Spoilers ahead!
Beginning of the year There’s no place like homethings are still very similar to how 9-1-1 ended its seventh season: Bobby (Peter Krause) is no longer the captain of Team 118, Gerald (Brian Thompson) is the new boss, and Christopher (plus (Text) McHugh still lives with his grandparents in Texas, while Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Karen (Tracy Thomas) still aren’t allowed to adopt Marla (Askel Bell). As the title suggests, this episode aims to solve most of those problems – and this time, help comes from the most unexpected places.
This episode aired a while ago, so by now you probably know that Gerald was instrumental in solving the problem. He sets a trap for Congresswoman Olivia Ortiz (Veronica Falcon), using his body camera to capture one of her evil plans. The footage was later played in court, revealing the politician’s identity – that’s how Bobby became captain of 118 again, and that’s how Marla returned to Hen and Karen.
But why would a villain like Gerard do such a thing? He’s been downright abusive and paranoid since he first appeared on the show – will the incident in the premiere be enough to change his heart? As usual, the answer isn’t that simple, and I think this episode did a good job of showing that Gerald is not a good guy, and that he doesn’t get any form of redemption.
First, There’s no place like home It opens with Gerald spending some buddy time with Buck (Oliver Stark). The old man repeatedly calls Buck’s generation “weak” and “fragile” – he says they are all snowflakes – and there are more! Now that budget issues have become an issue, some people in the fire department have to be laid off, so Gerald decides that Buck will be the one to choose who gets laid off. From the start, it’s clear that nothing about the man has changed. If anything, Gerrard has learned how to hide his bigotry and make it look like he’s a demanding boss.
I think the writers found a clever way to end these arcs at the right moment without dragging them out for too long. Now, in a surprising turn of events, Gerald has become the Hotshots’ new technology consultant, and everything is back to normal…except for Christopher. Eddie (Ryan Guzman) is still dealing with the absence of his son – this episode has a storyline about the absent father of a male cheerleader, and it’s about how Eddie is coping with the loss of his son and his mind in chaos. When the teen’s pelvis twists in an accident during a cheerleading competition, Eddie and Hen spring into action. So glad Paramedic Eddie is back! So glad he was paired with the hen – who is also currently having issues getting her kids back. Finally, a tiger living in the apartment attacks the owner and landlord, which provides some interesting scenes for 118 as a whole and gives Chimney (Kenny Tsai) his moment to shine.
“There’s no place like home” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Aisha Hinds as Hen and Tracy Thomas as Karen. Photo: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2024 Disney. all rights reserved.
Overall, this was a good episode and a great way to really kick off the season. I love Veronica Falcon’s performance, she’s so great – I’d give Ortiz a few more episodes just to have her opposite Aisha Hinds. The scene on the pitch was great too – a big moment not only for Hen, but for 118 as well. The help was perfect and it was the best moment of the episode. I’m also pleased with Eddie’s storyline – it’s a very thoughtful way of letting the audience understand his feelings about Christopher and perhaps his relationship with his father.
Although I’m glad Hen and Karen were able to get Mara back, I finished the race with a time of 8.04, sure they would take a break after everything they’ve been through. Then mask Come on, gosh, it’s fair to say that their central plot actually takes place this week. This time, Danny (Declan Pratt) is nearly run over by a car, which adds fuel to the current drama between Hen and Karen over the firefighters’ holiday workload, which has cost Hen some money. Important family moments together. Now that Marla is back, Karen worries that Hen isn’t spending enough quality family time with her.
I thought it was a good storyline that was probably placed at the wrong time because it felt too early to have such a heavy storyline (when it comes to Danny almost dying) right after they regained their daughter. But I think the argument between the couple is an interesting conflict designed to make us think about how the holidays can be a fun time for everyone, except first responders, who need to be there to keep everyone safe. Also involved in holiday security, Athena (Angela Bassett) had a brief but surprising storyline involving teenagers and multiple clowns (one of whom was hilarious.)
“Mask” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Aisha Hinds as Hen, Tracy Thomas as Karen, Ryan Guzman as Eddie and Declan Platt as Danny. Photo: Mike Taing/ABC © 2024 Disney. all rights reserved.
Additionally, Buck is dealing with a curse that may have been spread by the body he inadvertently used as a decoration. Buck dislocates his left shoulder and wakes up the next day with a face covered in boils. Buck is determined to break the Billy Curse. To do this, he’ll have the help of Eddie and his boyfriend Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.). This storyline was interesting at first, but as it continued, I was surprised at how many thoughts ran through my mind. There’s an elephant in the room, right? Buck, Tommy, Eddie. I think the elephant has been there since Buck and Tommy first kissed, because their relationship seemed to be entangled with Eddie from the beginning.
When I first watched it, I had a lot of questions, mostly about where the show was going from here. Is this about to turn into a love triangle? Or is this already one? Or is this a third thing that needs to be revealed – like a way to get fans to accept this new relationship? Tommy visits Buck in the hospital and finds Eddie already there – a scene that’s interesting because it highlights the close connection between Buck and Eddie, who are now finishing each other off. Then the face boils – there’s a really sweet moment with Eddie tending to Buck’s wounds, and while the moment itself could be interpreted a lot of different ways, it’s interesting that it exists after all. Furthermore, the similarities between Eddie and Tommy once again come to the fore; they have a lot in common. Tommy also has some sweet moments when he takes care of Buck, and by the end of the episode he seems proud of Buck.
All of which is to say, the episode made some interesting choices, and it seems safe to assume that Buck and Eddie are each other’s people (though not necessarily in a romantic way) — and now, they have this very A strong friendship (which is very platonic at times), and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. They will always have each other’s backs and what they have will remain, no boyfriend or girlfriend can change that, and the show clearly wants us to know that. Now, it remains to be seen whether Eddie between Buck and Tommy is just a way to make Buck’s new relationship more palatable to viewers, or if there’s a storyline waiting to be developed.
My theory is that if Buck and Tommy’s relationship were to end, there wouldn’t be as much drama as what happened with Addie and Marisol. I feel like they want Buck’s first queer experience to go as smoothly as possible, so I don’t think Tommy’s bigotry will go anywhere in season 2 – we have to act like those things didn’t happen (which is unfortunate yes. mask The purpose of this is to show that Buck and Tommy can occasionally be different from each other, and only time will tell what that means for the two (or should I say three?) of them. I also have this theory that a romance between Buck and Eddie isn’t out of the question – I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon, but if they want to go there… well, the table is set.
Finally, I would like to say that I love Halloween costumes. I laughed so hard during the initial sequence where Bobby dressed up as a vampire and made funny noises with the kids, Chim had the time of his life on Halloween, and Eddie didn’t scare the little kids . Plus, Hen has two amazing costumes in this episode, which is awesome! The production here is fantastic, the makeup, the costumes, the Halloween decorations – I haven’t had so much fun with a Halloween themed episode like this in a while.
Now tell me what you think! What did you think of the last few episodes?? Please hit the comments with theories and ideas! and tThank you for reading!
