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callmebrycelee · 1 month

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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 …

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