S05.E13: Fear-O-Phobia

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

What happened to the spiders? Are they just crawling around now? 

Yep. 

 

58 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

RE: The spiders - I can see how maybe one got out but how did that many of them escape? Did the house sitter leave multiple cage doors open? Or are the spiders just that evil? 

Putting in spoiler tag so folks with any arachnophobia won't have nightmares tonight:

Spoiler

I think they must be ghost spiders who can walk through walls. 

 

1 hour ago, UnknownK said:

Outside of Chim and maybe the kids would you want to be around any of these characters in real life?

I wouldn't mind having Hen as a work friend.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Is it weird that Eddie is seeing Maddie’s therapist? Yeah, I know it’s a fictional world but… 🙄

When talking to Jonah, why is Lucy being such a mean girl re Chimney being short etc? Just kill her off and give her screen time to Ravi instead.

Thank god it’s spider and not snake!!! I know it’s gonna be spiders going rogue story but I never expected this…

[CoderLady]

9 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

When talking to Jonah, why is Lucy being such a mean girl re Chimney being short etc? Just kill her off and give her screen time to Ravi instead.

Yeah. I've seen enough of her already, but at least now I have a clearer picture of what a "pick me girl" is.

Edited April 12, 2022 by CoderLady

[DearEvette]

The dueling coversations between Buck/Maddie and Chim/Hen was a great episode opener.  Nicely done.

"Did cap just run away?"

"More like a fast walk."

Hee. And Ewww.  That spider rescue was creepy as hell and I am not even an arachnophobe.

I love that we see the gas station/convenience store clerk again.  She is so over it.  Someone is always robbing her store.  The last time was a hoot!

Speaking of over it.  I am not feeling this Eddie storyline.  It does not feel earned or properly set up.  it feels like the writers thought "We need to write a story for Eddie.  Hey he was a soldier, let's give him a tragic 'everybody in my unit is dead' story and slap some PTSD on it.'  sigh.

[peachmangosteen]

I'm sorta kinda hoping this Eddie story is a way to usher him off the show lol. Outside of his relationship with Buck, which I really only care about because I love Buck, he is just such a superfluous character imo. It would suck to lose Christopher but not enough for me to really care.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Is it weird that Eddie is seeing Maddie’s therapist? Yeah, I know it’s a fictional world but… 🙄

I missed that. So is this the worst therapist ever, or what?

[CoderLady]

55 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I missed that. So is this the worst therapist ever, or what?

Could be, but apparently he's the only therapist in town just as Carla (Abby's mother's caregiver, Christopher's babysitter, general dispenser of wisdom and domestic help) is everyone's non-professional source of emotional aid.

[Snazzy Daisy]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I missed that. So is this the worst therapist ever, or what?

I want to say he is the panel therapist for the Call Center, logically but then Eddie’s job is still under LAFD right? 🤨

[shapeshifter]

14 minutes ago, CoderLady said:

Could be, but apparently he's the only therapist in town just as Carla (Abby's mother's caregiver, Christopher's babysitter, general dispenser of wisdom and domestic help) is everyone's non-professional source of emotional aid.

Eddie and Maddie would probably do better with Carla than the 9-1-1 therapist, because his therapy is like out of the 90s or earlier.

 

4 hours ago, marceline said:

The other one died in-country. 
Every single one of these deaths could be suicide or circumstance except the one who shot herself. I think the ambiguity is on purpose.

This👆 expresses what I was trying to type, but better.

Edited April 12, 2022 by shapeshifter

[chlban]

8 hours ago, scruff said:

So  Maddie   ghosts   and   Abandons   Chim   and   their  child   for   months   on   end    without    even  a   Postcard    being  sent.   Yet   now    she   is   supposed   to   be   the   victim/ good  girl/  martyr /  hero ?    Are  you    f'ing   serious ?

She  was Not   even sorry    for   what   she  did  and  put  Chim  through.   She   practically  BLAMES    and GASLIGHTS  Him     for  all   her   choices   and   behavior ?    Seriously  ?      Chim   is    supposed  to   be  the  bad  guy  now ?       Give  me a   f'ing  Break. 

What  Maddie   did   to  Chim  was    Vile,  disgusting,  despicable  and   reprehensible ,   yet   she   is   practically   taking  NO responsibility.      We   are   supposed  to   feel    sorry    for  her  now    and    villianize and demonize   Chim ?       BS ...

The   fact   that   Chim   can   even LOOK at  her   after   everything  she  did and  put   them  through  is a   Testament  to  his  character  and  goodness as a  Person.     When  in   Reality   he   should  be   Sprinting   to   any  and  all  courts   and  petitioning   for   Sole Custody   of   his    child. 

The  hypocrisy  here  is    comical and sad.  If  the  gender  roles  in this   situation were   flipped   everyone  would  be  "outraged"...   Chim   would  be  character  assassinated ...    He  would  be  "   evil,   horrible,  a  dead beat  dad,  a  emotional  abuser, etc  "    

Yet    we  are   supposed  to  cheer  Maddie  on now   and   look   and  be  understanding and     supposed  to  give her a    Pass  for   everything  ?

what   complete   and  utter BS

Exactly. I am so sick of Maddie. I was so happy they broke up because what she did is unforgivable. Completely. 

[BooksRule]

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Erica Gimpel is a H!ITG! who shows up everywhere as both a regular (God Friended Me) and as a guest star (everything from the OG Roswell to L&O).

I looked her up and I've seen her in a few shows, but she was also in 19 episodes of 'ER' (according to imdb), so that's probably where I knew her face from.

[MrPissyPuppy]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

RE: The spiders - I can see how maybe one got out but how did that many of them escape? Did the house sitter leave multiple cage doors open? Or are the spiders just that evil? 

When the spider owner was showing the pet sitter the guest room where he'd be staying, he said something to the effect of, "This used to be their room" (implying they were loose in it) but he had special habitats/cages made for them.   So I guess he missed a few spiders and/or eggs. 

Edited April 13, 2022 by MrPissyPuppy

[possibilities]

7 hours ago, UnknownK said:

Outside of Chim and maybe the kids would you want to be around any of these characters in real life?

Hen is my kind of gal. But she's not the only likable person on the show by any means. Josh from the call center is very likable. I like Athena and Bobby, too.

Eddie and Buck are really the resident fuck ups. It makes sense that they're buddies.

[t7686]

3 hours ago, BooksRule said:

I looked her up and I've seen her in a few shows, but she was also in 19 episodes of 'ER' (according to imdb), so that's probably where I knew her face from.

Yes she was a social worker on ER. That’s where I remember her from. She got shot helping Mark Green and was paralyzed. 

Edited April 13, 2022 by t7686

[iMonrey]

Quote

I love that we see the gas station/convenience store clerk again.  She is so over it.  Someone is always robbing her store.  The last time was a hoot!

I don't remember a previous time with that gas station/clerk. Can you refresh my memory?

[DearEvette]

53 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I don't remember a previous time with that gas station/clerk. Can you refresh my memory?

Season 2 Episode 8 - Buck Actually. 

https://www.facebook.com/911onFOX/videos/shock-of-the-week-gas-station-robbery-season-2-ep-8-9-1-1/709208179464469/

 

also was a ripped from the headlines story about a gas station robbery in Canada

 

 

 

[gonzosgirrl]

23 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Eddie has been through so much over the course of the show that I do not get why we need even more drama with him at this point, its just exhausting.

Eddie is the T.K. (911 Lonestar) of this iteration.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Season 2 Episode 8 - Buck Actually. 

Thanks. I still don't remember that but it's probably because it was such a short scene.

Incidentally - that song they were playing while the house sitter was feeding the spiders ("I can tell that we are going to be friends") is the same one Conan O'Brien uses as the theme music to his Podcast.

[AdorkableWitch]

On 4/11/2022 at 11:00 PM, possibilities said:

 How did the spider get out? Why did the habitats have gigantic doors instead of small openings to stick the tongs in, for the feedings? 

 

As someone into exotic pets, I immediately recognized the cages the tarantulas were in - those are Exo Terra Terrariums. The glass doors are large because  you need to be able to clean up the cages as well as change them around to provide stimulation and enhancement. Keeping tarantulas can be a pretty expensive and difficult hobby, especially some of the more exotic ones that require very specific temperature ranges and humidity. 

 

I don't have spiders. I have frogs and an adorable lavender hognose snake. However, the communities overlap quite a bit and you often see arachnid breeders at reptile shows. 

[TVForever]

On 4/11/2022 at 11:31 PM, threebluestars said:

Erica Gimpel! And I often feel like the only person on earth that remembers Profiler. It was SO good.

 

On 4/12/2022 at 12:59 AM, izabella said:

I know her from the tv show "Fame!"  "Fame!  I'm gonna live forever!"

 

On 4/12/2022 at 4:46 AM, shapeshifter said:

Erica Gimpel is a H!ITG! who shows up everywhere as both a regular (God Friended Me) and as a guest star (everything from the OG Roswell to L&O).

She'll always be Coco Hernandez to me!!

[Maverick]

1 hour ago, TVForever said:

 

 

She'll always be Coco Hernandez to me!!

Me too. 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I feel like I've seen couples for a few minutes in one episode who have more chemistry with each other than Athena/Bobby, Chim/Maddie, and Buck/Taylor. Other than Hen/Karen (and how long's it been since we saw Karen?) I can't think of a long-term couple where I thought the actors had any chemistry at all. 

eta: Such as Marco and Melia in the 2021 Christmas episode where she fell down the elevator shaft. 

Edited April 14, 2022 by Mediocre Gatsby
Lucy is not Taylor

[EllaWycliffe]

I thought Athena and Bobby had some chemistry during their courtship phase. I think as an older couple where both lean a bit emotionally conservative, you're not going to see a lot of fire. If anything I'm often surprised the kids don't have more of a problem with it.

Chim and Maddie I felt was a little forced and thrown way too many major curveballs. The stalkery ex, the post partum during a ten day power outage where Chim was never home to see Maddie's collapse into insanity.... Chim spending six months essentially homeless with what was still a very young baby... I genuinely have serious doubts that Chimney - who has a lot of rejection issues from his dad - is all smiles about now essentially being a single dad. (and yeah, Maddie had post partum and I do think the drowning incident was more exhaustion induced, but she is the mom who left her baby at the dad's work place and DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE for six months, there's no way I'd want her to have custody of that child)

Buck/Taylor is just forced on us because the guy playing Buck is reasonably good looking and the producers don't want or need a Buck/Eddie thing.. And I have to be honest, I find Hen/Karen equally forced - I like both actresses but I find the "Hen is a paramedic firewoman who has a wife and kid and her wife is some sort of JPL scientist and Hen's going to medical school part time" silliness just... silly at this point. 

[shapeshifter]

14 minutes ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I thought Athena and Bobby had some chemistry during their courtship phase. I think as an older couple where both lean a bit emotionally conservative, you're not going to see a lot of fire. If anything I'm often surprised the kids don't have more of a problem with it.

Chim and Maddie I felt was a little forced and thrown way too many major curveballs. The stalkery ex, the post partum during a ten day power outage where Chim was never home to see Maddie's collapse into insanity.... Chim spending six months essentially homeless with what was still a very young baby... I genuinely have serious doubts that Chimney - who has a lot of rejection issues from his dad - is all smiles about now essentially being a single dad. (and yeah, Maddie had post partum and I do think the drowning incident was more exhaustion induced, but she is the mom who left her baby at the dad's work place and DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE for six months, there's no way I'd want her to have custody of that child)

Buck/Taylor is just forced on us because the guy playing Buck is reasonably good looking and the producers don't want or need a Buck/Eddie thing.. And I have to be honest, I find Hen/Karen equally forced - I like both actresses but I find the "Hen is a paramedic firewoman who has a wife and kid and her wife is some sort of JPL scientist and Hen's going to medical school part time" silliness just... silly at this point. 

Agree with all of the above except just want to note that it turned out Maddie’s postpartum illness was resolved with a prescription of some sort. 
There is too much soap opera for me to keep track of more than that.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

2 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I thought Athena and Bobby had some chemistry during their courtship phase. I think as an older couple where both lean a bit emotionally conservative, you're not going to see a lot of fire.

I'm not thinking of overt romantic gestures -- just the chemistry that two actors can have with each other. I haven't seen that with them from the very beginning, even though I like both actors' work. 

[Crashcourse]

I think both Athena and Bobby act rather "stiff" with each other and even around other people.  It's especially true of Athena/Angela Bassett and I think she could definitely stand to loosen up.

[kwnyc]

Yes. The only real chemistry on the show has been Buck/Eddie (in its early years...) and none of the romantic couples sizzle. I'm okay with Bobby and Athena being in a "comfortable" place, but it would be nice to see someone (single) have some real sparks with a partner. 

[EllaWycliffe]

I secretly want the producers to mess with us and have Bobby get Athena pregnant. I know its incredibly unrealistic but come on we have had tsunamis and violent llamas!

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I secretly want the producers to mess with us and have Bobby get Athena pregnant. I know its incredibly unrealistic but come on we have had tsunamis and violent llamas!

How old are Bobby and Athena supposed to be? I see Angela Bassett is 63, but she still looks ageless (and Peter Krause does not look 56 either).

[EllaWycliffe]

17 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

How old are Bobby and Athena supposed to be? I see Angela Bassett is 63, but she still looks ageless (and Peter Krause does not look 56 either).

Ages havent been stated so it would be theoretically possible. But I think Angela Bassett might put her foot down

[LaylaGirl]

On 4/12/2022 at 9:34 AM, possibilities said:

I have a question about reality. Do people who are about to jump call to talk to the 911 people?

Yes, people who are actively considering suicide do sometimes call 911 instead of a suicide hotline. 911 is a number everyone knows, so it easier to do. In another life I was a police dispatcher and handled a few calls from suicidal people. I never had anyone on a ledge, it was either a gun or pills. People who take pills sometimes change their mind as the pills are acting. Some people want to be talked out of it, and some people just have something they want to say.

[possibilities]

Yes, I personally knew someone who took pills and then changed her mind and called 911.

What I wondered about was whether someone who was on a ledge would call and then refuse help, as happened in this episode. 

[mojito]

 

I would like the show 100% more if they would just focus on the call center and the rescues. In fact, I think some of the best drama comes from the operators talking to callers on this show and Lone Star. These characters are more interesting at work than at home.

I've stopped watching Lone Star. Another crappy episode like this and I'll kiss off 9-1-1, too. 

[Tdoc72]

On 4/11/2022 at 9:32 PM, stonehaven said:

I hate spiders but that scene where the guy was wrapped in a web made me jump.

 

I was convinced one was going to come out of his mouth. Especially when they were coming out of the house and they all paused as his vitals went wild. I watched from between my fingers. 

[shapeshifter]

On 4/15/2022 at 7:43 PM, possibilities said:

Yes, I personally knew someone who took pills and then changed her mind and called 911.
What I wondered about was whether someone who was on a ledge would call and then refuse help, as happened in this episode. 

My daughter who is a 9-1-1 responder just responded to my question about this. 
I asked:    ". . . have you specifically taken call(s) from 'jumpers'?"
She replied:    "Yep. Usually passers-by are the ones who call, though."

[Empress1]

On 4/14/2022 at 11:05 AM, EllaWycliffe said:

I thought Athena and Bobby had some chemistry during their courtship phase. I think as an older couple where both lean a bit emotionally conservative, you're not going to see a lot of fire. If anything I'm often surprised the kids don't have more of a problem with it.

May walked in on them role-playing and Athena was like “I mean, I don’t know what to tell you; this is my husband, we have sex,” which I thought was great. It was nice to see an older couple (I think they’re supposed to be in their 50s) that isn’t sexless.

[Crashcourse]

I don't need (or want) to see Bobby and Athena humping each other, so I don't mind them being stiff (I laughed at that "sexy" scene).  However, I still think that they both seem to be conscious of the fact that they've got spouses IRL, and that affects how they interact with each other on screen.   That's fine with me because I'd rather focus on rescues anyway.    

[Empress1]

2 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I don't need (or want) to see Bobby and Athena humping each other, so I don't mind them being stiff (I laughed at that "sexy" scene).  However, I still think that they both seem to be conscious of the fact that they've got spouses IRL, and that affects how they interact with each other on screen.   That's fine with me because I'd rather focus on rescues anyway.    

I’m not sure if Peter Krause was married when he was on Six Feet Under, but he had a LOT of sex on that show.

Speaking of chemistry, do y’all see it with Taylor and Buck? I don’t. 

[peachmangosteen]

24 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Speaking of chemistry, do y’all see it with Taylor and Buck? I don’t. 

I've already said it but I'll say it again lol, I don't think Buck has had an ounce of chem with any of his love interests.

[Empress1]

Just now, peachmangosteen said:

I've already said it but I'll say it again lol, I don't think Buck has had an ounce of chem with any of his love interests.

I liked him with Abby. Obviously they’re not going back to that well, but I did like him with her.

[peachmangosteen]

I honestly borderline hated Abby so that may be influencing my opinion lol.

[Empress1]

8 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I honestly borderline hated Abby so that may be influencing my opinion lol.

Ha - the actress has a lot of goodwill with me, so that definitely influenced my opinion. Her ghosting was trifling though.

There’s not really any there there for me with Taylor. Buck says he loves her and I’m like “If you say so, I guess.” And as a character on her own, she does nothing for me.

[peachmangosteen]

I hated Taylor at first but she started to grow on me but her and Buck just don't work for me together. Also, even though I do marginally like her, she can go anytime lol.

[jcbrown]

On 4/16/2022 at 1:45 AM, Tdoc72 said:

I watched from between my fingers. 

I watched everything spider-related either from between my fingers or by not looking at the screen.

[kwnyc]

18 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I don't think Buck has had an ounce of chem with any of his love interests.

Eddie. He has chemistry with Eddie.

[peachmangosteen]

31 minutes ago, kwnyc said:

Eddie. He has chemistry with Eddie.

And sadly he is not one of Buck's love interests lol.

[Irlandesa]

20 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I liked him with Abby. Obviously they’re not going back to that well, but I did like him with her.

I did too.

I still don't love Taylor and Buck but they're not as annoying to me lately. 

I do think this show struggles at writing romance. Period.  And writing can sometimes impact chemistry.  I'm still waiting for May to get older. She can date Buck. :) Season 10, baby.

[KeithJ]

What ever happened to the female high-horse 911 operator they brought in to torment May?  Was that it? Just torment her for a few episodes and then disappear as quickly as she appeared?

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, KeithJ said:

What ever happened to the female high-horse 911 operator they brought in to torment May?  Was that it? Just torment her for a few episodes and then disappear as quickly as she appeared?

I think I read the actress is anti-vax so that's probably why she just disappeared. And thankfully because boy did that character suck lol.

[KeithJ]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I think I read the actress is anti-vax so that's probably why she just disappeared. And thankfully because boy did that character suck lol.

I decided to look her up and see what happened.  I couldn't find anything about why she's no longer on but I found this article from when she was first announced:

https://deadline.com/2021/10/9-1-1-vanessa-estelle-williams-joins-fox-drama-series-1234853979/

"Vanessa Estelle Williams has joined the Season 5 cast of Fox drama series 9-1-1 in a heavily recurring role."

Three episodes is definitely not a "heavily recurring role" so something must have happened with her.