Spoilers forward!
9-1-1 has all the time flirted with the horror style; there are many moments within the first seasons that might be a part of a Last Vacation spot film. With the present lately leaning towards a comedy course, particularly on this eighth season, Voices continues the pattern that began with Sob Tales final week, delivering a thriller with some surprising slasher moments.
After Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is kidnapped by Amber (Abigail Spencer,) Chimney (Kenneth Choi) and Athena (Angela Bassett) need to work collectively to determine what occurred. Contemplating that Maddie is pregnant with their second baby and she or he went lacking throughout her first postpartum, Chimney is apprehensive that one thing related could be occurring once more — particularly with Amber doing something in her energy as a detective to offer the impression that it was Maddie’s alternative to go away. However Athena isn’t satisfied, becoming a member of forces with Rick Romero (Danny Nucci) to find if what occurred to Maddie is linked to the Weepy Killer case. In the meantime, Maddie is combating for her life utilizing her strongest weapon, her communication talents, to attach with Amber and escape.
“Voices” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie, Abigail Spencer as Amber. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.
It’s all the time a pleasure for me when 9-1-1 goes loopy and delivers thrilling moments. As a horror fan, there’s a lot right here to be delighted with, particularly contemplating that this present is giving us eighteen episodes a 12 months — the entire episode is filmed and directed to maintain the viewers on the sting of their seats, biting nails of tension. The final ten minutes are particularly insane; when Amber slashed Maddie’s throat with a knife in true horror film style, I gasped out loud, then jumped out of my seat speechless. Chimney simply arrived at Amber’s dwelling, Athena simply found every thing that Amber did, and all of this results in a tense ending.
However (nearly) every thing’s advantageous ultimately. Amber is killed by Athena, Maddie, and Chimney are alive, their unborn baby (a boy!) is ok, however her voice, her strongest weapon, the factor she makes use of essentially the most to work and to attach with folks (and to a sure level, to attach with us, the viewers, too) is generally passed by now, which implies that at the least for some time, Maddie may not be a dispatcher anymore. The episode additionally offers with Maddie’s new being pregnant in a method that makes a callback to the primary one; all this horror is meant to be about Maddie coping with her previous and combating as soon as once more to remain within the lives of those she loves. In the meantime, Chimney can also be coping with what occurred after Jee-Yun was born, plagued by the potential for Maddie leaving them once more however refusing to surrender on her.
“Voices” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Kenneth Choi as Chimney, Abigail Spencer as Amber. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.
Lots is going on right here, and I feel the episode suffers from it a bit. Amber was simply launched within the earlier episode, which implies that Voices serves each as her backstory (she has a number of personalities as a result of a kidnapping she suffered when she was an adolescent, and apparently her mother didn’t give her sufficient love) and her last moments. Possibly that’s an excessive amount of for the time given; it’s simple to attach with what Maddie and Chimney are going via as a result of we’ve recognized them for years and we love and root for them, but it surely’s arduous to attach with Amber — which is by no means Abigail Spencer’s fault, who delivers some highly effective moments with what she’s given. Kenneth Choi and Jennifer Love Hewitt additionally ship some superb, riveting scenes, and I like that they each had a while to shine this season. After every thing that occurred to Maddie on this episode, I hope there’s extra to come back for Maddie and Chimney quickly.
Lastly, an enormous (even when brief in time) second of Voices occurs when Eddie (Ryan Guzman) leaves L.A. and says goodbye to Buck (Oliver Stark.) That one is big as a result of Buck and Eddie spend the entire episode with this pressure between them; Buck is burdened as a result of Maddie is lacking but in addition due to every thing altering in his life, together with Eddie’s departure. And whereas Eddie drives them to locations so possibly they will discover her someplace, this pressure between them grows. Of their last scene, not a lot is alleged, as there’s this sense that each of them are retaining what they need to say below lock and key.
“Voices” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Ryan Guzman as Eddie, Oliver Stark as Buck. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.
And whereas Buck is the one who appears extra explicitly devastated by Eddie shifting to Texas, it’s clear to me that Eddie is the one repressing issues and attempting to persuade himself that every thing is ok — not as a result of he doesn’t need to keep, however as a result of he can’t enable himself to let no matter he’s received occurring with Buck hold him from making amends together with his son. From “It’s not nothing” to “This factor between us has been messy and arduous, however I hope you realize, you do matter to me,” Eddie does something in his energy to inform Buck that he cares for him and for what he feels, even when he can not let it get in his method again to Christopher (Gavin McHugh). I additionally cherished that Eddie appeared again to Buck earlier than getting in his automotive; such a pleasant, tender last contact to the entire thing between them.
9-1-1 delivered Buddie storylines with explicitly romantic implications two episodes in a row — two episodes of them arguing like a married outdated couple adopted by a goodbye hug on a wet, cloudy afternoon, in a storyline that has some callbacks to the Abby one within the first season. If something romantic associated to Buddie was arguably subtext in earlier seasons, since season seven their relationship has leaned in direction of a giant change, and all indicators level to this transformation lastly occurring earlier than this season ends.
All in all, Voices is an efficient, shocking episode, even when it tries to inform too many issues in such a short while. It options some type of Jee-Yun (Bailey Leung/Hailey Leung) team-up with Mara (Askyler Bell) to ship essential details about Maddie’s kidnapping to the adults, which implies that Karen (Tracie Thoms) can also be again to a small however heartwarming particular look. And the best way Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Chimney’s friendship was highlighted right here was so lovely; there’s a scene wherein Chimney tells Hen that ought to go and be along with her household, and she or he replies to him one thing alongside the best way “I’m already with my household” and that was so cute and essential. After this, we return subsequent week with a Bobby (Peter Krause) centered episode directed by Aisha Hinds, and I’m enthusiastic about this one.
Now inform me how you are feeling about this episode! Be happy to go away a remark together with your impressions and theories, and thanks for studying!