#blw reactions

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

This week’s episode marks the 100th episode for 9-1-1 and it is a total banger! I figured nothing could get better than Bobby and Athena trapped inside an upside-down cruise ship, but this week’s episode walked up to the bar and said, “hold my beer”. If you’re reading this, you know exactly why this episode is truly *that girl* and I promise you we’re gonna talk about those last 4 minutes and 23 seconds that had us collectively clutching our pearls, pillows, and pets and left us with nary a hair on our scalps. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover so let’s not waste another second. This reaction is for the season 7, fourth episode “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” which originally aired April 4, 2024. The episode was written by Andrew Meyers and Bradley Michael Marques and directed by actor turned directed Chad Lowe. Spoilers ahead!

“She has anthrax! Or glitter.” – Bachelor Producer, to everyone

We start things off at the Bachelor mansion where we see real-life runner up of season 20 of The Bachelorette and star of season 28 of The Bachelor, Joey Graziadei. I have never seen an episode of The Bachelor, but I have watched the first two seasons of VH1’s Flavor of Love so I’m quite familiar with the concept of a bunch of women competing for the affections of one man. The opening to this episode does a great job of parodying the hit ABC dating and relationship reality television series while also being respectful. After all, the show and it’s many spin-offs are beloved by many, including 9-1-1 viewers. 

We see a handful of hopeful contestants pull up to the mansion in limos, each of them providing a cheesy introduction very reminiscent of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Real Housewives. I love that two of the contestants are named Ashley because of course there would be two Ashleys cast in the same season of a show like this. My favorite contestant, however, is Ashley A., a flight attendant who looks like she just stepped out of the one-season wonder Pan Am starring Christina Ricci, a pre-Barbie Margot Robbie, and Mike Vogel. Now that I think about it, wasn’t Pam Am an ABC show?

The last contestant arrives with a bottle of glue and introduces herself as Conchata. Joey is all of us and asks her about her name because for those of you who haven’t seen the episode, this woman is the whitest shade of pale and is the last person I expect to have the name Conchata. The producers (played by Jamie Denbo and Rique) scramble behind the scenes trying to find out who this woman is because she is definitely not Conchata. The contestant comes clean about who she really is and introduces herself (again) as Bailey, an aesthetician from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She takes the bottle of glue and pours it all over the cobblestone driveway. She then lies flat on the driveway in attempt to glue herself to the surface. Our two producers attempt to remove her, but her skin has adhered to whatever glue she poured on the ground. 

Cue title card.

“I love dalmatians.” – Ashley C., Bachelor contestant, to Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz

Our favorite 911 dispatch, Maddie, gets a call from the season 5 bachelor and host of The Bachelor, Jesse Palmer. We learn Maddie and Josh (played by Bryan Safi) are uber fans of the show and I cracked up when Josh commandeered the phone call and started grilling Jesse about the new bachelor. Maddie deploys the 118 to the Bachelor mansion and it’s heavily insinuated the location of this particular emergency is outside of the area the department usually responds to. Way to keep it professional, you guys!

The 118 arrive on the scene and Chimney and Hen attend to Bailey (played by Sarah Fletcher). Chimney sees Joey and he is awestruck. I can totally see he and Maddie piling up on the living room sofa after they’ve put Jee-Yun to bed to watch The Bachelor. There’s a funny moment where the other contestants flirt heavily with Eddie and Buck. Eddie tells them he’s taken but points to Buck and says that he is single. Buck tells them he has a rule about not dating people he meets on calls which is hilarious considering he nearly got fired in the first episode of the series for taking one of the firetrucks to a booty call with a woman he saved. 

Eddie and Buck breakout the jackhammer to cut away the piece of driveway Bailey is stuck to so she can be transported to the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, Chimney answers a FaceTime call from Maddie and Josh who want to know the identity of the latest bachelor. Chimney flips the camera around and tries to be sneaky about filming Joey, but he gets caught. He ducks behind the limo Bailey pulled up in and sees another woman passed out in the backseat. We learn this is the real Conchata and she has been chloroformed by Bailey. Speaking of Bailey, as she is loaded into the ambulance, she yells for Joey to visit her in prison. Yeah, I don’t think Joey Graziadei is going to be visiting you, Bailey.

“That night was the most fun I’ve had since getting struck by lightning.” – Evan Buckley, to Tommy Kinard

We next head over to Air Operations One which I’ve learned is a part of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Tommy Kinard (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.), our former 118 firefighter turned helicopter pilot, is giving Buck a tour of the unit. I got so excited seeing these two share a scene together because it’s no secret that Buck is my favorite character on the show, and I really like how they’re brought Tommy back into the show this season. Buck is in awe of everything Tommy’s telling him, but the latter believes he has ulterior motives for being there. He asks if Buck is thinking about changing career paths. Buck tells him that he really got a thrill flying in the middle of a hurricane to save Bobby and Athena. It’s the most fun he’s had since getting struck by lightning. 

Buck asks Tommy what got him into flying. Tommy tells him that he used to be a pilot in the Army. Buck lights up and tells Tommy that Eddie was in the Army, too. Tommy already knows this. Buck then tells Tommy that he met his ex (Taylor) responding to a helicopter crash and then realizes in that moment that maybe that was a sign of things to come. Tommy agrees that saving someone’s life and dating them never turns out the way you want it to. Upon second (and third) viewing of this episode, I find it interesting how the both of them are ambiguous about the genders of the people they are speaking about. Buck could’ve mentioned Taylor by name, but he chose to just say ex instead. Now back to the topic at hand, Buck says he isn’t sure if he’d want to leave where he is now to pursue being a pilot and Tommy assures him he can do both which seems to be the thesis of this episode. Tommy offers to teach Buck how to fly for fun. Buck offers to buy him a beer and Tommy says he’d love that. Again, how did I not pick up on the subtle flirtation the first time I saw this episode. These two’s chemistry is off the charts. 

However, our little meet cute is cut short when Eddie arrives. Eddie is surprised to see Buck there and asks Tommy if he got three tickets to the fight. Tommy says ‘no’ but he wishes he did. Here’s another thing I really liked about this scene. I’m sure, by now, Tommy knows that Buck goes by Buck but each time he addresses Buck he calls him ‘Evan’. I’ve always equated the characters on this show who refer to him as ‘Evan’ as having more of an intimate connection with him, i.e., Maddie his sister or Eddie his best friend. Anywho, Buck is surprised to learn that Tommy and Eddie have tickets to a big fight in Vegas and they’re taking one of the helicopters there. Now I have a question. If Buck wasn’t allowed to drive the firetruck to his hookups back in season one, how is Tommy flying to Vegas with Eddie in one of the LAFD choppers okay? Also, I didn’t know helicopters could fly that great of a distance. Anyway, Tommy and Eddie leave to board the helicopter and our poor Buck is left behind feeling both a little confused and a lot jealous.

“It is so good to have you back.” – Athena Grant, to Harry Grant

Speaking of surprises, Athena does not sleep with her hair wrapped. No shade, but no Black woman I know is going to lay her head down at night without doing something to protect her hair. Okay, I’m gonna leave Athena alone because she is thrilled to have her son back home. Yes, you read that right. Harry Grant is back home but he looks a bit different. The character is now aged up played by a new actor – Elijah M. Cooper. Now, in case you forgot, Harry went to live with his dad in Florida back in season five and we really haven’t seen him since then. When Athena says she can’t believe Michael didn’t say anything about Harry coming to visit. Harry tells her his dad has been really busy and had to fly back to Haiti. Bobby is immediately suspicious of this because he figures that Michael would’ve called about something like this. Athena doesn’t seem to concerned about any of this and is basically just happy to have her youngest back under her roof. 

“I saved a baby in a pipe once although it was a preemie and it didn’t speak.” – Evan Buckley, to everyone

Meanwhile, Buck, Eddie, and Ravi (played by Anirudh Pisharody) respond to an emergency at a restaurant where the dishwasher (played by Jibre Hordges) claims he hears a voice coming from inside the sink. Ravi doesn’t think it’s possible that someone could be trapped inside a drain but Buck reminds him of the time he pulled a newborn out of a sewer pipe. The firefighters do finally hear someone yelling for help and the restaurant manager (played by Cesili Williams) shows them footage of a motorcyclist being struck by a car and knocked into a storm drain. 

Buck, Eddie, and Ravi head outside and Ravi, being the newest member of the 118, is lowered down into a manhole to extract the poor guy. During this time, Buck grills Eddie about his outing with Tommy. He learns that in addition to going to Vegas, Tommy is also teaching Eddie the Muay Thai style of boxing and they’ve even worked on Eddie’s Chevelle together. Buck does his best to hide his jealously, but he can’t help pressing his best friend for more details. He asks Eddie when he plans on seeing Tommy again. Eddie tells him that Tommy has this karaoke/trivia thing he does on Wednesdays and asks Buck what his plans are for that day. Buck perks up and says his schedule is wide open. Eddie asks if he would watch Christopher for him. He would ask Marisol, but she’s already watched Christopher twice already. Yikes! So, a lot to unpack here. First, is Eddie using his girlfriend as childcare? Second, does this mean Buck’s level of importance to Eddie has decreased now that Tommy and Marisol are in the picture. Lastly, is Eddie really that oblivious? I get wanting to have a new friend, especially one who you have a lot in common with, but he knows Buck, or rather he should know Buck, and him saying these things, even though Buck technically asked him for this information, is hurtful for Buck to here. This, I’ve noticed, is a continuing trend of certain characters getting upset whenever Buck does something wrong, but having little to no regard when it comes to his feelings. This isn’t the first time Eddie has done something like this and I have to believe that he really is oblivious because the alternative means that he’s doing these things because he’s trying to get his friend all riled up. Of course, Buck agrees to watch Christopher because of course he’s going to watch Christopher. 

“Is it circled with a heart around it?” – Maddie Buckley, to Evan Buckley. 

A few days later, Buck updates Maddie on Eddie’s new friendship with Tommy. Buck is so jealous of the new friendship that he’s gathering intel from Christopher. Although Buck is being a little bit extra about all of this, a part of me can relate to the emotions he’s feeling. He worries that Tommy has made such an impression on not only Eddie but Christopher in such a short period of time. What I find fascinating is that while Buck is jealous, he harbors no ill-will towards Tommy.  In fact, he agrees with Eddie and Christopher. Tommy is cool. Buck tells his sister that Christopher would not stop talking about Tommy. Maddie wonders if it’s because Buck kept asking him questions about Tommy. Buck mentions that Eddie has a date written down on his calendar and it’s for a weekly pick-up basketball game with Tommy and other first responders. The date is circled. Buck mentions that Eddie has asked him to this before. Maddie reminds Buck that he doesn’t like basketball and he agrees and says that’s why he always tells Eddie ‘no’ but now Eddie is going with Tommy. Chimney hears the tail-end of their conversation and tells Maddie that Tommy flew Eddie to Vegas for a fight in a chopper. Chimney teases Buck by saying that Tommy’s so cool. 

“We have a problem.” – Bobby Nash, to Athena Grant

Back over at the Grant-Nash household, Bobby tells Athena he talked to Michael. Michael is not in Haiti, and he also had no clue Harry had left and come to Los Angeles which means Harry lied to the both of them. Athena wonders why Harry would lie, and Bobby says it’s because the police is looking for him. They showed up to Michael’s house while he was on the phone with Bobby. Bobby tells his wife that Harry got into a fight and assaulted someone. There’s now a warrant out for his arrest due to him fleeing the jurisdiction. Yikes! Poor Athena. You think you know your kids.

“That’s Jeremy. That’s my son, he’s a doctor.” – Dorothy Nelson, to Athena Grant

Maddie receives a call from an older woman named Dorothy Nelson who is reporting an intruder in her home. Maddie instructs her to stay calm and tells her to find a place to hide until the police get there. The woman panics and tells Maddie she has a gun. Maddie tells her that arming herself can only make the situation she’s in more dangerous. Dorothy starts screaming and then we hear a gunshot. 

Athena, Hen, and Chimney arrive on the scene and find a man dead in the Dorothy’s living room. Chimney tends to her and learns she recently sustained a fall in her garden. Athena looks around the room and sees a photo on the mantle above the fireplace. She realizes the man in the photo looks an awful lot like the dead man on the floor. Hen posits Dorothy has face blindness which means she wouldn’t have been able to recognize the guy even if she does know him. This emergency reminds me of a similar one on Lone Star where a kid locked himself in the bathroom because his dad thought he was an intruder.

Athena goes over to Dorothy (played by Meagen Fay) and asks her if she recognizes the man in the photo. She tells Athena that the man in the photo is her son, Jeremy, and he’s a doctor. So, this lady has killed her own son, and the sad part is, she still thinks that it’s an intruder she shot. This is beyond sad, and I felt so bad for her. I also feel bad for Athena who will have to be the one to tell her the truth. Hen asks her if she can imagine looking into her own child’s face and not even recognizing him. Athena says yes she can.

“That’s how they wake you up in jail for sleeping in. Except the water won’t be clean and it probably won’t be water.” Athena Grant, to Harry Grant

Athena returns home and confronts her son. I did not like the way Harry was talking to his mom and I was wondering why Athena didn’t slap him across his lips. Then I realized, she already did this back in season 5 when Harry started mouthing off at her. Athena is extremely patient in this scene while Harry tells her about the incident involving him assaulting a man. The man, in question, is the manager of a convenience store. Apparently this man was following Harry around while he was inside the convenience store and accused Harry of stealing. The man wouldn’t let Harry leave and got aggressive with him which is why Harry hit him. Harry is upset because he believes she is taking law enforcement’s side over his much like he thinks she did when his father was pulled over several seasons ago. Athena reminds him she is a cop, and he counters by reminding her that he is still his mom. He asks her which one is more important to her but says he already knows the answer to that question. 

“Hey, what are you doing on Thursday?” – Evan Buckley, to Howard "Chimney" Han

Over at the 118, Buck is trying his best to get Eddie’s attention, but the latter is too wrapped up in his phone call with Tommy. Buck tries to impress by bench-pressing a lot of weight but he’s clearly struggling with isn’t too believable for me because have you seen Buck? The guy is a tank! Ravi asks him if he needs help and Buck declines. I wish Buck wasn’t so short-sighted because as much as he wants Eddie and Tommy to notice him, I think Ravi wants Buck to notice him. For him, I think, Buck is the cool one. Chimney brings Buck a package addressed to an M. Buckley which I found funny because either Buck doesn’t have his own Amazon Prime account or maybe he shares one with Eddie and didn’t want his friend knowing what he’s ordering. Turns out, the item Buck has ordered is a new basketball. When Buck sees Eddie again, he suggests that they can get a basketball hoop. Eddie barely acknowledges this before returning to his conversation. Yeah, I’m beginning to think Eddie is doing this on purpose. 

“He was shot when he was mistaken as an intruder.” – Athena Grant, to Dorothy Nelson

Athena puts her cutest outfit and goes to see Dorothy Nelson at the hospital. She rips off the Band-Aid and tells Dorothy her son is dead. When Dorothy asks what happens, Athena tells her that he was killed because he was mistaken as an intruder. I like how Athena delivered this news because it wasn’t accusatory. She lets Dorothy figure out the rest and the moment it dawns on her that she is the one who killed Jeremy she is rightfully devastated. Kudos to the actress playing Dorothy Nelson because she really sold this scene for me. This is the most devasting thing I’ve seen on this show since the story back in season 5 where two best friends were struck during the middle of a parade and one of them died. The scene ends and I’m left wondering what will become of this woman. I can’t imagine the pain she’ll have to live with knowing she killed her son. 

“So, I’m your basketball beard. I feel so bonded.” – Howard “Chimney” Han, to Evan Buckley

Buck convinces Chimney to go with him to the pick-up basketball game. Buck pretends to be surprised to see Eddie and Tommy there. Eddie asks Chimney how he managed to talk Buck into playing basketball because every time he asks him, he says ‘no’. Chimney decides to play coy and tells Eddie he has his ways. I love seeing Chimney being supportive of Buck because very soon they are going to be brothers-in-law. The two square off against Eddie and Tommy and the latter are dominating. Buck lets his jealousy get the better of him and trips Eddie up right as he’s about to make a lay-up. We hear something pop as Eddie falls to the ground. Chimney goes into paramedic mode and assesses Eddie’s injury. He thinks Eddie may have a fracture or sprain. Tommy says that Eddie rode with him, so he’ll be the one to take him to urgent care. Eddie gives Buck a hurt look and Buck immediately feels horrible. Tommy lifts Eddie up and takes him away. Chimney looks at Buck and says, “Well you bucked that up, didn’t you?” Geez, I really feel bad for Buck. He is spiraling!

“It seems unjust, but in reality that’s just the way it is.” – Athena Grant, to Harry Grant

With a cooler head, Athena decides to talk to her son. He apologizes for how he spoke to her. He tells her he is not sorry for hitting the convenience store manager. Athena reminds him that he is not only representing himself and their family, but also his community, which means he can’t go around punching people. He tells her that’s a lot of pressure, but she says that’s the reality of the world they live in. She tells him has to be smarter and he asks her if that means he’s not allowed to be angry. Athena tells him it’s okay to be angry because at the end of the day, he’s a human and that’s what humans do – they get angry when they are upset. However, she reminds him that things could have been worst for him. What if the convenience store manager had a gun? Harry asks her what would have been the right thing for him to do in the situation and I like that Athena admits she doesn’t know. At the end of the day, you have to do whatever you have to do to make it home alive. That’s sentiment is so sad to me but as a Black man living in America, in the South to be specific, I totally get it. It’s not fair but it is what it is. 

Athena shows him the footage of what happened at the convenience store. Harry watches as the manager confronts him and even gets aggressive. He also sees himself punch the man. It’s sobering for him to see this video. He says it’s like watching someone else. Athena tells him that everyone has something they’ve done that they aren’t proud of (you hear that Buck?) but the true test of character is being able to face the consequences of one’s actions. Harry tells her he doesn’t know what to do and she tells him they’ll figure it out together. Whatever happens, she will be right there with him because he is her son, and she loves him no matter what.

“I’m not a fourteen-year-old girl.” – Evan Buckley, to Maddie Buckley. 

Buck brings Maddie lunch at the dispatch center and catches her up on what happened with Eddie.  She asks Buck how Eddie is feeling, and he tells her he doesn’t know because he hasn’t talked to him. Maddie is surprised to hear this considering Buck and Eddie are so close. Buck tells her he doesn’t think Eddie wants to hear from him since he’s the one who hurt him. Maddie says it’s an accident, but Buck tells her he was pissed about Eddie and Tommy hanging out so much that he allowed his jealousy to get the better of him. He’s the reason why Eddie got injured. Buck says he was only trying to get his attention. Maddie tells him that is not the way to get someone’s attention. When I first watched this scene, I thought Maddie was going a little overboard with her disapproval of what Buck did. Then I realized, violence is how her husband Doug would get her attention back when they were married. Buck tells her he feels awful for what he did to Eddie, and she tells him not to do it again. 

She admits she knows how he feels because she had a similar situation with her best friend growing up. Her friend became friends with another girl and Maddie did everything she could, including dyeing her hair blonde and attempting to change her name, to get her friend to notice her. It never occurred to her that she could have still been friends with her friend even if her friend was friends with someone else. Maybe they could have all been friends. But Maddie was too jealous to realize this. The situation made her look desperate, and she would’ve been better off just explaining to her friend how she felt. 

“It’s good to see you Harry.” – Captain Elaine Maynard, to Harry Grant

Athena accompanies Harry to the police station, and they are met by Captain Elaine Maynard (played by Claudia Christian). The captain tells Athena and Harry she spoke with the Miami Dade Police Department, and they have no interest in extraditing for a misdemeanor assault. However, both jurisdictions recommended Harry remain in Los Angeles with Athena and complete 100 hours of community service. Harry is surprised he isn’t going to jail but Athena makes it known that him being under her watchful eye will be worse. 

“It’s not like I could ever replace you.” – Tommy Kinard, to Evan Buckley

Now, we’ve finally made it to my favorite scene of the episode. We head over to Buck’s loft. There’s a knock at the door and when he goes to check, he finds Tommy on his doorstep. Tommy asks if they can talk, and Buck invites himself inside. I love the subtle detail of Tommy being in awe of Buck’s loft. Buck offers him a drink and reminds him that he owes him a beer. Tommy declines and says he won’t be staying long. He tells Buck he wants to clear the air between the two of them and he didn’t want to do so over the phone or through a text message. Tommy calls him Evan and says it was never his intention to cause any bad blood between him and Eddie. Buck assures him there’s no bad blood and owns up to his bad behavior. He tells him that he and Eddie make perfect sense as friends. Tommy agrees and reminds Buck that Eddie can have more than one friend. 

Tommy says that he would never be able to replace him. He says that Christopher cannot shut up about Buck. I love the smile on Buck’s face when Tommy says this because it’s a reminder that Buck, seven seasons later, still craves the approval and the acceptance of those around him. Even Christopher. Buck asks Tommy if Eddie is mad at him. Tommy tells him Eddie is not mad at him. If anything, he feels bad (they both do) for excluding Buck. He tells Buck that he and Eddie hanging out was never about Buck, but Buck says that’s the problem. He admits he can get pretty jealous. I’m so proud of Buck for just owning everything in this scene. Lisa Rinna would be proud. 

Tommy admits that Buck isn’t the only one who’s been jealous. Buck is surprised to hear this. Tommy explains that he’s jealous of what’s become of the 118. When we were first introduced to Tommy, it was back during the ‘Begin’ episodes for Hen, Chimney, and Bobby. The 118 didn’t use to be the family it is now. In fact, the previous captain went out of his way to cultivate a highly toxic environment and it’s because of Chimney, Hen, and Bobby that the team is what it is today. It’s the reason why Buck and Eddie and Ravi were able to be accepted right away without having to be hazed by the other firefighters. Tommy admits he wishes he were a part of what the 118 has become and Buck reminds him that he is. He reminds Tommy of how he made fake mouth static at the fire chief during their daring mission to save Bobby and Athena. Tommy says he’s renowned for his fake mouth static, but Buck says it wasn’t very convincing. The banter between these two men is so cute I could actually explode. Buck tempers his teasing by reminding Tommy that he was willing to put his job on the line to help the rest of them out. That was the moment Buck realized that Tommy was cool and that he liked him. He tells Tommy that’s the reason he called him for the tour. It’s not because he’s thinking about leaving the 118; it’s because he wanted to get to know him. It’s Tommy’s turn to be surprised. Buck says things took a turn when Eddie arrive, but he understands why Tommy wants to hang with Eddie. It was so cute the way Buck gushes about how great Eddie is that he’s known Eddie is great since the first day he worked with him. Aww! At this point, I’m literally yelling at my TV.

“That was better than fake mouth static.” – Evan Buckley, to Tommy Kinard

The flirting is turned up to level 100 when Buck tells Tommy it’s his attention he’s been trying to get and frankly he’s exhausted. Again, Tommy is surprised to hear this. Buck reminds him that he maimed his best friend, and that Maddie told him there are better ways to get someone’s attention. Before Buck can even finish the statement, Tommy leans in and kisses him. There’s a brief hesitation in Buck, most likely because he is shocked, the Buck starts to kiss him back. This moment was beyond shocking to me and even now, three days later, I still have to watch the clip to remind myself that Tommy kissed Buck and Buck definitely kissed him back. I spent years thinking something like this would never happen and I’ve gone back and forth with Buddie shippers online telling them that Buck or Eddie coming out as anything other than straight was an impossibility. Yeah, maybe that was the case when 9-1-1 was on FOX but this is a new network baby and ABC said, let them boys kiss! And yes, it’s not Eddie and Buck that are kissing but in my opinion, this is an even better direction for the characters to go in. I’ve always believed that if either character were to come out as queer, it would be Buck. We’ve only seen Buck in relationships with women, but he’s always struck me as someone who is open to whatever experiences come his way. Perhaps this explains why he's always had difficulty in the relationships he’s pursued on the show. Eddie, on the other hand, is a lot more reserved than Buck and the writers are going to have to put in work to convince me he is anything other than a heterosexual man. I’m not saying it’s out the realm of possibility, but I think the writers did a good job getting us where we are now, and they’ll need to do the same for Eddie in the future should that be the direction they want to go in for that character. Also. bringing Tommy into the equation is a brilliant move on their part because rewatching those ‘Begin’ episodes, there are insinuations there that he may be gay or bisexual. 

Okay, back to the scene. The way Tommy is looking at Buck gives me all the feels. The way he’s looking at Buck tells me that if he didn’t have to leave for his shift, they would be going at it on Buck’s new sofa. I’m so happy this isn’t just a one-sided interest. After the kiss, Tommy asks Buck if he’s okay with the moment they just shared. Buck is looking every bit of the bewildered that’s a part of the title of this episode. He tells Tommy that the kiss was better than his fake mouth static. Tommy tells him he has a shift, but he wants to take Buck out on a proper date. Buck tells him he’s free and man is that statement layered. Free to go out. Free to be who he wants to be. Free to kiss anyone he wants to kiss. Tommy tells Buck he will come around on Saturday at eight to pick him up. Tommy goes to leave but before opens the door, he tells Buck to call Eddie. We end the scene with Buck looking the happiest he’s looked in a long time. 

This episode is hands down one of the best of the series and that’s just not recency bias. I feel that way about all the episodes we’ve gotten this season. 9-1-1 is firing on all cylinders at this point and things feel fresh and new again. The plot with Athena and Harry was perplexing at first but then I grew to like it by the end. I like that the show reminds us that Athena being a Black woman and a cop is controversial, especially in today’s climate, and I like that her kids aren’t afraid to call her out. I love seeing Athena reckon with both identities and how they relate to each other. I especially loved her conversation with Harry because it’s very reminiscent of conversations I’ve had with my own mom. Her telling Harry that it’s unfair that he has to always be on his best behavior but necessary rang so true to me. Athena has always known this, even before she had kids, yet she chooses to continue to work within a system that reinforces this kind of thinking. 

The storyline with Buck was also fun. It was a nice balance to the sadness of the story with the woman killing her son on accident. I like how Buck is never afraid to be vulnerable, even if it’s to his detriment. I hope we get a conversation between him and Eddie next episode because I love their friendship and I don’t want it to ever change, and something tells me Buck is going to lean heavy on his friendship with Eddie now that he might be dating Tommy. And I hope that Eddie continues to be supportive of his friend when he finds out the truth about his sexuality. I don’t think Eddie would have a problem with it. After all, Hen is an out and proud lesbian, and we also have Josh who is gay. I do know that some people do question the legitimacy of bisexual people but again, I don’t think Eddie will have a problem with whatever Buck labels himself as. Maybe we’ll even get a double date between Eddie, Marisol, Buck, and Tommy. That would be fun.

Lastly, I wanted to talk about Buck and Tommy. I think the show did a great job getting us to the moment where they shared a kiss this episode. As I mentioned earlier, I have seen this episode quite a few times and I’ve watched the scenes involving Buck and Tommy more than that. If you watch the scene where Buck is visiting Tommy, there’s so many little looks the two are giving each other. I think at that point that Buck is only infatuated but Tommy is clearly interested. Also, if you go back to the previous episode, at the end once everyone has been rescued, there’s a look Buck gives when he is telling Tommy goodbye. I love things like that and it’s proof to me that this isn’t just gaybaiting or queerbaiting. This is the show telling us that one of their beloved characters is queer and they have taken special care with letting us know that. I love how Oliver Stark and Lou Ferrigno Jr. are invested in this story. In fact, the cast is supportive of Buck going in this direction. I’m so happy that the fans have this moment. It’s been so fun engaging with people online about this episode and while there are viewers who have and will balk at Buck being a queer character, I say screw those people. If a character’s sexuality can make you that upset, you clearly haven’t been watching the show and you’re not a fan.

Okay, this reaction has gone on way too long. I’ll say it one last time. I’m so happy Buck is bi!!!! I can’t wait to see what happens next! Until next time …

#abc 911 #911 abc #evan buckley #tommy kinard #lou ferrigno jr #oliver stark #maddie buckley #athena grant #howard chimney han #hen wilson #bobby nash #eddie diaz #ravi panikkar #buck x tommy #buddie #911 7x04 #blw reactions #buck is bi #911 reactions #bisexual buck

[witchsickness]

i’m like suuuper late to the party but i just finished break like waves and i wish we could go out for dinner and talk about it for hours bc i LOVE steve’s character, it’s so refreshing to read & i wish st explored the fact that his parents don’t give a f more. i don’t have much space here to expand on my thoughts but i was curious about ur thoughts about 2 moments that struck w me: when billy told him that him and max take care of each other and he replied that he’s an only child so he (1/2)

well okay babe you can buy me dinner before the wedding, just give me a time and a place 🥰

uh. first of all. this literally made me clutch my heart. for a number of reasons. mainly bc this story got me through a not-very-good moment in my life, and it blows my mind that people still read it and interact with it and have such intense emotional reactions to it. thank you so much for reading, and giving me reasons to talk about it. means the world to me <3 that being said, i haven’t reread blw since i was done editing the last chapter, so uhhhh i’ll try my best to remember my intentions for these scenes but i don’t make any promises it’ll make any sense!

re: steve’s ‘guess i only learned how to take’ line. so, like, you can pry the concept of emotionally intelligent steve out of my cold, dead hands. not even just blw steve. i really do believe that canon steve is highly perceptive and conscious of both his emotions and others’, and can use that ability to manipulate people and situations for his own benefit. i get!! super miffed whenever i see steve portrayed as a clueless trust fund baby, unaware of his own power. i like to think steve knows exactly how the world works and what makes people tick. now. blw is, at any given moment, a powerplay. we have person A (steve) who ostensibly holds all the power, bored out of his mind, waiting for an equal to challenge him, and person B (billy) who wants what steve is selling, therefore is the ‘weak’ one. except, as the story unfolds, we start realizing that maybe it’s the other way round. and we start seeing steve as the one grasping at straws and billy as the one who holds the power to potentially ruin him. and that scene underlines this chasm between them, bc it shows steve that billy has people who care about him, not bc he demands it, but bc billy gives back. and it blinds steve, fills him with jealousy, both bc he wants that for himself and has never been able to have it, could never have unadulterated devotion that doesn’t stem from fear, and bc he wants to be the only one to provide billy with that. however much devotion he chooses to give, whenever he does. so he’s bragging about it, about being on his own, not tied down by people and relationships and emotional connections, bc he’s still, in that moment, trying to convince himself that it’s better to rule by fear than to show weakness, and. get hurt. except the plan backfires and leaves him bleeding instead, bc billy’s cards are open, and he has nothing more to lose. steve is the one holding on to his aloofness for dear life, and the moment steve realizes he’s just dealt a fatal blow to himself by admitting his loneliness and his need to belong, to be billy’s, he bares his teeth and snarls and tries to convince the both of them that ‘there’s nothing to fuck up.’ it’s too late for that, though. they both know he’s lying

re: steve stopping billy. again, this is all about steve’s obsession with billy, his obsessive jealousy and possessiveness and need to feel like he’s the only one for him. like he’s special. in many ways, billy is the emotional scapegoat for all of steve’s insecurities regarding his loneliness and his self-imposed emotional detachment. steve hasn’t allowed himself to want anyone like this before, or maybe he never had to. so far he’s been the big fish in the small pond, and everyone gives steve their devotion freely, either out of awe or out of fear. steve’s never had to fight for anyone’s love before, his parents’ notwithstanding. so i def think that, in that moment, steve’s insecurities flare up. he gets so caught up in the the possibility of not being the first one for billy, emotionally speaking, that he foregoes getting what he’s been dying for in favor of making it clear that he’s different. he needs to put this distance between the guys billy’s been with before and whatever this thing between them is, while at the same time avoiding to acknowledge there is anything between them, bc that would mean admitting he wants this as much as billy does. admitting defeat. there’s also a classically romantic undercurrent throughout this scene, with steve refusing to have their first time happening while billy’s intoxicated and half out of his mind, and maybe even moving on instinct. he’s having an out-of-body experience, almost, watching billy make all the right moves, knowing exactly where to put his hands, how to unbuckle steve’s belt, what to say, and steve gets a glimpse into billy’s life back in california. a glimpse into billy’s life before steve. he can see billy doing this with a dozen other guys, kissing them with alcohol on his breath, undoing their belts, touching them, and he. he panics. he puts a stop to whatever’s happening, bc it’s quickly spiralling out of his control, and steve’s becoming just another guy, blending in with the rest. just one more guy billy’s kissed, and touched, and fell in love with. and he can’t allow that, not with billy. he can’t stand being just another guy for billy, not when billy’s the only one for him

finally! you mentioned steve’s loneliness, which is one of the things that make him so endearing for me. he’s the archetypal tragic hero, forever doomed to do anything for others in order to gain their sympathy, driven out of a misplaced sense of duty and devotion and the need to prove himself, but always ending up on his own. i know most people view him as sunshine in a jar, but in my mind he’ll always be bitter and silently resentful of other people’s natural ability to create bonds, bc that’s what makes him so relatable, and so humane. whether his parents are physically absent is irrelevant, bc the emotional absence is pretty much undisputed, and it makes for an emotionally stumped young adult, who is forever fated to watch from the outside, at least until he realizes that opening up to people is the only road to being accepted, and understood, and feeling like you belong, and maybe getting what, or who, you want along the way

#break (like waves) #steve harrington #ask #armstronghero #literally thank you SO much for this and uh. sorry for the essay?

[becauseiamnotanelephant]

Baby led weaning. AKA “A Mess”

We tried BLW today for the first time. Hannah was confused and it didn’t work exactly as planned. She didn’t want to hold the food and was also not able to pick anything up so she ended up just moving and mushing banana everywhere and the screaming because she was hungry and wasn’t eating fast enough. 

Her overall reaction of the meal:

My overall reaction of the meal:

[poormommamay]

Baby Led Weaning vs Purees

So I didn’t realize this was a hot topic until a few days ago when I was looking up when would be a good time to introduce bread. I’ve been sticking to single fruits and veggies and grains so far. When I came across baby led weaning articles I thought “Oh, I’ve been doing some of that” and the further I read the more heated things got. So, while I understand to an extent of “this worked best for me and I hope to be helpful to you”, I’m gonna save you some of the arguing I’ve seen out and about. 

Both options are good options. Combining them is honestly a great option. The idea behind baby led weaning (henceforth BLW) is that the baby has total control over what goes in their mouth. I get that. With my son, that means literally everything he can get his hands on, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s giving them independence to do the whole eating thing at their pace. Purees is what we usually think of where parent spoon feeds baby. Which is also great because parent knows exactly how much baby is getting of what. I personally have enjoyed doing both. I love watching my son take chunks of avocado or banana and smush it into his face, and I love giving him tastes of new things on the spoon and watching his slow reaction. I also appreciate purees for the diaper aspect because let’s be honest, pulling off a poopy diaper and seeing chunks of mostly unprocessed banana is mildly terrifying at first. Totally normal, baby’s body is still getting used to breaking things down, but still a little terrifying. 

With BLW, you’re mostly doing whole roasted or steamed veggies and fruits. You’re cutting them down to about the size of your finger, making sure they’re super soft, and letting kiddo have at it. Some things, like banana and avocado, are already soft so giving baby chunks they can pick up of those raw is an option. This will give baby closer to the usual texture and gives them the opportunity to be in full control. 

With purees, I mean it’s right on the tin. You puree food down until it’s like a paste or soup. Which let’s your baby get a taste for things with minimal worry about choking. Most of the time, this method is more on the parents to scoop spoonfuls into baby’s mouth. However, this can be led by the child just as easily if that’s what you want. My son takes the spoon out of my hand two out of three spoonfuls. When I can afford to get some spoons more designed for his hands, I’ll start letting him try to scoop it himself. 

I saw a lot of comments about how with BLW you don’t have to worry about separate cooking--but really with puree if you’re making your own baby food you don’t have to worry about separate cooking either. However you don’t want to bombard baby with too many flavors to start with, otherwise they’ll never appreciate a plain carrot. You also don’t want to add herbs and spices right away as it’s easier to pinpoint allergic reactions if you’re doing a single ingredient. So, you’re still going to be cooking slightly separate to start with regardless. I’ve already posted once about some things you can make for yourself and baby, I’ll probably be adding to that soon as my son continues his adventures in eating.

I saw a lot of comments about how purees give parents more control about what goes into baby’s mouth. Which, let’s be real, even if you’re holding the spoon it is up to baby to decide if they want to open up. Baby will make a mess regardless of what you do, but I do enjoy being part of that. Food should be as fun as it is nutritious. 

Honestly I don’t see any real negatives to either, and I have enjoyed combining them. They’re both valid options to get baby started on trying new things. I personally like to puree or smash new things down and offer just enough to gauge the reaction. After a few times trying just the puree or mash, he gets little chunks to try for himself. So far my son has not shown any aversion to anything I’ve offered, and the more we eat together the more he seems to enjoy trying to feed himself. Which is really the goal isn’t it? Solid meals are more of an exploration in the beginning anyway and you’ll need to keep giving them the breast or bottle for a while for them to get their real nutrition. 

As with all things baby related, whatever you decide is best for your family is probably best for your family. As long as baby is healthy, it doesn’t really matter what route you go. And things change child to child, so what worked for you won’t necessarily work for someone else (or even from your first to second child). One of my friends has a three year old who is just now really grasping feeding himself while her two year old has been feeding himself from basically day one. Every family is different, every child is different, and you just have to figure out what works best for you.

You lovelies have a wonderful day.

#Poor Momma May #parenting #baby led weaning #purees #baby led weaning vs puree

[safeharbourship]

Learn Everything about the Marine Equipment and Connect with the Best Marine Equipment Supplier in Africa

Being one of the most important characteristics, safety should be the first and foremost priority for any Marine Equipment Supplier in Africa. There are different kinds of equipment that can help you with multiple tasks. Whatever agency it is you want to approach, it should be capable to provide you with all the essential items for your voyage at sea. With an extensive range of solutions, you can have anchors, anodes, aerials, fish finders, ropes, steering cables, and so many others. 

 So, whenever you are about to go to a company and ask for the best pieces of equipment in the marine industry, there’s a lot you should check. To make your ship navigation much more convenient, you can use the most appropriate tools. Nowadays, there are a lot of options available and that’s why it becomes quite difficult to opt for the best one. However, there’s nothing to worry about it, as this blog post is going to help you get the best Marine Equipment Supplier in Africa. 

Employ Best Solutions from the Most Appropriate Marine Equipment Supplier in Africa

In this write-up, we are going to help you employ the best solutions for your marine applications. If you want to have the best tools for your voyage at sea, then you can find them in this section. From rope and slings to rigging and anchors, there are so many of them that can take you to your destiny. 

 Supplying stock and an extensive range of equipment for all your marine applications is always the top-most priority of any vendor in this field. Moreover, if you are not certain about the products you can get from a Marine Equipment Supplier in Africa, then go through the following section.

Gyro Compass

Getting to an appropriate direction is so important and gyro compass can help you achieve that in the best way. You don’t have to worry about the external magnetic fields as gyrocompass do not tamper with that. To find the rotational axis of the earth, it is one of the most important tools for your ship. 

Anchoring System

While selecting an anchor, the first thing you should think about is a complete ground tackle system that it comes with. Because without a proper tackle system, it cannot hold the ship in its current position as it’s supposed to be. A complete anchoring system is a complete combination of rope and chain tailored to hold your ground. Selecting the right anchor is so important and so is the rope or chain attached to it. 

Marine Ropes

There are different kinds of ropes, used in marine applications such as double braided, 8 strands, 3-4 strands, and so many others. Dual-force ropes also come with that you can ask for to any marine rope suppliers in Africa. From 100% polyester to 100% nylon, there’s an extensive range of ropes that can help you in your ship. You can opt for them anytime you want from a supplier and rest assured as the ropes will offer you a 100% efficiency.

Anodes

Amidst all the marine, offshore, port development, and construction industries, anodes play a very important and crucial role. When it comes to ships, anodes can offer you maximum performance as they are developed with pure materials. The anodes should pass all the strict quality controls and only then, you can expect the best efficiency from them. There are certain suppliers who also provide technical support regarding these anodes. So, choose the one where you can get all of these services. 

Vessel Deck Equipment 

Keeping stock of a wide range of deck equipment is another aspect that a Marine Equipment Supplier in Africa should come with. There are bollards, rollers, chain stoppers, Smit brackets, and so on, that you can have from a supplier in this field. OCIMF, DIN, JIS, and ISO standard deck equipment will be the most appropriate equipment for you. For all your dock mounting and BLW chocks, it is better to have several standardization certificates. 

Shackles

Different types of alloy shackles are out there that can offer you better safety for all your marine applications. There is alloy steel used in producing such shackles for your ship with a high carbon dip galvanized body. The safety factor that you should look for should be minimum 6:1 and the proof load ratio should be minimum 2:1. Moreover, they should be passed all the test exercises and have the required standardization. 

Pneumatic Fenders

Preventing collisions is one of the major tasks conveyed by the fenders. And pneumatic fender is one of them. They can work as the best anti-collision device for using them on your vessel. The pneumatic fenders are quite easy and fast to deploy on their required profiles. These fenders can be so good for all the applications for the ship to ship, ship to the quay, or even the ship to berthing. They should have a rapid response during all the emergency situations. 

Foam Fenders 

The high-quality foam fenders are so important and they have quite tough polyurethane skin to safeguard the ship. There’s no internal air pressure as there’s no valve and that’s why it becomes an ideal solution for all the ship operations. Low reaction and high energy absorption are the other properties that foam fenders come with. With the unsinkable design, they can provide you with all the flexibility you require. 

End your Search for the Best Marine Equipment Supplier in Africa

To make you satisfied with all the best pieces of equipment is one of the most important things one looks for in a Marine Equipment Supplier in Africa. Here in the blog post, we have discussed all the best marine equipment that you can expect from a standard supplier. All of them should be helping you in your voyage at sea. If you choose better equipment, then there’s so much importance to it. Selecting the best equipment would help you with every aspect you want for your marine applications. Hope, the blog post was sufficient to help you with all the possible facets of marine equipment and their suppliers.

#MARINE EQUIPMENTS SUPPLIER IN AFRICA

[midlifewithavengeance]

7 Steps to Successful Baby-Led Weaning

The article 7 Steps to Successful Baby-Led Weaning is republished from MWAV

We’ve written about the basics of baby-led weaning before — what it is, why some people prefer it, and whether or not you should try it with your baby. If you need a good, foundational understanding of those basics, check out this “What is Baby-Led Weaning?” post.

Here, we’ll explore 7 steps to get started successfully with baby-led weaning (or BLW). As with anything else in life, planning and preparation is a key part to getting off on the right foot with baby-led weaning. So use our 7 steps below, and start your baby-led weaning journey today!

7 Steps to Successful Baby-Led Weaning

1. Educate yourself.

Before you embark on something brand new, it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can about it. Same goes for baby-led weaning. Here are a few resources to help you educate yourself about all things BLW:

“Baby Led Weaning” by Gill Rapley (regarded as “The Bible” of baby-led weaning)

BabyLedWeaning.com (their “Getting Started” page is a good place to…well…get started!)

BLW videos, care of BabyLedWeaningBlog.com (these will help assure you that yes, it is possible for your baby to eat an entire apple and feed himself with a spoon!)

2. Don’t start too soon.

While it’s possible to start spoon-feeding your baby purees before she’s six months (although it’s not recommended), you really can’t start BLW until the 6 month mark. It’s generally recommended that you wait to start until your baby is able to sit up unassisted (meaning he doesn’t need to lean against the back of the highchair for support.) Some babies are able to do that at 6 months; many don’t develop that skill until later.

If the idea of waiting until your baby’s 6 months or older has you feeling anxious (“But doesn’t he need to eat solid food?”), take heart. Remember that “food is fun before age one!” In other words, for the first year of life, breastmilk and/or formula is your baby’s primary source of nutrition. Food is for practice. As long as your little one is nursing or taking his bottles well, he’s likely getting the nourishment he needs.

3. Start big and small.

Yes, that’s a contradiction in terms. Here’s what we mean…

Start Small In the beginning, offer one “meal” a day. You don’t want to overwhelm your baby with food right off the bat! And offer the meal between nursings or bottle feedings; this’ll ensure that your baby isn’t so hungry that she quickly becomes frustrated.

Place very little food on your baby’s highchair tray — a few pieces at most. Remember, she’s new to this! Having a few pieces of food will be less distracting and will help her focus on learning to feed herself.

Start Big In the beginning, offer large pieces of food. That might seem counter-intuitive (“Won’t my baby choke?”), but this is the safest way to start. At 6 or 7 months, your baby won’t have developed his pincer grip and won’t be able to pick up small pieces of food. Instead, you’ll want to give him large chunks of food that he can pick up and gnaw on. Think whole carrots, whole apples, long strips of meat, etc. Later, once his pincer grip is developed, you can move to small pieces of food that he’ll put into his mouth whole.

4. Don’t offer (much) help.

The biggest difference between BLW and traditional methods of starting solids is that BLW puts control in the hands of your baby, right from the beginning. Instead of you feeding your baby, your baby starts off by feeding herself.

A general BLW rule of thumb is that you should never put food into your baby’s mouth for her. You can help guide her hand (filled with food) to her mouth, and you can mime the chewing and swallowing motions you want her to do, but you shouldn’t be the one actually feeding her.

5. Supervise, supervise, supervise!

Now, just because you’re not feeding him doesn’t mean you should set a few celery stalks on your baby’s highchair tray and then walk away. Remember, one of the goals of BLW is to reinforce that mealtime is a social time. Sit with your baby while he eats (and even better, eat something yourself!)

You’ll also want to stick close to watch for gagging and choking. Lots of babies gag in the early stages of BLW, and while this is a normal and safe reaction, you’ll still want to be nearby to ensure that your baby isn’t actually choking.

6. Work in the utensils (eventually).

Once your baby has gotten good at hand-feeding himself, start incorporating a spoon into his meals. Offer him a dish of something “spoon-able” (like applesauce or yogurt) and a spoon, and see what he does!

At first, he’ll probably get far more food on himself (and the walls, and the floor) than he’ll get in his mouth. But as long as you give him lots of opportunity practice, you’ll find that he gets better and better at feeding himself with utensils.

7. Embrace the mess, friends!

In case you haven’t come to this conclusion yet, let us offer it here: BLW is a sticky, goopy, drippy, messy process. Food is messy after all; hand it to a novice with no self-feeding experience, and it becomes exponentially messier!

But this is okay. It’s part of the learning. Instead of trying to avoid the mess, embrace it. Arm yourself with a high-chair that’s easy to wipe clean. Feed baby in a room that has wipe-able flooring. Consider stripping baby down to his diaper at meal time (if it’s warm enough), or wrapping her in a large, cover-all style bib.

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

Anything to add? What steps have you taken to do baby-led weaning with your baby?

from The Baby Sleep Site – Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants https://babysleepsite.com/baby-led-weaning/steps-to-baby-led-weaning/>

from https://midlifewithavengeance.com/7-steps-to-successful-baby-led-weaning/

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

After last week’s 100th episode, I am back with a reaction to our latest episode. I do want to acknowledge my last reaction got a bit wordy so it’s my goal to keep things nice and tight. Like Lou Ferrigno Jr.'s body. Okay, focus! Ahem. This reaction is for the season 7, fifth episode “You Don’t Know Me” which originally aired April 11, 2024. The episode was written by Lyndsey Beaulieu and Taylor Wong and directed by Brenna Mallow. Spoilers ahead!

“I’m the boss of me.” – Terry and audience

We begin the episode in a hotel conference room where speaker Terry (played by John Milhiser) is talking to a small audience about the importance of having self-control. He tells his captive audience the secret to self-control is one simple thing; however, before he can reveal that simple thing, his right hand seizes up and starts going all Devon Sawa in Idle Hands on Terry. The audience is aghast as Terry starts beating the shit out of himself. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so horrifying. 

Cue title card.

“Get it off!” – Eddie Diaz, to anyone who will listen

The 118 arrive on the scene and find Terry slapping himself. Hen reminds us that once upon a time she went to med school and suggests Terry is suffering from something called alien hand syndrome. Eddie doesn’t believe such a thing exists but Hen schools him by explaining that it’s a rare neurological condition that causes a person’s limbs to act out, seemingly of their own will. This condition usually indicates urgent brain danger. Bobby tells Buck and Eddie to restrain Terry while Hen and Chimney prepare to administer some lorazepam and lidocaine. Buck and Eddie struggle to restrain the guy which is funny considering they’re both big dudes and this guy doesn’t seem like he would be that strong. Hen asks Terry if he’s recently been treated for epilepsy or blood clots. He tells her no and Chimney asks if he’s been treated for an irregular heartbeat. Terry tells him he had an operation four weeks ago for his AFib. Hen thinks it’s possible his heart has grown a blood clot that went to his brain. Basically, Terry is having a stroke and it’s imperative they get him to the hospital immediately before there’s any brain damage. 

Terry’s hand reaches for Buck’s throat and starts choking him. Bobby manages to pry his hand off Buck’s throat, but it immediately grabs Eddie’s (ahem) privates. Yup, you read that correctly. Terry’s hand gropes Eddie’s package. Eddie is basically S.A.-ed in a room full of people. Bobby pries his hand off, again, and Eddie collapses to the floor. The hand goes for Buck’s throat again and Chimney sneaks in to administer the lidocaine which numbs Terry’s arm and hand. At this point, Buck’s face is beet-red, and his eyes are bulging out. Terry goes to apologize to Buck and Eddie, but neither are very receptive to his apology. 

“How perfect is this little face?” – Karen Wilson, to Maddie Buckley

We head over to the Buckley-Han residence where Maddie and Chimney are giving some of Jee-Yun’s baby clothes to Hen and Karen who are excited about the arrival of a new foster child. Karen gets a call from the social worker asking to meet with them. When they meet with Dierdra (played by Andi Chapman) she tells them the little girl they were planning on fostering is being taken in by her grandmother. What I like most about this scene, it shows how much Hen and Karen have grown since the whole Nia situation back in season 3. They’re disappointed about not being able to foster the little girl, but Hen says that at least the girl gets to stay with her family. 

Dierdra tells them there’s another girl who needs a home but she’s older. Both the girl’s parents are deceased and she’s currently living in a group home which is not an ideal living situation for a 9-year-old. Dierdra tells Hen and Karen that this girl is very special, and she wants her to have a fighting chance at having a good life. She believes her best chance is with Hen and Karen. Hen looks at Karen who gives her a look that indicates her interest in giving this child a home. Hen asks Dierdra when she and Karen will get to meet her. 

“I’m an ally. Every Pride Month, I put a rainbow on my Instagram.” – Evan Buckley, to Tommy Kinard

Meanwhile, Buck and Tommy (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.) go out on their first date. While Tommy pays their bill, Buck asks him what time the movie starts. Tommy tells him the movie theater has 18 screens so they can pick a movie when they get there. Buck glances around the restaurant, nervously, and Tommy assures him that no one is looking at them. I love that Tommy is one of the only characters in the show who calls him Evan. Tommy reminds him that no one cares that they’re having dinner together. Buck, of course, plays coy, and Tommy tells him he’s a little tense. He tells Buck that he gets it. The two of them are in a pretty macho line of work,. He tells Buck that he’d be surprised by how accepting most people are. 

Buck asks Tommy if he’s always been out at work. Tommy tells him ‘no’ and says that the 118 was a pretty regressive place back when it was under the leadership of Captain Gerrard. Tommy says that back then he was still figuring himself out. When he transferred to Harbor, he stopped lying about who he was. Buck says he’s not lying about who he is and Tommy says he didn’t say Buck was. He was talking about himself. Buck tells Tommy this is his first date with a guy but assures him he’s not weirded out. I cackled when Buck told Tommy he was an ally and that he posts a rainbow on his Instagram during Pride Month. Tommy says that it must be him that makes Buck nervous. 

“Evan, I think you’re adorable.” – Tommy Kinard, to Evan Buckley

Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Eddie and his girlfriend, Marisol (played by Edy Ganem). Eddie greets them both, very loudly, and is excited to see his two friends hanging out. Tommy tells them they just had dinner and are on their way to see a movie. Buck says that afterwards they’re going to go pick up hot chicks because women like firefighters. Eddie, of course, is oblivious and makes a comment about Marisol being a hot chick and finding her firefighter. I don’t know who’s cringier in this scene – Buck or Eddie. Eddie tells Buck and Tommy that Marisol agreed to move in with him and they both tell him congratulations. Marisol makes a comment about moving her armoire into Eddie’s house and he says that you can never have too much closet space. Tommy says, ain’t that the truth – right, Evan? I hollered!!!! Buck looks like he wants to disappear. Eddie and Marisol leave, and Tommy asks if Buck’s ready to go. Buck says yes. Outside, Tommy orders a Lyft just for himself. He tells Buck he’s going to skip the movie. When Buck asks why, Tommy tells him that he doesn’t think Buck is ready. Before he gets in the car, he tells Buck he’ll see him around. I felt so bad for Buck in this scene, but I totally understand where Tommy is coming from.

“Can we go back to the pronoun?” – Maddie Buckley, to Evan Buckley

Dierdra introduces Hen, Karen, and Denny to a Mara Driskell (played by Askyler Bell). Mara is non-verbal and seems withdrawn. Hen tells her to make herself at home and Denny gives her his favorite teddy bear. Meanwhile, Buck goes to see Maddie and tells her about his date. He describes his date in vague terms which leads Maddie to believe he’s seeing a married woman. Buck says he’s not seeing a married woman and tells her he feels guilty for lying to Eddie. Maddie asks him why he did it and Buck says he doesn’t know. Buck tells her that his date left him standing outside the restaurant. Maddie picks up on the specific pronoun he used to describe his date and to Buck’s credit, he tells her he was on a date with a guy. 

Maddie is so supportive in this scene which I knew she’d been. In fact, I don’t think anyone is going to have a problem with Buck being interested in men. Maddie asks him how long it’s been since he’s been leaning in the other direction. He tells her he hasn’t been leaning in that direction; however, he will, from time to time, check out a hot guy’s ass. Buck considers this normal behavior, and you know what, I agree with him. We should all, regardless of who were are attracted to, take the time to check out a hot guy’s ass. Buck tells his sister about Tommy. I thought it was so cute when Buck lists all the things he finds attractive about Tommy Kinard. He’s confident, interesting, and no one has a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston Tommy. Maddie asks if this is the same Tommy who is Eddie’s friend. Buck gets defensive and reminds her that Tommy is a recent friend that he and Eddie most definitely met at the same time. I love when Buck gets jealous. Maddie tells Buck that she doesn’t think he’s a fraud and she follows that up with some amazing, sisterly advice. She reminds him that he’s still processing these new feelings and when he’s ready to tell Eddie the truth, he will do it in his own time.  We end the scene with Maddie asking Buck to tell her more about the hot pilot.

“You’re not gonna spank me with a ruler, are you?” – Eddie Diaz, to Marisol

We next head over to the Diaz residence where we see Eddie and Marisol in bed together presumably after sexytimes. I found this transition jarring because we haven’t seen this side of Eddie since season 2. It’s so funny to me that Ryan Guzman is one of this show’s sex symbols, but we rarely get intimate scenes with his character. In fact, all of the other characters have been shown to have very active and satisfying sex lives within the show. Even Bobby and Athena like to mix it up with some roleplay from time to time. Anywho, Marisol heads into the bathroom to take the world’s fastest shower while Eddie snoops through her things. He finds a crucifix and a photo of her in a nun’s habit. He asks her when she was a nun for Halloween. Marisol exits the bathroom wearing a towel and tells him the photo was taken when she was with the Sisters of the Holy Order. She passes off this information like it’s the most normal explanation in the world before heading back into the bathroom. He asks he if she was really a month and she lets him know she only made it to novice and never took her final vows. Eddie tells her he’s having flash backs to being back in middle school. He asks if he she plans on spanking him with a ruler and she jokes that she’ll only do that if he asks nicely. When Marisol leaves the bathroom this time, Eddie sees her dressed in a habit with a celestial glow around her. Yeah, Buck may be dealing with his sexuality, but our boy Eddie has some good old-fashioned Catholic guilt.

“Is something wrong?” – Karen Wilson, to Mara Driskell

Back over at the Wilsons, Karen helps Mara get ready for bed. As she goes to leave the room, she finds the bear that Denny gave Mara lying on the floor with its head ripped off. Karen is rightfully disturbed by this and quickly exits the room. Later on, Karen wakes up to find Mara standing at the end of her bed. She wakes Hen up and they ask if something is wrong. Mara just stands there and glares at them in the creepiest way. Hen gets up and tells Mara she will go back to her room with her. When she goes to put her hand on Mara’s shoulder, the child starts screaming bloody murder which wakes Denny up. Hen and Karen exchange horrified looks.

“So, she dropped out of nun school?” – Evan Buckley, to Eddie Diaz

The next day, Buck walks into work, looking nervous and trepidatious. He sees Eddie at the bench-press and heads over to talk to him. He starts things off by telling Eddie he’s there early. Eddie says he’s been there since 6:00 even though their shift doesn’t start till 9:00. Eddie tells Buck he left the house early to avoid having sex with Marisol. Eddie asks Buck if his family was very religious when he was growing up which, no offense to the writers, seems like a conversation they would’ve maybe had by now considering how close they are. Buck says they were Episcopalian so basically no. I laughed at this line because I’ve always thought of Episcopalian as diet Catholicism. Many of the same rituals without all the pomp and pageantry. Eddie says he comes from Latin Catholics which apparently is even more hardcore than regular Catholics. Rosary beads. Catholic schools. Confessions. Mass every Sunday. He tells Buck he went until he was old enough to let tell his parents it wasn’t for him. Eddie calls himself as a Manchurian Catholic with a reservoir of Catholic guilt lying dormant just waiting to be activated. 

Eddie goes on to say that everything was going great with Marisol moving in until he found out she was a nun. Buck’s follow-up question to hearing all of this is asking if she wears the outfit meaning the nun’s habit. Eddie explains that she’s not a nun currently, but she was once upon a time. Buck asks if she dropped out or was expelled. Eddie says that Marisol left of her own volition. Buck asks him what the problem is. Eddie says the problem is that he can’t look at her without wanting to do the Sign of the Cross instead of … other things. Eddie says he hasn’t been able to get a boner since she told him which explains why he’s so pent up. Buck tells him that Episcopalians don’t have guilt which is something he doesn’t exactly feel great about and suggests that Eddie appeal to a higher power. Eddie asks Buck if he thinks he should go to confession. Buck tells him ‘no’ and says he thinks he should go talk to Bobby since he’s a practicing Catholic. Eddie thinks this is a good idea since Bobby has never made him feel judged. He tells Buck that’s good advice. He goes to leave but pauses. He turns to Buck and says that it looked like he wanted to tell him something when he walked in. Buck lies and says he was just going to see if needed someone to spot him. 

“One minute, Denny’s setting the table and the next, he’s bleeding.” – Karen Wilson, to Hen Wilson

Upstairs, Bobby brings Hen coffee. She tells him she need a handful of ibuprofen. He asks her if she has a headache, she tells him she has an everything ache. He asks her how thing are going with Mara, and she tells him that something happened to her. Before she got to Hen and Karen. Hen tells him that Mara had an episode the previous night. A night terror. She tells Bobby that she’s been with a day and a night but so far hasn’t spoken a single word. Bobby tells her that once Mara feels safe, she will eventually open up. Hen gets a text from Karen with a photo of Denny. Denny had a bruise over his right eye and the two of them are at the emergency room. Hen gets up and tells Bobby she needs to call Karen.

She learns that during breakfast, Mara chucked a coffee mug at Denny’s head. Hen asks if Denny is okay, and Karen says that he swears he’s fine. Denny tells Karen and Hen that Mara didn’t mean to hurt him which is awfully mature of him to say. Hen starts freaking out and asking about x-rays and stitches and checking for a concussion. Karen lets her know she is handling things. Hen apologizes and says she wishes she was there. Hen asks how all of this happened and Karen tells her she thinks it’s because Denny moved her blanket. Hen tells Karen that she’ll be home soon and when she gets there they have a lot to talk about. Karen agrees. When Hen gets home, the two of them make a phone call to Dierdra.

“I’m not gonna tell you how you feel about Marisol, Eddie. Only you know that.” – Bobby Nash, to Eddie Diaz

Meanwhile, back at the 118, Eddie shows Bobby a photo of Marisol wearing her nun’s habit. Bobby says that Marisol doesn’t look like any of the nuns he had back when he was in Minnesota. Bobby tells Eddie he understands why he’s unnerved by the knowledge that Marisol used to be a nun. He says that the imagery from their faith is very powerful. Eddie says he’s not sure if he can say that it is their faith. He tells Bobby he doesn’t know what he believes in anymore. Bobby reminds him that a lapsed Catholic is still a Catholic. He wonders if Eddie’s reaction is just him having second thoughts about Marisol moving in with him. He says that Eddie hasn’t talked about Marisol in a way that would make Bobby think he was considering cohabitating with her. Eddie tells Bobby that he really likes Marisol. Bobby tells Eddie he remembers the last time he said something similar. It was about Ana and he tells Eddie that shortly thereafter he started having panic attacks. Eddie asks Bobby if he thinks he’s a commitment-phobe. Bobby says he doesn’t think that’s the case considering Eddie has no problem committing to other things like the military, being a firefighter, his son, and Shannon. Eddie tells Bobby that the Church is a lot of the reason why he and Shannon got married. When she got pregnant, they both felt pressured into getting married. Eddie says that he’s never regretted marrying Shannon. Even when things got really bad, there was a part of him that loved being married to her. Bobby tells Eddie that only he knows how he feels about Marisol. Eddie asks Bobby what he would do if he were in his position. Bobby says as a practicing, confession-going Catholic he would go to confession because he wouldn’t want to piss off Marisol’s ex … the Lord. 

“I was supposed to take care of her. She was finally supposed to be safe with me.” – Cynthia, to Hen Wilson

In our next scene, the 118 respond to an emergency involving a structure fire and a firefighter named Brunson who has been bitten by the homeowner’s dog. While Chimney sees to Brunson (played by Anthony Starke), the homeowner Cynthia (played by Sandra Thigpen) explains that the dog is a rescue who was once used for fighting. She is more upset about the dog being trapped inside her home which is currently on fire than she is her home. Brunson says he’s sorry he couldn’t get the dog out of the house and Cynthia apologizes for her dog biting him. Hen, being an avid animal lover, goes to check on the dog after she’s carried out of the house by another fireman. She detects movement and begins administering compressions to the dog. Okay, so maybe I’m late to the party but I didn’t know CPR worked on dogs. The dog regains consciousness and Cynthia is so happy. Brunson says to Hen that she doesn’t give up and Chimney tells him that giving up is not in her vocabulary. 

“Everybody’s given up on her. I don’t want to be another name in a long list of people who have failed her.” – Hen Wilson, to Athena Grant

Hen goes to see Athena who has done some digging into Mara’s background. They learn that Mara’s parents were high school sweethearts who have criminal records going all the way back to when they were teenagers. They were both into drugs which ultimately led to their demise. They both died on the same night due to an opioid overdose. They’d been dead several hours by the time paramedics arrived. Hen asks Athena how the paramedics found them. Athena tells her someone called 911. 

Hen and Karen head over to the 911 dispatch center to see Maddie. I love how we keep getting more scenes between these Maddie and Hen. I would argue that we’ve seen Hen and Maddie together more in just this season alone than the other seasons combined. Maddie plays the 911 call from the night Mara’s parents overdosed. At first no one responds to the dispatcher but eventually Mara starts talking. Mara tells him that her parents went to sleep and now they will not wake up. It was absolutely heartbreaking listening to Mara tell the dispatcher that she couldn’t feel her parents breathing. She tells him that sometimes her parents take pills that make them sleepy but they always wakeup. She wonders why they aren’t waking up this time. She begs for them to wake up. When the recording ends, Hen realizes aloud that Mara wasn’t just watching her and Karen sleep. She was worried they weren’t going to wake up. Karen says she was trying to protect them. I mean that still doesn’t make what she did to Denny okay but at least we have an explanation as to why she’s acting out and not speaking to anyone.

Eddie heads over to Buck’s to avoid going home to his own place. Buck tells him he’s going to have to go home at some point. Eddie asks if he has to. Buck reminds him that’s where he and his son lives. Eddie says that Christopher is away for the next couple of days. Speaking of Christopher, I was hoping that with him being a main part of the cast now that we’d see him more this season. Maybe he’ll factor in towards the latter half of the season. Anywho, Eddie is worried that if he goes home, Marisol will want to have sex with him. Buck tells him he’ll get through it. Eddie is worried about God watching them knock boots and Buck asks him if God was watching before Eddie learned about Marisol being a nun. Eddie says that he’s going to have to break up with her. Buck asks him if that is what he wants. Eddie says no and reminds Buck that he just asked Marisol to move in with him. He tells Buck that he and Tommy have the right idea staying single and hanging out with the boys. Oh, Eddie. You don’t know the half of it. 

“This doesn’t change a thing between us. Okay?” – Eddie Diaz, to Evan Buckley

Buck finally comes clean and tells Eddie he was on a date with Tommy. Eddie is shocked that Tommy’s gay which is funny to me because one would think his first thought would be, wow, Buck, you’re bisexual? Buck figured that Tommy’s sexuality would’ve come up at some point while they were hanging out. Eddie says Tommy hasn’t said anything to him, not that it would matter. Buck says that Tommy doesn’t volunteer his sexuality, but he doesn’t hide it. Buck asks Eddie if it’s weird that he and Tommy were on a date and Eddie says absolutely not. Eddie tells Buck that nothing will change between the two of them and Buck is visibly relieved by hearing this. Buck tells him that Tommy dumped him but then remembers that he can’t be dumped if they were never together. Buck tells him that Tommy doesn’t think he’s ready to be in a relationship with a guy. Eddie asks him what he thinks. Buck says he can’t stop thinking about Tommy. Eddie tells Buck he needs to call Tommy. Eddie reminds him that Tommy doesn’t know he’s an idiot but once he does get to know him, he’ll love Buck – like they all do. But what if he says no, Buck asks. Then he’s an idiot, Eddie says. Eddie tells him not to walk away from something before he even knows what it is. Buck echoes what Eddie said earlier in the episode and tells him that’s good advice. Eddie agrees and tells Buck he needs to talk to Marisol. He gets up and heads to the door. Before he leaves, he tells Buck to come here, and the two besties hug it out. This scene was so precious. I love the chemistry between these two. I’m still not 100% sold on them being anything other than friends but I can see why others would see a scene like this and ship these two romantically. Before Eddie leaves, he reminds Buck to call Tommy. If only you could be as good of a boyfriend as you are a friend, Eddie. You would be as close to perfect as a person could get. 

“Because no man has ever looked at me the same after they found out.” – Marisol, to Eddie Diaz

Eddie finally makes it back to his house right about the same time Marisol gets there. He apologizes for not coming home sooner. He asks her if she’s had anything to eat and she tells him she ate with her brother. This made me laugh because I’ve seen people on Reddit and Tumblr joke about how Marisol has more chemistry with her brother than she does with Eddie. Anywho, Marisol tells Eddie they should talk and he agrees. She tells him she have told him sooner about being a nun. He asks her why she didn’t, and she tells him that whenever she tells a guy about her past, one of two things happen. Either they get freaked out or turned on. Eddie suggests there may be a third option – the kind of guy who just needs a minute. Marisol tells him if he’s not ready for them to cohabitate, she understands. Eddie tells her he doesn’t think he’s ready for them to leave together … yet. He tells her something about him. He confesses that he has the tendency to move too fast in his relationships. He goes with his gut and lets his head catch up later. Marisol asks if that usually works out for him and he tells her no. However, this time he would really like it if it did. Eddie asks Marisol if they can start over, and she says yes. This time he wants them to take time getting to know each other. They kiss and Marisol says she can’t wait to move out. Eddie says he can’t wait either.

“Night, night.” – Mara, to Karen Wilson

At the Wilson residence, Karen goes into Mara’s room to talk to her. She says she can’t imagine how hard it is for her being in a new house with strangers. Karen says she would be scared all the time which is how she knows Mara is a very brave girl. Karen tells Mara she doesn’t have to be brave all the time. She tells her she is safe there with her, Hen, and Denny – even if she doesn’t feel like she is. She gives Mara a monitor so she can see that Karen and Hen are there and know that she is safe. She tells Mara goodnight and tells her goodnight. Hen and Karen are delighted to hear this.

“I don’t know what I’m ready for, but I am ready for something. And I think maybe that something could be with you.” – Evan Buckley, to Tommy Kinard

The next day, Buck meet up with Tommy. They exchange hellos and Buck thanks Tommy for agreeing to meet him. He tells Tommy he got him a coffee. He didn’t know how he took his coffee, so he just guessed. Tommy takes a sip and says, not like that. I love how honest Tommy is. It’s what I find so endearing about him. They both laugh and Buck says there’s a lot of things they don’t know about each other. Tommy says practically everything. Buck wants to change that but first he apologizes for how he behaved on their date. Tommy assures him he has nothing to apologize for, but Buck says he does. Tommy tells him no again and explains that he didn’t cut their date short because Buck behaved badly. He cut it short because he didn’t want to pressure Buck. Buck admits that how he acted is not one of his proudest moments. Buck brings up how Tommy said he wasn’t ready. He tells Tommy that he doesn’t know what he’s ready for but he is ready for something. He believes that maybe that something could be with Tommy. Tommy says that Buck already knows he’s interested. Buck invites him to come to Maddie’s wedding. Tommy laughs but quickly realizes that Buck is serious. Buck tells him that he wants him to be his date. When Tommy said Evan, I swooned. Buck tells him that he already knows half the people that will be at the wedding and says that Maddie is eager to meet him. I love how Tommy is always checking to make sure Buck is okay with everything they are doing. He asks Buck if he’s sure and Buck says he is. He tells Tommy he’ll need someone to dance with. Tommy says okay. They hold hands and Buck looks so happy I could just scream.  “What was it, pastel and puke?” – Maddie Buckley, to Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz

In our final scene, we flash-forward to Maddie and Chimney’s wedding. We see Athena looking absolutely radiant seated next to Bobby. We see Maddie in her wedding dress freaking out over Chimney, Buck, and Eddie being a half an hour late. Maddie’s dad (played by Gregory Harrison) is trying to call Buck but keeps getting his voicemail. Hen arrives in looking absolutely stunning in a black tux. She tells Maddie that Buck’s car just pulled up. Maddie is relieved and asks if Chimney is with them. Hen tells her she isn’t sure. She didn’t see. Buck and Eddie arrive looking like something the proverbial cat drug in. I love their pastel blazer. Eddie’s in a pink suit with no shirt on for some reason. Not that I’m complaining. Buck has on all white with a green blazer. Maddie asks them why they’re dressed like that. Buck says they were at a themed party. Eddie says the puke on his jacket isn’t his. Maddie tells them to get changed and asks them about Chimney. Buck tells her it’s complicated. 

Wow, what another incredible episode. I like how the theme of not knowing someone carried out throughout the episode. This season continues to deliver on the character development front. Some have complained that there’s not enough emergencies this season, but I don’t care. I’ve always preferred the drama of the characters over the actual emergencies. I think the show does a good job of balancing those two things. Hell, it’s only been five episodes and we’ve dealt with a drunk driver, an airplane crashing into a house, a cruise ship capsizing and a guy going ape shit on himself. That’s plenty of emergency for me. 

Speaking of balance, I think the show is doing a good job of balancing our main characters’ storyline. The first three episodes dealt with Athena and Buck. The last two episodes have been about Buck, Hen, and Eddie. I feel like the next episodes will deal with Maddie and Chimney. Speaking of Buck, I am very pleased with the direction his character is going. I was watching an episode from season one and it’s remarkable how far he’s come since then. The same goes with Hen. In season one, I wasn’t sure if her relationship with Karen was going to go the distance but here we are seven years later and they’re still together, better than ever, and fostering kids in addition to raising Denny. Then we have Eddie. I am so happy Bobby called him out on his bullshit. I’ve watched people online make excuses for Eddie’s behavior while pointing the finger at Shannon. I’ve never understood how people could be so angry at Shannon for leaving Christopher but turn a blind eye to the fact that Eddie has openly admitted to signing up for another tour of duty because he wasn’t ready to deal with being a husband and a father. Having Marisol move out is a good decision although I wish he never asked her to move in to begin with. It creates more baggage for her. Hopefully, Eddie will take additional steps to figure out why he sucks at relationships. It's so funny to me because I see so many folks online who swear up and down that Eddie and Buck are going to be together by the end of this season. Yet, none of them have ever taken the time to consider that if Eddie is bad with Shannon, Ana, and now with Marisol, why would things be any different with Buck? Also, I do not want Eddie to interfere with Buck’s bisexual awakening. In fact, outside of them being just two friends supporting each other, I would like to see them embark on their separate journeys alone and maybe rely on others for advice. 

Well, unfortunately it looks like we will not be getting a new episode until May 2nd. I checked my calendar and May 2nd isn’t as far away as I thought. Having 9-1-1 on a brief hiatus will allow me some time to revisit some older episodes and rewatch the five episodes from this season. The thing about 9-1-1, much like Golden Girls and Schitt’s Creek, it will never get old to me. So, maybe I’ll start at the very beginning (again) so I can better appreciate how far our beloved characters have come. Until next time …

#abc 911 #911 abc #evan buckley #hen wilson #eddie diaz #maddie buckley #karen wilson #bobby nash #tommy kinard #howard chimney han #athena grant #bucktommy #buddie #911 7x05 #blw reactions #buck is bi #bisexual buck #tevan #911 reactions #oliver stark #lou ferrigno jr #ryan guzman #angela bassett

[healthiernfit-blog]

New Post has been published on https://www.healthiernfit.com/essential-for-holidays-with-your-baby-leave-everything-else-at-home/

Essential for holidays with your baby: leave everything else at home

As we start to put the highchair, the blender, the bathtub, the cart, the maxi cosi, the toys and those thousand things im-pres-cin-di-bles more, in the end we will have to leave the baby at home because we do not fit in the car. In this sense, traveling by plane or train simplifies things a lot because we can not take the house with us, but making the list of essentials is much more complicated.

Luckily, there is a lot of junk that can be left at home. If you go to a hotel or apartment you should always ask if they have cots, high chairs or even strollers (and ask for prices, because these services may have a cost) and leave some stuff at home. The companies that rent articles for babies and children make logistics much easier. And finally, this so reassuring idea: Yes, you can buy almost everything in almost any place. If you still have doubts about what to bring, here is the list of basic essentials in your vacation with the baby.

1. Baby carrier

    When you go with suitcases and a thousand hanging packages, it is very grateful to have the baby in “hands-free” mode. The baby carrier is a marvel to pass the control of the airport, field trips, walks through irregular areas, enter historic buildings, or monuments …. It is a basic for traveling families and a real blessing if we take more than one small child, that allows you to travel with a single chair and alternate the child that goes in the stroller or porter.

A trick: when the baby is impossible on the plane try putting it in the baby carrier: maybe you have to walk down the aisle, but often just feel close to you fall asleep and your hands are free to read a magazine or give it to the little screen.

If you have never carried your baby, there is a possibility that the brand new backpack that you bought for the first day of your vacation is left in the trunk of the car. Carrying is not difficult and babies love it, but a newborn is not the same as a six-month-old baby who is not used to feeling. To make sure, better try before.

  2. Large chiffon + extra large clip

    I’m not talking about the squares for newborns, but a large gauze that serves a thousand things. Cover the stroller to protect your baby from the sun (taking care that there is ventilation), sit on the beach or on the grass, shake the sand with it, cover it if you enter a restaurant and it’s cold … And the supplement ideal for gauze-for-all are giant tweezers that sell in the Chinese, which allow you to mount a stall at a time and prevent the gauze from falling off the stroller, among other gazillions uses.

3. Toys

  Having some familiar things close will help the child feel at home in the holiday place, like the rubber duck with whom he plays during the bath. Of course, if you have some comfort doll-cloth that you use to sleep, that’s the first thing that has to go into the suitcase.

In addition to some small toys, I would bring a new one that can call you more attention if necessary. The latter enters the section of “lifeguard for moments of crisis”. Yes, we are all against screens for small children and using food for purposes other than feeding is very requetemal, but when your nine-month-old baby has been screaming for two hours in the middle of a transoceanic flight you resort to whatever: In my case the songs of the farm on the mobile (I do not go without them) and something to eat that makes you feel (for older babies, it is understood).

4. The papers and first aid kit

    Children under 14 years of age do not need ID to travel through Spain. However, some airlines require that all passengers (even babies) are identified. Although we can surely claim and win, so as not to complicate our lives, it is best to check in advance what policy the company with which we are going to travel has.

To travel through Europe with the DNI will be sufficient and the passport will be necessary if we go outside the European Union. Some families also carry the family book, which although it is not mandatory, is not too much. It will also be necessary to take the baby’s Health Card, the European Health Card for trips to the EU and assess the contracting of private insurance (or see if our company covers us abroad and the conditions) if we travel outside the EU (take the insurance documentation to know what to do if you have to use it).

Our small travel kit should carry paracetamol or ibuprofen for fever, thermometer or cream for scouring and, of course, if the baby is taking any medication at that time. In terms of cleaning / care products, in summer the main thing is sun protection , in addition, do not forget the nail scissors and a small bottle of your gel or lotion (I would not play it changing the brand of any cleaning product those days because it can give you reaction and the same we do not find the same brand that we use in the holiday place).

  5. Clothing (warm also)

    The first thing: the cap, and if you wear sunglasses, too. And, as for clothes, because if the baby is very small or prone to accidents, it would be necessary to calculate one or two changes per day plus extra and pajamas, swimsuits …

The shoes can stay at home if you do not walk, but do not forget the socks or some warm clothes. The air conditioners are very treacherous and you always have to carry a blanket or toquilla just in case (on the plane do not forget a long pajamas of those with feet). A trick at the time of making the suitcase is to put the baby’s clothes in cloth bags as you are and so we can go to the beach as soon as you set foot in the destination without losing time to unpack.

  6. For meals

  If the baby takes only boob , great. We always have the food on top, warm and available at the moment (no water is needed). For the bottle theme you have to take some sterilization system (the pills seem to be the most comfortable), in addition to bottles and teats replacement. If you drink puree, you will have to see what is in the place of destination or use the jars and, if you do BLW , with the food of the parents (keeping in mind that it does not take salt) we can manage quite well. A spoon or fork and a tupper always come well for eating on the street.

And, of course, the basic backpack to carry always: diapers, wipes, water and spare change. I also always carry several replacement pacifiers (I do not want to imagine the drama that the brand and model that you like may not be in the local pharmacy). These are my essentials when traveling with babies, what are yours?

#first aid kit #holidays with children #summer

[liljemandmissye-blog]

Fantastic information from @bigg_eats_smalls If you're not following, why not? #Repost @bigg_eats_smalls (@get_repost) ・・・ Babies are born with nearly THREE TIMES as many taste buds as an adult, thought to be so they could pick up on flavors from moms breastmilk. Between 4-7 months old, research shows that babies are able to distinguish between flavors, and have an unbelievably high need to taste (think- this is when EVERYTHING really starts going in their mouth). . That window of pretty much accepting any flavor starts to diminish quickly afterward, and being that starting complimentary feeds usually begins around 6 months- that window is even smaller. Don't waste those extra tasters on bland rice cereals and mush- use them to your advantage and lay down some good flavor foundations to last them the rest of their lives. . And on that same note, gone are the days where it was thought best to introduce one food each couple of days in case of negative reactions. Let the littles taste it all. In case of a minor (or major) reaction, start singling out the foods to find the culprit then. . Ok I know what you're thinking- why the hell has no one told me any of this before? I have no clue, guys. Cause the info is out there- backed by science- meanwhile we're letting the babies and their crazy amounts of tastebuds down. So go.... get those tasty foods in! And tell your friends while you're at it. No extra tastebud left behind! #whatmykideats #babyofinstagram #babymealtime #babiesofinstagram #solidfoods #messybaby #blwmenu #blwmeals #babyfoodie #dinner #suppertime #dindin #mamamia #nomnomnom #mmmmmm #babyledweaninguk #babyledweaningideas #babyweaningmenu #babyledweaning #blwideas #selffeeding #babyfoodideas #weaning #blw #babyledfeeding #healthy #homecooking #motherhoodthroughinstagram #blwtips

#babyledweaninguk #motherhoodthroughinstagram #healthy #babyfoodie #babyledweaningideas #suppertime #whatmykideats #dinner #repost #mmmmmm #babymealtime #mamamia #babyofinstagram #babyfoodideas #blwmenu #homecooking #blwmeals #babyledweaning #babiesofinstagram #dindin #blw #messybaby #babyweaningmenu #blwtips #nomnomnom #blwideas #weaning #solidfoods #babyledfeeding #selffeeding

[mominsohard-blog]

The Business of Letting Go

When I became a mom, the biggest change I noticed within myself was my ability to let things slide off my shoulder. I have always been quick tempered and very vocal about people giving me grief. But when I became a mom I noticed that I was much more relaxed with what others had to say. You catch so much judgement and so many opinions when you become a mom that you really have to learn to pick your battles. I thought I had learned that. Well, apparently not.

I caught some mom shaming from an old friend earlier this week. Nothing too harsh but it was some judgment I didn't care to have cast my way. I let it get to me. I let it influence my actions that day and I am realizing I shouldn't have.

But I am also realizing why it affected me the way it did. I am a first time mom. I am also making some decisions regarding my son that are already really controversial decisions (blw and owning a pitbull). So put together my insecurities as a ftm and being defensive of these choices and add in some hurtful feelings and you get the reaction I had. I was hurt by this person who had been a friend. We aren't close anymore but it was still hurtful to have someone who has had a better glimpse at your character than the general population, imply that you are endangering your child in one way or another and endangering someone else's child.

I was hurt and I was insecure and I reacted defensively. I also realized that I need to be better about letting things go. The people that matter to me are still in my life. And they know me better than this person. I don't need to defend my actions or decisions to anyone. I just need to let it roll on by.

Tough lesson.

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

This reaction is for the season 7, first episode “Ships Ahoy” which originally aired March 14, 2024. This episode was written by series creator Tim Minear and directed by John J. Gray who is also an executive producer on American Horror Story and the 9-1-1 spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star. So, without further ado, here’s my reaction to the episode. 

We begin the episode with a therapy session. Our resident therapist, Frank (played by Eddie McGee, the first winner of Big Brother USA) is counseling Athena Grant. We are told this scene takes place two months prior to Athena and Bobby leaving for their soon-to-be ill-fated cruise. 

Athena, having seen the Poseidon Adventure in her youth, is rightfully nervous about being on a boat in the middle of the ocean for several days. What I found funny about this scene is how Athena goes off on this tangent about Shelley Winters being nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her performance in The Poseidon Adventure. When Eddie asks if she won, Athena gives a deadpan look at the camera and says 'no'. This is obviously an allusion to real-life actress Angela Bassett losing out to Jamie Lee Curtis at the 95th Academy Awards ceremony in 2023.  

Frank asks if there's any other reason for her anxiety but in true Athena fashion she deflects. He recommends she pack some extra Dramamine. We then get a scene with Athena and Bobby trapped in a room rapidly filling with water. The two of them exchange I love yous and then we get our title card.

In our next scene, we see Maddie in the middle of a call involving a pilot (played by soap opera actor Mark Lawson) with the Air National Guard. He tells Maddie that he was on a training exercise until he lost communication and engine control with his F-16. He ejected himself from the aircraft and is now hanging on the side of a smokestack. The real emergency is that his plane is about to crash. Maddie's supervisor Sue Blevins (played by Debra Christofferson) and fellow operator Josh Russo (played by Bryan Safi) join Maddie at her desk. Sue asks if there's a way for them to track the aircraft's whereabouts and Josh explains that once a pilot ejects themselves, the plane thinks it's in enemy territory and stops transmitting. 

We move from the dispatch center over to a small home where we see an older couple Edna and Abe (played by Rusty Schwimmer and James Eckhouse, respectively) at their home. I immediately recognized Abe's actor as the dad from the original Beverly Hills 90210. Edna passive-aggressively vacuums while Abe is watching television which leads to an argument. Their bickering, however, is cut short the moment our pilot's F-16 crashes through the couple's living room. 

The 118 arrive at the scene with Hen acting as captain in Bobby's absence. Edna appears to be fine, but Abe is pinned to his recliner by the plane. Hen suggests cutting him out of the chair, but Abe is against the idea. He says he likes the chair more than he likes his wife. Rude! Eddie notices a dummy bomb attached to the plane so Hen gets on the phone with the pilot who tells her it could explode. Maddie tells Hen the Air National Guard will arrive within an hour, but Hen says they cannot wait because Abe has a possible spinal injury. The pilot offers to talk Hen and Eddie through defusing the bomb but due to possible head trauma he is unable to give them adequate instruction. Hen tells Eddie to cut the red wire but before he has a chance, Chimney pulls the lever on the side of the recliner which causes the seat to move back. This gives them plenty of room to remove Abe from the wreckage. Abe is loaded into the ambulance, and he hears Edna calling after him. He tells Chimney to tell her he died.

Back at the house, Chimney talks to Hen about Abe and Edna and wonders how they got to the place where they are now. He asks Hen if she thinks him and Maddie will ever get to that point and Hen assures him that he and Maddie are nothing like Abe and Edna. She then tells him that getting to where Abe and Edna are now only happens if you let it. 

And now to my favorite scene of the episode. We see a shirtless Eddie changing into his civilian clothes very reminiscent of when we first saw him back in season two. Let me just say, I've always been more into Oliver Stark than Ryan Guzman, but I must say, the latter is looking really, really good. Anywho, Buck asks his bestie if he wants to drive go-karts in the desert, but Eddie tells him that he has other plans. Christopher, our sweet baby boy, is a teenager now and has a date and Eddie and his girlfriend Marisol (played by Edy Ganem) are going to supervise. We then learn that Buck is single again which is such a bummer because I really liked Natalia (played by Annelise Cepero) from last season. Buck mentions that it was depressing dating someone whose entire career is centered around death and since he's recovered from his own near-death experience, he wants to be surrounded by life, not death. I think this is a valid reason for why Buck and Natalia are no longer together, but I am disappointed we won't get to see Buck date a beautiful woman of color who had body-ody-ody. Oh well! I hope they find someone nice for our dear Evan Buckley, but it is nice to see him in a good place.

Later on, Chimney talks with Maddie about Abe and Edna. He tells her that the couple allowed themselves to become alienated from each other and he doesn't want that to happen to the two of them. He proposes that they start dating again. Maddie thinks he means other people, but Chimney tells her that he wants them to start dating again. Maddie flashes her ring and tells her that they're past the dating age. This right here is why I think a lot of modern-day couples don't work out. Dating is not just something you do until you settle down with a person. The best marriages I've seen involve both people dating each other even while married. A friend of mine just lost her husband of 50-plus years and up until his death, they still went out together and on vacation together. I do like Chimney's proposal to not just have a honeymoon phase but a honeymoon life but, like most things with him, I think he goes a bit too far. 

We next see Bobby and Athena dancing with each other during their first night at sea. I must say, Angela Bassett and Peter Krause look amazing, and I feel like it's my job remind everyone that Angela Bassett is 65 years old and looking like she's fresh in her 40s. Peter has some gray at his temples, but he is only getting better looking with time. When the song ends, they take a seat and Bobby goes over all the things he wants to do while they are on their cruise. Athena tells Bobby he can choose what they want to do but Bobby wants her input. 

They are interrupted by everyone's favorite couple - Norman and Lola Peterson (played by Daniel Roebuck and Romy Rosemont). The last time we saw Norman and Lola was back in season two. Just in case viewers forgot, Bobby and Athena remind us that Lola climbed onto a billboard over the freeway in just her bathrobe to get Norman's attention. Apparently it worked because the two of them are still together. Athena is shocked to hear that Lola only spent 60 days in jail and I can't say that I blame her. I mean, this is the same woman who waved a loaded gun at the first responders on the scene and even fired off a round. That coupled with indecent exposure and disturbing the peace should've garnered her a longer sentence, but I digress. 

The couple credits Athena and Bobby with saving their marriage and tell them that they've been honeymooning for 106 weeks on different cruise ships. Norman and Lola invite Bobby and Athena to go bicycling with them in Mazatlán, but they decline. Back in their room, Athena tells Bobby she found the Petersons to be extremely exhausting. She is also annoyed that she has to put up with them for the next two weeks. Bobby tells her they can spend all their time in the room, but Athena looks hesitant. We flashback to her therapy session with Frank, and we see Athena voice her concerns about her marriage. So much of her relationship with Bobby involves earthquakes and tsunamis and blackouts and escaped rapists and solving murders. When it's just the two of them, alone and without all of the madness, she worries if there's anything left. I love this as a storyline for Bobby and Athena. They are an older couple and with May in college they are also empty nesters. It's very common for couples who are shifting into a new phase of life to reevaluate their relationship.

Back on the ship, the Petersons stop by their room and ask if they want to join them on a moonlight stroll on the top desk. Bobby starts to decline but Athena accepts their invitation. Bobby is confused by this, but Athena tells him that even though she doesn't like or trust Lola and Norman, there's no need for her to be rude about it. Athena is clearly avoiding being alone with Bobby and he's starting to sense this. I honestly feel bad for both of them.

The following day, Chimney relays his plan to Hen at the firehouse while Maddie talks to Josh at the dispatch center. Chimney has created a spreadsheet with all of their scheduled dates. Josh isn't exactly sold on the idea of Chimney and Maddie micromanaging their love life and Hen tells Chimney that she doesn't think this plan of his is going to last that long. Like I said, I think Chimney wanting to date Maddie is a good idea but any time you introduce a spreadsheet into your relationship, nothing good can come of it.

We then get a scene where Eddie tells Buck about Christopher's date. We learn that our sweet little boy is also a two-timing player-player. Eddie says that he went through Christopher's phone and saw that he's having conversations with multiple girls. Buck is shocked by this news. Eddie says he doesn't know where Christopher would've gotten this behavior since he himself married the first person he ever dated. He suggests that Buck talk with Christopher since he has a history of being a fuck boy. 

Back on the ship, Bobby is trying to get Athena to go on a hike with him, but she tells him he has a migraine. When the Petersons arrive, Athena suggests that Bobby go with them while she stays on the ship. Bobby declines and instead goes to an AA meeting aboard the ship. Regarding this scene, I thought it was a nice touch to show Athena looking at the two young teenagers who are being romantic with each other. The girl is Black and the guy is white – much like Athena and Bobby. 

In our next scene, we meet Nick (played by Chris Gartin) and Sofia (played by Kathryn Boswell). The two start off drinking champagne in the jacuzzi and right before the sexytimes begin, they both throw their champagne flutes. All I kept thinking about during this scene was the broken glass next to the jacuzzi. Right as things are really heating up (pun intended), Nick experiences a cardiac emergency. The 118 arrive at the scene and find Nick unconscious and stuck inside of Sofia. I could not stop laughing when Hen starts giving the medical explanation as to why Sofia (ahem) couldn't remove herself from her boyfriend. The scene only gets funnier when Eddie suggests that Sofia visualize herself as Jell-o. He coaches her through the process, and she is able to (ahem) loosen up enough so she could untether herself from Nick's nether region. Afterwards, Sofia blames herself for the entire situation. She tells Chimney that she pushed too hard to spice things up because she was worried they were becoming too complacent in their relationship. This is yet another sign for Chimney. One last thing about this scene, I love how Buck teases Eddie by saying: "I don't think I've ever seen a man turn a woman off with such skill." Eddie responds by saying: "It's a gift." I love their friendship so much and how they can tease each other like this without either of them getting offended. 

Later on, presumably that evening, Buck broaches the topic of not being a fuck boy with Christopher. He tells Christopher that he doesn't want him to get a reputation for being a 'not so good guy'. Christopher asks if it matters or not if he's a nice guy and when Buck asks him what he means, he says that they'll only end up leaving anyway. Buck asks him why he would say something like that, and Christopher tells him that his mom left him. Buck is confused by this and tells Christopher that his mother didn't leave - she died. Christopher counters by saying his mother left him prior to her passing away. "We loved her, and she left anyway." My heart broke hearing this and so did Eddie's as he stood outside of Christopher's room listening in on the conversation. I love that the show has made Christopher a main character this season because there's so much to explore with him now that he's getting older. I thought this scene with Christopher and Buck was so good and a reminder that Buck is very much a member of this family unit. 

Bobby wakes up the next morning and finds Athena gone from their cabin. He finds her having breakfast on the deck and asks her about her migraine. Athena, of course, has forgotten about the lie she told the day before but quickly says she is better. Bobby He accuses her of sneaking out of their room and tells her that since they got on the boat, they've been like two ships passing in the night. He asks her what's going on and why she's avoiding being alone with him. Instead of answering Bobby, Athena notices Norman and waves him over. She asks him about Mazatlán, and he says that everything went well. Athena asks him about Lola and Norman says that she is resting because she got too much sun. He adds that they might not see her any time soon. Athena then notices some scratches on the side of Norman’s neck. He tells her he got the scratches when he fell off his bike. Athena, of course, finds this very suspicious and tells Bobby as much after Norman leaves. Bobby isn't really interested in her suspicions and accuses her of using the Petersons as a buffer. He tells Athena that if she didn't want to come on the cruise, she should have told him so. Athena assures him she wants to be there with him and apologizes. Bobby apologizes for pushing her to do things and suggests they go sit by the pool. Athena is on board with this idea and excuses herself to go get changed into her bathing suit.

Athena heads to her room but takes a detail at the Petersons' room. She sees a maid exiting the room and asks her about Lola. The maid tells her that the room is empty, and the bed hadn't been slept in. Athena notices a bloody towel and the maid tells her that bloody towels are apparently normal. Meanwhile, Bobby gets tired of waiting and heads back to his room. He finds Athena Facetiming with Hen telling her about the Petersons and her belief that Norman killed his wife. Bobby texts Chimney and tells him not to encourage Athena's suspicions. Chimney shows the text to Hen and Hen pretends that she has lost reception and ends the call. Bobby accuses Athena again of avoiding him, but Athena insists she's not and is only concerned about the dearly departed Lola Peterson. Bobby is frustrated and drags Athena out of their room to prove to her that she is wrong about Norman killing his wife.

Bobby and Athena go to the cruise director, Julian (played by Rick Cosnett), and tell him they are concerned that Lola Peterson did not get back on the ship after visiting Mazatlán. Julian checks his computer and sees that Lola scanned back in along with her husband the day before. He then tells them that she is currently in the dining hall. Thinking that everything is okay, Bobby asks Athena if she would like to address the actual death on the ship - their marriage. Yikes! Bobby then sees Norman standing at the buffet with a woman who is definitely not Lola Peterson.

Later that evening, Eddie goes to talk to Christopher. When he enters Christopher's room, he notices the picture of Shannon lying face down on his desk. Eddie tells Christopher that he found something of his while he was going through some of his things. He gives Christopher a letter from Shannon, but Christopher doesn't read it. Eddie leaves the room and Christopher opens the letter. As he reads Shannon's letter, the ghost of Shannon (played by Devin Kelley) is standing beside him. I loved this scene. The fandom was absolutely wretched towards Shannon back in season two and I believe it's because of the fandom's treatment of the character that she was killed off. A lot of hatred towards Shannon is based on her abandoning Eddie and Christopher when the latter was young. I understand why people would have a problem with a mother leaving her kid but let's not forget that Eddie signed up for an additional tour of duty fully knowing his wife was struggling back at home. In my opinion, both Eddie and Shannon have failed Christopher, but I don't think that makes them bad parents. Apologies for my rant but I hate how the fans of this show treat the women that Buck and Eddie date simply because they are angry that Buck and Eddie are not a couple. Anywho, when Eddie comes back to Christopher's room he sees the picture of Shannon has been sat back up. What a beautiful scene.

Meanwhile, Chimney tells Maddie that to forget about the spreadsheet and instead of focusing on dating, they should focus on their upcoming wedding. Maddie asks him what led to him changing his mind and he tells her that he's decided they're already doing things right and he's no longer worried about them turning into Edna and Abe. He then takes her outside and shows her his latest purchase - a jacuzzi. 

Our final scene of the episode takes us back to the ship where Athena and Bobby have enlisted the help of the ship's captain - Captain Ochoa (played by Mercedes Colon). Captain Ochoa tells them that she is turning the ship around to head back to Los Angeles due to an approaching storm. Athena says she will have detectives waiting to make the arrest. Bobby tells her not to jump the gun and says she needs to talk to Norman first. Speaking of Norman, he arrives, and Athena starts grilling him about Lola's whereabouts. Norman says that Lola's resting, but Bobby tells him they know he's lying. Athena accuses him of sneaking his side piece onto the ship. Norman says he loves his wife and finally comes clean about what happened. He says that while he and Lola were in Mazatlán, the two of them were accosted by a gang demanding that he hand over a dongle. Athena asks him what a dongle is and Bobby explains that it is used to store bitcoins. Norman insists he doesn't have a dongle and says when he told the men that, they took Lola. Captain Ochoa tells Bobby and Athena that there's been rumors about a retired couple using the cruise line industry as a front for international smuggling. Athena tells Norman that he and Lola fit the profile. Norman tells her that he's a retired dry cleaner. He also tells Athena and Bobby that he was told that if he didn't turn over the dongle at the next port, Lola will be killed.

The episode ends with the same woman we saw Norman earlier, entering an equipment room and using an axe to destroy all the communication devices. We then see several armed men and women in tactical gear ride up to the ship on jet skis and climb aboard. They demand that all the passengers get down on the ground. The last thing we hear is gunshots.   

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do a season opener! I am thoroughly pleased with this episode and if I were to rank all the first episodes of each season, this one would definitely make it into the top three. Maybe even the top two. One thing this show excels at is it’s disaster episodes. We usually get one, sometimes two, a season and they rarely, if ever, disappoint. In regard to the shift from FOX to ABC, I could definitely tell a difference this episode. Maybe it’s just me but this episode felt wittier and snappier. Each of the main characters were on point and I loved supporting characters like Josh, Frank and Shannon featured as well. The return of Norman and Lola Peterson was both a surprise and a delight. As a fan of diehard fan of Glee, I love how actors from that show and other Ryan Murphy projects will sometimes pop up on 9-1-1.

This episode leaves me super excited about what’s to come. I’ve been told that this season opener is three parts so next week I’m sure we’ll learn more about what’s really going on aboard Athena and Bobby’s cruise ship. If I were to speculate, I think we’re going to see the two of them teaming up like they have done many times before, only I think Athena will walk away with a better appreciation of her husband. Athena and Bobby are my favorite couple on the show, and I think they are perfect for each other. It is good to see some conflict in their relationship but I’m hoping that conflict will be resolved soon. I can’t imagine these two not being together. 

As for Maddie and Chimney, I’m excited to see these two plan their upcoming wedding. Hopefully their wedding won’t be mired in tragedy like TK and Carlos’ over on Lone Star. I do think that we’ll see some conflict between these two. This will be Maddie’s second marriage and considering how her first marriage ended, I think we’re going to see her struggle with walking down that aisle again. It also makes me curious if we will see Jason again, maybe in a flashback or in a nightmare sequence. Something else to consider is how Chimney will handle things as well. Chimney’s parents split up when he was young, and his father abandoned he and his mom to go back to Korea. Perhaps Chimney has some unresolved trauma regarding this that we’ll see explored in further episodes this season.

Lastly, we have Eddie and Buck. Seven seasons later, there’s still a portion of the 9-1-1 fandom who are demanding these two get together romantically. I don’t see Eddie and Buck as romantic. I don’t think the show has indicated there’s any romantic feelings between the two of them. What I do see is two straight male characters who are close friends who support and care about each other. It frustrates me that there are others who go out of their way to harass the actors and the writers about making their ‘ship’ happen on this show. I actually think the title of this episode is a clever allusion to the whole Buddie fandom and how bat shit insane they’ve been since Eddie was first introduced on the show. I believe the title ‘Abandon Ships’ is the creators’ way of saying: No, we will not be going down that road. What we will show you is a wholesome, non-toxic relationship between two men. Anything beyond that will remain in the plethora of fanfics found on the innerwebs. And yes, I love reading Buddie fanfics but as a viewer, as a queer viewer, I do not need or want Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz getting romantically involved. It’s okay to have ships or to want to see your two favorite characters get together but please, let’s stop asking Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman questions about it and getting upset when they don’t say what you want them to say. It’s weird! Stop it!

The last thing I will say about this episode is that it’s so good to have 9-1-1 back. I have truly missed this show and I’m happy to have something to look forward to watching each week. I hope next episode we get to focus on Buck and Hen since we didn’t get to see much with their lives this episode. I look forward to seeing what happens with Athena and Bobby and the other passengers on the cruise ship. Until next time …

#abc 911 #911 abc #bryan safi #athena grant #bathena #bobby nash #maddie buckley #evan buckley #buddie #christopher diaz #hen wilson #howie chimney han #eddie diaz #tv reaction #blw reaction #911 7x01 #blw reactions #tv reactions #911 reactions #tv reactions 2024

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

We finally get the conclusion for our harrowing season 7 opener! This reaction is for the season 7, third episode “Capsized” which originally aired March 28, 2024. The episode was written by Juan Carlos Coto and Lyndsey Beaulieu and directed by executive producer and Glee and American Horror Story director Bradley Buecker. Spoilers ahead! 

“It’s the pungent aroma of orange people having sex.” – Kianna Harris

We begin the episode by going back to the very beginning. We are introduced to the Harris family in a scene very much reminiscent of the 1990 comedy film Home Alone starring Macauley Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern and Catherine O’Hara. We see the youngest Harris sibling, Corey (played by Leo Abelo Perry) sitting on the curb playing his Nintendo Switch while his parents Lonnie and Eliza Harris (played by Eddie Blackwell Williams and Amy Argyle) argue over who is supposed to order the car for their drive to the airport. The rest of the Harris family is rounded out by older siblings Kianna Harris (played by Kiara Muhammad) and Keshawn Harris (Samuel Dunn III) and their grandmother Darlene Harris (played by Deborah Marcano). In true Home Alone fashion, they almost leave Corey behind. 

We switch over the cruise ship where Kianna and Keshawn are complaining about the smell of the ocean air. Meanwhile, Corey is still glued to his video game. We then see the Harris family walk by Norman and Lola Peterson (played by Daniel Roebuck and Romy Rosemont). Lola compliments Darlene on her hat. We also see quite a few moments of Corey nearly getting left behind including the moment when all passengers are told to evacuate the ship. When Eliza realizes Corey is not in the lifeboat with the rest of the family, she gets off in search of him. Poor Corey is blissfully unaware of the all the chaos erupting all around him until he feels the explosion several floors below. He sits up and climbs out of the top bunk. We see Corey looking out the window at the giant wave coming towards the ship. 

Cue title card.

“What are you all doing on the ceiling?!” – Norman Peterson

We see the aftermath of the ship capsizing. Everyone is accounted for except for First Mate Kenneth (played by Anthony Carvello) who we last saw in the crow’s nest trying to send a distress call right before the wave hit. Since nothing was ever mentioned about the poor guy in this episode, I’m gonna assume he’s sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of the ocean. OMG, they killed Kenny! Sorry, had to do it. Speaking of people not long for this world, our belligerent and greedy passenger Jarod (played by Christopher Livingston) is lying crumpled on what used to be the ceiling. The rest of our crew is huddled around the walls of the room while Norman Peterson is still strapped to the craps table which is currently on the ceiling. 

These first three episodes of the season are supposed to be an homage to the 1972 disaster film The Poseidon Adventure starring Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters, but this scene reminded me of the upside-down puzzle in the 2019 film Escape Room starring Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, and Tyler Labine. Bobby is concerned about the table Norman’s attached falling from what used to be the floor and goes to work using some red straps to fashion a rope which he uses to repel down on top of the bottom of the table. He ties the same red rope to each of the table’s legs and then uses a wrench to unscrew the bolts holding the table in place. The others down below slowly lower Bobby and Norman down. My heart was pounding so hard during this sequence. We usually don’t get to see Bobby in Tom Cruise Mission Impossible mode. He usually leaves the heroics up to Buck. Athena tells Bobby she wishes Buck could’ve seen him do what he just did. He tells her that he would’ve rather seen Buck do that. 

“Bobby and Athena’s cruise ship might be missing.” – Maddie Buckley, to Howard “Chimney” Han

Back on dry land, Maddie talks with Chimney about recent events. She tells Chimney that Hen has been cleared by Chief Simpson to come back to the 118. Chimney wonders that if that’s the case, why hasn’t she come back to work. He asks Maddie how she knows all of this, and Maddie tells him about Hen’s visit to the call center. She tells him that Bobby and Athena’s cruise ship might be missing and that the Coast Guard has attempted tried to reach out but hasn’t heard anything. Chimney asks if Hen reported any of this information to the chief. Maddie says that she did, and that Chief Simpson told her to report back to work. The 118 gets a call which means Chimney and Maddie have to end their conversation. Buck asks who is missing: Bobby and Athena or Hen. Chimney says both. As the ladder truck leaves, Hen sneaks into the station before the doors close.

“I won’t be an idiot if you won’t be a selfish harlot. Too late!” – Norman Peterson, to Lola Peterson

Back on the ship, now that Norman has been lowered from the ceiling, Bobby suggests they all head to the bottom of the ship, which is now the top of the ship, remembering there’s an open hole there after the explosion. Julian (played by Rick Cosnett) thinks this is a bad idea because even if they somehow manage to make it to the top, there will be no one to save them. Lola tells him to lay down and die. Ouch! Bobby says that while they don’t know what will be waiting for them at the hull, they do know that if they continue to stay where they are, the ship will sink. The funniest part of this scene is when Bobby asks Julian to assist with moving Norman. Norman doesn’t want the man who has been having an affair with his wife to lay a finger on him. Lola tells him to not be an idiot. Norman tells all of them that if he’s going to die, he’s going to do it with dignity. With the help of the ship’s doctor, he is able to get up on his feet. The group make it out of the casino right as a grand piano falls down on the glass center causing water to rush inside. 

“Nobody wants to look for a ship that hasn’t asked for help.” – Hen Wilson

Hen sneaks into the office and fills out a Los Angeles Fire Department Property Resource Requisition form. She gets a call from Maddie who tells her she’s trying to get people to take their situation seriously. Maddie asks where she is and tells her she knows she didn’t go back to the 118. Hen asks if she’s checking up on her. Maddie tells her whatever it is she’s doing she doesn’t have to do it alone. Hen tells her that she tried using official channels but that didn’t work. Now she is going another direction. Maddie asks her what that means and Hen ends the call by telling her the less she knows the better. 

“I know a little about you. That little squeak you make.” – Julian Enes, to Lola Peterson

The ship is taking on water and Athena questions the path they are taking. Security Officer Wes (played Denzel Johnson) suggests using a door behind one of the cafes to access the maintenance shaft to get to higher ground. When he attempts to open the door, there’s another explosion. Security Officer Wes takes the brunt of the damage and quickly succumbs to his injuries. Bobby, Athena, and the rest of their gang are shocked by his death but press on without him. It was super sad watching the security officer’s body floating in the water. Now, just in case you’re keeping tabs on our remaining survivors, we have Bobby, Athena, the Petersons, Captain Ochoa (played by Mercedes Colon), Dr. Gibson (played by Eddie Jemison), and Julian left. At this point, the body count is rising faster than the water.

“That could be why I haven’t been getting your Christmas cards.” – Tommy Kinard, to Hen Wilson

Hen takes her requisition form over to the Los Angeles Fire Department Air Operations unit. She introduces herself as acting captain from the 118 and tells the pilot named Melton (played by Thomas Hobson) she has an emergency requisition for a chopper and pilot. Melton looks over her form and tells her he hasn’t heard anything about a missing cruise ship. Hen says the situation is fast-moving due to the hurricane. Melton continues to question Hen’s motives but thankfully an old friend comes to the rescue. Former Los Angeles firefighter Tommy Kinard (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.) tells Melton he and Hen used to work together at the 118 back when she was just a probie. I was so happy to see Tommy. I’m a big Lou Ferrigno Jr fan and the last time we saw him was way back in season 2 in the episode “Bobby Begins Again”. 

Tommy tells Hen he has a chopper fueled and ready to go. Hen is confused by all of this and asks him what going on. Tommy tells her he’s just helping out an old friend. She asks him who called him. Tommy opens the door to the chopper and Hen sees Chimney, Eddie, and Buck inside. Eddie hands her a jacket and tells her to get inside. 

“C’mon, guys. Stop agreeing with each other like you’re fighting. It’s weird.” – Eddie Diaz, to Howard “Chimney” Han and Hen Wilson

Tommy flies them right into path of the hurricane. Things are really intense inside the chopper. Eddie and Buck attempt to break the tension by getting Hen and Chimney to talk to each other. Chimney is miffed because he thinks Hen doesn’t believe they all have her back. He says that they all faked having food poisoning to get them out of their shift at the 118. Hen admits that Chimney didn’t do anything wrong and that he doesn’t have to prove anything to her. Chimney tells her she didn’t do anything wrong either. Buck asks the two of them if they’re good. Hen says they’ve always been good. Chimney asks her why she didn’t reach out to them for help. Hen tells him she knew that if she told him, he’d want to tag along, and she didn’t want him to risk anything over some wild hunch she had. Buck says he will back her hunches any day of the week. No questions asked. Eddie voices his agreement. Buck says that if there’s any chance Bobby and Athena are in trouble, he doesn’t mind getting fired. Tommy says he doesn’t think anyone should be worried about getting fired because they’re probably not going to survive this mission. Yikes!

“Bobby! Bring him back to his mother and bring yourself back to me.” – Athena Grant, to Bobby Nash

Back on the ship, our crew has stumbles across Eliza Harris, mother of Corey Harris, trapped under fallen debris. While Athena attends to her, Norman and Lola have a conversation about the state of their marriage. Lola admits that she let Julian use her. When Norman asks her why, she tells him it’s because he stopped touching her. She then points out that they’ve been together since they were 17 years old and that she’s never been with another man. I actually laughed out loud when Norman responded with, “Neither have I”. He asks her if she’s fallen out of love with him. Lola says she thought she had but she was wrong. Norman says he thought they’d be together until they both died, and Lola says she still wants that. Norman says that she might still get it.

Meanwhile, Bobby is trying to pry open the door that currently has Eliza’s arm penned. He breaks open a nearby case and takes out an axe. I got really nervous watching this scene because the last time I saw an axe brought out on this show, someone lost their arm. Thankfully, Bobby uses the axes to break the handle on the door. He’s now able to slide open the door; however, he quickly realizes the door was acting as a tourniquet for Eliza’s arm. With the door moved, Eliza is bleeding profusely. Bobby sends Julian to grab some blankets out of one of the nearby cabins to use as a tourniquet. Dr. Gibson finally does the thing he purports to do and manages to stop the bleeding. Bobby tells Julian the two of them are going to have to carry Eliza but the mother of three refuses to go without her son. Captain Ochoa says that the son’s room is on deck twelve. Athena offers to go look for him, but Bobby tells her to stay put. He will be the one to go search for Corey but not before he and Athena share one of those passionate kisses you only see in the movies. 

“Who cares!?” – Tommy Kinard and the 118

Tommy flies Hen, Chimney, Buck, and Eddie to the vicinity of where the ship last showed up on radar. He tells them they have about twelve minutes to search before he has to turn them around and head back. A message from Chief Simpson comes in over the radio but Tommy pretends there’s static and shuts off the radio. 

“You were right. That is one big hole.” – Norman Peterson

Athena leads the others minus Bobby to the giant hole made by the explosion. Athena hears a helicopter and tells the others that whoever is searching for them is expecting to see a cruise ship, not the bottom of one. Julian climbs up to the top and attempts to fire the flare gun. He slips, falls, and dies. I hate that he died. Yes, it’s because of him that things are as dire as they are and he’s definitely to blame for the deaths of First Mate Kenneth, passenger Jarod, and Security Officer Wes. I do wish he would’ve stayed alive, so he could’ve been taken into custody. Bobby manages to locate Corey and this kid has the nerve to say, he doesn’t talk to strangers. Lola, meanwhile, goes underwater and grabs the flare gun that Julian dropped as his body plummeted into the water. Athena sends off a flare and Tommy and the others are finally able to see the capsized ship. Just as a Bobby and Corey are about to drown, Buck and Eddie open a hatch and rescue them.

“Let’s talk about it in 10 or 20.” – Norman Peterson, to Lola Peterson

Much like the episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star where Judd and Grace’s truck crashes into a lake, a lot of details of the actual rescue are glossed over in favor of a scene where we see everyone safe and reunited with their loved ones. Chief Simpson delivers a press conference and makes it seem like the rescue mission was his idea. Hen is relieved none of them are getting fired for going rogue to save Bobby and Athena. Hen thanks Maddie for tattling and Maddie says she will always have her back. I really like this scene because as I’ve said in a previous reaction, we rarely get scenes between these two characters which is funny to me considering how close Hen and Chimney are. Bobby gets off the helicopter and sees Athena. The two of them rush over to each other and share a kiss straight out of a golden age Hollywood film. Lola goes to see Norman before he is rushed off to the hospital. She asks if he’ll ever be able to forgive her. He implies they’ll talk about it after she gets out of jail. Lola is then escorted away by an officer. Bobby tells Hen he is proud of her and calls her captain. 

“Alone at last.” – Bobby Nash, to Athena Grant

In the final scene of the episode, a weary Bobby and Athena return to their home with takeout food. They sit on the sofa and sit in silence. This silence is much different from the kind Athena was worried about. Bobby jokingly says he needs a vacation and Athena says she needs a toothbrush. They talk about how all of their luggage is sitting at the bottom of the ocean and share a laugh. I love how they’re both wearing very touristy T-shirts they probably got from a gift shop once they made it back to land. The two of them kiss and run off to the bedroom. 

Wow! What a satisfying ending to an amazing season opener. 9-1-1 is back and better than ever and they have the ratings to prove it. Words cannot express how happy I am to have this show back on TV. The move to ABC was a brilliant idea. Not only did it save the show, but the viewership has also gone up considerably. According to the 9-1-1 page on Wikipedia, since the switch from FOX to ABC, ratings have gone up from an average of 4 million viewers to over 5 million viewers. If the show continues in this direction, there’s no doubt in my mind about getting another season. 

I’m glad we got the happy ending I was wanting for this story. Yes, we lost some people along the way, but I’m especially glad Athena, Bobby, and Norman Peterson survived. I honestly feel bad for Norman and how things unfolded. He seems like a decent guy and yes, maybe he did neglect his wife, but the response to that should never have been to cheat on him and turn to a life of crime. I hope we get to see him again at some point and see that he’s moved on with his life, hopefully not with Lola. I cannot see a reality where Lola doesn’t go away for a long, long time. I wonder what her son thinks about all of this. I imagine it must’ve been really embarrassing for him to see his mother naked on a billboard pointing a gun at the LAPD and LAFD. 

I’m also happy we got a happy ending for Hen and Chimney. These two are #friendgoals and I’ve never seen them fight like this before. I’m glad Hen was able to admit there were things she could’ve done better regarding the drunk driving incident, and I like that Chimney acknowledged he could have done things better as well. I’m glad that in the end, Chimney, Buck, and Eddie proved they had Hen’s back no matter what. They all risked their lives and their livelihoods to save their captain and Athena. That’s real friendship right there. I’m also glad that Tommy helped them out because he’s a big part of Hen and Chimney’s origin story at the 118. 

 Lastly, things seem to be back on track for Athena and Bobby. I like that their relationship issues weren’t magically remedied. They still have a lot of work to do but at least each of them understands where the other is coming from. Athena realizes that she’s not alone in the relationship and Bobby knows now that he is deserving of his second chance at love and life. I hope the next time we see them in therapy they’re together. Bobby and Athena are endgame as far as I’m concerned so I wasn’t too afraid for their relationship; however, it’s good to see that all relationships need maintenance. 

This was an incredible episode, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. According to Wikipedia, we’re only getting ten episodes this season which I don’t mind. After the strikes last summer, I think most of us are just happy to have any new television right now.  As far as disaster episodes go, this one has been moved to the top of my list. The tsunami episodes from season 3 and the earthquake episodes from season 2 have been shifted down to the second and third spots on my list, respectively. I look forward to more action-packed episodes on 9-1-1. Until next time …

#abc 911 #911 abc #athena grant #bobby nash #hen wilson #howard chimney han #eddie diaz #maddie buckley #evan buckley #911 7x03 #blw reactions #tommy kinard #oliver stark #lou ferrigno jr #911 reactions #angela bassett #peter krause #aisha hinds #kenneth choi #ryan guzman #jennifer love hewitt

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

This reaction is for the season 7, second episode “Rock the Boat” which originally aired March 21, 2024. The episode was written by Lyndsey Beaulieu and Juan Carlos Coto and directed by executive producer and Glee and American Horror Story director Bradley Buecker. Spoilers ahead!

“Stay calm and nobody will be hurt.” – Boris, the pirate

We begin the episode by picking up where we left off. Bobby, Athena, and Norman Peterson (played by Daniel Roebuck) are taken hostage along with Captain Ochoa (played by Mercedes Colon). We learn the reason the pirates have come aboard is because the ship has been turned around due to the approaching tropical storm. The lead pirate, Boris (played by Nikita Bogolyubov), asks Norman to hand over the dongle in exchange for Lola (played by Romy Rosemont). Another pirate walks over with a bound and gagged Lola. Norman insists he doesn’t have the dongle and Boris gives him to the count of three to turn it over. Bobby and Athena intervene on Norman’s behalf and for a moment Boris accuses them of having the dongle. He tells them that he’s only messing with them and then he shoots Norman. 

Cue title card.

Bobby goes to assist Norman while Athena tries to talk Boris down. Athena deduces that Lola is having an affair with the cruise director, Julian (Rick Cosnett). She explains that when Norman called Julian over to their table a few nights ago, she noticed Lola wouldn’t look him in the eye. Turns out, Julian is the one with the dongle and after he gets roughed up a bit, he turns it over along with the password. Norman is heartbroken by all of this and asks to die. Boris and the other pirates flee the ship now that they have what they need and Athena escorts Lola away. Bobby carries Norman to a nearby casino and places him on a craps table so he can access his injuries. The ship’s doctor (played by Eddie Jemison) is brought over but he immediately gets nauseous upon seeing Norman’s gunshot wound. Athena tells him to go help Julian who only has minor injuries. Athena asks her husband what he needs. Bobby tells her he needs his team. 

“Why is that drunks always come out of these things without a scratch?” – Hen Wilson

The 118 are called to the scene of an accident involving a young girl and her mother. Lexi (played by Jadah Marie) and her mother are trapped in a car after being struck by another vehicle. While Eddie accesses the mother’s injuries, Chimney goes to talk to the other driver involved in the collision. The driver (played by Ricky Martinez) refuses to be checked out and gets rough with Chimney. Hen comes over and asks the driver if he is refusing care. The driver says, he does not consent to being checked out. Hen asks Officer Williams (played by Chris Wu) to detain the driver. Chimney tells Hen that they should still evaluate the guy but Hen says ‘no’.

Lexi and her mother are safely extracted from the vehicle and loaded into an ambulance. Officer Williams calls out to Hen; the other driver has stopped breathing. Chimney checks his pulse but there isn’t one, so he immediately starts with compressions. Officer Williams says one moment the guy was fine and then he started speaking gibberish. Then he collapsed. Hen switches places with Hen and asks Buck and Eddie to call for another ambulance and also call the hospital to have a neurologist standing by.

“Better than finding out your wife of 36 years, the mother of your only child is an international smuggler … and a strumpet?” – Norman Peterson

We head back over to the cruise ship where Athena and Bobby have transformed into their first responder alter egos. Bobby tends to Norman. The latter is still coming to terms with his wife of 36 years and the mother of their only child is an international smuggler. He tells Bobby that he and Lola got rid of their home and sold all their possessions at a yard sale. They only made $2800. $2800 for 36 of memories. Norman asks Bobby how long he and Athena have been married. Bobby tells him they’ve been married for four years and that it’s the second marriage for the both of them. Norman asks Bobby if he’s happy and Bobby, without hesitation, says ‘yes’. Meanwhile, Lola asks Athena if she can be by Norman’s side, but Athena asks her if she really thinks Norman wants to see her right now. Athena goes to Bobby and asks him how Norman is doing. Bobby tells her Norman is stable but needs a surgeon. Bobby suggests contacting the Coast Guard so that Norman can be airlifted to safety. Athena and Bobby go to find Captain Ochoa but as leave, Athena notices Julian is gone.

“His name was Kyle Ortiz. His mother is Olivia Ortiz.” – Chief Simpson

Back in Los Angeles, Hen is dropped off at the 118 where Chimney and the others are waiting. She tells Chimney that the belligerent driver was pronounced dead at the hospital. Hen is shocked to discover the LAFD Professional Services Division is at the station taking statements. Chief Simpson (played by Richard Brooks) asks to speak with Hen. He tells her that the guy who died is Kyle Ortiz – the son of Councilwoman Olivia Ortiz. Hen insists that Kyle was showing signs of impairment, but Chief Simpson reminds her they won’t know for sure until his toxicology report comes back. Hen reminds the chief that Kyle refused care and that she followed protocol. Chief Simpson tells Hen she is removed from active duty until they get the toxicology report back. He tells her to go home. 

“She went after the snake.” – Lola Peterson

Bobby goes to Captain Ochoa to ask her about contacting the Coast Guard. Captain Ochoa tells him that the pirates sabotaged all of the com systems and the transponder. She lets him know she is headed below deck to check on the engines. She tells Bobby that Mr. Peterson is still his patient and to let her know if his condition changes.

Bobby goes back to the casino to check on Norman. He asks Dr. Gibson about his condition. Dr. Gibson tells him that Norman is in and out of consciousness and his vitals are weak. Security Officer Wes (played by Denzel Johnson) brings Lola over to Norman. Bobby asks the officer where Athena is. Meanwhile, Athena locates Julian and knocks him out with a fire extinguisher. She asks him what his plan is. Julian tells her he was planning on staging his death. Athena uses some zip-ties to cuff him.

Captain Ochoa finds Chief Communication Engineer Scott Westin (played by Nate Riley) trying to get everything back online. They think he’s successful until Scott finds a long yellow cord attached to a hatch. He opens the hatch which detonates a bomb. The blast takes out the lower half the ship causing it to capsize.  

“Well, they can’t fire you for one bad call.” – Evan “Buck” Buckley

Hen tells the others about her suspension. Eddie asks what happens if the toxicology report comes back showing Kyle Ortiz wasn’t under the influence. Hen tells him she doesn’t know but Councilwoman Ortiz is looking for someone to blame for her son dying. Buck says they can’t fire her for one bad call. Hen asks him if anyone has said it was bad call. Buck, of course, starts babbling and back-pedaling. Hen asks him if he thinks she made a bad call. He tells her know and says he and Eddie really didn’t see anything since they were tending to the young woman and her mother in the other car. Eddie says that he and the others all thought the guy was drunk, too. Hen says that he was and that she can smell it. She says Chimney could smell Kyle as well. Chimney says he didn’t smell anything. Hen finds this surprising considering he was the one closest to Kyle. Chimney asks her if she wanted him to lie. Hen is extremely offended by him asking this. He tells her that if the roles were reversed he and the others would’ve made the same call. Hen says, if the roles were reversed, she would have their backs and that she wouldn’t have to lie to do it.

“You just got a little more redder than white collar.” – Athena Grant

Back on the ship, the lights are flickering, sirens are going off, and the lower deck is taking on water. Athena and Julian try to find a way back to the others. Bobby checks Norman to access for further damage. A general muster call goes out over the ship’s intercom system asking for all passengers to go to their pre-designated muster stations. A passenger named Jarod (played by Christopher Livingston) asks if they need to abandon ship. The ship’s doctor says not necessarily; it’s just a general muster. Jarod says he is not getting in a lifeboat without all of his casino winnings. He threatens to sue the cruise line. Lola asks what they should do. Bobby says they will need to wait on an order to abandon ship. He tells Lola to stay with her husband and when she asks where he’s going, he tells her he’s going to find his wife.

Down in the lower deck, Athena and Julian find Scott Westin dead and Captain Ochoa trapped under some debris. Athena cuts Julian’s ties so he can help her lift the debris off the captain. The captain’s arm is broken, and she has some broken ribs. Captain Ochoa radios to First Mate Kenneth (played by Anthony Carvello) and tells him that the pirates have hobbled the ship. She tells him the ship is taking on water. Kenneth tells her that a general muster has been called. Captain Ochoa gives him the order to abandon ship. He warns her about the storm, but she tells him things are only going to get worst. In order to deploy the lifeboats, someone will need to activate the bilge pump. Athena volunteers to complete the task under the condition that Julian gets the captain back to the top part of the ship. 

“They did not betray you. They were just trying to make you feel better about the situation.” – Karen Wilson

Over at the Wilsons’ residence, Hen is venting to Karen about her suspicion and Chimney, Buck, and Eddie’s betrayal. Always the level-headed one, Karen assures her the guys were only trying to comfort her. Hen says that they were only trying to comfort her because they believe she made a bad call. Hen admits she screwed up. She tells Karen that when she looked at Kyle Ortiz, all she saw was an entitled brat. Karen reminds her that she didn’t kill Kyle. Hen tells her she didn’t save him either. Karen implores her to let this matter go. Hen gets up and goes to call Athena. She gets the voicemail which prompts her to call Bobby. She gets Bobby’s voicemail as well. Hen starts to get concerned but Karen reminds her there is a tropical storm off the coast of Baja which has been upgraded to a hurricane and is currently heading back out to sea. This does not quell Hen’s concern; however, Karen tells her everything will be fine because ships like the one Bobby and Athena are on are built to sustain anything, even a hurricane. 

“Of course she is.” – Bobby Nash

Bobby runs into Security Officer Wes who is busy helping passengers get onto lifeboats. He tells Bobby that once he’s finished, he will help him get Norman ready for transport. Bobby asks him if he’s seen Athena and Wes says he thought she was still in the casino. They try to find her via her passenger medallion, but they are unable to locate her. Bobby asks Wes where the explosion happened, and Wes tells him the engineering room on portside. Just as Bobby is about to leave, Captain Ochoa and Julian make it back. The captain tells Bobby that Athena saved her. When he asks her where Athena is, Julian says that she is saving the ship. 

“Did you lose a boat?” – Maddie Buckley

Hen goes to see Maddie at the dispatch center, and it occurred to me that we rarely get scenes between these two characters. Hen asks Maddie to contact the Coast Guard. Maddie jokingly asks her if she lost a boat and Hen tells her that she cannot locate Bobby and Athena’s cruise ship. She shows Maddie a map with every ship that’s currently on the water off the coast of California. Bobby and Athena’s ship is not showing up on the map. Hen tells Maddie she has tried to call Athena and Bobby, but her calls are going straight to voicemail. Maddie says she will make a call.

Athena makes it to the room where the bilge pump is located. She tries to open the hatch but isn’t strong enough. Bobby makes it to her and helps her open the door. The two of them go inside but the door slams shut behind him. Now the two of them are trapped inside and the room is rapidly filling with water. 

“Sometimes when people do the kinds of jobs you do, they understand the urgency of now. Of not waiting.” – Frank, the therapist

We flashback to two weeks before the cruise. We see Bobby in a session with everyone’s favorite therapist, Frank (played by Eddie McGee). Bobby is feeling the weight of their upcoming cruise and wonders if he and Athena had their honeymoon after they were married that maybe things wouldn’t seem so consequential. He admits that when he asked Athena to marry him, she was in a vulnerable place. They both were. Bobby was widowed and Athena was newly divorced. He and Athena had only been together a few months before he proposed to her. Bobby tells Frank that he didn’t give Athena a chance to say ‘no’. Frank tells Bobby that he’s afraid that if they go on the cruise, it’ll give Athena the chance to tell him ‘no’. His advice to Bobby is to go on the cruise and enjoy spending time with his wife. 

“I don’t deserve you, Athena. I never did.” – Bobby Nash

Back on the ship, Bobby is trying to get the door open. He starts to call for help, but Athena tells him that no one is going to hear them because everyone is getting onto lifeboats. The reality of their situation starts to settle in, and Bobby apologizes to Athena. He tells her she wouldn’t even be here, trapped, if it weren’t for him dragging her on the cruise. He tells her he doesn’t deserve her but for some reason she said yes. Athena tells him she would say ‘yes’ again. He tells her that he couldn’t even save his first family and he can’t save her either. Athena tells him he’s already saved her. She reminds him that he’s not the only one getting a second chance. She tells him that she’s there with him because she wants to be. She admits that she was afraid that she wouldn’t know how to be with him without all the noise. She was worried that when they were alone, they wouldn’t have anything to talk about. But now, with time running out for the both of them, she has lots to say. Athena says I love you, Husband and Bobby says I love you, my wife. They kiss as the water wises. Bobby tells Athena to grab the pole over their heads while he goes under water to hold her up. Athena screams for him. Just as the water rises up to their necks, the door opens. Turns out Julian isn’t all that bad of a guy.

“Captain Wilson, our job is to protect the people of Los Angeles.” – Chief Simpson

Back at the dispatch center, Hen runs into Chief Simpson. He tells her that she can go back to work. He tells her that Kyle Ortiz’s toxicology report came back showing he was twice over the legal limit and had meth in his system. He says that Hen acted professionally. The 118 will be turned back over to her. Hen tells Chief Simpson she is looking for Captain Nash and his wife. She tells him that their cruise ship is missing. He asks if there was an SOS from the ship. She says ‘no’ but they need to utilize all resources to find them. Chief Simpson reminds her that they are not the Coast Guard and that the LAFD has no jurisdiction over the waters off of Mexico. He tells her to report back to the 118 as captain. After he leaves, Hen asks Maddie for the number for 9-1-1 in Mexico.

Julian leads Bobby and Athena back to the top deck, He tells them that almost everyone has been placed onto a lifeboat. Only a handful of them are still on the ship.

“That can’t be a coincidence.” – Hen Wilson

Maddie reaches out to 9-1-1 in Mexico. She learns that around ten that morning, more than two dozen 9-1-1 calls came into coastal emergency call centers in central Mexico. All of the calls dropped. Hen says that’s around the same time Bobby and Athena’s ship went off the radar. Hen gets up to leave right as Maddie gets a call from Chimney. Hen asks her not to answer it until she’s out of the building because she doesn’t feel like being second-guessed right now.

“He wouldn’t leave without you.” – Julian Enes

Julian, Bobby, and Athena make it back to the top deck where Captain Ochoa, Norman, Lola, Security Officer Wes, Dr. Gibson, and Jarod are waiting. Bobby is shocked that Norman hasn’t been evacuated but he is told that Norman wouldn’t leave without him and Athena. Captain Ochoa reports that First Mate Kenneth is trying to send a distress call via SOS. We then see Kenneth using a light to send out a message. He goes outside the cabin and sees a huge wave approaching them. He sets off an alarm. Back on the top deck, Bobby yells for everyone to brace themselves for the oncoming wave. When the wave hits, we see the ship flip upside down and just like the movie Poseidon Adventure, we see everyone slide across the floor. Athena holds onto a table. Jarod falls onto the glass ceiling but thankfully it doesn’t shatter. Oh, shit!!!!

Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Let me just say, I have never been this riveted by an episode of 9-1-1 and that’s saying a lot considering I have seen episodes where the 118 face off against 7.8 earthquakes, mudslides, tsunamis, city-wide blackouts, and Maddie’s husband. We still have one more episode to go before we see this story play out, but something tells me this season opener is going to go down as one of the best of the series. I loved both stories equally this episode. I sympathized with Hen as she second-guessed her actions during the emergency call. I also felt bad for Chimney, Buck, and Eddie who didn’t mean any harm but who could’ve chosen their words more carefully. I’m happy that Hen was vindicated in her actions as captain of the 118 but I do think she’s learned a valuable lesson about leadership and not judging so harshly. Kudos to Karen for being a supportive partner who was able to comfort Hen without simultaneously feeding into her frustrations. I do worry that Hen’s job will be put into jeopardy in the next episode when she ultimately defies orders from Chief Simpson and goes to look for Bobby and Athena. I actually worry about everyone else, too, because if I know my boys, I think Chimney, Buck, and Eddie are going to help her out. 

As for the drama playing out on the ship, I really felt bad for Norman Peterson. When we met him several seasons ago, he was a husband who simply wasn’t paying attention to his wife’s needs. When this was brought to his attention, it seemed he did everything to make his marriage better. I hate that Lola cheated on him and which ultimately put his life in danger. I do wonder if their relationship will survive this catastrophe. I wonder if they will survive, period. Speaking of survival, last episode I was really worried about the state of Bobby and Athena’s marriage; however, after this episode, I feel confident these two are in it for the long haul. Yes, they thrive when it comes to chaos, but I think they will now be able to appreciate each other in those moments of calm. I will say, even though I knew coming into this episode that Bobby and Athena were going to survive, it didn’t stop me from tearing up during the scene where they told each other they loved each other right as the water was rising. This will go down as one of my favorite scenes of the show. 

Next week is the conclusion to the cruise ship story and I’m counting the minutes until we get to see what happens next. 9-1-1 airs on Thursdays but I won’t get to see the episode until Friday. I’m extra excited about this Friday because it’s the same day that Cowboy Carter drops. So, hopefully I not only get an amazing Beyoncé album, I also get an amazing episode of 9-1-1. Until next time ..

#abc 911 #911 abc #athena grant #hen wilson #bobby nash #howard chimney han #eddie diaz #maddie buckley #evan buck buckely #tv reaction #blw reaction #911 7x02 #blw reactions #911 reactions #tv reactions 2024