S01.E09: Trapped

[Drogo]

The first responders race to help a homeless man crushed in a garbage truck, a mother and son in a crashed elevator and extreme hoarders entombed in their house. Meanwhile, Athena jumps into to the dating pool, as Buck and Abby's relationship is tested by her ailing mother.

[DoItToIt]

Oooh loved this episode and I literally missed the first 20 minutes lol. Athena's handcuff situation, hee-larious!! 

Yes to the upgrade in Abby's wardrobe dept! But why couldn't she FaceTime her moms and save that date?? Her and Buck are becoming very believable to me.

Also loved Bobby's mature advice to Buck, if this becomes a love triangle it will be messssy!

I wonder if the hoarders story is based on a true one?

Aww Abby, so sorry :-(

[Demian]

I'll just leave this here.

I always thought that story would've made some sort of great movie.  Happy to see it somehow made its way onto this batshit show.

[DoItToIt]

21 minutes ago, Demian said:

I'll just leave this here.

I always thought that story would've made some sort of great movie.  Happy to see it somehow made its way onto this batshit show.

I knew it must've come from somewhere!

[Guest]

I wish hoarders' neighbor lady would become a recurring character who would provide a running commentary on every one of the first responder's calls.  

[SparklesBitch]

I knew the situation with the hoarder brothers sounded familiar!! Them not wanting to leave each other broke my heart a little.

Athena’s handcuff situation cracked me up and I loved Hen coming to her rescue and just flat out enjoying the whole thing. The selfie bit at the end before she left was the best. And I have to agree with Athena’s man....there’s just something about beautiful women in police uniforms. :)

Poor Abby losing her mom! I hope she takes off somewhere fun and does something for herself now that she’s able, maybe as part of her grieving process. Girl deserves it. 

I liked Bobby’s wise words to Buck. Abby’s Mom may not be an issue any longer and so I’m sure other problems will arise, but I can’t help it, I’m rooting for Abby and Buck. 

I was so proud of Hen for standing her ground and walking away from her ex!! 

Hen and Athena talking over their lunch was great too. I feel like a broken record, but I really like their friendship. 

Also, it was a little thing, but there was something about Buck hurrying away from the first garbage man when they had the wrong truck and saying something like “Thank you! Carry on, you’re doing a great job!” that made me chuckle. Such fantastic encouragement! ;) 

[Empress1]

13 minutes ago, SparklesBitch said:

I knew the situation with the hoarder brothers sounded familiar!! Them not wanting to leave each other broke my heart a little.

Athena’s handcuff situation cracked me up and I loved Hen coming to her rescue and just flat out enjoying the whole thing. The selfie bit at the end before she left was the best. And I have to agree with Athena’s man....there’s just something about beautiful women in police uniforms. :)

Poor Abby losing her mom! I hope she takes off somewhere fun and does something for herself now that she’s able, maybe as part of her grieving process. Girl deserves it. 

I liked Bobby’s wise words to Buck. Abby’s Mom may not be an issue any longer and so I’m sure other problems will arise, but I can’t help it, I’m rooting for Abby and Buck. 

I was so proud of Hen for standing her ground and walking away from her ex!! 

Hen and Athena talking over their lunch was great too. I feel like a broken record, but I really like their friendship. 

Also, it was a little thing, but there was something about Buck hurrying away from the first garbage man when they had the wrong truck and saying something like “Thank you! Carry on, you’re doing a great job!” that made me chuckle. Such fantastic encouragement! ;) 

I DIED. I was falling out along with Hen through the whole scene. Angela Bassett is a gem. (She's still got the What's Love Got to Do With It biceps.) The "Did I ask you to [uncuff me]?" and Hen's "Okay then, let me just bring your belt over here" with her "Okay, girl!" face had me rolling. And when Athena covered dude's junk with the pillow?! I might keep this episode and watch that scene when I have a bad day.

I've heard of the Collyer brothers and I used to be a regular Hoarders watcher. That was a tough scene. I'm glad it had a happier ending than the real version.

"Here I just thought she had great hair." Everybody loves Connie Britton's hair (though it still needs trimming). I like the advice that "people who are great tend to have full lives." And I like Abby and Buck together!

Connie Britton's last "Mom!" through tears got me. I'm going to a funeral on Sunday for a relative who has had dementia for many years (I think I've mentioned him here). I spoke to one of his sons and he said he was sad but also relieved and that he'd started grieving long ago. (His father was almost 90, so he had a long life before the illness took hold.) I wonder if Abby will experience relief as she works through her grief.

[AgentRXS]

See, now Angela Bassett and Aisha Hinds know how to sell a predictable TV trope. With any other set of actresses, I would have just smiled through out the whole handcuff scene. With Angela and Aisha, the chemistry is so great and authentic that I actually straight out laughed.  That whole scene was too awesome.

I knew when they started with the musical montage at the end that it was over for Abby's mother. I'm kind of relieved that storyline's over.

Edited March 15, 2018 by AgentRXS

[ShortyMac]

So here for Athena's and Hen's friendship.

[BooBear]

6 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Connie Britton's last "Mom!" through tears got me. I'm going to a funeral on Sunday for a relative who has had dementia for many years (I think I've mentioned him here). I spoke to one of his sons and he said he was sad but also relieved and that he'd started grieving long ago. (His father was almost 90, so he had a long life before the illness took hold.) I wonder if Abby will experience relief as she works through her grief.

But, in my best church lady voice "how convenient"! Most people trapped in a dementia hell are there for many years.  I love Buck and Abby but I thought they were both right. Dementia hell isn't anything a 26 year old should be going through (most pointedly because he probably will have to do that with his own parents some day) and Abby was right not to want to drag him through that. But the show sees a good thing so, mom has to go.  I hope Abby and her mom's health care provider stay friends.

I enjoy this show doing relatively original stories. I mean they might be real life stories but I enjoy that they are looking for them and trying to use them.  I also like that for the most part the responder team is very kind and non judgmental. They were super compassionate with those brothers.  I bet law enforcement might not have been so kind. 

I was so glad that Athena made all the points we did about Hen's ex ever successfully getting custody. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

But why couldn't she FaceTime her moms and save that date?? Her and Buck are becoming very believable to me.

That's what I wondered too. I mean, I see how devoted she is to her mother but that whole balloon date must have cost Buck a pretty penny, and realistically it doesn't make any difference to Abby's mother whether she's there in person or over Skype/FaceTime. Either way she's not fully aware of what's going on. It was really more about Abby making herself feel better by doing "the right thing." I was kind of annoyed at Carla for calling her. The whole situation is tragic.

I often think Alzheimers and other forms of dementia are more horrible than cancer and other physical ailments in many ways. If someone is lucid they at least understand what is happening to them. There's no way to get through to a person who isn't in full control of their faculties. 

Was anyone else confused by the ending with the guy who went outside? I didn't understand if that brought full circle the homeless guy at the beginning of the episode who wound up in the garbage truck. Same guy? No? 

[Kemper]

I loved the scene where the Hoarder Brothers were coming out of the house, Peter Kraus was standing on the porch, and "Sunny" started playing in the background.  Remember that song?  I hadn't heard it in years..and heard it last night and again a little while ago in a commercial.  Sunny...yesterday my life was filled with pain...Sunny..you smiled at me and..something something something.  I love Peter Kraus and hope he winds up with Abby.  

I don't despise Buck as much as I did at first; they have been using him a more sparingly and added a little humor.  I kind of like he and Abby as a short-term thing.  But I just love Peter Kraus and would never understand picking a Buck over him.   But I am way older than any of the actors.

[CoderLady]

10 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

That's what I wondered too. I mean, I see how devoted she is to her mother but that whole balloon date must have cost Buck a pretty penny, and realistically it doesn't make any difference to Abby's mother whether she's there in person or over Skype/FaceTime. Either way she's not fully aware of what's going on. It was really more about Abby making herself feel better by doing "the right thing." I was kind of annoyed at Carla for calling her. The whole situation is tragic.

I often think Alzheimers and other forms of dementia are more horrible than cancer and other physical ailments in many ways. If someone is lucid they at least understand what is happening to them. There's no way to get through to a person who isn't in full control of their faculties. 

Was anyone else confused by the ending with the guy who went outside? I didn't understand if that brought full circle the homeless guy at the beginning of the episode who wound up in the garbage truck. Same guy? No? 

I agree about Carla not needing to call Abby or Abby needing to bail on the date. It didn't do anyone any good in the long run.

About the homeless man: I think he would rather sleep out in the open than in a noisy, crowded shelter, regardless of the dangers of sleeping in dumpsters to get out of the rain. It was in the way he lifted his face to feel the open sky before finding a private place to sleep. 

[gesundheit]

I missed the last few minutes of the episode -- did they ever give an explanation for why the homeless man happened to have a juiced-up cell phone in that dumpster? Was that not even an observed point of curiosity from any of the characters?

[Aliconehead]

I like this show but Abby’s story is a little close to home for me, as I am dealing with my father who has advanced Alzheimer’s. You grieve through the whole disease, each time they lose an ability or progress you grieve. I know I will be sad when he finally passes but I will also be relieve that he is no longer suffering. 

As a note, Alzheimer’s when diagnosed before 70 can be a long process but generally averages about 10 years from onset of symptoms until death, according to multiple experts I have spoken with. 

[ShortyMac]

1 hour ago, gesundheit said:

I missed the last few minutes of the episode -- did they ever give an explanation for why the homeless man happened to have a juiced-up cell phone in that dumpster? Was that not even an observed point of curiosity from any of the characters?

Yes. They said he had a cell phone because of a program that gives them out so they can keep contact with family, if they have any.

[NJRadioGuy]

With the hoarder crawling through that tunnel of old newspapers with a cigarette lighter for illumination it's a wonder the whole place didn't go up. But I guess they also didn't have the budget for a 3 alarm house fire. Come to think of it, we're 9 episodes in and the Engine crew hasn't responded to a single working fire yet.

So enroute to the elevator call we see a shot of Engine 118 responding, then in a wide shot it's TRUCK 118 (a completely different type of vehicle), then they're back to being an engine on the scene. That was a divide-by-zero moment for me. Protip: firefighters don't just drive whatever type of vehicle they think they'll need. I'd be good with them bringing in a background engine crew with no lines (much like Chicago Fire has), and keep the stars on the Truck, since truck companies generally have more interesting calls.

Speaking of the elevator call, someone forgot to tell the writers that when elevators fail they almost always fail stuck since it's the application of power that removes the brakes. Also, how could the car go below the basement? Generally there's a bumping block at the lowest floor and the car couldn't go more than a few inches below the door threshold, if that.

Good that they extricated the bum from the garbage truck and got him in a C-collar and on a backboard, but his head was flopping around like a rag doll. Just what you want to have when pt states he can't feel his legs. I was shaking my head.

Sorry for Abby, but her mom's death was a given even in the premiere. I predicted it would happen by the end of the March sweeps, but since the show was pre-empted for the Olympics that didn't happen. Bet money that Buck and Abby aren't end game.

Handcuff call was pure gold. And yes, it happens—more than you'd imagine, in fact. I have a story about that too, but I'll save it for another day, in perhaps a less family-friendly forum <g>.

[Zoe]

Oh hey, the dumpster guy was in Dr Quinn! (Also AHS Roanoke)

[candall]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

 I didn't understand if that brought full circle the homeless guy at the beginning of the episode who wound up in the garbage truck. Same guy? No? 

Same guy.  In spite of having a relatively decent place to sleep, he was more comfortable with the familiarity of the sidewalk. 

I think our theme tonight was "the comfort of the familiar."  The hoarder brother boarded up the window again.  Abby never paused a second ditching Buck and his grand gesture to go nurture her mother, even though she was quite far out in the countryside, and Mom had just been shown exhibiting mercurial behavior.  (Loving pat, furious slap, calm reading.)

The elevator people were brave and chose to make changes.

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

Yes. They said he had a cell phone because of a program that gives them out so they can keep contact with family, if they have any.

That didn't raise my eyebrows - there are a number of cell phone options for low/no-income folks. 

[gesundheit]

4 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

Yes. They said he had a cell phone because of a program that gives them out so they can keep contact with family, if they have any.

I know it's not entirely unusual to have phones for the homeless, but I'd like the name of that cell phone because apparently it stays charged for SO LONG!

[Irlandesa]

9 hours ago, Kemper said:

I don't despise Buck as much as I did at first; they have been using him a more sparingly and added a little humor.  I kind of like he and Abby as a short-term thing.  But I just love Peter Kraus and would never understand picking a Buck over him.   But I am way older than any of the actors.

I am about Abby's age and I love Peter Krause too but I absolutely could understand riding with a Buck over a Bobby.  Buck is young, looks like he likes to have fun, comes up with kick ass romantic dates (even though I'd be scared to death in a balloon, that balloon ride with flowers is a proposal-level kind of date).

And if I were Abby, who just spent years caring for her ailing mother, being with someone who wants to fly with me would be infinitely preferable than being with a man who is going to come with the baggage of killing 150 people plus his whole family.

That's my biggest fear with an Abby and Bobby relationship and would be even without Buck as an option.  It'd be yet another TV relationship likely centered around so much of his man pain.

8 hours ago, gesundheit said:

I missed the last few minutes of the episode -- did they ever give an explanation for why the homeless man happened to have a juiced-up cell phone in that dumpster? Was that not even an observed point of curiosity from any of the characters?

This has been explained but Bobby explained it while they were looking through the garbage truck for the man.

1 hour ago, gesundheit said:

I know it's not entirely unusual to have phones for the homeless, but I'd like the name of that cell phone because apparently it stays charged for SO LONG!

The name:  Flip phone, baby! Smart phones are the phones whose battery life goes pretty quickly.  Flip phones have a loooong battery life that can last between a couple of days and a week.  But probably even longer if a user turns it off in between use.

Edited March 16, 2018 by Irlandesa

[Emily Thrace]

8 hours ago, Aliconehead said:

I like this show but Abby’s story is a little close to home for me, as I am dealing with my father who has advanced Alzheimer’s. You grieve through the whole disease, each time they lose an ability or progress you grieve. I know I will be sad when he finally passes but I will also be relieve that he is no longer suffering. 

As a note, Alzheimer’s when diagnosed before 70 can be a long process but generally averages about 10 years from onset of symptoms until death, according to multiple experts I have spoken with. 

I seem to remember Abby's mom having a minor heart condition in a addition to the Dementia so that's probably the official cause of death. Especially since shes been agitated for several days that will aggravate a heart condition. I also seem to remember that heart issues are not uncommon for dementia patients since it can be caused by lack of blood flow to the brain and narrowing of blood vessels. Plus its tv, although I am surprised they killed her off this quickly. This show is starting to surprise me which is a very good sign.

I have to echo although Henrietta and Athena love. Most shows are scared to even have two black female regulars let alone let them be good friends.

[llewis823]

On 3/15/2018 at 4:59 AM, BooBear said:

enjoy this show doing relatively original stories. I mean they might be real life stories but I enjoy that they are looking for them and trying to use them.

I also like that they have a theme for each episode and it kind of teaches us that a theme like that can apply to MANY different situations. Trapped to the hoarder guy was a much different trapped than Athena. (LMAO at Hen enjoying the situation...comic genius right there - I'd have been exactly like Hen if one of my friends called me for something like that!)

19 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Quote

But why couldn't she FaceTime her moms and save that date?? Her and Buck are becoming very believable to me.

That's what I wondered too. I mean, I see how devoted she is to her mother but that whole balloon date must have cost Buck a pretty penny, and realistically it doesn't make any difference to Abby's mother whether she's there in person or over Skype/FaceTime. Either way she's not fully aware of what's going on. It was really more about Abby making herself feel better by doing "the right thing." I was kind of annoyed at Carla for calling her.

Exactly.

[vibeology]

16 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

With the hoarder crawling through that tunnel of old newspapers with a cigarette lighter for illumination it's a wonder the whole place didn't go up. But I guess they also didn't have the budget for a 3 alarm house fire. Come to think of it, we're 9 episodes in and the Engine crew hasn't responded to a single working fire yet.

I've kind of assumed that they're saving the big fire for the season finale. Still, you'd think by now we'd have a smaller kitchen fire or something.

I have to say I hated Buck in the first episode and I like him now. He's rolling with Abby's baggage and he barely got annoyed that the hundreds of dollars he spent on that hot air balloon went to waste. (Also, too much for a surprise. What if Abby hated heights?) He's not there yet but at least he's starting to grow up.

There is no way those hoarders would have been allowed back in that house. It would have been condemned. I've seen Hoarders.

[Chaos Theory]

Right now...especially right now if Abby and Bobby hooked up they would be a roller coaster ride of each other’s worst instincts.  One is a suicide  waiting for an excuse the other is a nurturing personality whose reason for living just died.   Yes maybe they would be hot as hell together but right now they have murder suicide written all over them.   For  better or worse Abby needs someone like Buck who is a rolling ball of uninhibited fun.  He may not be end game and he probably isn’t but at this point in time he is exactly what Abby needs. 

Edited March 16, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[iMonrey]

Am I a horrible person because I'm kind of relieved Abby's mother is gone? I just wasn't really enjoying that part of the story (and, she's not real, after all.)

[itsjustme]

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Am I a horrible person because I'm kind of relieved Abby's mother is gone? I just wasn't really enjoying that part of the story (and, she's not real, after all.)

I am bad too because I was  more worried the care taker  does not have a job now and she seemed nice.

Edited March 16, 2018 by itsjustme

[rhys]

Was the fellow who left the shelter and went to the outside bench to sleep the same one who was rescued from the trash truck? If so, great recovery from being smooshed.

[Moose135]

Yes, he was, @rhys

[SparklesBitch]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Am I a horrible person because I'm kind of relieved Abby's mother is gone? I just wasn't really enjoying that part of the story (and, she's not real, after all.)

Not horrible! I was thinking the same thing, mostly because Abby’s mom was making me think about my grandfather who died a few years ago after a long fight with dementia.....and ugh, it’s just so sad and frustrating all at once. 

[Chaos Theory]

The Abby and her mom story was a good introduction for Abby but it didn't really have the making for a long withstanding series arc.  Its more a good jumping point for a downward spiral for Abby.   Its also a good way for either Buck to decide if he really wants to be with her with all that entails or to back away now.     I may have a few issues with the show but I do like the way the main character are written as deeply flawed and yet also exceptionally heroic and having Abby be on her own downward spiral because of her mothers death would be an interesting storyline for season 2.  

[jhlipton]

That scene with Angela and Aisha (and the guy) was comedy GOLD!  My wife and I were HOWLING!!!  "I'll just leave the belt if you want to get kinky with the Taser."!

On 3/14/2018 at 7:01 PM, DoItToIt said:

Also loved Bobby's mature advice to Buck, i

There's a difference between "baggage" and having to be available every single minute to care for someone".  Good on Buck for stepping up, but I wouldn't have blamed him if he bailed.

On 3/15/2018 at 11:33 AM, gesundheit said:

I missed the last few minutes of the episode -- did they ever give an explanation for why the homeless man happened to have a juiced-up cell phone in that dumpster? Was that not even an observed point of curiosity from any of the characters?

As mentioned, it was a Lifeline phone.

On 3/15/2018 at 10:22 AM, iMonrey said:

I often think Alzheimers and other forms of dementia are more horrible than cancer and other physical ailments in many ways. If someone is lucid they at least understand what is happening to them. There's no way to get through to a person who isn't in full control of their faculties.

All dementia is not created equal.  My mom has dementia but not Alzheimer's, for which I am very grateful.  She's not as lucid as she's been but last Dec ember, she knew who everyone was and what was going on around her.

On 3/15/2018 at 1:49 PM, NJRadioGuy said:

Speaking of the elevator call, someone forgot to tell the writers that when elevators fail they almost always fail stuck since it's the application of power that removes the brakes. Also, how could the car go below the basement?

It didn't go below the basement; the basement was flooded. 

[thuganomics85]

I also thought that the hoarders story sounded vaguely familiar, so I'm not surprised it was based on a true event.  Chimney gets major points for working in a Die Hard reference in there, even if Buck didn't get it.  Poor Buck.  He doesn't know what there was a time when Bruce Willis was actually in good films and gave a damn about acting!

Athena getting handcuffed to her new beau and having to call Hen to help them out was great.  Even though it's only been a few episodes, Angela Basset and Aisha Hinds really have done a great job at making these two characters really feel like they're close friends, who can laugh with one another, sometimes talk tough if one is making a mistake, and always look out for each other.

Not surprised Abby's mom ended up dying.  Not sure what this will mean for her or her relationship with Buck.

[SmithW6079]

Anyone else laugh when Buck got bonked in the face with the bowling ball? Just me?

Poor Abby's mom. I've always liked Mariette Hartley.

On 3/16/2018 at 4:56 PM, itsjustme said:

I am bad too because I was  more worried the care taker  does not have a job now and she seemed nice.

The caretaker was a home health aide with an agency. She'll have a new assignment tomorrow. 

So Athena won't go away with a guy because she's not divorced yet, but she'll spend the night with him, having sex?

Sorry, but that mom who kicked her 18-year-old son out of the house with no skills to "let him grow up" was a bitch. 

Edited March 18, 2018 by SmithW6079

[CandyKat]

5 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Anyone else laugh when Buck got bonked in the face with the bowling ball? Just me?

Nope, I'm with you! 

 

Chim's Die Hard shout out got me too.  Awesome! 

[Poohbear617]

I agree with many of you about Abby feeling some relief ONLY at the thought of her mother's pain and confusion are now gone and she is a peace.  The grief is there, no one doubts this,but as some of you have said, you begin preparing for this after the first post diagnosis sign appears.  I wonder instead if the show will show her guilt? For myself, my sister and some friends of ours have experienced great guilt following the death of our loves ones...the ones who had long hard illness where we cared for them in our home with baths, hygiene, diapers, meds, etc, for months/years on end. The guilt comes when they pass on and you realize for lack of a better word 'you get your life back'. I can see Abby doing this, realizing she does not have too rush home after work, or can make plans for getaways and fun and then Crash/guilt.  People on this board are saying she deserves fun and a vacation , which she does, but then u think she can do this only because her mother is gone. Now her mom would of course want her to move on, but  I would be interested in seeing a depiction of it here. Grief as guilt.  I wish someone would have warned me.

[Clanstarling]

16 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

So Athena won't go away with a guy because she's not divorced yet, but she'll spend the night with him, having sex?

Sorry, but that mom who kicked her 18-year-old son out of the house with no skills to "let him grow up" was a bitch. 

My understanding from what she said was that she wasn't looking to be in a relationship before she's divorced, but was definitely down for sex. I think she might have even said she didn't want him to be her "rebound guy."

[jhlipton]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

My understanding from what she said was that she wasn't looking to be in a relationship before she's divorced, but was definitely down for sex. I think she might have even said she didn't want him to be her "rebound guy."

Indeed she did.

[Chaos Theory]

On 3/18/2018 at 7:49 PM, SmithW6079 said:

 

Sorry, but that mom who kicked her 18-year-old son out of the house with no skills to "let him grow up" was a bitch. 

 

Eventually you are going to have to let your kid sink or swim on his own.  That was their storyline.  I don’t think she was a bitch at all.  She got him an apartment and let him know she believed he could succeed but that he needed to succeed on his own.  I think in a way they were trapped together like they were in the elevator sinking together and the only way to both succeed was to let go.   Some times you have to let go.

Edited March 21, 2018 by Chaos Theory
auto edit IS a bitch though

[vibeology]

38 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Eventually you are going to have to let your kid sink or swim on his own.  That was their storyline.  I don’t think she was a notch at all.  She got him an apartment and let him know she believed he could succeed but that he needed to succeed on his own.  I think in a way they were trapped together like they were in the elevator sinking together and the only way to both succeed was to let go.   Some times you have to let go.

Agreed. I'm not willing to make a judgment of her based on the little we saw. She could have co-signed the lease and be covering some of his bills to get him started. She could be buying him a bed or helping him with his resume or hundreds of other things. What we saw were two people who fought when they were together and a young man who was way more capable than either realized before they were faced with a crisis. He's a smart, resourceful adult. He is capable of living on his own and that doesn't mean she won't be there for him in the ups and downs.

Or she could be an awful mother happy to be free of a financial burden. We just didn't get enough background to really know. But based on the hope on both their faces when she moved him into his new place, I tend to think it's something closer to the former.

[Ohwell]

I could understand it if the young man were 21, but 18 is kind of young to send someone out on his own.