many divorces with children work.

Who can pull at your heart quite like Christopher?  Gavin McHugh is so good at portraying Christopher.  Having a child with CP as part of the cast is brilliant and shows us that people with disabilities can and do lead happy productive lives.  Christopher comforting Buck was one of the best scenes of the night, among many.  Buck is just all in, in whatever he does.  I had to look away while he was climbing to save the construction guy.  I have acrophobia and it was too "real" to me.  So happy Eddie survived that awful attack.

The scenes with Nia were so sweet.  But I couldn't help but watch that and feel she had such a complete family with Hen and Karen.  Such a nice bonding scene between loving fosters and the birth mother, however.

Glad Maddie didn't do anything drastic.  I like JLH and Maddie but overall her character has just been a total downer since she came on 911.  It would have been nice to see Chim and Maddie enjoy their daughter and be a happy couple for a bit.  And hey, Albert grew up.

Finally...Buck's got a girl!!!!! Finally some happiness post Abby.

[shapeshifter]

5 minutes ago, CatLady said:

Gavin McHugh is so good at portraying Christopher.   Having a child with CP as part of the cast is brilliant

I wonder if Gavin McHugh has wildly exceeded their expectations as an actor, or if they saw it in him from the beginning. I guess that's a question for any heretofore unknown actor who performs well.

 

I did not expect Buck to climb on his belly military style to rescue Eddie, which made it a pleasant surprise.

 

Tying up with ribbons and bows the stories of the fight between Bobby and Athena, and then the happy meet-up of birth and foster moms was almost too much, but we all deserve a few happily-ever-after moments right now.

 

 

[Clanstarling]

When Buck was climbing the ladder and he saw the flash in one window, I thought for sure he'd seen the sniper (and that he thought so too). I was puzzled why he didn't mention it when he got down. Later they did mention people were filming with their cameras from the high rises, so that might have been their explanation, but Buck didn't know that. Nevertheless, stellar performance by Oliver Stark throughout the episode.

Chim's brother is now a firefighter! Guess we'll see more of him next season. As I like the actor a lot, I'm happy to see that.

I wonder why they don't mention the term "post-partum depression" - which seems to be clearly what Maddie is struggling with. But then maybe there'll be a different explanation next season, and at least she's admitted she needs help.

 

[Racj82]

I love how often I see people preach for shows to stop putting straight people that are great friends together but if they are the same gender (especially guys), it's always put them together!

I love their friendship and that's exactly what it is. More than that, they are basically brothers now.

Also, the Eddie/Buck moments were about bringing his season arc full circle. He's lived his life thinking he was expendable. He is anything but that. 

[anna0852]

19 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

Also, the Eddie/Buck moments were about bringing his season arc full circle. He's lived his life thinking he was expendable. He is anything but that. 

I lay square on his awful parents. They let him grow up feeling like an unloved outsider and with no idea why. Breaking that thought pattern is so hard and I'm so glad Buck sought therapy. 

[Lady Calypso]

Another really strong finale. This show knows how to start and end their seasons. Even with a shortened season with this, and even with COVID changing a lot of what they've had to do, I think this episode really was a solid one. I like that we got a lot of Bobby/Athena and Buck/Eddie/Christopher stuff. Bobby/Athena, in particular, don't always get a huge amount of storylines together. Actually, to be more specific, Bobby usually doesn't get a lot of the action scenes. But it was nice to see him get to have screentime with Athena, and also with Buck, and him getting shot was a twist. He is probably the last one in the series to get hurt, as I can't recall another season where he was in grave danger, so it was somewhat nice to see him get a turn...and Athena got to save him! 

Athena really had to do some self reflecting this episode. She listened to Bobby and his concerns and proved herself in a big way...and not just walking through literal fire! She had a real open and honest conversation with Bobby, and that really worked well. See, this is how an issue should be resolved. Ok, maybe not the walking through fire, but being able to listen to your partner and course correct. This was huge for Bobby/Athena, and I really see Athena start to open up more, moving forward. 

This was an extremely strong episode for Oliver Stark, who always brings 110% to his major episodes. Again, this show knows that one of its strong points with Buck is his vulnerability and showing that it's ok for men to cry, and Oliver Stark really does well with those scenes, and it never feels forced. And Buck's actions throughout the episode made sense. He was first in shock from seeing his best friend get shot, and that was accurately portrayed until he talked to Christopher. Seeing Christopher comfort Buck was heartwarming. Honestly, Christopher is such a sweet kid and I love his portrayal so much. He really optimizes the sense of hope for this show.

And Eddie's conversation with Buck, as well as Bobby's conversation with Buck, both perfectly described Buck to a tee. With Bobby, he recognized that Buck always leads with his heart, rather than his head, but the effects of Eddie getting shot directly affected Buck's decision to run in to save the man on the crane this time, because he did it with a purpose. And I also think that scared Bobby that Buck threw himself in danger's way, knowing there was an added danger of a sniper who could get Buck climbing the ladder, so I can't blame Bobby for discipling him a bit. 

But with Eddie? He heard Buck saying that he wished he had gotten shot, and I think that scared him to think that Buck thought he was expendable and easily replaceable to people. I loved his conversation with Buck about it. Sharing that Buck was Christopher's legal guardian in case of his death was a sweet gesture. Sure, Eddie should have talked to him last year when he decided this, but him knowing that Buck would do anything for Christopher (literally shown through the tsunami episodes) made it clear that Buck would have said yes, no matter what. 

And Buck gets a girlfriend! I do like Taylor now, so that's a plus, and Buck deserves to be happy. 

Poor Maddie, though. I was surprised they didn't say post-partum depression at all, but I guess they may do that for season 5 instead. It's clear that's what it is, but I think JLH did an amazing job portraying PPD. She really showed that Maddie is not ok, even going as far as quitting her job. I love that she did ask for help from Chimney in the end. 

[tvgoddess]

Well, I was completely right when I said they didn't have the guts to kill off a main character on this show. I did not however, expect to hear this kind of reasoning from the EP: "Ryan is too pretty to die." So much for any fallout over the incident. https://observer.com/2021/05/tim-minear-9-1-1-lone-star-interview/

I really liked the episode a lot, although it just goes to show that this show will never be the one to do the hard thing. It will make you think it is, but look how pretty everything was wrapped up by the end of the episode. It will scare you, but it is always going to be a feel good show for the most part. Eddie survives, Bobby is saved by Athena and their relationship is stronger after what, 30 minutes of conflict? Maddie comes to the realization that she needs help, asks for it and is going to get it. I need to stop getting worried about what might happen bottom line.

Okay, so specifically in the episode. I loved Bobby and Athena's confronting the issues, even if it was somewhat rushed due to the sniper. They each apologized, they each listened to what the other had to say, and they heard each other. It was good communication. Some say it might be unrealistic to have made up so quickly, but 1) there was a heightened, dangerous situation and 2) I like to address things like that quickly in my own relationship. (We can never stay mad at each other for too long lol). I do think it would have been nice to see Athena a little bit scared that she might lose Bobby, even in the hospital, but I think they had already had that discussion. She made the decision to save him in the fire (that part was probably unrealistic) and never looked back.

Christopher comforting Buck? Beautiful but heartwrenching. I kept yelling back at the TV for him to stop telling Christopher so much. He could have kept it much more vague than he did. But a beautiful scene. Oliver Stark can really bring the emotion. I also loved his scenes with Bobby. Their father-son dynamic is so rich, and that scene was done so well with Bobby not saying much about it but clearly visibly affected.

Albert becoming a firefighter? Sure. I guess he needs something to do, and while it wasn't really forecasted much it was adorable to see everyone so happy about him at the end.

Nia reuniting with Hen and Karen! That absolutely adorable girl really should be available to be on this show as much as possible, so I'm glad they brought her back. Hopefully they'll strike up a friendship with her mom so they can see her more often. 

I liked Taylor being afraid for Buck. He needed to see that someone outside the firehouse/extended family truly cares about him. And aw, they kissed. I'm sure a large segment of the audience won't be happy about that, but it was a nice touch to have the Eddie's will conversation as kind of a concession.

All in all, a really great episode and I'll miss this show in the off season. Very glad about it coming back in the fall though. 

 

[chlban]

Liked everything except JLH, as usual. Maybe she can learn a new expression during the break so she isn't required to be perpetually miserable since she can only do sad face and tears. 

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I did not expect Buck to climb on his belly military style to rescue Eddie, which made it a pleasant surprise.

I know Eddie was shot and bleeding profusely, but all I could think at the time was "Man, he's gonna have some wicked road rash."

[Evagirl]

I think I read somewhere that JLH is pregnant in real life.  That's must be why they only filmed her from the chest up.  I'm pretty sure her baby will be born while the show is on hiatus, so that will work out well.

Since the seasons are so far apart now (5-6 months), I don't like finales with cliffhangers (i.e. The Rookie).  By the time the new season starts the finale will have lost it's impact.  I really like the way 9-1-1 did it.  It left me feeling good about everybody, even Maddie who is going to get help.  New seasons starting with a clean slate works better for me.

In the old days, new seasons started right after Labor Day, so a 3-month wait wasn't bad.  Sometimes now, new seasons won't start until around Thanksgiving!  Anyhoo...I'm more than okay with this finale.

 

 

[Chaos Theory]

I really do wish more people watched Leverage.  The actor who plays Albert was one of the leads in that so he really was a get in this.   I am not surprised the show wanted to keep him and either made him a fire fighter or a call center operator.  

The show is just plain trolling Eddie and Buck now.    Buck all but breaking down in front of Christopher was some heartbreaking stuff.   I was actually surprised that the light while climbing wasn’t the sniper but then we wouldn’t have gotten the Athena and Bobby scene.

”You actually walked through fire”

”You were inside.”

I am glad Hen and Karen got some closure.  

Again I know there is a large group who dislike JLH but I actually like the idea of a postpartum story. 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I did not expect Buck to climb on his belly military style to rescue Eddie, which made it a pleasant surprise.

It was at that moment that I knew Eddie was going to live. But it did end up being  a good episode for Buck all over.  I was actually worried, when they started to doubt they had the wrong person in custody, that it was going to be Buck who died because of how much focus they spent on him.

I'm glad Bobby and Athena's issues wrapped up with apologies from one another. 

1 hour ago, tvgoddess said:

I really liked the episode a lot, although it just goes to show that this show will never be the one to do the hard thing.

I'm fine with that. I think too many shows kill off characters for shock value while patting themselves on the back for making the "tough" choices while forgetting their job is to entertain and tell stories.   Very few shocking deaths have legit resonance in future stories.  It's a shock.  Then it sucks and the show moves on.   Sometimes a show is painted into a corner and the only logical departure for an actor leaving is death or a show has incredible post-death plans but it's rarely the case. 

[tvgoddess]

10 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm fine with that. I think too many shows kill off characters for shock value while patting themselves on the back for making the "tough" choices while forgetting their job is to entertain and tell stories.   Very few shocking deaths have legit resonance in future stories.  It's a shock.  Then it sucks and the show moves on.   Sometimes a show is painted into a corner and the only logical departure for an actor leaving is death or a show has incredible post-death plans but it's rarely the case. 

Which is fine for this show. I'm just used to shows like Lost and 24 where no one is entirely safe. I don't watch much else currently or recently, so I can't comment on what is out there. Never watched an episode of Grey's or most common or popular shows today.

[Irlandesa]

3 minutes ago, tvgoddess said:

I'm just used to shows like Lost and 24 where no one is entirely safe.

I think it's about TV trends for me.  Once upon a time, you never killed your regulars and then--maybe around The Sopranos or 24, a narrative developed that "no one is safe" is the only way to be "brave" storytellers even if your show is about a knitting circle. 

I'm fine with the ridiculousness of putting the main characters in danger but not killing them off.  I'd rather have people like Albert and Maddie's boss around than not.  Even Eddie--although I perhaps don't get as much enjoyment from him as I do his son.

[DearEvette]

28 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I really do wish more people watched Leverage.  The actor who plays Albert was one of the leads in that so he really was a get in this.

Do you mean The Librarians?  Because he was not in Leverage. Or rather not the Leverage that featured my favorite hacker, hitter, thief and grifter!

[Chaos Theory]

Just now, DearEvette said:

Do you mean The Librarians?  Because he was not in Leverage. Or rather not the Leverage that featured my favorite hacker, hitter, thief and grifter!

I get those two confused in my head.  My bad.  

[possibilities]

I thought Buck was already known to be Christopher's go-to guardian! After the tsunami episodes, I guess I just thought it was obvious, but I suppose it's true that they never explicitly said so before now. 

Things like the light flash Buck saw while climbing are a way the show builds suspense and continues to keep us all tense, even without killing off any main characters. Heights freak me out almost as much as snipers, though, so I was already tense in that scene.

I loved that Athena and Bobby talked like adults and worked things out. I was surprised at how fast they resolved things, but I liked it. Not everything has to be angsty. I'm all for people having healthy relationships and behaving like adults!! 

So glad Hen and Karen use the same park as Nia's mom! 

 

 

[circumvent]

I think I am the voice of dissent here but this show is soooooooo bad. I mean, a whole building is on fire and there is ZERO smoke? And someone who was never trained as a firefighter literally walks through fire? Yeah, not even the usual suspension of disbelief will do. I can even ignore the very bad acting and the saccharine plots. But ZERO smoke. Whole building on fire. ZERO smoke. Cannot get over it.

[Clanstarling]

5 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I get those two confused in my head.  My bad.  

I was completely ready to believe he was on both Leverage and The Librarians (which is where I know him from). I have a fondness for him, so I'm glad to see he won't just be an incidental character in the future.

[Crashcourse]

44 minutes ago, circumvent said:

I think I am the voice of dissent here but this show is soooooooo bad. I mean, a whole building is on fire and there is ZERO smoke? And someone who was never trained as a firefighter literally walks through fire? Yeah, not even the usual suspension of disbelief will do. I can even ignore the very bad acting and the saccharine plots. But ZERO smoke. Whole building on fire. ZERO smoke. Cannot get over it.

But...but...it's Athena!  Of course she can walk through fire! *snerk*

And I agree most of the acting is bad, but I think she's the worst with that stone face of hers.

[iMonrey]

I'm a bit torn on this one. Overall I thought it was a fairly underwhelming season finale. And while I wouldn't necessarily want them to kill off either Bobby or Eddie, I'm a little disappointed the show didn't have the guts to off a major character and take me by surprise.

I thought the scene where Buck goes to comfort Christopher, and Christopher ends up being the one to comfort Buck, was just a tad too precious. On the other hand, the acting was probably the most genuine in the entire episode. 

It's hard to un-notice now that I have, but the dialogue on this show tends to be very hackneyed and stilted. It's all very expository and unnatural - conveying info to the audience but not in a way real people in these situations would talk. Network TV is just not very good at doing drama in comparison to so many cable and streaming shows. It's like the writers are stuck in some kind of outdated formula or that a computer is spitting out the scripts.

[Ailianna]

23 hours ago, anna0852 said:

On the one hand I know adults shouldn't put kids in position to provide comfort. 

But I couldn't help thinking that Buck crying in front of Christopher was such a wonderful way to show that men can cry and such a rejection of that 'stiff upper lip' crap.

I also liked that Buck acknowledged that he was supposed to be strong for Christopher but in truth, I also liked Christopher saying over and over "It will be ok." I wonder how often someone has said that to him.

11 hours ago, CatLady said:

I loved all the outcomes of the finale.  Last week was so unnerving and shocking that the show needed some resolutions and some happy scenes to counter all that gloom.

Athena really heard Bobby and showed him in the most demonstrative way how much she loves him.  And of course, the whole family, complete with Daddy and his boyfriend at the end was great. Harry and May are so lucky that Athena and Michael are so willing to work together to be present together in their lives as opposed to how many divorces with children work.

Who can pull at your heart quite like Christopher?  Gavin McHugh is so good at portraying Christopher.  Having a child with CP as part of the cast is brilliant and shows us that people with disabilities can and do lead happy productive lives.  Christopher comforting Buck was one of the best scenes of the night, among many.  Buck is just all in, in whatever he does.  I had to look away while he was climbing to save the construction guy.  I have acrophobia and it was too "real" to me.  So happy Eddie survived that awful attack.

The scenes with Nia were so sweet.  But I couldn't help but watch that and feel she had such a complete family with Hen and Karen.  Such a nice bonding scene between loving fosters and the birth mother, however.

Glad Maddie didn't do anything drastic.  I like JLH and Maddie but overall her character has just been a total downer since she came on 911.  It would have been nice to see Chim and Maddie enjoy their daughter and be a happy couple for a bit.  And hey, Albert grew up.

Finally...Buck's got a girl!!!!! Finally some happiness post Abby.

Love Nia. She's pure joy.

I also just realized, when you mentioned Abby, that we now know for sure Buck really goes for red haired woman.

[ribboninthesky1]

Jaleesa! I wouldn't mind seeing Dawnn Lewis back again.  Athena might as well be a detective.  They could be partners! With Sasha Roiz too.  

Seeing adorable Nia was a great surprise.

11 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Nevertheless, stellar performance by Oliver Stark throughout the episode.

He was great.  

9 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Again I know there is a large group who dislike JLH but I actually like the idea of a postpartum story. 

I like JLH.  I half expected Maddie to have a breakdown between Chim and Buck under sniper threat plus the postpartum depression. It will be interesting to see if the show really explores PPD.     

Albert has been more or less sidelined this season, so making him a firefighter makes as much sense as anything else on the show.  

I laughed out loud when Athena slow-motionally came through the fire to shoot the sniper. These 9-1-1 shows are already OTT, but that scene had me rolling. The sniper was a hottie and looked familiar.  Alas, his death was inevitable.  Nobody puts Bobby in a corner!    

[EllaWycliffe]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I thought the scene where Buck goes to comfort Christopher, and Christopher ends up being the one to comfort Buck, was just a tad too precious. On the other hand, the acting was probably the most genuine in the entire episode. 

Agree that the acting was great but I will take the unpopular position that while I like the child actor playing Christopher, every Christopher storyline is cloying, saccharine sweet, and overly precious. Christopher is a perfect child who always does the thing his daddy needs most, everyone loves Christopher and Christopher loves everyone and everything is so sickly sweet, I sorta want to set fire to him. But he'd burn to death in an adorable fashion and then be revived by everyone's pure love for him.

Note - nothing against the child actor - he's quite talented and I hope he goes far. 

[Racj82]

15 hours ago, anna0852 said:

I lay square on his awful parents. They let him grow up feeling like an unloved outsider and with no idea why. Breaking that thought pattern is so hard and I'm so glad Buck sought therapy. 

Very true. Buck is the best example of someone creating their own family instead of just dealing with the one you are given. 

I never thought I would love Buck as much as I do. But, here we are.

I didn't even think I would like Eddie. I thought the actor was the worst male lead out of them all in the step up franchise. I thought he was just another pretty face. I love him too and he's a great dad.

[circumvent]

8 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I will take the unpopular position that while I like the child actor playing Christopher, every Christopher storyline is cloying, saccharine sweet, and overly precious.

Not unpopular with me. Having a disabled actor portraying a disabled character is huge but the character is what you described, and I don't think the kid is great either. He is ok, but he is not an actor He is probably very similar to the character, reading lines and smiling all the time. We will see if he continues the career. 

11 hours ago, iMonrey said:

It's hard to un-notice now that I have, but the dialogue on this show tends to be very hackneyed and stilted. It's all very expository and unnatural - conveying info to the audience but not in a way real people in these situations would talk.

I wonder if the writers are the same the work on 911 - Lone Star. Or at least the head writer. I watched a couple of episodes of that one and it is even worse. For one thing, too much god, the lord, the savior and all this that is not part of my life but that's my particular thing. But the characters are also so impossible to relate to, since they are so perfect and when they make mistakes they are promptly forgiven. I guess I would have to watch a few more to understand. It has all this diversity in character but it is like they live in a Utopian US, where TEXAS! seems like the best state for a trans man, a Muslim woman, a gay cop and a mixed raised couple to find only "happiness even among the hardships". I live in Florida and I don't think Florida is much worse than Texas when it comes to acceptance of diversity. At least they are employing the right actors for the parts.

[mojoween]

I feel like with them putting up the PPD info at the end of the ep means we are going there next season.

Every person who talked to Maddie was driving me insane with their apparent willful blindness that she is Not OK.  A woman who is constantly walking around red-eyed is not happy, for cod’s sack.

[shapeshifter]

16 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Every person who talked to Maddie was driving me insane with their apparent willful blindness that she is Not OK.  A woman who is constantly walking around red-eyed is not happy, for cod’s sack.

I'm interpreting this as a directorial choice: to have Maddie's depression obvious to the audience but invisible to the other characters.
If this were a story in a book, the reader would have a window into Maddie's despair along side mentions of how nobody noticed. 
But this is not a book.
Professional directors (and script writers) should be able to handle these types of stories so they don't annoy the audience so much.
I'm guessing part of the problem is that these 9-1-1 shows are often unabashedly Sharknado-levels of over-the-top, so the writers and directors are used to handling their stories this way, for example Buck's innumerable foolhardy heroics, or Athena's superhero story in this episode.
So a PPD arc is not going to do well on this show, regardless of the good intentions behind that plot choice.

[Clanstarling]

11 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

Jaleesa! I wouldn't mind seeing Dawnn Lewis back again.  Athena might as well be a detective.  They could be partners! With Sasha Roiz too. 

Sasha adds value to whatever show he's on.

7 hours ago, Racj82 said:

I never thought I would love Buck as much as I do. But, here we are.

I almost stopped watching because of first season Buck. But yes, he's become a favorite, if frustrating, character. (just picture me chopping vegetables)

[lorbeer]

14 hours ago, Ailianna said:

I also just realized, when you mentioned Abby, that we now know for sure Buck really goes for red haired woman.

But Abby was blonde, wasn't she?

[vavera4ka]

On 5/25/2021 at 7:47 AM, Clanstarling said:

 

I wonder why they don't mention the term "post-partum depression" - which seems to be clearly what Maddie is struggling with. But then maybe there'll be a different explanation next season, and at least she's admitted she needs help.

 

i had that same thought, but then another one popped into my head lol

maybe the writers didn't want to "diagnose" her through non-professional characters. you know, how people just throw around "omg i'm so OCD" or "look at that spazzy kid, he must be ADHD". 

[anna0852]

I thought Hen saying "Buck's gonna Buck" to be rather mean. She sure didn't mind when he was impulsive about pulling her ass out of a wildfire on Lone Star!

[ParadoxLost]

On 5/25/2021 at 11:45 AM, Chaos Theory said:

I get those two confused in my head.  My bad.  

Its probably because the Noah Wyle is joining the Leverage reboot.

On 5/25/2021 at 4:50 PM, circumvent said:

I think I am the voice of dissent here but this show is soooooooo bad. I mean, a whole building is on fire and there is ZERO smoke? And someone who was never trained as a firefighter literally walks through fire? Yeah, not even the usual suspension of disbelief will do. I can even ignore the very bad acting and the saccharine plots. But ZERO smoke. Whole building on fire. ZERO smoke. Cannot get over it.

 I didn't and still don't understand when Athena went in alone.  I can handwave that she went in.  I don't get why she wasn't escorted so she could do cop while they did firefighting.

Edited May 27, 2021 by ParadoxLost

[JH Lipton]

On 5/24/2021 at 6:23 PM, DearEvette said:

I like how the show isn't afraid to show male vulnerability and the friendship between Buck and Eddie is so lovely. But I do think they give the shippers a lot to hope for, LOL.

On 5/25/2021 at 5:49 AM, Racj82 said:

I love how often I see people preach for shows to stop putting straight people that are great friends together but if they are the same gender (especially guys), it's always put them together!

I love their friendship and that's exactly what it is. More than that, they are basically brothers now.

I'm glad that there's a show where two men can love each other as much as Buck and Eddie do, without it being sexual.  I like TK & Carlos on Lone Star, but this pair has a different dynamic.

On 5/24/2021 at 10:14 PM, toodywoody said:

I am glad Maddie talked to Chim. I don't understand why she quit her job though.  I know she just got back from leave but she could have gone on another to deal with her PPD.

On 5/25/2021 at 5:47 AM, Clanstarling said:

I wonder why they don't mention the term "post-partum depression" - which seems to be clearly what Maddie is struggling with. But then maybe there'll be a different explanation next season, and at least she's admitted she needs help.

There was a "mini-PSA" at the end that said where to get help for PPD.

On 5/25/2021 at 6:31 AM, tvgoddess said:

I really liked the episode a lot, although it just goes to show that this show will never be the one to do the hard thing.

I'm another one who's ticked off with shows killing off characters willy-nilly (I grant an exception to Lone Star, but the actor was leaving the show).  Give me suspense but don't kill a character to show how "tough" you are. 

 

[gonzosgirrl]

7 hours ago, JH Lipton said:

I'm glad that there's a show where two men can love each other as much as Buck and Eddie do, without it being sexual.  I like TK & Carlos on Lone Star, but this pair has a different dynamic.

💯 agree! It's not like the show doesn't have representation. Let them be best friends who love each other as best friends.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

💯 agree! It's not like the show doesn't have representation. Let them be best friends who love each other as best friends.

The relationship is great - so for me, either way, it's good.

[methodwriter85]

On 5/27/2021 at 2:29 PM, gonzosgirrl said:

💯 agree! It's not like the show doesn't have representation. Let them be best friends who love each other as best friends

Yeah, as a gay man I'd love to see them go there, but I'm fine that this is just a really close friendship. And I'm saying this as someone who could never quite let go of Gunnar/Will on Nashville. Lol

[gonzosgirrl]

4 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Yeah, as a gay man I'd love to see them go there, but I'm fine that this is just a really close friendship. And I'm saying this as someone who could never quite let go of Gunnar/Will on Nashville. Lol

I'm still sad about House and Wilson. 

[starri]

My husband, who normally has no time for such things, turned to me during the scene and asked "Shouldn't Eddie just ask Buck to marry him?"

I still don't know if I would call it queerbating, but I do have to say I find it so refreshing that there's never been an ounce of gay panic from either of them whenever another character mistakes them for a couple.