S05.E07: Ghost Stories

[jewel21]

The members of the 118 race to rescue a man who claims he was carjacked, shot and buried alive. Then, they arrive at a home where the owner thinks her roommate is a ghost, Hen receives a visit from the past and Athena and family are concerned that Harry is still haunted by visions of Jeffrey.

Airdate: 11/08/2021

[MarquisDeCarabas]

So I’m guessing the whole ghost roommate plot line got ejected because they realised Kenneth Choi is not on maternity leave and should be on the show?  I wonder how last minute this decision was. 

[stonehaven]

The previews made this look fun and goofy. What we got was a procedural with few rescues and more personal drama. Dare I say it? The show has become a tad boring? Oh well, this show is on the downside of it's life cycle it seems...

[chlban]

51 minutes ago, stonehaven said:

The previews made this look fun and goofy. What we got was a procedural with few rescues and more personal drama. Dare I say it? The show has become a tad boring? Oh well, this show is on the downside of it's life cycle it seems...

Yes sad but true. I find I am just done with the personal drama. At least JHL is gone, at least for now. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

What a boring episode‼️

The only part that I love was the meaningful, heart-to-heart conversation between Lou and Harry who see the same ‘ghost’. Jeffrey can disappear for good now.

Chimney/Maddie’s story feels draggy. Hen/Karen/Eva’s story is 🥱😵😴.

Please don’t tell me TPTB is working on Taylor the menace Begins. Nope, no! 😣

[Bulldog]

Was this the first time the crew has done only one rescue in an episode? 

What happened to the dispatcher that was giving May the hard time?  Did she just disappear?  

Hen/Ex - Don't care. 

Lou seems to have made a miraculous recovery.  If I'm ever seriously injured (say a piece of rebar through the skull or a slice across the throat), I hope its in LA where my chances of survival will apparently go straight up. 

Is Chimney seriously driving cross country?  Once you get out of state, wouldn't flying make more sense?  

What was the story that NotAmyAdams was looking up on her computer?  I saw the word doctor, but didn't catch the rest (and didn't care enough to rewind).   

[possibilities]

3 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

Lou seems to have made a miraculous recovery.  If I'm ever seriously injured (say a piece of rebar through the skull or a slice across the throat), I hope its in LA where my chances of survival will apparently go straight up. 

We should have a "most unrealistic thing that happened" contest for each episode. This week it was the reminder that dude was lying in the desert for 5 days with his throat slit, and not only did he survive, but he's back to normal with merely a scar. 

 

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

56 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

What was the story that NotAmyAdams was looking up on her computer?  I saw the word doctor, but didn't catch the rest (and didn't care enough to rewind).   

Taylor the menace was reading this…

New Jee Yun! 😱

[KatWay]

I don't know what's going on with this show this season but it's bad. Half the promo for this ep (the fun stuff) got cut, all we ended up with was yet more serious procedural drama and personal drama.

the show is so, so bloated with characters - Eddie didn't even appear this ep and whatever happened to Claudette? not that I need to see more of her - but we're gonna delve into Taylor's backstory too? Taylor begins, Ravi begins next? They can't even keep up continuity for the already existing main cast, how long has Chimney been driving? doesn't Buck know where Maddie is? what happened to that? maybe they mentioned it and I missed it cause I was zoning out throughout the episode.

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, KatWay said:

how long has Chimney been driving?

Heh-- they said a month, I think. And he's not even there yet! 

[shapeshifter]

Sasha Roiz rises from the dead. Did he do that on Grimm too? I can't see him without flashing back to his first appearance on Caprica as the full-body-tattooed assassin.
Seeing him appear in this Halloween adjacent episode, I kept wondering if a few of his lines were a wink and a nod to his being a Grimm alum--especially when he first appeared and they were talking about being buried alive.

 

11 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Is Chimney seriously driving cross country?  Once you get out of state, wouldn't flying make more sense?  

When was this episode written/shot?
My friend spent the year from mid-2020 to mid-2021 (she wasn't eligible to get vaccinated until then) driving 7 hours each way every weekend to care for her sister, who was dying of cancer. Even now, Jee Yun could not get vaccinated for Covid, and it was just yesterday that a treatment was announced, so it doesn't seem that weird to me that Chimney's driving in that context, but it does seem weird without that context--which they did not give at all. 
I guess they (the network execs maybe?) couldn't decide how to spin it?

Anyway, I liked the end bits with Harry. Hopefully the show is done with his PTSD other than maybe an occasional PSA.

[tennisgurl]

I am sad that all of the fun parts were cut out of the show, especially because it was in favor of more boring personal drama. Did we really only get one rescue this week? This week was at least a little bit better then the last few, mostly because it wasn't full of huge set pieces full of prison breaks and zoo animals run amok, but a lot of it was boring instead of ridiculous. 

I hope that Chim and Maddie get back soon and can start healing, this story has already gone on for way too long. Especially as Chim's plan seems to just be driving around the country with a baby following any random lead he can find. We are also apparently going to get a Taylor backstory, because of course she has some tragic backstory involving an unsolved case and finding the truth. This is television, no one just does things because they think its important them or because they like it, its always because of some big life changing backstory or traumatic past. Don't we already have enough personal stuff with just our main characters?

I did like Lou and Harry's talk at the end and that Harry was able to open up to him, hopefully this means we will finally get to say goodbye to Jeffrey for good, as a ghost and as a character. 

[iMonrey]

I agree the season overall has been lackluster. This episode was boring, towards the end I was starting to scroll thru my phone. Too much personal drama and the big case of the week made it feel like an episode of Dateline. 

[peace355]

Agree with the other comments too much personal drama and too much cop/detective stuff. It's not why I tune into this show. While I don't mind giving characters or side characters more personal drama to deal with, in previous seasons, they spread it out better. Here we had Taylor reporting and hints of tragic past, Chim's search for Matty, Hen and ex drama, Athena's whole family drama, and just 1 rescue that was then focused on as a whole detective case.

It reminds a bit of that old show Third Watch that I used to like when it was about EMTs Firefighters and Police, and slowly they got rid of firefighter and most EMT and became another cop show.  I just want to see some fun rescues and 1 maybe 2 characters per episode deal with personal stuff.

 

[shapeshifter]

Yeah. Is this show still in the drama category? Or is it officially now a soap opera?

[anna0852]

Does anyone else think that Maddie might actually be pretty ticked off at Chimney for coming to find her? I mean she was asking for space and he's not giving it to her. Not to mention how he is maintaining his anger at Buck when all Buck did was give his sister the support she asked for. I think Maddie might be a bit upset about that.

[possibilities]

I definitely think Chim is focused on his own feelings more than hers. I get that he's genuinely worried about her. But he's handling it badly.

[CoderLady]

2 hours ago, anna0852 said:

Does anyone else think that Maddie might actually be pretty ticked off at Chimney for coming to find her? I mean she was asking for space and he's not giving it to her.

Chim's EMT friend tactfully said the same thing to him about Maddie's state of mind while they were having beers. I'm really impressed at how on this show people give really good emotional advice when needed.

[tennisgurl]

3 hours ago, anna0852 said:

Not to mention how he is maintaining his anger at Buck when all Buck did was give his sister the support she asked for. I think Maddie might be a bit upset about that.

I cant imagine Maddie will be thrilled that Chim punched Buck in the face for keeping the secret that Maddie asked him to keep. Chim being worried about her is very understandable, but it seems like this is also about his own guilt and feelings of powerlessness. His EMT friend made a lot of sense but I am not sure he totally heard him.

[Empress1]

16 hours ago, KatWay said:

Half the promo for this ep (the fun stuff) got cut, all we ended up with was yet more serious procedural drama and personal drama.

The detective saying "Buried alive? That's the stuff of nightmares" was straight out of CSI. I was waiting for The Who to kick in.

[marceline]

I share the issues some have with the show. The everything - writing, actingseems really off. I'm going to blame COVID shooting for some of it, along with JLH and KC both needing time off for various reasons. I'll be honest, I'm giving every show a COVID pass this season when it comes to production and writing. I know what a mess my own workplace is with COVID logistics/protocols. I assume it's much worse for people who literally have to film scenes hugging, kissing, and acting like lovers/family.

For example, I don't know when this ep was filmed but it was before the actor playing Harry could get vaccinated. All that aside...

We were missing Eddie, Claudette (not complaining), David (Michael's partner), Maddie, the neighbor/friend/grandparent who wanted to care for Jee-Yun, etc... I feel like the show is just in a state of flux.

Edited November 10, 2021 by marceline

[Ailianna]

20 hours ago, possibilities said:

We should have a "most unrealistic thing that happened" contest for each episode. This week it was the reminder that dude was lying in the desert for 5 days with his throat slit, and not only did he survive, but he's back to normal with merely a scar. 

 

 

I don't know why people keep saying he was in the desert for 5 days. He was dumped in a park right after being attacked and some kids found him shortly thereafter. He was in a HOSPITAL unconscious for 5 days, then woke up and wrote them who he was. And this took place a month afterward. 

I'm not saying this show doesn't do crazy, because it does. But by the same token, people are completely wrong on the facts and then complain about them. I've seen several posts making the same error.

[EllaWycliffe]

23 hours ago, MarquisDeCarabas said:

So I’m guessing the whole ghost roommate plot line got ejected because they realised Kenneth Choi is not on maternity leave and should be on the show?  I wonder how last minute this decision was. 

So I am not crazy? There was no ghost roommate plot?

 

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yeah. Is this show still in the drama category? Or is it officially now a soap opera?

I mean, no offense but this was a soap opera when we were all wondering why Captain Manpain was writing down the names of people he saved only to discover his tragic, horrifying, and also extremely ironic backstory - that he got drunk one night, accidently started a fire and killed his family including adorable moppets who he occasionally hallucinated in early episodes. 

 

8 hours ago, anna0852 said:

Does anyone else think that Maddie might actually be pretty ticked off at Chimney for coming to find her? I mean she was asking for space and he's not giving it to her.

There's space and then there's running off for a month with utterly no word. She's possibly mentally ill and self destructive. Why haven't the cops been notified?

 

[possibilities]

3 hours ago, Ailianna said:

On 11/8/2021 at 11:44 PM, possibilities said:

We should have a "most unrealistic thing that happened" contest for each episode. This week it was the reminder that dude was lying in the desert for 5 days with his throat slit, and not only did he survive, but he's back to normal with merely a scar. 

 

 

I don't know why people keep saying he was in the desert for 5 days. He was dumped in a park right after being attacked and some kids found him shortly thereafter. He was in a HOSPITAL unconscious for 5 days, then woke up and wrote them who he was. And this took place a month afterward

Sorry I got that wrong. 

 

[Nessa]

On 11/7/2021 at 5:40 AM, jewel21 said:

Then, they arrive at a home where the owner thinks her roommate is a ghost

Did they even show this scene???????????  I don't recall seeing it.

[Lady Calypso]

21 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I mean, no offense but this was a soap opera when we were all wondering why Captain Manpain was writing down the names of people he saved only to discover his tragic, horrifying, and also extremely ironic backstory - that he got drunk one night, accidently started a fire and killed his family including adorable moppets who he occasionally hallucinated in early episodes. 

Not even just his family--his entire apartment building. I will never forget that he killed 148 people.

This season has been just so boring so far. There has been too many dramatic stories, not enough fun stories and not a lot of character progression. Which is a real goddamn shame. This show usually does well for me and usually has good stories to tell. This season is not it. Why the hell do we care about two recurring characters getting the majority of the screentime? Ok, Detective Lou I get because it's Sasha Roiz. But Taylor Kelly? And it's both Lou and Taylor in a story mostly just themselves? A very weird choice for the episode to focus on two people not part of the main cast in any capacity. 

Also, I guess Chimney is still driving to Maddie. I get it, because this episode was technically the sixth episode, not the seventh, but still a significant drive.

 And then Karen gets screentime with Hen's ex, which...ok, it was decently done and I was ok with seeing Eva again since we haven't seen her in, like, two or three seasons, and being reminded of Hen cheating was actually ok drama.

Otherwise, boring episode, boring season. 

[EllaWycliffe]

3 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Also, I guess Chimney is still driving to Maddie. I get it, because this episode was technically the sixth episode, not the seventh, but still a significant drive.

This one in particular needs to resolver SOON. Because honestly, I don't believe firefighters can afford to take a month, possibly more, off to chase after their possibly crazy spouse. I also really hate the idea that Maddie fell apart over being alone with the kid in a nicely appointed apartment but Chimney is thriving as a dad to a newborn, not yet year old child while essentially living in his car and motels. 

[Tdoc72]

On 11/9/2021 at 8:19 PM, marceline said:

 

We were missing Eddie, Claudette (not complaining), David (Michael's partner), Maddie, the neighbor/friend/grandparent who wanted to care for Jee-Yun, etc... I feel like the show is just in a state of flux.

Based on the next preview, David will be in danger at his hospital. 💥🔥

[ribboninthesky1]

This show has always had its ups and downs, and never been remotely realistic.  I mean, how Hen manages a full-time job at the 118 plus medical school (that's rarely even mentioned) is just one of the absurd things I just handwave. 

On 11/9/2021 at 2:17 AM, KatWay said:

how long has Chimney been driving? 

Why is this so funny?

I appreciate Chim's instincts with the Mom and her baby, but I was mildly distressed at how quickly Jee-Yun was tossed aside. I know other people were around, but I kept thinking anyone could have just picked up the carrier and walked off. 

On 11/9/2021 at 4:11 PM, CoderLady said:

Chim's EMT friend tactfully said the same thing to him about Maddie's state of mind while they were having beers. I'm really impressed at how on this show people give really good emotional advice when needed.

Yes, it needed to be said.  

On 11/9/2021 at 12:38 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

New Jee Yun! 😱

Whew, those cheeks!  I love juicy babies. 

[marceline]

“Maddie’s got this voice inside her head whispering lies right now, telling her she’s worthless, she’s a burden, that everybody she loves would be better off without her.”

Bless whoever wrote that. That's EXACTLY what depression does. 

I know this show is a crack fest and a lot of this stuff doesn't make sense but sometimes it just does the right thing. 

This season is a mess but I'm impressed with the discussions of mental health that keep happening. Maddie's post-partum, the PTSD around what Jeffrey did to Lou and Harry, and Athena before that, Eddie's anxiety attacks, etc... 

I also really like the kind of 9-1-1 operator May has become. She's really come into her own.

[WinJet0819]

14 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

This one in particular needs to resolver SOON. Because honestly, I don't believe firefighters can afford to take a month, possibly more, off to chase after their possibly crazy spouse. I also really hate the idea that Maddie fell apart over being alone with the kid in a nicely appointed apartment but Chimney is thriving as a dad to a newborn, not yet year old child while essentially living in his car and motels. 

Considering Chimney's been a member of the LAFD since 2005, according to the "Chimney Begins" episode from Season 2, and his only significant time off was due to medical leave due to the rebar in his skull and getting stabbed, he could have a lot of vacation time to dig into, especially if he's hardly used any of it before. So it's not out of the realm.

At the same time, I do agree that this story is dragging on. I wish Chimney had listened to Buck when he said to give Maddy time to come back to him. At this point, showing him driving and his other travel scenes just seem to to be filler for the episodes.

[WinJet0819]

On 11/8/2021 at 10:44 PM, possibilities said:

We should have a "most unrealistic thing that happened" contest for each episode. This week it was the reminder that dude was lying in the desert for 5 days with his throat slit, and not only did he survive, but he's back to normal with merely a scar. 

This show simply does not like killing people off. No matter bad their injury is. They can lose a lot of blood, or not be found for five days with a slit throat, and they'll still be fine. Like Alvin last season.

On 11/8/2021 at 9:33 PM, stonehaven said:

The previews made this look fun and goofy. What we got was a procedural with few rescues and more personal drama. Dare I say it? The show has become a tad boring? Oh well, this show is on the downside of it's life cycle it seems...

Shame. And I preferred this show over Chicago Fire and Station 19 specifically because it wasn't boring or constantly bogged down with personal drama. I guess we should have known when the blackout episodes were centered around Athena.

[Kel Varnsen]

So were there no crazy fires or rescues this week because they blew all their budget licensing Radiohead and Foo Fighters songs?

Edited November 12, 2021 by Kel Varnsen

[jcbrown]

22 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

I appreciate Chim's instincts with the Mom and her baby, but I was mildly distressed at how quickly Jee-Yun was tossed aside. I know other people were around, but I kept thinking anyone could have just picked up the carrier and walked off. 

I had the same thought. I wish he had at least dropped her where he could see her.

20 hours ago, marceline said:

“Maddie’s got this voice inside her head whispering lies right now, telling her she’s worthless, she’s a burden, that everybody she loves would be better off without her.”

Bless whoever wrote that. That's EXACTLY what depression does. 

I know this show is a crack fest and a lot of this stuff doesn't make sense but sometimes it just does the right thing. 

This season is a mess but I'm impressed with the discussions of mental health that keep happening. Maddie's post-partum, the PTSD around what Jeffrey did to Lou and Harry, and Athena before that, Eddie's anxiety attacks, etc... 

I also really like the kind of 9-1-1 operator May has become. She's really come into her own.

I second all of this. I appreciate the focus on mental health and I actually like May as a 9-1-1- operator.

That said, let's get back to some absurd rescues! (And not absurd like tsunami-in-LA absurd.) 

[KatWay]

I wonder if the lack of cool rescues is due to budget cuts...I can't imagine the  tsunami was cheap to produce. This cop and/or personal drama is mostly just people walking, talking and staring at stuff, you barely need anything aside from the actors. But boo, I don't tune into this show for that, I want a giant mudslide or something interesting.

[meatball77]

On 11/10/2021 at 9:41 PM, ribboninthesky1 said:

This show has always had its ups and downs, and never been remotely realistic.  I mean, how Hen manages a full-time job at the 118 plus medical school (that's rarely even mentioned) is just one of the absurd things I just handwave. 

 

Medical night school and part time medical school.  Only available in dramaland.

I'm watching a fire and rescue show.  I don't want to see crime drama. 

[Clanstarling]

On 11/8/2021 at 7:33 PM, stonehaven said:

The previews made this look fun and goofy. What we got was a procedural with few rescues and more personal drama.

I didn't see the previews, but for some reason I thought it was a Halloween show, and it would be fun. Not so much. I'm rarely watching this right after it airs anymore.

On 11/8/2021 at 8:36 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

The only part that I love was the meaningful, heart-to-heart conversation between Lou and Harry who see the same ‘ghost’. Jeffrey can disappear for good now.

That was a great scene. N

On 11/9/2021 at 7:57 AM, shapeshifter said:

Sasha Roiz rises from the dead. Did he do that on Grimm too? I can't see him without flashing back to his first appearance on Caprica as the full-body-tattooed assassin.

HOT full bodied tattooed (and gay) assassin. He was one of the many reasons I loved Caprica and was sad when it was cancelled.

On 11/9/2021 at 8:16 AM, tennisgurl said:

Did we really only get one rescue this week?

With so much interpersonal drama, I forgot that there was a rescue - and a dramatic one at that. Sheesh.

On 11/9/2021 at 1:11 PM, CoderLady said:

Chim's EMT friend tactfully said the same thing to him about Maddie's state of mind while they were having beers. I'm really impressed at how on this show people give really good emotional advice when needed.

Now if they'd only write their regular characters with some emotional intelligence.

On 11/11/2021 at 5:25 PM, jcbrown said:

That said, let's get back to some absurd rescues! (And not absurd like tsunami-in-LA absurd.) 

So say we all.

[Norasuke]

I kept wondering where Chim had stashed his daughter while catching up over beers at that Boston bar. Possibly still in the parking structure.

[Court]

1 minute ago, Norasuke said:

I kept wondering where Chim had stashed his daughter while catching up over beers at that Boston bar. Possibly still in the parking structure.

She was with the other paramedic's wife. They had a few lines about it. 

[Norasuke]

5 minutes ago, Court said:

She was with the other paramedic's wife. They had a few lines about it. 

Shows how much I'd checked out! I was waiting on that ghost-roommate story.

[mostlylurking]

On 11/10/2021 at 6:37 PM, Lady Calypso said:

Not even just his family--his entire apartment building. I will never forget that he killed 148 people.

Same here. I try to put that out of my head in order to enjoy the character, but it’s just too horrible. Like when he was all taken aback that Athena struck Harry in anger I was like “you killed a bunch of people so simmer”.

 

[kapmeister7158]

A used to be fun show that has turned dull and lifeless. What happened?

[Crashcourse]

4 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

Same here. I try to put that out of my head in order to enjoy the character, but it’s just too horrible. Like when he was all taken aback that Athena struck Harry in anger I was like “you killed a bunch of people so simmer”.

 

I know he's sorry for what he did but if I were Athena I couldn't look at him every night.  Frankly, I don't know what she saw in him to want to marry him.  

[EllaWycliffe]

On 11/14/2021 at 7:47 AM, kapmeister7158 said:

A used to be fun show that has turned dull and lifeless. What happened?

I think it can bounce back but I also think its been taking itself too seriously. Also, I don't mind a certain amount of ridiculous situations but the five to ten days black out in Los Angeles? Would have resulted in tens of thousands dead. So would the tsunami and the giant earthquake where buildings were toppling and like, I need a smidge of realism.

As it is, the thing that bugs me most is Hen going to medical school while also working full time as a firefighter. Can't believe the schedule works.