S08.E09: Sob Stories

[Snazzy Daisy]

Quote

The 118 responds to a fire at a local animal shelter and races to evacuate all the animals.

Meanwhile, Maddie takes a 9-1-1 call that sets her on a quest for answers.

Air Date: Mar 06, 2025

 

[MarylandGirl]

Will they end up with a firehouse dog? I'd be on board with that! Or at least one of them walking away with a new pet.

Hope there's not too much animal loss though...

[possibilities]

Holy shit. I did not see that ending coming. I thought it was going to be the girlfriend, not the investigator.

 

 

[buttersister]

Me, too, although the investigator looked familiar so I should have known better.

Maybe I was just too focused on saying bye, Eddie? It is bye, Eddie, right—do not tease me with that.

Wish they’d take that key light off of JLH’s nose stud. Oy. Not a great sign if that got so much attention. Or that I worried more for Blaze/Bingo than Maddie. 

Bobby and Athena still married? 
 

Edited March 7 by buttersister

[agathapenny]

I just feel like I don't even know this show anymore. The tone is completely different and the characters don't seem like the same ones I started watching. 

And on a shallow note, who is shooting this thing, and do they secretly hate the cast? Because I swear everyone was looking really rough this episode.

I've already ranted about how much I loathe the Eddie story that they seem intent upon dragging out to infinity. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I was bored by the serial killer storyline, and even the twist hasn't made me more enthused.

This is starting to flail around almost as much as Lone Star whose season was a complete disaster, IMO.

This show is a pale shadow of what it once was, and I think I might be out soon. We spent what, 3 minutes on the fire, then the rest was melodrama? It all seems so much more poorly written, paced, and shot than it used to be. It's like the writers are totally out of ideas. I might just have to pretend this show ended with season six.

[possibilities]

It's true-- it's one soapy story after another and not much fun lately.

 

[andromeda331]

I'm glad all the dogs were rescued. I almost skipped that fearing that not all would survived. I'm glad Buck adopted Blaze and felt bad he had to give him back to his real family. I hope he does adopt again.

I didn't like Buck ruining all Eddie's chances selling the apartment. Or him thinking Eddie was telling truth when he told the potential owners he had no ties to LA. Oh, Buck you should have known he didn't mean that.

I don't like everyone elses reaction to Eddie moving. They were all happy for him? Why? He has to give up his live and move back to Texas to trying and get his son back from his asshole parents'? No one had questions? That made no sense from this group.

I figured it out too late that it was the investigator. I wondered why they would have Abigail Spencer to be just the investigator for a short scene after it turned out the kidnapper really was dead.   

Edited March 9 by andromeda331

[possibilities]

Oh wow. That was Abigail Spenser? I thought it was Courtney Cox!

 

[Irlandesa]

6 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

I don't like everyone elses reaction to Eddie moving. They were all happy for him? Why? He has to give up his live and move back to Texas to trying and get his son back from his asshole parents'? No one had questions? That made no sense from this group.

Why would they ask questions?  They all know what Eddie did that made Chris want to leave for Texas.  They also know that Chris hasn't returned. 

Eddie could assert his parental rights and force Chris to come back but his parents didn't kidnap Chris. Eddie may have had issues with his parents in the past but those are his issues with them, not Chris's. Chris called them when he needed support. Right now, they're the only parental (or grandparental) figures he has who haven't let him down.

If I were his coworker, I'd be happy he's doing something proactive to repair his relationship with his son. 

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

Maybe I was just too focused on saying bye, Eddie? It is bye, Eddie, right—do not tease me with that.

Who knows?  Weeks ago I would have said not a chance but having Buck sublet his house is a big move, especially since they haven't given Athena and Bobby a new place to live yet.

From one of the interviews with the show runner.

Spoiler

In a post-episode interview, the show runner said we'd see Eddie in TX in episode 12 and I think he has at least one scene next week. 

 

37 minutes ago, possibilities said:

It's true-- it's one soapy story after another and not much fun lately.

 

And kind of repetitive in some ways.  I also miss the characters having scenes outside of their regular circle.  I can't remember the last time Buck and Hen had a fun story together.  And Eddie with anyone other than Buck outside of the 118?

[michelec]

Maybe it's because of the hiatus, but I wasn't feeling the episode all that much.  Eddie's storyline has been cringe ever since the Shannon doppelganger.  I usually cut Buck more slack than most, but he was acting like a petulant child the entire hour. And the serial killer storyline was meh. Since Maddie's abduction is gonna take up the bulk of next week, I'm not expecting any movement until 8.11.

Sigh.

Edited March 7 by michelec

[iMonrey]

10 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I don't like everyone elses reaction to Eddie moving. They were all happy for him? Why? He has to give up his live and move back to Texas to trying and get his son back from his asshole parents'? No one had questions? That made no sense from this group.

I'd really like to know what's going on behind the scenes and the decision to write Eddie off this way. 

That was the cutest damn dog I have ever seen. 

I know she saved a life by doing so, but encouraging a caller to kill himself - even a serial killer - would probably get Maddie fired in real life. That's like basic 101 for 911 operators on what not to do. I also don't get the ending. Is Amber simply picking up where the serial killer left off? Or was she the killer all along? If the latter, who the hell shot himself?

[Chaos Theory]

So Buck is once again living in someone else’s home waiting for them to return when he secretly knows they never will.    

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, michelec said:

Maybe it's because of the hiatus, but I wasn't feeling the episode all that much.  Eddie's storyline has been cringe ever since the Shannon doppelganger.  I usually cut Buck more slack than most, but he was acting like a petulant child the entire hour. And the serial killer storyline was meh. Since Maddie's abduction is gonna take up the bulk of next week, I'm not expecting any movement until 8.11.

Sigh.

I was annoyed at Buck the entire episode. You know what adults do, Buck? They TALK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT HOW THEY FEEL. Tell Eddie you're sad he's leaving (and then kiss). Sheesh.

I'll be so glad when Eddie "Smells-a-Fart" Diaz is gone (please, lord).

[Chaos Theory]

The show has gotten a little long in the tooth.   It happens some times with long running shows that keep the general ensemble over years.   Yea there has been some turnover but not as much as you might think.     The show might be able to pull itself out of a funk or it might not.   Then again it might just have been the downer nature of the episode and how quick the show got rid of Eddie.    
 

The serial killer story might be the kind of high octane crazy the show needs.  

[BooksRule]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

So Buck is once again living in someone else’s home waiting for them to return when he secretly knows they never will.  

I totally didn't think of this, but you're right!  

That was definitely the cutest dog ever (and I'm not really a dog person). It had some great expressions.

On a more serious note: I was wondering how the killer knew that Maddie had a little girl and knew Jee's (?) name.  Maddie looked confused for a second, but then seemed to move past it. 

I'm trying to figure out what's going on. Maybe the guy who shot himself was actually a pedophile and the actual killer (the investigator) was blackmailing him to cooperate so that people would think he was the actual killer? From the preview of next week, it definitely seemed like she was the one who had killed the other girls.  Maybe they were working together?  Oh, well. Hopefully all will be explained quickly.

[Madding crowd]

I thought Eddie’s story took too much of the episode. I know he and Buck are good friends but Buck is in a relationship now and shouldn’t be acting like a child. I was very surprised by the ending but I was wondering how that pedo guy could possibly know the name of Maddie’s daughter. I’m pretty sure Maddie would get fired for telling a caller to kill himself. I assume the detective killed him after the call but why is she coming after Maddie? Blaze was cute and looked exactly like my childhood pet Ralph !

[tennisgurl]

I should have known that it was the investigator, no way do you hire Abigail Spencer for such a small part. I cannot believe we are doing another one of these, I am so not here for Maddie being in peril again and some lame serial killer story. How many deranged killers are running around LA running into the same people? What is this, the 70s? 

At least we got to save some cute puppies, sadly that was the only rescue we got in the whole episode, I was hoping for a few more after such a long break. I really do not want to see this show fall into the same sad trap as Lone Star, where it was all contrived drama and no actual 911, but this is not a good sign. 

Why the hell does Eddie have to move to Texas if he doesn't want to when, last time I checked, Christopher was his son who he has custody of, he shouldn't have to uproot his whole life because his shitty parents wont give him his son back. And now they get everything they want. I don't think that Eddie is going for real though, I am guessing he will be gone for a few episodes than we will check in with him in Texas and then he'll come back. 

It sucks watching Buck fall back into his usual habits again, I swear someone needs to find this guy a therapist before he blows his life up again. He is so desperate to hold onto the people in his life that he lashes out like a child when they separate from him even a little bit and just makes everything worse, its so  frustrating. It certainly is interesting that Buck is, yet again, living in the apartment of someone he loves who leaves him suddenly. 

That dog was adorable, Buck really should consider getting a dog, he is clearly a dog person. Having a living thing around that will always love and be there for him seems like something that he would enjoy.

[BooksRule]

12 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Why the hell does Eddie have to move to Texas if he doesn't want to when, last time I checked, Christopher was his son who he has custody of, he shouldn't have to uproot his whole life because his shitty parents wont give him his son back. And now they get everything they want.

Eddie said something about Christopher having made new friends and apparently really fitting/settling in in Texas so Eddie doesn't want to uproot him and make him leave his new friends and new school.  Eddie's big mistake was to allow Christopher to stay in Texas longer than just a couple of weeks.  He should have been brought back (maybe kicking and screaming), but would have gotten over it in time. Eddie feels that he waited too long to act.

[iMonrey]

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

but Buck is in a relationship now and shouldn’t be acting like a child.

Buck isn't in a relationship, what's his name (Tommy?) broke up with him after Buck asked him to move in with him. So while I agree Buck is acting like a child (which is nothing new for him), I can see how his best friend leaving would hurt all that much more. Especially since Eddie didn't seem to give Buck a second thought.

16 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Eddie could assert his parental rights and force Chris to come back but his parents didn't kidnap Chris.

Except . . . they kind of did. Christopher called his grandparents behind Eddie's back and they showed up without giving Eddie any advance warning. And they'd been trying to take Christopher since the first time we met them. 

The whole Shannon doppelgänger thing was stupid though so it's hard to justify the premise either way.

[Madding crowd]

You’re right , I forgot about the breakup. The long breaks make me forget things.

[Chaos Theory]

The Christopher moves to Texas storyline was handled kinda haphazardly but I don’t think any party is in the wrong.    Yes Eddie is in his rights to drag Christopher back but should he?  Christopher is happy and thriving where he is and it shouldn’t matter what Effie’s relationship was with his parents they are being good to Christopher.   It really should be what is in the best interest of Christopher and according to Eddie’s own words that is staying in Texas.

Edited March 8 by Chaos Theory

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Except . . . they kind of did. Christopher called his grandparents behind Eddie's back and they showed up without giving Eddie any advance warning. And they'd been trying to take Christopher since the first time we met them. 

Eddie's parents have been there for Chris since he was born when Shannon was struggling and Eddie deployed.  Chris loves and trusts them more than any other adult in his life. He called them when things blew up.  Not even Buck. Eddie let Chris go to TX and didn't seem to put any time limit or conditions on the trip.  He could have demanded Chris come back.  He could have asked.  He could have made periodic trips to reconnect before making this distract decision.  He hasn't done any of that.

I get fandom likes to make Eddie's parents some kind of evil incarnate but they've only ever been good to and for Chris.  The show reinforced that every time we saw him in TX.  Yet they're being treated as if they hired Shannon's doppleganger to seduce Eddie and destroy the relationship with his son so they could take him back to TX.

 

 

[agathapenny]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

At least we got to save some cute puppies, sadly that was the only rescue we got in the whole episode, I was hoping for a few more after such a long break. I really do not want to see this show fall into the same sad trap as Lone Star, where it was all contrived drama and no actual 911, but this is not a good sign. 

Ditto. It used to be rare where there was an episode where they didn't go on multiple calls, or at least substantial ones that lasted more than three minutes. We actually got to see the crew being firefighters and paramedics and learned about them through how they interacted with each other and the victims on those calls. Now, they barely work.

I always thought the show did a really good job being an action/adventure without a Marvel movie budget. Do they just not have ANY budget anymore for locations and rescue situations. Not to mention that I guess now not only do we not have Athena and Bobby's, we also don't have Buck's loft....It's all weird and contributes to the complete change in the show's vibe. It's not a good change.

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Why the hell does Eddie have to move to Texas if he doesn't want to when, last time I checked, Christopher was his son who he has custody of, he shouldn't have to uproot his whole life because his shitty parents wont give him his son back. And now they get everything they want. I don't think that Eddie is going for real though, I am guessing he will be gone for a few episodes than we will check in with him in Texas and then he'll come back. 

Couldn't have said it better myself. Everything since the doppelgänger is stupid. It's like nobody is steering this ship. I mean, what is the character arc supposed to be for Eddie here? What is he supposed to be learning? Because what's coming across is....nothing. It's all just random soap opera plot points that don't make any kind of whole. But then, character arcs seem to have totally gone out the window for everyone so I shouldn't be surprised. Even Buck didn't really develop as a character at all with his bisexual storyline, and that was one of the more well thought-out plots the show has done in the last two seasons.

I also don't think Eddie's gone for good, since we haven't heard anything about the actor leaving the show. The only way Buck moving into Eddie's place makes sense is if Eddie is going to come back and they're going to make them roommates. (Seriously, what single person is going to give up Buck's amazing loft for Eddie's house?) I have no idea at this point whether equation will include Chris or not. Before the last couple of seasons I would have said no way would Eddie leave Chris with his parents permanently in another state (he even made Buck Chris's guardian if something happened to him, he so much didn't want to leave Chris with his parents. But I guess we're ignoring that now.) I have zero trust in the writers anymore, though, to make any of these characterizations consistent.

[Snazzy Daisy]

This episode did Buck dirty by undoing his character development that we have seen in previous seasons.

Yes, we understand that he’s upset, his BFF is moving to Texas. But he doesn’t have to act like a 10yo. Even Blaze is more emotionally matured than Buck.

I truly hate the “doppelgänger” and “Christopher is moving to Texas” storylines from the beginning. And now they’re making Eddie uprooting his life to be closer to his son as the results of these shitty arcs. Just get a new set of writers who can appreciate these 9-1-1 characters!

Re Maddie, I don’t understand why Sue or Josh doesn’t bother to take Maddie off the call when she lets her emotion taking over, when she starts telling the caller to kill himself. Is it even ethical?

[possibilities]

Here's my guess: they cut the budget for rescues because the actors negotiated higher salaries after year 7. And even though the show is very highly rated, the network decided to keep the money flat and just turn it into a generic soapy drama with a lot less of the humor and action and character dvelopments that made it popular.

Andmaybe they hired different writers? Does anybody know?

[iMonrey]

Eddie has been nearly killed multiple times so this seemed like an odd/dumb way to write him off the show. On a better show we'd be talking about how sad it was rather than how stupid it was. It speaks to how the writing has gone downhill.

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Christopher is happy and thriving where he is and it shouldn’t matter what Effie’s relationship was with his parents they are being good to Christopher.   It really should be what is in the best interest of Christopher and according to Eddie’s own words that is staying in Texas.

Christopher was doing just fine in LA too before the absurd Shannon debacle, so the fact that he's doing well in Texas shouldn't be the defining factor in where he lives. What about the friends he made back home? Doesn't he miss them? Whether he's better off in LA or Texas is sort of a moot point because the storyline was handled very badly. 

I'd like to know the inside dirt of how this all went down. Maybe the kid didn't want to be on the show anymore, maybe the show didn't feel like they wanted Eddie around without Christopher, maybe they were looking to dump Ryan Guzman for awhile now. Who knows.

[agathapenny]

13 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Here's my guess: they cut the budget for rescues because the actors negotiated higher salaries after year 7. And even though the show is very highly rated, the network decided to keep the money flat and just turn it into a generic soapy drama with a lot less of the humor and action and character dvelopments that made it popular.

Andmaybe they hired different writers? Does anybody know?

I wish I knew. I want the old show back. What it's become is not a show I particularly enjoy watching, with only occasional glimpses of what I once loved. I think they've badly misjudged why people have watched and loved this show. At least, that's certainly true for me. It's now almost completely unsatisfying ABC soap opera. And I don't watch any of those.

It just comes across as new writers who don't know how to write the show as it was. Kinda like West Wing after Sorkin left. There were still a few small glimmers of what the show had been in some episodes, but it just was never the same (or as good).

[Irlandesa]

About some of the behind-the-scenes stuff:

The writers:

Tim Minear is the show runner.  He was the co-creator and show runner for seasons 1-4.  He went to Lone Star until it was cancelled. He came back as show runner in season 7. 

Looking at the episode writers, many of them have been around for a while but it looks like some Lone Star writers have joined starting this season. This episode was written by the show runner, the show runner to season 5 of Lone Star, and another Lone Star writer.

So some new writers, yes, but the same show runner as early seasons.  I do think things were better in earlier seasons. 

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Here's my guess: they cut the budget for rescues because the actors negotiated higher salaries after year 7

But the increased soapiness started in Season 7.  The first three episodes were all disaster but I felt the rest of the episodes were mostly soap. 

It's not just the cast, though.  Everything is more expensive the longer a show goes on.  And this one is very expensive.  I do think they're trying to cut costs.  I'm not sure what getting rid of Athena and Bobby's house and Buck's loft gets them but I do wonder if it's budgetary.

50 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I'd like to know the inside dirt of how this all went down. Maybe the kid didn't want to be on the show anymore, maybe the show didn't feel like they wanted Eddie around without Christopher, maybe they were looking to dump Ryan Guzman for awhile now.

The child actor lives in GA but he has lived there for a few years now and comes in to film his scenes in chunks. I don't know if they decided they didn't want to work around his school schedule any more or what but it's strange.

I don't think they'd dump Eddie this early unless Ryan Guzman wanted to leave.  They'd still need to pay him for the episodes.

Edited March 8 by Irlandesa

[Dirge]

It's been years since I cared about the characters of Christopher OR Eddie, so I hope we're soon done with them. But Eddie's parents stealing Christopher back to Texas doesn't sit right with me. I don't care that Christopher called them. Eddie's his father, it's his decision. Good riddance to all of them. 

I suspected the detective because there wasn't anyone else, and who else would know about Maddie's daughter? I did think there'd be an investigation into Maddie, though. 

I miss the actual 911 emergencies. 

[DanaK]

This was a pretty disturbing episode with the serial killer plot, especially with his whiny disguised voice. I suspected the detective was probably involved towards the end because the case was solved so early, about midway or 3/4 into the episode

As for the lack of rescues, it’s likely a cost issue, especially for a long running show. Several shows, including rescue shows like Chicago Fire, seem to be dealing with similar issues, including several cast members missing from various episodes. It’s possibly also an after effect from the dual strikes

[marceline]

I didn't sign up for this bootleg Criminal Minds. I made a conscious decision to not watch shows about serial killers anymore. (Too many writers enjoy writing sadists and it shows.) 

They clearly don't have the budget to keep making this show. The sets look cheap, the lighting is terrible, and everyone looks awful. Hair, makeup, and wardrobe are all jacked up.

Finally are seeing what I saw about Buck years ago. He's an passive-aggressive, manipulative, emotional abuser with the maturity of middle-schooler. Frankly, his attachment to Eddie has become gross and unhealthy. He vacillates between acting like a child jealous that Eddie cares more about Christopher and a scorned lover. I'm glad the dog's real family claimed him because Buck isn't fit to raise a houseplant. I'm glad Eddie called him out but I hate that the show rewarded his behavior.

Maddie goading someone into suicide is really irresponsible television, especially with her coworkers treating her like a hero afterward. Like I said, this isn't what I signed up for.

It's time to wrap this show up. Let it go with what little dignity it has left because this isn't even Lone Star levels of bad. 

[Clanstarling]

On 3/6/2025 at 6:58 PM, possibilities said:

Holy shit. I did not see that ending coming. I thought it was going to be the girlfriend, not the investigator.

I should have known. I'm not a fan of Abigail Spencer (I don't know why, I know nothing about her personally, she just grates). Having her be the/a serial killer (or at a minimum, kidnapper) just made me sigh. It's not my cup of tea, and even though I do watch cop shows, I always hate a recurring baddie.

On 3/7/2025 at 8:47 AM, iMonrey said:

I know she saved a life by doing so, but encouraging a caller to kill himself - even a serial killer - would probably get Maddie fired in real life. That's like basic 101 for 911 operators on what not to do.

Yeah, I was pretty stunned by that. Especially that they kind of congratulated her at the end. Talking someone into suicide just seems way different than taking them out in a firefight. I'm not sure why, but it really bothered me.

15 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Re Maddie, I don’t understand why Sue or Josh doesn’t bother to take Maddie off the call when she lets her emotion taking over, when she starts telling the caller to kill himself. Is it even ethical?

I can't imagine that it's ethical. Maybe show runners think the audiences have become so jaded that we would applaud a scenario like that. And maybe some do. Not me. 

I agree that it would be nice to get back to the silly rescues and general lightheartedness of yesteryear. The doggy was a good start...;) 

Edited March 8 by Clanstarling

[buttersister]

I’m sure each season had bottle episodes (inexpensive), but Eddie is dead to me (doppelgänger bs), Hen and Chimney have lost chemistry, not enough Athena and Bobby and waaay too much of the Buckley family, my two least favorite characters (always). Buck is an asshole (sorry, Bobby) and I’m sick of JLH crying two inches from the camera.  Hoping they’ve got some aces up their sleeves this Spring.

[DanaK]

19 hours ago, marceline said:

Maddie goading someone into suicide is really irresponsible television, especially with her coworkers treating her like a hero afterward.

I think that’s part of what made the serial killer storyline so disturbing for me

It’s a Ryan Murphy show so I guess we shouldn’t be shocked at this point, but they probably should have thought about the suicide bit a lot longer 

Edited March 9 by DanaK

[possibilities]

This is the least of the problems with the episode, but I am a little hung up on the idea that the caller thought committing suicide would prevent entry to heaven, but killing someone else wouldn't.

[MarylandGirl]

I was also surprised by the ending with Maddie being abducted. And hasn't she been through enough?

I think Buck needs a dog, a creature that will love and be devoted to him.

I do wonder if Eddie will be back. Whether it's going to Texas and realizing Christopher is happy and doesn't want/need him there. And that he misses LA. Or bringing Christopher back with him to LA. Whether because Christopher wants that or something happens to one or both of Eddie's parents.

I do miss the fun stuff...

[anna0852]

On 3/8/2025 at 9:54 AM, DanaK said:

As for the lack of rescues, it’s likely a cost issue, especially for a long running show. Several shows, including rescue shows like Chicago Fire, seem to be dealing with similar issues, including several cast members missing from various episodes. It’s possibly also an after effect from the dual strikes

I’ve noticed the same thing. And it’s really sad.

[jabRI]

 I didn't understand the camera focus as the girlfriend was making coffee, was expecting her to try to poison Athena or something.  Just odd.

[Calvada]

Not every call a fire station goes on is the enormous fire or other catastrophe (tsunami, earthquake, capsized cruise ship) that probably costs a huge amount to stage.  Bring back some of the "lighter" calls, like a kid with their hand stuck in a vending machine or some guy deep-frying a turkey who caused his house to catch fire.  

I always assumed the Eddie/Christopher estrangement would end by Buck traveling to Texas, telling Christopher his dad really misses him, and voila!  Christopher would decide to return to California.  Because Buck is just that magical. /s/  

I suspected the cop because of the half-assed investigation. Athena and Maddie come to her with this odd situation and she comes up with a suspect immediately?  Was there any attempt to determine whether that guy was in the other locations where abductions happened at the time they happened?  From his living situation, he didn't seem like a person who could travel around to the various spots and then keep his victims alive yet hidden for days.  And no one wondered how this guy knew the name of Maddie's daughter?  What if he had been working with a partner?  

I can imagine the lawsuit that would ensue if a 911 dispatcher encouraged a caller to commit suicide, regardless of the circumstances.  When the caller made it personal by calling multiple times until he reached Maddie and knew the name of Maddie's child, why did they leave her on the call?  For that matter, why didn't a supervisor remove her from the first call, when she brought up her personal history of postpartum depression? 

[agathapenny]

31 minutes ago, Calvada said:

Not every call a fire station goes on is the enormous fire or other catastrophe (tsunami, earthquake, capsized cruise ship) that probably costs a huge amount to stage.  Bring back some of the "lighter" calls, like a kid with their hand stuck in a vending machine or some guy deep-frying a turkey who caused his house to catch fire.  

Some of the best calls they've ever done were not huge events.

One of my favourites was the idiot on his roof whining about his life for hours while all the first responders stood around listening and having fun vignettes amongst themselves about their lives, betting on what he'd do next, and finally his fed up neighbour pushed him off the roof. That was hilarious.

Or the woman who got her head stuck in a tailpipe at a bar.

One of the most touching moments on the show ever was the one about the mom giving birth in the apartment building lobby, dying for a few minutes, and then coming back for her baby when it was placed on her chest.

The woman who turned blue from toothache medicine on Christmas.

The woman who had a meteorite go right through her.

The manager who got her hand caught in the apparatus at the bowling alley, thanks to the world's worst employee, and the good employee getting a promotion.

The list goes on.

 

Edited March 10 by agathapenny

[andromeda331]

17 hours ago, possibilities said:

This is the least of the problems with the episode, but I am a little hung up on the idea that the caller thought committing suicide would prevent entry to heaven, but killing someone else wouldn't.

It follows the same logic where getting a divorce is a sin but somehow murdering your spouse isn't. 

[gonzosgirrl]

On 3/7/2025 at 1:46 AM, Irlandesa said:

Who knows?  Weeks ago I would have said not a chance but having Buck sublet his house is a big move, especially since they haven't given Athena and Bobby a new place to live yet.

Seems like a cutesy (or not) way to get Buck and Eddie living together when he comes back to L.A. with no place to live. (But there was only one bed!!!!). This really has become just another nighttime soap. Can we PLEASE get back to being a 911 show?

I guess they were trying to frame Maddie convincing the kidnapper to kill himself as it being a 'him or her' thing - either he was going to die or his victim was. Considering he'd already faked/spoofed his location once, there was no reason to believe that SuperCop!! (aka Athena) was going to make it there in time to intervene. It was still uber-cringey and a poor writing choice, for me anyway. 

So did Abigail Spencer get to the scene and stage the suicide? If so, why? Was it her on the phone all along (thus the voice distortion software) and she lured him to this scene to cover her tracks? Why target Maddie?

 

[Whodunnit]

On 3/7/2025 at 9:59 PM, Snazzy Daisy said:

This episode did Buck dirty by undoing his character development that we have seen in previous seasons.

I agree. I think Buck needs to go back to therapy with Dr. Copeland and discuss his abandonment issues.

I also think he should consider going on ADHD meds for the ADHD he obviously has. Speaking from experience they help you not to act like a ten year old (but only for up to 10-12 hours of your day because the meds need to wear off before bedtime or cause insomnia. Some people use smaller doses two or three times a day during peak performance hours). 

I do think that Eddie was being overly critical (calling someone exhausting is really hurtful). But I guess that was for the drama?

[Whodunnit]

22 hours ago, MarylandGirl said:

I think Buck needs a dog, a creature that will love and be devoted to him.

I agree but he needs a house with a backyard for a dog and he works long hours. Maybe a bird instead?

I really really miss those smaller (but still wacky) rescues. Here's some ideas just off the top of my head:

Have two people with piercings get stuck in a compromising position, maybe someone is stuck inside of an industrial refrigerator because they were dared to pick the ice, maybe someone is surrounded by cockatoos that won't leave then alone, crash a truck full of flowers near a wedding, have a drag queen or two with their wig on fire run out into the rain and then witness a double rainbow...

Edited March 10 by Whodunnit
Autocorrect is not my friend.

[Whodunnit]

I also wanted to say that Blaze is the spitting image of Skittles (RIP) my next door neighbor's dog. So seeing the dog put a big smile on my face.

[CoyoteBlue]

On 3/7/2025 at 9:19 PM, agathapenny said:

(Seriously, what single person is going to give up Buck's amazing loft for Eddie's house?)

Buck's amazing loft? It's a studio. Where the hell does he put his.... anything? I guess he's lucky his only hobby is video games which fit in the TV table in front of his single seating option.

[buttersister]

Wasn’t it Tommy who expressed how nice Buck’s place was—and that was clearly compared to his own place. Other than that, Buck likes it. Of course.

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, buttersister said:

Wasn’t it Tommy who expressed how nice Buck’s place was—and that was clearly compared to his own place. Other than that, Buck likes it. Of course.

He did.  But from what we've heard of Tommy's house, it sounds like he has some really cool customizations that fit his interests so I think he was probably reacting more to the aesthetics.

Buck's loft is amazing.  It's clean. It has two balconies.  It's downtown.  It's perfect for a single man in his mid-twenties which is what he was when he first rented it. Now that he's getting older, it wouldn't surprise me if he wanted something with more rooms or not sharing walls with neighbors.

But that's not why he gave up his loft.  He did it to help his friend be able to leave.  And maybe a side bonus could be he gets a pet.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Meet Bailey the Beagle — Buck's Blaze.

IG - 911onABC - Bailey the Beagle

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Meet Bailey the Beagle — Buck's Blaze.

IG - 911onABC - Bailey the Beagle

He's so adorable.