Spoilers forward!
Okay. These final two weeks lasted an eternity, proper? Robert Nash died, the media introduced Peter Krause was leaving the present, the web crashed out, and other people had been livid, heartbroken, and devastated in methods by no means seen earlier than… If , . It’s price mentioning this isn’t solely a fandom matter — individuals from all throughout the globe and with numerous levels of reference to the present had been in denial, confused, mad… Given what occurred, I believe individuals had an inexpensive response.
This isn’t the primary present I watch, by the way in which, nor my first principal character’s dying, and I’m sure many individuals on-line share this with me: that’s not our first dance. So when you’ve been crashing out these final two weeks due to this very questionable transfer that occurred in an episode of very questionable high quality, it is a legitimate feeling. Sure, it’s only a present, however generally even escapism could be that critical, and that’s okay. I hope you had your time to grieve, theorize, discover some enjoyable within the course of, or simply endure collectively with everybody else.
In a approach, I believe many individuals are desirous to know the way the present goes on from this: if Bobby is actually lifeless, how does 9-1-1 transfer on? Is that even doable? Understanding this present, there’s one other risk: is Bobby actually lifeless? And if he’s, would resurrection be out of the desk? The Final Alarm, this week’s 9-1-1, has a few of the solutions!
The episode begins two weeks after the lab incident. Athena is suspending the ultimate preparations of all of it, in the meantime, everyone seems to be grieving Bobby on their very own phrases — Chimney, particularly, is having a very unhealthy time. However that was anticipated. The shock of this episode is that it’s centered on Athena serving to a grieving mom with a case that began 8 years in the past throughout a hearth fought by the previous 118. The mom is in jail now as a result of she tried to abduct one other girl’s baby — that’s as a result of, in response to her, the child has the identical birthmark, the identical age, and comparable bodily traits as her (supposedly lifeless) son, which may point out that the opposite girl set her household’s home on hearth so she may cowl up the kidnapping of the kid.
Loopy factor, proper? Don’t look an excessive amount of into it, that’s simply the way in which the writers determined to deal with the general feeling that Bobby may be alive: similar to the grieving mom, and similar to Athena investigating the case, this episode focuses lots on loopy theories, the loopy hopes, the denial section of all of it. Sooner or later, Athena is popping down calls, not answering her kids, not speaking to anybody, simply to unravel this case with the assistance of Bobby, the ghost haunting her. Athena, similar to the viewers, can’t settle for Bobby is gone, and this grieving mom case is only a option to deal with it.
The episode isn’t the worst factor ever produced on TV, however truthfully? It’s very removed from their finest. This complete arc, beginning with the episode the place Bobby died, then occurring to this “examine on grief”, is stuffed with questionable, lazy selections. This Athena storyline, for begin, is so distasteful. Athena has no cause to doubt Bobby is lifeless. That could be a viewer factor — as a result of the Hozier tune that performed throughout Athena and Bobby’s goodbye stated “No grave can maintain my physique down. I will crawl again to her.”, as a result of pretend leaked scripts stated that Bobby was buried alive, however principally as a result of 9-1-1 has at all times been unrealistic, excessive, exaggerated, comedian, and stuffed with inconsistencies within the writing. So after all, Bobby could possibly be lifeless and nonetheless come again, this present by no means cared about realism. It nonetheless doesn’t, by the way in which — if Chimney couldn’t carry out surgical procedure on Hen as a result of he was contaminated, why the additionally contaminated Bobby did it? The illness destroyed Chimney as quick because it may, however Bobby confirmed no signs till it was handy, all for the sake of a tragic, twisted ending. Anyway, the viewers had good causes to consider this could possibly be a fake-out, and most of them got by the present itself. So half of this episode is spent on a half-baked storyline about how grief makes us think about issues and the way dying is part of life — generally you begin your day together with your spouse speaking about your new home and also you simply don’t come again residence — and that storyline is meant to assist us to maneuver on with the characters.
Nicely. Dying in actual life is one factor — it could actually occur anytime with anybody, sure. It may be messy, ugly, bizarre, and uncomfortable, and a few of the finest works of fiction discover a option to depict all these emotions in advanced, reflective, and attention-grabbing methods. However dying in fiction may also be an inexpensive, lazy option to proceed your story. Do you are feeling like your story doesn’t go ahead? Do you are feeling like your present would not have stakes anymore? Killing somebody is the quickest option to stir a response from the viewers. You don’t even need to plan out the stated dying, you don’t have to plot the main points, it doesn’t even have to make sense (you’ll be able to say that’s simply how life goes and transfer on). You’ll have your viewers shocked, your characters moved (your forged will do the heavy work), and fortunately you’ll have your present trending on-line as a result of individuals will speak about it, and you may have all of that with out placing a lot effort into this. The dying itself can really feel unplanned, half-baked, like a last-minute addition to a tasteless, mindless story. And hey, that’s okay, your work is finished, and you’ve got a great transferring story with out overthinking it an excessive amount of. Individuals will watch your present and take into consideration life and they are going to be cool with it, proper? Simple like that.
I can consider so many reveals that killed characters only for shock within the dumbest doable methods till they had been slowly ruined due to this mindset. It’s such a typical factor to occur, it actually is the straightforward approach out for lazy storytellers and unhealthy showrunners — I needs to be stunned that it took so lengthy for 9-1-1 to do one thing like this. There’s one other essential factor about this: actual life doesn’t have to make sense, however fiction does. Fiction follows guidelines, and so does dying in fiction: killing somebody in Recreation of Thrones is totally different from killing somebody in Associates which is totally different from killing somebody in Gray’s Anatomy which is totally different from killing somebody in Journey Time.
Every work of fiction has its guidelines, and every TV present has its viewers, prepared (or not) to have interaction in good religion with sure issues. For eight seasons and 120+ episodes of 1 hour every, 9-1-1 has gathered an viewers that expects the thrills of a loopy emergency, the suspenseful feeling of an journey, the exaggeration of a telenovela, and the consolation of a (discovered) household comedy. An viewers that expects the enjoyable of an exciting present stuffed with motion mixed with the lightness and charm of a narrative for households in every single place. It had one thing distinctive, in contrast to something on TV these days; the most effective of each worlds, characters below misery with security to the viewers as a result of every part could be okay finally.
Till the protagonist, the spine of the present, died on the finish of a random episode a part of a weak storyline that lacked higher care and thought. In the event that they needed to kill Bobby that unhealthy, 7×09 was a greater sendoff than 8×15/8×16; the storyline was stronger, the expertise was extra emotional, and the general end result could possibly be higher. I don’t suppose it might be a great transfer again then, but when that was all of the showrunner may conceive as a good suggestion to maneuver the story ahead, so be it. Not each showrunner is prepared to do the heavy, onerous work to search out higher materials to write down, and a few will finally resort to low-cost thrills like this. So sure, if that was the most effective they might conceive, 7×09 could be a greater ending to Bobby’s arc — not no matter this was.
As a result of let’s get this straight: you’re about to kill the principle character, the protagonist of your present. You spend a few of the valuable, remaining alive time of this character in a two-parter that finally ends up being pointless and inconsistent, badly deliberate, badly written, badly executed. You comply with this with an episode that would cope with how the characters are grieving, however as a substitute waste it in a facet plot that exists primarily to ship a unusual message to your viewers, lacking the chance to, I do not know, possibly present Bobby’s mother? His brother? His staff? What a hill to die on! I have been watching american tv for fairly the time, and it is uncommon to discover a present with a capability this large to destroy itself so shortly. It takes a particular type of expertise to create a catastrophe this baffling — congrats to all of the concerned on this sensible resolution.
The Final Alarm tries onerous to set a brand new begin for the present whereas it offers with the aftermath of Bobby’s dying. It tries to ship a message to viewers, maybe hoping this might function comfort or fortunately give individuals consolation. Nonetheless, what this episode actually accomplishes is showcasing how a lot this present is way from its golden days, now unable to “reinvent” itself with out lazy tips and low-cost storylines developed only for shock. It left a bitter style in my mouth, for positive; this complete season feels now like a waste of time and power, and the transfer to ABC appears nugatory. A part of my goodwill in direction of the present died in that lab, I’m not going to lie. The previous 9-1-1 was buried tonight with Bobby, and the following episodes will attempt to launch a brand new, reinvented present, however following this assortment of unhealthy selections and these many errors, this new 9-1-1 is born struggling already. Oh, and a spin-off is meant to come back out later this yr; do you suppose individuals will tune in to observe 9-1-1: Nashville in good religion after this terrible end result of occasions introduced by the unique? Who is aware of. Fiction should make sense, however life actually doesn’t…
Now inform me how you are feeling about this episode! Be at liberty to depart a remark together with your impressions and theories, and thanks for studying!