With only three episodes left in 9-1-1 Season 9, the series is in an odd position, with many character storylines wrapped up and everyone more or less in a stable place.
That doesn’t sound like a bad thing, of course, but think about where we were in the story at this time last year.
Bobby had just been killed off, throwing every single character into uncharted territory and building up to an ending that was going to fundamentally change the show forever.
9-1-1 Season 8 was obviously a different kind of season, and no one expected or wanted this season to mirror that in any definable way.
As the season nears its end, personal storylines feel limited. Rather than introducing new long-term crises, the show opted for a more contained approach in 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 16.
Though there does seem to be a little twist brewing, which I’ll touch on later.
Since Chimney became captain, something he was reluctant to do, the series hasn’t done much with it.
Instead of diving into the very real issues that could arise from becoming the boss of people who’ve been your equals for many years, Chimney has still had moments of indecision and second-guessing, but for the most part, there hasn’t been a true emphasis on his transition.
That shifted when the 118 faced a crisis after an apartment fire spiraled out of control.
Episodes focused on a single emergency can be uneven. This one felt slow until the 118’s teamwork drove the episode forward.
The idea of citizens turning on the firefighters who’d just cleared the building and ensured no one lost their lives was, on paper, a very compelling story.
And it was super necessary to show all the many times the 118 was called out to the apartment building, ramping up the tenants’ frustrations and making it explicitly clear why they’d reached a boiling point.
We’ve all been there when a fire alarm goes off at an inopportune moment, and maybe the stress of the moment makes you forget about the very real implications of what could be happening.
For these tenants, they’d kept repeating a pattern of alarm, evacuation, and then getting the all clear, so not having any warning when an actual fire broke out was not only jarring but incredibly upsetting.
It was upsetting for the 118, as well.
The 118 did their due diligence each time they were called, never assuming false alarms and consistently following protocol.
Chimney has proven himself a competent captain all season, yet as the leader, he was blamed when things collapsed.
Interspersing the emergency with scenes of the 118 giving testimony was meant to amplify the drama, but it came across as awkward at times. If you happened to turn away from the television for a second, it would be very easy to get confused about what was currently happening.
It was fairly obvious that the powers that be in the LAFD were looking to pin something on Chimney, especially after the newbie Sam said Chimney punched the building manager, Roman, during the ensuing kerfuffle when the apartment building was actually on fire.
Let’s talk about Sam for a second.
Chimney brought him in to help out, but his whole attitude about him, including not telling anyone that Sam was coming, came across as odd, considering we’d just seen Chimney do everything within his power to make sure Buck had the best chance to keep his job on 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 15.
It’s not like he was actively trying to replace Buck, but his attitude was also very cavalier, to the point that he even dropped the dreaded “probably” about Buck coming back.
It was just a quirky little addition to the hour, seemingly included only so Chimney would be completely blindsided when Sam turned out to be the one lying about his name!
The inclusion of this story was so odd, especially his later visit to Chimney’s home (who gave him that address?) to apologize to Chimney for being a people-pleaser and saying he saw Chimney hit a man when he absolutely did not. What was the actual point of this?
He could have gotten Chimney in some serious trouble, and it was handwaved away because he saw a video of someone saying Chimney hit the man and decided to parrot it back because he thought that’s what someone wanted him to say and what must have happened. And Chimney forgave him.
Well, alrighty then!
Chimney was entirely too forgiving in this instance, because that was literally one of the oddest interactions I’ve ever seen, and such a poor excuse.
Even if the character was basically just the face of Buck’s fears about being replaced, there were so many other directions this could have gone that would have made a lot more sense within the scope of this hour.
Side note, Buck being right alongside the 118 looking into the fire and what happened that day, even though he wasn’t physically present, was such a nice touch. He’s 118 through and through, and his help was invaluable.
Anyway, as the hearing started to slip further and further away from Chimney, there was a moment where everything that had happened this season came into focus.
But I also couldn’t help thinking about everything that happened when Bobby was in charge. The 118 just has a lot going on in general, and even when there are issues, they are still some of the best firefighters and paramedics out there.
Something they proved when they solved the whole damn case by themselves.
Chimney taking everything on the chin was to be expected, but it was incredibly sad and disheartening to see him so defeated. He risked his own life to go after Roman, even carrying the man out of a burning building, and he was being persecuted like he was the devil incarnate.
Even with his team having his back, you could tell that he’s already accepted his fate for the most part. And he was reliving all the insecurities that had arisen when the job was thrust upon him in the first place.
After Hen met with Chimney, it was good to see everyone team up to get to the bottom of things, though this part still felt disjointed.
For starters, it was an information dump overload. This made the progression to the basement reveal feel more overwhelming than suspenseful.
It was just a lot to get us to the point of everyone congregating at dispatch and then getting us to that basement, where those poor people were being held prisoner.
I honestly did not see the story taking this kind of turn, and when the 118 opened that door in the basement to let all those people out, I audibly gasped. It was just incredibly sad, and such a dark turn. Those poor people.
The decision to give us the POV of the migrants and take us through all the moments, from their arrival at the building to their rescue, was the correct call. We could juxtapose everything we were seeing with much of what came before, thereby bringing greater cohesion to the story.
Roman stored these people in the basement, expecting to subject them to forced labor at the very least, but then never returned due to the various fire alarms and increased scrutiny of the building.
He left them down there to die, and they would have, had they not fought for themselves and eventually started that fire, which was the only way anything actually happened. And even after starting the fire, it took the 118, never letting anything rest, for them to actually emerge from that basement.
The payoff here works because we get to see every step of the ordeal, making the rescue feel earned rather than convenient. And it becomes about something far greater than just exonerating the 118.
Everything at the end was super rushed, though, and for a minute I thought they were just going to leave the hospital without even telling us what would happen next.
Then Detective Hooks showed up, and what is the deal with that guy?
He was super shady with Athena, and now he shows up here, ready to be as unhelpful as possible until the 118 actually tries to help these people, and then he makes that odd phone call.
It’s safe to assume whatever he’s involved in will affect everyone as we close out this season.
Tim Minear told me when asked about the end of the season, “You’re going to see some things that have been set up earlier in the season come together a little bit, and we’ve got some big surprises coming up, actually.”
If one of the things being set up is Detective Hooks trying to bring down Athena, and consequently the 118, that is not something I can say I’m looking forward to.
We head into the final two hours at a curious crossroads, and I’m eager to see how the series includes all the characters and lays the groundwork for next season.
Right now, everything feels a bit stagnant. But then again, we are coming off a string of very well-done hours, and while this one may have felt a little off at points, that shouldn’t necessarily be a harbinger of what’s to come.
Loose Ends
- Buck trying to repay everyone was a very Buck thing to do, as was his being a tad bit bratty at the end to Sam. I’m kind of surprised they didn’t drag out Buck’s return to the 118 a little longer, but then again, 9-1-1 does love a quick, easy wrap-up.
- Chimney playing princess and drinking tea was potentially the highlight of the hour.
- The concept of those fire chiefs believing Sam, who had been at the 118 for 3 minutes, and not the rest of the 118 when it came to Chimney’s character and what he did.
- Maddie and Hen tag-teaming Chimney is the kind of thing this show should have been doing for years.
- Everyone congregating at Eddie’s house and in his kitchen feels like a first. And I hope it’s the first of many!
A lot of feelings surrounding this one, and I’m sure you guys have a lot of thoughts!
Please feel free to leave all your comments below so we can discuss!
You can watch 9-1-1 on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.
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9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 16 Finds Everyone Teaming Up To Unravel a Complex Case
The 118 find themselves under fire with the department when a real-life apartment fire goes wrong on 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 16. Read our review right here!
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Athena has a case involving a mysterious poisoning, while Buck struggles in the aftermath of what happened to him on 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 15. Our review.
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