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bewitchedbewilderedbisexual · 2 years

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Season Finale Titles Meta

So we finally got a reveal on the title for the Season 5 finale of 9-1-1, “Starting Over” and thanks to this lovely post by @tawaifeddiediaz, listing all previous finale titles, it made me think...

The season finale titles are a preview of what the next season will hold, rather than direct descriptor of the finale itself.

Here me out as I go one by one:

Season 01, Episode 10 “A Whole New You”

This episode notably has Bobby and Athena going on a date after Bobby makes it a point to put himself back out into the dating game. Abby leaving for Ireland after the passing of her mother. Hen reuniting with Karen after the affair. Chim beginning to understand what he has to offer as himself, and Buck being accused of cheating on Abby, however we find out his face is being used to catfish people by someone else.

The theme of A Whole New You is a teaser of what is to come in Season 2 for the 118. Bobby and Athena make something new together, and Bobby realizes how far he has come on his road of sobriety after it is tested (2x06 “Dosed”). Buck realizes he can stand on his own after Abby as the new and improved Buck 2.0. Henren decide to have another baby. Chim finds a new relationship in Maddie. A Whole New You is just the beginning. In the finale they take the first step into this new journey, taking what they’ve learned through hardship in Season 1 and becoming who they need to be.

Note: Athena says in the finale while at the church with Bobby “oh what a life we chose” which is interesting. Now I wonder if all final season episodes mention the title of the next seasons finale...

Season 02, Episode 18 “The Life We Choose”

In this episode, we have the conclusion of the serial bomber with Buck being severely injured in the process. Bobby getting reinstated as Captain, as well as, him and Athena eloping. Chim and Maddie officially become a couple, and Eddie finishes his term as a probationary firefighter.

Again, I see the theme of The Life We Choose as a preview in this episode, with Season 3 being what happens when those choices play out and how the firefam tackles them. Where that is most apparent is with Buck and Eddie. Buck choosing his job (in his mind, his family) has him undergoing another operation before he is fully healed causing him to relapse at the beginning of season 3, and those choices flow on to the lawsuit arc as he fights to get back to the life he chose. Eddie choosing to stay in LA against his parents wishes is almost immediately ridiculed by putting Christopher and Buck in harms way in a tsunami and then as Eddie tries to bury all his hurt from Shannon passing away the previous episode (2x17 “Careful What You Wish For”). In Season 03 it’s like it’s saying, these are the consequences for the life you chose.

Season 03, Episode 18 “What’s Next”

Quick recap: There is a train derailment. Abby returns and offers Buck some closure. Hen and Karen decide to become foster parents. Maddie is pregnant. Christopher goes off to summer camp. Athena is in denial about her recent attack.

This episode has implications about moving on, but sometimes “What’s Next” is a term used to brush off the current problems and move towards the next thing in order to keep pushing. To forget, distract, or just persevere in the moment. You see how this finale is a precursor to what will be delved in deeper in season 4. What is next for Buck, he enters therapy and tries to reconcile all he has been feeling. For Maddie, even though she is pregnant what is next for her is dealing with the fear of what being a parent means. After what happened with Eddie in Season 3, what is next for him and is how does he best provide for his son. For all our characters, again, the finale title is all about the beginning of a journey being explored in season 4.

Season 04, Episode 14 “Survivors”

In this finale, we have Buck rescuing Eddie after he was shot. Maddie comes to terms that she may have PPD and asks Chim for help. Buck once again puts his life in danger so others don’t have to. Taylor kisses Buck. Albert becomes a firefighter. After some marital issues are revealed, Bobby gets shot and Athena rescues him. Eddie reveals to Buck that a year ago he named Buck as Christopher's guardian in the event of Eddie’s death.

As much as this episode may have an uplifting title as Survivors (as if making the statement that if we persist, we thrive) you see it play out in Season 5 so much differently. Survivors becomes much more about putting one foot in front of the other and making it day by day. And how the strategy of just pushing it down and moving forward, does not work. Yeah, Eddie literally survives a sniper attack and Bobby literally survives being shot, but it goes so much deeper than the immediate. In Season 5, you see the consequences of just running away from your problems in order to survive. Eddie has panic attacks. Maddie leaves town. Athena overreaches her power as a cop in her quest to reconcile her emotions over her attack. Survivors sets us up to show that surviving is not about stuffing down the bad until it can’t hurt you, but about tackling your demons until you are on top.

Season 05, Episode 18 “Starting Over”

So here I can only speculate, and if we go based on my conclusions that season finale episodes are a preview of what next season will hold, here is my theory:

Starting Over will set up each character to hit restart on certain parts of their lives. For Hen it will be the beginning of her new career path. For Maddie and Chim, will be the fresh start they need to become this new family - I believe if we don’t have a proposal by the season finale or a talk of wedding, it will happen by mid season 6. For Buck, it means no more chasing after something/someone who doesn’t love him unconditionally. And for Eddie, it is the realization that he can go after what his heart truly wants, not just what is the best for Christopher. And maybe, just maybe, they are one in the same.

So then in Season 6 we will look at in detail what Starting Over looks like for each of these characters.

Okay, if you’ve stuck with me through all this rambling, I appreciate you. Let me know what you think! Am I onto something here? I think so.

Tagging some friends under the cut:

@himbodiaz @kitkatpancakestack @ktinastrikesback @hattalove @loveyourownsmiilee @yramesoruniverse @catdadeddie @1stbonesfan @cosmicbuck @extasiswings @woodchoc-magnum @mytherapybuddie @tabbytabbytabby @cowboydiaz

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