S06.E15: Death and Taxes

[jewel21]

Quote

The 118 race to the rescue at emergencies when a fire breaks out in an accountant's office and a car crashes into a "living funeral." Athena is shocked when a suspect dies in her custody minutes after she arrests him; Buck is attracted to a death doula; Maddie and Chimney panic when they are audited by the IRS.

Airdate: 04/24/2023

[Stats Queen]

I love this show, but Athena not have a partner is problematic. An c needs to have backup at all times.

[Crashcourse]

Of course, Buck is attracted to a death doula. 🙄

This episode was boring.  

[Mediocre Gatsby]

2 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

This episode was boring.  

For me it was, right up until the part where I thought Christopher had died on the couch. 

Other than that, I totally agree. And Eddie and Buck having a "deep" conversation in the cemetery: two actors with not a thimbleful of talent between them trying to carry a whole scene ... yikes. 

[Andyourlittledog2]

Apparently one of the writers is going through a death phase in their life because this theme keeps popping up and it could not be more boring. I do not need to hear another word about Buck's amazing journey of death. And having a pre-death funeral is so unnecessary.  Just have a reunion or a barbecue or something, get together with the same people in a way that is not just creepy.

And did anyone else think that Marie was knocked out of the casket when the car crashed the funeral and somehow she was still alive in there and no one knew?  This show, that could happen.

 

[jewel21]

20 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

And did anyone else think that Marie was knocked out of the casket when the car crashed the funeral and somehow she was still alive in there and no ne knew?  This show, that could happen.

That was exactly what I was thinking. Oh look, they think the person under the car is alive but it's really a corpse. Wait, did it blink? Was that the actor? Was it a mistake? How are they alive? Were they not embalmed?? Is she not stiff??? What is happening???? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?!

[possibilities]

7 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

And did anyone else think that Marie was knocked out of the casket when the car crashed the funeral and somehow she was still alive in there and no one knew?  This show, that could happen.

That is what I thought. 

I liked that the episode was more about rescues than family drama. But it annoyed me that even with that, they turned Athena's story into another detective story. There are enough detective shows, make this one about fire and rescue, please! ANd Eddie's stuff with his family bores me and seems like a waste of time. 

8 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

the part where I thought Christopher had died on the couch. 

I thought the same thing. It was a hell of a jolt.

[Lady Calypso]

Weird episode, for sure. I didn't really love the Death aspect that they kept trying to explore. Natalia's almost obsessive interest in Buck's lightning strike experience was a bit too weird for me. It's like they tried to both make her his love interest AND his own death doula and it didn't work because the two clash. 

I actually did like Buck/Eddie's conversation at the end. It didn't make up for the weird subplot but it was one of the only scenes that worked well for me.

When Eddie was talking to his mom and was trying to find ways to visit her and he ended the first phone call with "We have time [to see each other]", I totally thought Eddie was going to get a call at the end of the episode that she died.

Athena's plot was fine. I have accepted that when they want Athena involved more, it'll likely be on a cop or detective basis. Honestly, I'm surprised she ISN'T a detective, at this rate. 

So, the Maddie/Chimney plot didn't quite work. So, the show wants me to believe that the two don't discuss important things like taxes at all? They didn't discuss who was Head of Household or who is Jee's dependent? That being said, I did like how it ended. I completely get Maddie's hesitancy on marriage. Even though she loves and trusts Chimney, not only have they gone through a lot as a couple and that they just got back to a good place, Maddie's first marriage obviously ended very badly. It's hard to get past that when the memories of marriage are nothing but bad for her. I actually would be fine if they didn't get married, but I suspect they will. 

 

[luna1122again]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

 

So, the Maddie/Chimney plot didn't quite work. So, the show wants me to believe that the two don't discuss important things like taxes at all? They didn't discuss who was Head of Household or who is Jee's dependent? That being said, I did like how it ended. I completely get Maddie's hesitancy on marriage. Even though she loves and trusts Chimney, not only have they gone through a lot as a couple and that they just got back to a good place, Maddie's first marriage obviously ended very badly. It's hard to get past that when the memories of marriage are nothing but bad for her. I actually would be fine if they didn't get married, but I suspect they will. 

 

My husband and I just got married last year after 18 years together. We'd lived blissfully unhitched but committed and cohabiting for years, but for reasons, we decided to make it legal. Taxes this year were a small nightmare. I'd always filed singly, of course, and my taxes were always really straightforward and I always got a refund pretty fast. His are more complex and difficult, he usually has to pay in (he's a musician)  so I was still planning to file 'married but filing separately' but that turned into a fiasco too. I never itemize, he always has to, but we had to do it the same way or they'd reject both returns, I always used one tax service, he used another...blah blah blah. Plus, the whole saving $$ filing as married didn't seem to help us much. Anyway, tho yes, obviously, Chim and Maddie should have discussed this stuff before filing, I related to it a lot, it felt like what we'd just been thru. You get used to doing things on your own, a certain way, and sometimes it doesn't occur to you that things have changed a lot. Of course, we're irresponsible procrastinators, so there's that too. 

[possibilities]

Athena used to show up at rescues situations, and wasn't always in detective mode. I remember an incident where there was a mess on the highway and she was there apprehending the perp while the rest of the ensemble was rescuing the victims. It was high stakes and intense and stayed focused on the rescue aspect with some law enforcement activity, but it still felt like 911 and not a run of the mill cop show.

[bilgistic]

Y'all are cracking me up. Because I can't stand Eddie and I barely tolerate Christoper (I hate all kids, not just him; don't throw tomatoes at me!), I'm hoping Eddie takes a permanent vacation to El Paso.

Because I Know Too Much, when they checked the "dead" lady's eyes for pupil dilation, I knew she wasn't dead. Embalmed bodies generally have caps covering the eyeballs.

[shapeshifter]

16 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Because I Know Too Much, when they checked the "dead" lady's eyes for pupil dilation, I knew she wasn't dead. Embalmed bodies generally have caps covering the eyeballs.

Yeah, she didn't look dead, but I was hoping that was just part poor Hollywood make-up, and mostly that the story was going to be that the "corpse" was not really dead.

[Crashcourse]

11 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

For me it was, right up until the part where I thought Christopher had died on the couch. 

Same here, I thought he had died.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

When Eddie was talking to his mom and was trying to find ways to visit her and he ended the first phone call with "We have time [to see each other]", I totally thought Eddie was going to get a call at the end of the episode that she died.

Same.

59 minutes ago, LtKelley said:

Are you really that shocked? Chimney and Maddie strike me as the type who will realize at 62 that they didn't save anything for retirement. 

Well, two public servants will have a pretty decent retirement income on top of social security, so maybe they don't have to save that much...

35 minutes ago, LtKelley said:

I'm ready for Eddie to go. And I greatly dislike how Christopher, particularly when compared to Denny, and Athena's kid, is treated like a precious little toddler when he's 13-14 at this point. 

It did bother me in this episode that Christopher was acting, and being treated like, a small child. He's even had storylines (I think) that showed him as growing up and being interested in the things boys his age are interested in.

21 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Yeah, she didn't look dead, but I was hoping that was just part poor Hollywood make-up, and mostly that the story was going to be that the "corpse" was not really dead.

Unfortunately, I read the "living funeral" part of synopsis, and figured out what that had to mean, though it seemed way over the top.

[marceline]

Add me to the list of people who have no interest in Eddie and Christopher anymore. And yes, I too thought Christopher died on the couch.

 

[Madding crowd]

I also was worried that Christopher died in that scene. All of Eddie’s scenes had a weird sad edge even though nothing was really happening. I know there are real life death doulas but on TV and in books they are “angel of death” types that hasten death along so I probably wouldn’t trust one in real life although I know that’s unfair.

[ribboninthesky1]

18 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Other than that, I totally agree. And Eddie and Buck having a "deep" conversation in the cemetery: two actors with not a thimbleful of talent between them trying to carry a whole scene ... yikes. 

😄 I think Oliver Stark is one of the better actors on the show, but this still cracked me up. 

9 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Athena's plot was fine. I have accepted that when they want Athena involved more, it'll likely be on a cop or detective basis. Honestly, I'm surprised she ISN'T a detective, at this rate. 

Right???? Just make her a detective, already.

7 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Because I can't stand Eddie and I barely tolerate Christoper (I hate all kids, not just him; don't throw tomatoes at me!),

This is a safe space. 

6 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Well, two public servants will have a pretty decent retirement income on top of social security, so maybe they don't have to save that much...

Agreed, they'll probably have decent pensions, especially in California. 

Normally, I'm fine with Maddie but she annoyed me in this episode.   

[Demian]

22 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

And Eddie and Buck having a "deep" conversation in the cemetery: two actors with not a thimbleful of talent between them trying to carry a whole scene ... yikes. 

When these scenes happen, I either shut my ears off and just stare at The Pretty, or completely ignore them and, like, play Wordle.  Yeesh.

 

11 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Well, two public servants will have a pretty decent retirement income on top of social security, so maybe they don't have to save that much...

Don't get me started on how many of my cousins retired at 45 with full pensions from their time in various police and fire departments....

 

4 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

11 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Because I can't stand Eddie and I barely tolerate Christoper (I hate all kids, not just him; don't throw tomatoes at me!),

This is a safe space. 

Indeed it is.  I don't hate all kids, but I absolutely fucking detest all kids on TV shows.  (Well, except for Stranger Things, I suppose, but 9-1-1 is definitely not Stranger Things.)

[Court]

16 hours ago, jewel21 said:

That was exactly what I was thinking. Oh look, they think the person under the car is alive but it's really a corpse. Wait, did it blink? Was that the actor? Was it a mistake? How are they alive? Were they not embalmed?? Is she not stiff??? What is happening???? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?!

I was also so confused. My 8 year old was almost how is she alive at her own funeral? Was she in the coffin?

[MicheleinPhilly]

I think I'm going to finish this season and then finally quit this show for good. They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel for storylines at this point. It's unfortunate because I really like several of the actors - it's just SO STUPID. 

[possibilities]

It's like a Bon Voyage party, in that you are saying good-bye, and you love them, and you want them to have a send-off surrounded by love. 

[kwnyc]

I think it was touching at the end that Chim was looking for the "right" engagement ring...Maddie should just woman up and say "yes." The two of them have been through EVERYTHING together, and they still love each other and successfully co-parent their daughter.

Also: if you've got any kind of weird income, definitely go to an accountant! (Even if you didn't save his office from being burned down.)

[tennisgurl]

I totally thought for one crazy second that Christopher had dropped dead on the couch, especially with all of their talk about death and the weirdly sad vibes hovering around Eddie. I actually liked the talk between Eddie and Buck, even if its weird how long this whole thing with Buck dying for a minute is going. In the real world yeah that would be a huge deal, but on this show people almost day just about every day and no one seems to blink. 

I guess between the kidnapping, the almost murderers, Maddie leaving and Chim following her around in his car, moving into the murder house, and the various estranged family members showing up, Chim and Maddie haven't really had a chance to talk about stuff like taxes and marriage. I can understand Maddie being nervous about being married, given how her last one went, but they really should just go ahead and get married. Its easier for legal reasons plus its just a fun way to celebrate everything they've been through. 

The death and taxes thread was rather heavy handed, even by this shows standards. Some of it worked, like the living funeral, Buck thinking about his mortality, and Athena's case, but a lot of it felt rather random.

Athena really needs a partner, she has got to stop running into places without backup. 

[possibilities]

Maddie and Chim could have a pre-nup if she has specific concerns. Pre-nups are often looked on as being a sign of lack of trust, but I think they are helpful as a way to define what you're worried about, what you want out of the relationship, and the ways you promise not to hurt each other, outside of whatever rules the govt is making about it. People make vows, but they tend to be fairly general and don't really usually account for how things will go if there are problems. Even the best relationships sometimes have bumps in the road. So, admitting to that doesn't seem to me to take away from anything, and may in fact be a sign of mature commitment. 

But it doesn't seem clear to me whether Maddie does have specific worries. I think she should get clear about that, before deciding yes or no.

Owning a house together to me feels like a really big step, and of course they have a child together, too. So if there are still doubts, they should probably hash that out, taxes or no taxes.

I actually totally forgot this plot even happened, until I saw it talked about in the forums. That's how boring it was for me, to see them deal with the IRS. For both of them to claim their daughter as a dependent and not talk about it first is just farcical. 

[Crashcourse]

She might think he's a wonderful person and a great father, but I wonder if Maddie really loves Chim.  They do need to have a serious discussion about their relationship.  I like Chim and I don't want to see this dragged out and he winds up getting his heart broken.

[Demian]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

In the real world yeah that would be a huge deal, but on this show people almost day just about every day and no one seems to blink. 

Remember that chunk of rebar going straight through Chim's head?  This show apparently doesn't.

[Tdoc72]

On 4/25/2023 at 11:41 AM, Crashcourse said:

Same here, I thought he had died.

Me too. I said aloud to my cat, “Did they just kill Christopher?” Gizmo had no opinion though. 
I actually thought they were going to kill Eddie’s mom w/all the death talk and him not making vacay plans with her. 

[Lady Calypso]

12 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

She might think he's a wonderful person and a great father, but I wonder if Maddie really loves Chim.  They do need to have a serious discussion about their relationship.  I like Chim and I don't want to see this dragged out and he winds up getting his heart broken.

She does, for sure, but I really do think it's the trauma from Doug that holds her back from fully committing. I mean, she really went through hell with that man; just because he's dead and Chimney's great, it doesn't mean all of that trauma is erased or she's free from it. We've seen how it's affected her last season, when she took off for months. As crappy as it was, it was understandable. It may feel irrational to us because we KNOW Chimney's a great guy and would never hurt her, and she knows that too, but trauma can come out in irrational ways. Once she gets past that idea that she's going to get hurt again, I think she'll agree to marriage. But she needs to have a more positive outlook on marriage first and see it's not all that bad.

(And also, she also didn't have the best childhood with her parents' decision to not deal with their brother's death and hiding it from Buck for years; she doesn't have great parental role models so that probably contributes to her hesitancy on marriage as well). 

[UnknownK]

I have no idea why Chim would want to marry HER. Just co parent and go about your life with somebody who isn't 100% bad baggage.

Edited April 27, 2023 by UnknownK

[ninjakid]

On 4/27/2023 at 11:06 AM, UnknownK said:

I have no idea why Chim would want to marry HER. Just co parent and go about your life with somebody who isn't 100% bad baggage.

He's not all that either. Remember how he used to lie all the time to his girlfriends? Or how he punched Buck in the face for essentially no reason?

[UnknownK]

38 minutes ago, ninjakid said:

He's not all that either. Remember how he used to lie all the time to his girlfriends? Or how he punched Buck in the face for essentially no reason?

You mean when he punched buck for knowing why maddie left and not telling him while he was freaking out thinking she could be dead? Buck was a close friend and a co worker in a profession where you need to have each others back in life or death situations not some guy you worked with at Taco Ball for a few months.

I don't think Chim ever lied to Maddie or played games with her, on the other hand I think Maddie treats Chim like shit.

 

 

[possibilities]

I don't remember when Chim lied to his girlfriends. Can someone refresh my memory?

[ribboninthesky1]

I don't think Maggie and Chim need to get married. Just communicate about who's filing head of household and claiming Jee on the tax returns. I know the accountant stated that getting married would save them thousands of dollars, but I don't see it as a compelling enough reason for marriage. I think he mentioned something like $14/15 thousand, which is a lot in aggregate. But, that's not how taxes work for W2 workers - I assume it's more of a "see more in your monthly/biweekly net pay" sort of thing.  

In any case, I'm sure they will. 

It never occurred to me that Christopher might be dead until I read it here. The show can get dark, but I don't remember them killing off children of main characters (or even characters of the week). Maybe I missed it. I had a totally different read of the scene and Eddie's existential conflict.  I assumed it tied back to last week's episode of finding a romantic partner.  

[Diana Berry]

On 4/25/2023 at 12:15 AM, Mediocre Gatsby said:

For me it was, right up until the part where I thought Christopher had died on the couch. 

Other than that, I totally agree. And Eddie and Buck having a "deep" conversation in the cemetery: two actors with not a thimbleful of talent between them trying to carry a whole scene ... yikes. 

Ouch . But funny about Buck and Eddie.  Guess I’m the only one that likes Eddie. Remember the time when everyone thought they  would be a couple.

[Clanstarling]

11 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Ouch . But funny about Buck and Eddie.  Guess I’m the only one that likes Eddie. Remember the time when everyone thought they  would be a couple.

I do. I don't dislike Eddie at all, I just think they haven't really figured out what to do with him. I mean, even the former rookie who became an instructor and now seems to be back popped more than Eddie. They've centered Eddie around Christopher, and that is getting old, along with Christopher.

[mostlylurking]

I also thought Eddie was going to get a call saying his mom died.  Never crossed my mind that Christopher was dead though, I just kind of chuckled at how people seem to fall asleep so quickly in Eddie’s presence (last week it was Buck).

I liked the graveyard scene.  I’m probably in the minority but I like Buck.  Eddie is problematic mostly because I’ve read some unflattering things about the actor so I’m not a fan.

Maddie and Chim are 100% spacey and I can see them not talking about taxes, saving for retirement, or anything that doesn’t involve the near future at best.  I mean they are letting their child eat ice cream at god knows what hour of the day or night that was.  They are not planners.  I think they should get married though.  They’re cute.  Lay off the toddler ice cream at 1am though if you want that kid to go back to sleep 😉 

Edited June 5, 2023 by mostlylurking

[elianoraflom]

 

As for me, Christopher's death surprised me, and I didn't expect Eddie's mom to be the focus. I actually like Buck's character, but I understand that everyone has their own preferences. I try to separate the actor from the character. And I mean Maddie and Chimney might not be the best planners, but they have their own way of finding happiness.

As for the ice cream at odd hours, sometimes you have to be flexible as parents;) Opinions and preferences vary, that's all the essences.