S02.E03: Help is Not Coming

[Empress1]

Quote

The first responders continue to deal with the fallout of a massive earthquake and its deadly aftershocks. Athena tries to keep the peace as Bobby and team continue to rescue victims from a collapsing high-rise hotel, both under the rubble and high above the ground. Maddie's first day on the job involves helping a pregnant couple deliver their baby safely.

[Chaos Theory]

There is nothing more fun then when one of the actors from the show answers your tweet.  I  tweeted “you mean that during a 7.1 earthquake my cat isn’t top priority?” And the guy who plays Buck offered to rescue my cat. Now I have to get a cat.

 

Lovec the ending when Bobby went to see Athena and her husband invited him in to meet the fam.  

Edited October 2, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[starri]

35 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Lovec the ending when Bobby went to see Athena and her husband invited him in to meet the fam.  

If  only Athena would be gracious enough to extend his boyfriend the same.

[Chaos Theory]

6 minutes ago, starri said:

If  only Athena would be gracious enough to extend his boyfriend the same.

There is still a lot of hurt there so I understand.  He did cheat on her and he was the one to blow up the marriage in the first place.  Yet she is the one who is supposed to be “gracious”.  Maybe now that she isn’t alone she can be.  I think of “Grace and Frankie” when I see this relationship but at least that show outright said the words.  This one not as well.  He stole the high road.  If Athena's Husband had left her for another woman no one would expect her to be gracious.  She could be a harpy shrew and people would understand.  That being said I do think both are handling it as well as can be expected and I do like that they are allowing both to move on with their lives in a believable and meaningful way and yet the show is not forgetting how hurt Athena is by her husband’s secret.

[Empress1]

9 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

There is still a lot of hurt there so I understand.  He did cheat on her and he was the one to blow up the marriage in the first place.  Yet she is the one who is supposed to be “gracious”.  Maybe now that she isn’t alone she can be.  I think of “Grace and Frankie” when I see this relationship but at least that show outright said the words.  This one not as well.  He stole the high road.  If Athena's Husband had left her for another woman no one would expect her to be gracious.  She could be a harpy shrew and people would understand.  That being said I do think both are handling it as well as can be expected and I do like that they are allowing both to move on with their lives in a believable and meaningful way and yet the show is not forgetting how hurt Athena is by her husband’s secret.

I have family friends that split after 20+ years and three kids because the husband came out, and the wife was FURIOUS. (I don't think there was infidelity - I think he was just tired of being in the closet.) Athena's anger makes a lot of sense to me. I really like their co-parenting relationship, and really, it's happened pretty fast. It's only been a few months.

[Lady Calypso]

20 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

There is still a lot of hurt there so I understand.  He did cheat on her and he was the one to blow up the marriage in the first place.  Yet she is the one who is supposed to be “gracious”.  Maybe now that she isn’t alone she can be.  I think of “Grace and Frankie” when I see this relationship but at least that show outright said the words.  This one not as well.  He stole the high road.  If Athena's Husband had left her for another woman no one would expect her to be gracious.  She could be a harpy shrew and people would understand.  That being said I do think both are handling it as well as can be expected and I do like that they are allowing both to move on with their lives in a believable and meaningful way and yet the show is not forgetting how hurt Athena is by her husband’s secret.

It's definitely true that there is still a lot of hurt there and it makes sense for Athena to not be open to inviting his boyfriend over. I also think that Athena has been very closed off to the idea that Michael's boyfriend and him being gay, and that she also needs to work on that. So I'm definitely on both sides of the argument here. 

I liked the episode. I guess this was the conclusion to the earthquake arc. I liked the 9-1-1 centre stuff with Maddie more. I think it helps that we got to see her take charge a little bit more. 

The scenes with Athena's children and Michael were well done. I forgot all three were regulars now so it makes sense for them to get screentime.

Since I knew Henrietta was going to survive, her scenes weren't as tense, especially since I knew the girl and the dog from the last episode hadn't been saved yet. 

Buck and Eddie's stuff with Ali were well done. Since this girl got a lot of speaking time, I wonder if this isn't the last we'll see of her and if she'll be Buck's new love interest. I feel like they potentially are setting something up there. 

The ending was well done, with everyone going home to family or loved ones. 

[starri]

6 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

It's definitely true that there is still a lot of hurt there and it makes sense for Athena to not be open to inviting his boyfriend over. I also think that Athena has been very closed off to the idea that Michael's boyfriend and him being gay, and that she also needs to work on that. So I'm definitely on both sides of the argument here. 

I don't blame Athena for being hurt, whether Michael had left her for a woman or a man, and I don't blame her for wanting Michael to slow his roll when it comes to his new relationship and getting their kids involved.  But, while it's hard to judge the timeline (Abby's been gone for at least six months, it seems like), Michael's been with his guy longer than Athena's been with Bobby.  But it was two episodes ago that Michael was promising Athena that the boyfriend wouldn't be anywhere to be seen when he had them for the weekend, and here he's inviting Bobby in to eat food that he cooked.  Maybe we'll get some commentary on that, so I should wait.

It was otherwise a terrific episode.  Maddie won me over with the way she handled the call from the expectant father.  And I think we all wanted to cheer when Athena went after the price gouger.  Although what did she do with Marvin?

I was surprised Hen took the dog home.  I was thinking the little girl would take her.  Hope they get gluten-free dog food.

[Moose135]

33 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Buck and Eddie's stuff with Ali were well done. Since this girl got a lot of speaking time, I wonder if this isn't the last we'll see of her and if she'll be Buck's new love interest. I feel like they potentially are setting something up there. 

I was thinking the same thing about her.  Maybe they get involved and Abby returns and they deal with that issue.  Hopefully not in a soap-opera way, but it would be great to see Connie back, even for an episode or two

 

18 minutes ago, starri said:

I was surprised Hen took the dog home.  I was thinking the little girl would take her. 

Same here, but I'm glad it worked out that way.

[Hannah Lee]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

There is nothing more fun then when one of the actors from the show answers your tweet.  I  tweeted “you mean that during a 7.1 earthquake my cat isn’t top priority?” And the guy who plays Buck offered to rescue my cat. Now I have to get a cat.

 

Lovec the ending when Bobby went to see Athena and her husband invited him in to meet the fam.  

 

Very cool about the tweet CT! :)

 

I kind of loved the ending, because for those two characters it was a nice moment, and for Athena and her ex, it was progress too in them figuring out their new normal.

But...but...  what is it with Michael being so focused on getting the kids to meet whoever their parents are dating.  He was really pushing for that during the first season, even right after he had come out to her and they had separated.  Right after he started dated and started seeing one guy in particular, he was so-o-o eager to bring the guy around to hang out with his family.  And I remember ranting about it at the time, because letting your kids meet your new squeeze, who you may not wind up seeing in the long-term, isn't the greatest thing FOR THE KIDS (even if it makes dad feel all warm and fuzzy and makes logistics easier)   And now, he's pushing for Bobby to come in and hang with the kids.  Yes, we viewers know Athena and Bobby, and we know they seem to care for each other and really like each other, and we can hope they will stay together.  But the two of them also have a lot of emotional baggage, so who knows?    

 

Do we know how long it's been since they've started seeing each other?   If it's been a while, that makes a difference.  Plus I totally get the "we survived a giant freaking earthquake guys! - group hug time!!!" emotions that are probably flying around that night that would encourage them to take that big step on that day.     But it just seems like Michael is really incautious when it comes to how things might effect the emotional well-being of his kids (see also earlier in the episode when he was really mis-reading his kid's reactions to the quake and not being with Athena)

Edited October 2, 2018 by Hannah Lee
Thanks Empress for mentioning Michael's name...I had blanked on it :)

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

It's definitely true that there is still a lot of hurt there and it makes sense for Athena to not be open to inviting his boyfriend over. I also think that Athena has been very closed off to the idea that Michael's boyfriend and him being gay, and that she also needs to work on that. So I'm definitely on both sides of the argument here. 

I liked the episode. I guess this was the conclusion to the earthquake arc. I liked the 9-1-1 centre stuff with Maddie more. I think it helps that we got to see her take charge a little bit more. 

The scenes with Athena's children and Michael were well done. I forgot all three were regulars now so it makes sense for them to get screentime.

Since I knew Henrietta was going to survive, her scenes weren't as tense, especially since I knew the girl and the dog from the last episode hadn't been saved yet. 

Buck and Eddie's stuff with Ali were well done. Since this girl got a lot of speaking time, I wonder if this isn't the last we'll see of her and if she'll be Buck's new love interest. I feel like they potentially are setting something up there. 

The ending was well done, with everyone going home to family or loved ones. 

I thought so too. She patted his knee and I thought, we'll probably see her again.

Quote

Do we know how long it's been since they've started seeing each other?   If it's been a while, that makes a difference. 

Athena said last episode that she and Bobby had been seeing each other for "a few months."

Edited October 2, 2018 by Empress1

[HunterHunted]

22 minutes ago, Hannah Lee said:

But...but...  what is it with Michael being so focused on getting the kids to meet whoever their parents are dating.  He was really pushing for that during the first season, even right after he had come out to her and they had separated.  Right after he started dated and started seeing one guy in particular, he was so-o-o eager to bring the guy around to hang out with his family.  And I remember ranting about it at the time, because letting your kids meet your new squeeze, who you may not wind up seeing in the long-term, isn't the greatest thing FOR THE KIDS (even if it makes dad feel all warm and fuzzy and makes logistics easier)   And now, he's pushing for Bobby to come in and hang with the kids.  Yes, we viewers know Athena and Bobby, and we know they seem to care for each other and really like each other, and we can hope they will stay together.  But the two of them also have a lot of emotional baggage, so who knows?    

In Michael's situation, I always got the sense that he had been emotionally cheating with his boyfriend for a while and that their relationship had only turned sexual recently. But I admit that I might be mistaken. I think he's just really and maybe rightly resistant to "hide" his identity for any longer. He's got to be sick and tired of denying who he is after 30 or 40 years.

I also suspect that he's really insistent about having the kids meet their parents new partners to make it absolutely clear that mom and dad are NEVER getting back together. As separated spouses, Athena and Michael are really close and have a fantastic co-parenting relationship. He's always there. Their youngest kid is fairly young and might hold out hope that his parents are getting back together.

The show is so busy trying to paint Eddie as a good guy that they missed some really obvious plot holes in his story. I've never met anyone with a job that could make them absolutely essential in a disaster situation or a first responder who didn't have alternate caregivers identified. Eddie is a fire fighter, a single parent with a kid with cerebral palsy, and his kid is still at school? There isn't a neighbor or friend ID'd to at least check in on the kid or pick him up from school? He doesn't have a protocol set up with the school set up so that the kid isn't sitting at school for 6 hours after the school day until they have to call CPS? What if his ass had fucking died like that other fire fighter? It was some sloppy sloppy writing. That shit was hella stupid.

[Reality police]

3 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

There is nothing more fun then when one of the actors from the show answers your tweet.  I  tweeted “you mean that during a 7.1 earthquake my cat isn’t top priority?” And the guy who plays Buck offered to rescue my cat. Now I have to get a cat.

 

Lovec the ending when Bobby went to see Athena and her husband invited him in to meet the fam.  

Send him to my house. I have two cats. Love it!

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, Hannah Lee said:

And now, he's pushing for Bobby to come in and hang with the kids.

Maybe he's thinking "Hmmm, firefighter, I bet he's fit.  Maybe we can share him..."

OK, I'll show myself out.

 

29 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

The show is so busy trying to paint Eddie as a good guy that they missed some really obvious plot holes in his story. I've never met anyone with a job that could make them absolutely essential in a disaster situation or a first responder who didn't have alternate caregivers identified. Eddie is a fire fighter, a single parent with a kid with cerebral palsy, and his kid is still at school? There isn't a neighbor or friend ID'd to at least check in on the kid or pick him up from school? He doesn't have a protocol set up with the school set up so that the kid isn't sitting at school for 6 hours after the school day until they have to call CPS

I cut them some slack there.  I imagine he has done that, but the entire city just experienced a major disaster that has cause power and phone outages, cell reception that spotty at best, roads that are clogged with cars if they aren't destroyed, collapsed buildings, and just general mayhem.  He might have two or three alternates in case of emergency, and given the conditions, none of them may have been reachable.

[AgentRXS]

The conclusion  was a little too Hollywood perfect for me but I don't really mind.

I kind of thought it was a dick move of Athena's husband to insist Bobby come in and meet the kids, not knowing anything about their relationship, or if they are even ready for that. I feel like he is really trying to make sure she finds her happy again, but it is no longer his place to be concerned about that. What an awkward position to put Bobby in--if he stood firm in not going in, then he looks like an asshole who wants her but doesn't want anything to do with her kids.  That scene really annoyed me.

JLH is growing on me in this role--when she was handling the pregnancy call, she was actually believable as an ex-nurse turned dispatcher. I do find it funny how everyone has their shirt tucked in and buttoned up to the the top and she's got the loose buttons/ untucked shirt though.

I'm not religious anymore but I found the scene at the church was touching. I don't know how much that woman knows about the reason for the divorce between Athena and her husband, so I am going to fanwank that she knows about his homosexuality and doesn't let it define her relationship with him.

Good for Buck if he finds a new girlfriend, but is he going to continue to live in Abby's apartment or what? How will that work?

Edited October 3, 2018 by AgentRXS

[sempervivum]

I admit I only caught the end of this scene, so maybe I missed some extenuating detail. But: the only good thing about Athena bullying the price gouging convenience store guy into a 50% off 'sale' was that it probably prevented his store from a complete trashing. Sorry, but the earthquake happened just hours ago, I really doubt that any of the customers will die of starvation if they don't get their Doritos or Ding Dongs right now. 

[Moose135]

35 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Sorry, but the earthquake happened just hours ago, I really doubt that any of the customers will die of starvation if they don't get their Doritos or Ding Dongs right now. 

That's in line with real life, like when they say a hurricane may hit 300 miles from you next week, and there is a run on bottled water, milk, and bread.

[peacheslatour]

20 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

That's in line with real life, like when they say a hurricane may hit 300 miles from you next week, and there is a run on bottled water, milk, and bread.

And eggs. I guess nothing gets you through a natural disaster like French toast.

[tennisgurl]

Oh, no fair pulling a montage set to a classic David Bowie jam. They knew it would hit me right in the feels! I dont care how Hollywood it was, I loved the ending, with everyone getting home and moving forward after the earthquake. 

I feel like Buck and the blond woman he helped save will become a thing later on, especially after she put her hand on my leg. If Abby isnt coming back, I would be fine with that, she seemed like a cool person who would work well with Buck. Although, I guess he would have to move? 

I actually did like Maddi this week (I even learned her name!) taking charge of her calls more, and showing a lot of professionalism and kindness. Focusing on her more as a person and care giver and not just Bucks sister with the dramatic and tragic backstory did her a lot of favors. I loved the woman called because she didnt remember what the Milky Way looked like :) 

Maybe if your wife was knocked out in the middle of labor, you should lead with that? 

While it might be a bit forward of Michael to insist on Bobby coming in, but it seems like he suspected they had been seeing each other for awhile, and was trying to show Athena that he supported her moving on. They are all trying to get used to the new normal, and I think that was him reaching out. Maybe eventually they can get to a point where his boyfriend can come over, and they can all do the modern family thing over Thanksgiving. I also surprisingly liked the stuff with him and the kids. Normally having kids on shows like this can be hit or miss, but I mostly like Athena's kids. Maybe because last season they seemed to be handling the divorce better than the parents were. 

Lets give it up to the real hero of the story: Paisley!

[HunterHunted]

1 hour ago, Moose135 said:

I cut them some slack there.  I imagine he has done that, but the entire city just experienced a major disaster that has cause power and phone outages, cell reception that spotty at best, roads that are clogged with cars if they aren't destroyed, collapsed buildings, and just general mayhem.  He might have two or three alternates in case of emergency, and given the conditions, none of them may have been reachable.

That is kind of my point. He undoubtedly has those people in his life and Eddie and multiple other characters were given moments where they tried to call or text and couldn't get through because the cell reception was a mess. It's literally a single extra line to set up that he does have some people who help him with his kid from time to time. But the show was too wedded to showing that Eddie is "A GOOD GUY" that they accidentally left this detail in that makes him seem a bit irresponsible. It was bad writing.

If Eddie was a lawyer or accountant or even a nurse in a hospital, you could forgive the oversight. But Eddie was a combat medic who served 2 tours and then became a firefighter and we're led to believe that he has no help. Eddie has had jobs that put his life in danger for the entire duration of this child's life. It's terrible writing because they were trying to bombard the audience with Eddie's fundamental decency. It just ended up a little sloppy.

[SimoneS]

I still think this show is ridiculous, but damn if it isn't growing on me. Hen was my favorite part of the episode. Her face when she saw Paisley and the smile when she saw the little girl and told her she had been looking for her made my heart melt. I was complaining about why they didn't put in a light into the space they made for Hen, but when she came out with the girl on her back, I cheered. I am glad Paisley found a home with Hen and her family, but better rename her. Ha.

I also liked the story with Athena's ex and their kids. Teaching the kids to help others and appreciate what they have is a good thing. Her son was sweet with the young man with the intellectual disability. I also liked Athena and Bobby's scenes at the end. They really work as a couple. I thought it was cool that her ex invited Bobby in. I didn't know their background outside of that he came out and left her, but maybe he was thinking that if she could move on, she would be more accepting of him moving on.

I thought the final montage was great. Eddie running to his son and hugging him was so sweet. Awww, I can't wait to find out more about their back story.

I noticed Maddie's unbuttoned shirt that others pointed out. I like her. I think she is a good addition to the show.

I liked Ally, but if she and Buck get involved, that won't be the last time that he calls her "Abby." He is definitely not ready to move on.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Maybe if your wife was knocked out in the middle of labor, you should lead with that? 

I was like "Way to bury the damn lede, my dude!"

[iMonrey]

It seemed to me that Athena had plenty of opportunity to let her kids know she was OK. I don't know if they were trying to say cell phone service was down or busy but people were getting through to 911 so why couldn't a cop get through to her own family? She didn't seem that concerned about it either. 

I was just glad the dog was OK. 

[gesundheit]

Everyone's concern about the dog is why I come here.

[Lady Calypso]

5 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

That is kind of my point. He undoubtedly has those people in his life and Eddie and multiple other characters were given moments where they tried to call or text and couldn't get through because the cell reception was a mess. It's literally a single extra line to set up that he does have some people who help him with his kid from time to time. But the show was too wedded to showing that Eddie is "A GOOD GUY" that they accidentally left this detail in that makes him seem a bit irresponsible. It was bad writing.

If Eddie was a lawyer or accountant or even a nurse in a hospital, you could forgive the oversight. But Eddie was a combat medic who served 2 tours and then became a firefighter and we're led to believe that he has no help. Eddie has had jobs that put his life in danger for the entire duration of this child's life. It's terrible writing because they were trying to bombard the audience with Eddie's fundamental decency. It just ended up a little sloppy.

I think what Eddie did was fine, personally. The most helpful thing was that Eddie knew exactly where his son would be. He knew he was at school and, like Buck told him last episode, the school was a relatively safe place. There were plenty of people there to watch Christopher. It wasn't like Christopher was on his way home from school. Plus, Eddie was trapped in a building for hours. I doubt there was cell service, as evidenced by Hen unable to call anyone so she recorded her message to her family. Most of the cell service was knocked out and the calls had to be saved for 9-1-1 emergencies. They haven't developed Eddie a lot, but it's only the third episode and these two episodes have been dedicated to the earthquake while the first episode was barely setting up Eddie as a person (and he was very Gary Stu-ish in that first episode). 

Eddie and Maddie are both characters who have only just been introduced and some of their character development had to be put on pause for the earthquake stuff. So I do agree it was sloppy, but the whole thing with Christopher didn't upset me because they established that he was at school with plenty of people to watch over him. No adult was going to leave Christopher behind, so I didn't think it was irresponsible at all. Plus, he was in his own life or death situation so his main concern was getting out of the building first. 

Also...actually, upon rewatch, I didn't realize before that they didn't actually have service and they make it clear. At the end of the episode, after they're out, Buck's phone buzzes, he turns to Eddie to tell him that there's service again, and Eddie immediately gets out his phone to call his son. So clearly they did try at some point; they just chose not to add it to the dialogue, OR it's in a deleted scene. Perhaps he tried to reach one of his contacts for Christopher at that point. 

Sorry for my rambling; I am trying to gather my thoughts about this but I'm jumping back and forth as I rewatch the episode.

On another note, the guy that died with Hen looked a LOT like Peter Krause. 

[mojoween]

The Walking Dead fans always say “if Darryl dies we riot” and that’s how I felt about Hen.  Do not do that, Murphy.

I was also happy that Paisley gets to have all the gluten she wants.  I mean, sorry for her owner and her red high heels, but Paisely is going to a good home.

I thought Ally and Eddie had some chemistry and thought HE was going to end up with the girl.

If that poor kitchen worker actually didn’t have a spinal injury at first, I bet he did when he was slung through the elevator door.

[jhlipton]

15 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Buck and Eddie's stuff with Ali were well done. Since this girl got a lot of speaking time, I wonder if this isn't the last we'll see of her and if she'll be Buck's new love interest. I feel like they potentially are setting something up there.

Since sarcasm is my second language too, I wouldn't be upset with that.  But, yeah, he's definitely going to have to move.  Maddie can house-sit for Abby (until she surfaces again, at least) while Buck gets a place he can take Ali.

[Blackbird999999lol]

the ratings just keep dropping :(

Hopefully Connie will be back soon.

if not, I think Kerry Washington would be a good 911 dispatcher. Her emotional range is incredible.

If they really want to throw a washed up white 90's actress on the show then I prefer Sarah Michelle Gellar or Alyssa Milano over the current one. So many talented actresses to choose from.

[Chaos Theory]

19 hours ago, sempervivum said:

I admit I only caught the end of this scene, so maybe I missed some extenuating detail. But: the only good thing about Athena bullying the price gouging convenience store guy into a 50% off 'sale' was that it probably prevented his store from a complete trashing. Sorry, but the earthquake happened just hours ago, I really doubt that any of the customers will die of starvation if they don't get their Doritos or Ding Dongs right now. 

They were ready to riot in large part because he upped the price of water to $100.  And who knows how long power would be out?  Maybe they won’t die of starvation right now but once the lights go out and their is no power that extra water and Doritos maybe be the difference between a bad night and a good one.

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

They were ready to riot in large part because he upped the price of water to $100.  And who knows how long power would be out?  Maybe they won’t die of starvation right now but once the lights go out and their is no power that extra water and Doritos maybe be the difference between a bad night and a good one.

Right. People stock up before storms because power could go out and STAY out. If your power has been out for days or weeks and what you had in the fridge is gone or spoiled, room temp bottled water and Doritos will look pretty good.

[Hannah Lee]

16 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

On another note, the guy that died with Hen looked a LOT like Peter Krause. 

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that!  For the first part of their interaction, I was convinced they would rescue him and when he got out, there would be DRAMA about Bobby having a long lost brother or son from when he was a teen or something.    The actor's name is TJ Linnard (according to imdb) and there is a resemblance there even when the both aren't suited up in LAFD gear.

[iMonrey]

Quote

the ratings just keep dropping :(

It appears to be doing OK with a 1.5 in adults 18-49 and 6 million total household viewers. Not great but nothing to worry about either. 

Quote

On another note, the guy that died with Hen looked a LOT like Peter Krause. 

I noticed that too!

[kicotan]

On 10/2/2018 at 9:27 AM, AgentRXS said:

JLH is growing on me in this role--when she was handling the pregnancy call, she was actually believable as an ex-nurse turned dispatcher. I do find it funny how everyone has their shirt tucked in and buttoned up to the the top and she's got the loose buttons/ untucked shirt though.

Early on in her career, when she was buxom with a tiny waist-her wardrobe was a bit more revealing.

i think it’s sad that she’s relegated to black slacks and jackets, with most of her body hidden behind her desk, because now, after two kids and almost 40, she needs to cover up.

[mojito]

Quote

I kind of thought it was a dick move of Athena's husband to insist Bobby come in and meet the kids, not knowing anything about their relationship, or if they are even ready for that.

He said that the kids wanted to meet him; I thought that meant that Athena's secret wasn't all that secret.

I'm new to the show. I've been thinking for all the episodes that I've watched that I'd be happy if the show only focused on the 9-1-1 operator and her calls. Maybe even show her occasionally checking up on her callers later from afar.

[Blackbird999999lol]

10 hours ago, mojito said:

He said that the kids wanted to meet him; I thought that meant that Athena's secret wasn't all that secret.

I'm new to the show. I've been thinking for all the episodes that I've watched that I'd be happy if the show only focused on the 9-1-1 operator and her calls. Maybe even show her occasionally checking up on her callers later from afar.

you're talking about the original 911 operator (the redhead), right? She had emotional depth & really put her heart into the role. She's not in the show anymore :(

Edited October 4, 2018 by Blackbird999999lol

[Empress1]

12 hours ago, mojito said:

He said that the kids wanted to meet him; I thought that meant that Athena's secret wasn't all that secret.

I wondered if they talked about it with the kids after Athena told Michael about her relationship last episode, and after Athena and Bobby went public with it at work.

[mojito]

Quote

you're talking about the original 911 operator (the redhead), right? She had emotional depth & really put her heart into the role. She's not in the show anymore :(

Was talking about either one.

[UGAmp]

Thanks a lot 9-1-1 for making me care about a fictional character that got less than thirty seconds of screen time. You couldn’t wrap up all the stories with a bow and give me a three second clip of the boy at the church being reunited with his mom?! I was waiting for that moment in the montage. You let me down. 

This show was never at the top of my watch list on my dvr last season but I’ve really enjoyed this season’s start, especially the earthquake episodes. I don’t 100% buy Athena and Bobby together (yet) which makes me a little sad. I blame Peter Krause more though. I still see him as the dad from Parenthood and it’s easier to see him in that role than a badass firefighter. And he’s a little one note here. I’ll say this though... dude had some serious guns at the end of the episode. Not sure if wardrobe got him a smaller size shirt than usual or if he’s been hitting the gym but they. were. there! 

I wonder if the Ali girl who was rescued will end up being in a love triangle with Buck and the new guy. They were initially adversaries (in Buck’s eyes) who are now this dynamic rescuing duo and seemingly friends. It’d make sense to create tension between them again but I hope they don’t go down that path. She’s definitely ending up with one of ‘em.

I’m glad Hen lived. And rescued the little girl. We all saw it coming but I’m glad it happened.

[NJRadioGuy]

I'm ready to handwave a lot of the plot holes since we're focusing on the people, and recreating collapsed buildings for a TV show is expensive, but the bit with Hen being trapped was the weak point for me. Where was her man-down alarm (and that of the deceased firefighter, for that matter)? Wouldn't all her banging about with her Halligan made a big enough racket to get some attention?

GPS signals need a clear view of the sky and would be useless in an underground collapse. Radio signals work, and if her battery hasn't died (and the radio wasn't crushed--which it wasn't), then she would have been able to get a signal out. But with that said, real-world LAFD is on an 800 MHz conventional repeater system and the weak signal from firefighters' portable radios would not be able to reach the repeater receiver from 3 stories of underground rubble.

But like I said, I'll handwave that because it was a decent episode otherwise. Agreed on Ali being Numbnuts's new love interest (yech). I liked the actress' performance but would rather see her paired up with a better character.

Loved that they're focusing on actual--and plausible--dispatcher stories with Maddie. They're the unsung heroes of public safety, and it's good to see them represented along with the men and women on the rigs.

[Raja]

10 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

I'm ready to handwave a lot of the plot holes since we're focusing on the people, and recreating collapsed buildings for a TV show is expensive, but the bit with Hen being trapped was the weak point for me. Where was her man-down alarm (and that of the deceased firefighter, for that matter)? Wouldn't all her banging about with her Halligan made a big enough racket to get some attention?

GPS signals need a clear view of the sky and would be useless in an underground collapse. Radio signals work, and if her battery hasn't died (and the radio wasn't crushed--which it wasn't), then she would have been able to get a signal out. But with that said, real-world LAFD is on an 800 MHz conventional repeater system and the weak signal from firefighters' portable radios would not be able to reach the repeater receiver from 3 stories of underground rubble.

But like I said, I'll handwave that because it was a decent episode otherwise. Agreed on Ali being Numbnuts's new love interest (yech). I liked the actress' performance but would rather see her paired up with a better character.

Loved that they're focusing on actual--and plausible--dispatcher stories with Maddie. They're the unsung heroes of public safety, and it's good to see them represented along with the men and women on the rigs.

I think there was to much branding the show and its characters, she was with a dying firefighter but we only heard  the unanswered calls to Henrietta.

So far I think the show is a vast improvement over the one where the rookie steals a ladder truck to do a groupie in the street and keeps his job.

[NJRadioGuy]

16 minutes ago, Raja said:

I think there was to much branding the show and its characters, she was with a dying firefighter but we only heard  the unanswered calls to Henrietta.

Agreed. 221's men would be looking just as frantically, but since we only had 42 minutes to resolve everything I can forgive that, since we're seeing it from 118's perspective.

Quote

So far I think the show is a vast improvement over the one where the rookie steals a ladder truck to do a groupie in the street and keeps his job.

Agreed. It's no longer an insult to the fire service (coughcoughStation19cough) but still a long way from good. And I do like that the rescues are at least based on real-world calls. I like the new guy, and still hate Buck. He was a mistake from the git-go in my opinion, and the show would be better off if he were gone. Kill him off in a fire and use the grief/etc to reset the tone of 118. And please, show, decide if they're an engine company or a truck company. This sticks in my craw!

[PamelaMaeSnap]

On 10/2/2018 at 3:24 PM, Empress1 said:

I was like "Way to bury the damn lede, my dude!"

Spoken (and spelled) like a true journalist! 

[Clanstarling]

On 10/2/2018 at 9:27 AM, AgentRXS said:

I kind of thought it was a dick move of Athena's husband to insist Bobby come in and meet the kids, not knowing anything about their relationship, or if they are even ready for that. I feel like he is really trying to make sure she finds her happy again, but it is no longer his place to be concerned about that. What an awkward position to put Bobby in--if he stood firm in not going in, then he looks like an asshole who wants her but doesn't want anything to do with her kids.  That scene really annoyed me.

 

It didn't annoy me, but after reading the comments I realized that when my ex was happy I was dating again I was pissed off - because I think he thought he didn't have to feel guilty anymore. So I'm thinking his motives are mixed at this point. Mostly good, but also a tiny bit of relief.

On 10/2/2018 at 11:14 AM, HunterHunted said:

That is kind of my point. He undoubtedly has those people in his life and Eddie and multiple other characters were given moments where they tried to call or text and couldn't get through because the cell reception was a mess. It's literally a single extra line to set up that he does have some people who help him with his kid from time to time. But the show was too wedded to showing that Eddie is "A GOOD GUY" that they accidentally left this detail in that makes him seem a bit irresponsible. It was bad writing.

If Eddie was a lawyer or accountant or even a nurse in a hospital, you could forgive the oversight. But Eddie was a combat medic who served 2 tours and then became a firefighter and we're led to believe that he has no help. Eddie has had jobs that put his life in danger for the entire duration of this child's life. It's terrible writing because they were trying to bombard the audience with Eddie's fundamental decency. It just ended up a little sloppy.

And maybe that teacher IS one of the people in his life who serves as a backup. In general, it would seem logical to me that for times of disaster, in any case, the school would automatically become a place to hold and care for children, whether or not their parents are first responders. At least that's the way it's worked locally when we've had ice storms and parents couldn't get to the kids.

On 10/2/2018 at 12:36 PM, iMonrey said:

It seemed to me that Athena had plenty of opportunity to let her kids know she was OK. I don't know if they were trying to say cell phone service was down or busy but people were getting through to 911 so why couldn't a cop get through to her own family? She didn't seem that concerned about it either. 

I was just glad the dog was OK. 

Because in times of disaster, any first responder knows to keep the lines clear for emergency calls. And generally, they ask the public to do the same. But they get jammed because the public doesn't listen.

Edited October 8, 2018 by Clanstarling

[CandyKat]

Ok,  as a real life 911 police and fire dispatcher I was prepared to absolutely hate these first episodes and the new dispatcher.   I was not a fan of Connie Britton in the role and well Jennifer Love Hewitt.  But,  they did a good job.  Well not realistic but close enough that my eyes aren't permanently rolled back in my head.  Angela Bassett continues to rock as Athena and well JHL  didn't suck.   There I said it.   I'll continue to watch this season,  for now. 

[jhlipton]

On 10/9/2018 at 12:14 AM, CandyKat said:

Ok,  as a real life 911 police and fire dispatcher

Thank you SO much for the work you do!!!!

[Bridget]

On 10/8/2018 at 6:24 AM, Clanstarling said:

It didn't annoy me, but after reading the comments I realized that when my ex was happy I was dating again I was pissed off - because I think he thought he didn't have to feel guilty anymore. So I'm thinking his motives are mixed at this point. Mostly good, but also a tiny bit of relief.

And maybe that teacher IS one of the people in his life who serves as a backup. In general, it would seem logical to me that for times of disaster, in any case, the school would automatically become a place to hold and care for children, whether or not their parents are first responders. At least that's the way it's worked locally when we've had ice storms and parents couldn't get to the kids.

Because in times of disaster, any first responder knows to keep the lines clear for emergency calls. And generally, they ask the public to do the same. But they get jammed because the public doesn't listen.

You are 100% correct in your hypothesis.

I’m a teacher (I’ve taught both middle & high school) and I can assure every parent that there are plans & protocols in effect in the event of an emergency. We are all assigned to teams and have roles to play. (Sadly, there hasn’t been any training/practicing for those events, but I’l step off of my soapbox for now...)

I can 100% guarantee that no teacher or administrator would ever leave a child alone after school, whether there had been a disaster or not.

At a middle school, all of the teachers who teach the same grade are usually on “an unofficial team.”  When the parent(s) are late in picking up their kids from a field trip, every single teacher who went on the field trip stays on campus until the last kid gets picked up, despite the late hour or how long the drive home is.