“How do you kill a monster that’s already useless?”
It’s a robust query that Maddie should face throughout 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 12 when the consequences of what occurred to her manifest and rob her of certainly one of her most prized possessions.
It was a heavy hour for Maddie, however it additionally marked the beginning of one thing new for Eddie as he began his Texas journey and reconnected with Christopher. And we bought one other strong hour within the again half of this entertaining eighth season.
9-1-1 tends to maneuver on in a short time from storyline to storyline, and in some methods, that may be an excellent factor as a result of your present won’t ever turn into stagnant when new tales are popping up at each flip.
However contemplating the high-stakes conditions this present thrives on, there are occasions when extra exploration is critical, and sadly, typically that’s bypassed for the following massive factor.
We see that always, within the aftermath of traumatic conditions during which characters are emotionally scarred or bodily harmed, they’re again to work the following episode, and nary a point out is made from what they beforehand endured.
Fortunately, the collection explored the fallout from Maddie’s kidnapping throughout 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 10 as a result of Maddie was virtually killed, and it could have been doing the storyline a major disservice to not discover Maddie’s trauma within the aftermath.
Evening terrors are extraordinarily frequent after experiencing traumatic occasions. Maddie was upfront with Chimney finally about what she was going by means of, and that’s been a stunning facet of the Madney relationship to see addressed this season.
Whereas Maddie could not have informed Chimney straight away concerning the terrors, she did inform him as a way of transparency. Since Maddie left throughout 9-1-1 Season 5, there was a concentrated effort between the pair to be open and trustworthy, particularly because it pertains to Maddie’s psychological well being.
As odd as it might sound, Maddie has discovered the decision middle to be a protected place general as a result of it’s the place she may also help folks. As a former nurse and now dispatcher, Maddie’s helped numerous folks within the worst moments of their lives, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that her voice is certainly one of her items.
Maddie wished to return to work to get again to doing the job she loves, however was it too quickly?
Actually, whether or not she’d gone again eventually, there was no approach to put together for her response to being again within the seat and on a name that will convey again into focus the final time she took a name and what occurred to her because of that.
The truth that it was a younger baby as effectively in search of assist elicited its personal set of fears with Maddie, and because the name progressed, her voice steadily disappeared, solely exacerbating the concern till she couldn’t converse in any respect.
It was a devastating second for Maddie, who’s been the recipient of so many devasting moments on this collection, however discovering out she had Psychogenic aphonia was a real kick to the intestine due to every part she’d endured.
She escaped a serial killer and was instrumental in Amber by no means having the ability to harm anybody else ever once more, but even in her demise, she was taking one thing from Maddie. She was taking her present.
You would see the pure ache on Maddie’s face as she needed to sit there with Chimney and the physician, listening to them talk about her and never having the ability to bounce in and ask questions or advocate for herself in that second by utilizing her voice.
Jennifer Love Hewitt was so good throughout this hour when she needed to rely solely on her facial expressions to indicate the viewers what the ache of shedding her voice was doing to her.
She was at a whole loss, and I appreciated that Chimney was proper beside her, however he additionally didn’t have all of the solutions as a result of that’s actual.
Sure, you need to help your spouse and do every part you’ll be able to to assist them cope with their ache, however you’re additionally at a loss, and all you are able to do is simply be there so that they know they’re not alone, even when you can’t repair it.
For Maddie, the lack of her voice simply made her much more offended on prime of what she’d already been feeling about all the scenario, and to really feel like there’s nothing you are able to do about it? Effectively, that must be hell.
I wasn’t certain how lengthy they had been going to have Maddie on this state as a result of, as beforehand said, there are occasions the collection hangs onto storylines, however there are different occasions they work extra time to wrap issues up inside the hour.
Had been we going to see Maddie again in remedy, or might she work by means of this on her personal?
Athena stopping by to speak with Maddie was a stunning scene, and contemplating Maddie typically doesn’t have that connection to the remainder of the characters, it’s all the time good when these two get collectively.
Contemplating Athena was closest to the scenario, having labored with Amber after which succeeded in bringing her down, she was the right individual to spend time with Maddie and assist her course of a few of the scenario.
Athena has her personal regrets about what occurred, whereas Maddie definitely has hers, however it was vital for her to listen to from Athena of all folks, who typically looks as if probably the most fearless individual on the planet, that there’s a approach to push by means of any concern or doubt she could have.
Concern will solely win when you let it, and Maddie could not have felt like concern was holding her again, however it definitely did play an element.
Her first name again was triggering, and her concern and anxiousness about what might go flawed this time left her speechless. But it surely didn’t should be the tip of it. Athena helped Maddie understand that it gained’t be as a result of she’s a fighter and stronger than possibly even she is aware of.
I had a sense after the dialog with Athena that this might be a case of one thing occurring that will breakthrough Maddie’s anxiousness basically, one thing so massive that she would be capable to converse with out even eager about it.
And that did occur when she couldn’t spot Jee for a couple of minutes whereas out on the park, which is each mother or father’s worst nightmare.
Jee was protected and sound inside a number of seconds, however that concern? The all-encompassing feeling like your coronary heart is about to tear out of your chest concern? Maddie pushed by means of all of it to scream out for her little lady, and it was an impactful scene for Maddie and the viewers.
The scars from that day with Amber and every part that got here earlier than it can take time to heal.
Maddie bought her voice again, however she’s nonetheless therapeutic and can proceed to. Being again at dispatch and serving to folks does convey her peace, and ending the hour together with her again at her desk, with a deep breath out and in, was a pleasant approach to finish this a part of Maddie’s therapeutic journey.
Maddie wasn’t the one one on a journey throughout this hour.
Eddie made it to Texas, and we lastly bought into his Texas arc, which has been teased since 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 8.
Is it odd to say that this explicit storyline was entertaining however concurrently disappointing?
I’ve wished to see development within the Eddie and Christopher story all season, however they’ve by no means given us a lot. Eddie’s journey this season has been mainly about him lacking Christopher, with a aspect journey to beginning to forgive himself.
However apart from that, we noticed two wildly totally different FaceTime calls between the daddy and son bookending the beginning of the season and the midseason level, and that was it.
Christopher was nonetheless upset and standoffish together with his father once we noticed him briefly throughout 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 1. The following time we noticed him speaking to Eddie, his feelings had cooled, however we by no means noticed any of that.
All we noticed was Eddie feeling like his son was slipping away from him. And in that second, he knew that he’d given Christopher lengthy sufficient and wanted to be the place he was.
Eddie left Los Angeles to be there for Christopher and extra current in his life than he had been in the previous few months. Uprooting his complete world was vital for him to be the current father he has strived so laborious to be.
So, now we get Eddie in Texas, however we don’t get a single dialog about something that preceded Christopher’s choice to reside together with his grandparents.
Am I asking them to constantly talk about what occurred with Kim? Completely not, however we haven’t even seen Eddie have an trustworthy dialog with Christopher about his emotions surrounding Shannon and why he began a friendship with Kim.
If these sorts of conversations have occurred or are occurring, they’ve all been carried out off-screen, which vastly undermines the integrity of this storyline.
Eddie has apologized however Christopher’s not a seven-year-old child anymore. He’s sufficiently old to hearken to his father clarify why he made sure selections and his recognition of the ache it induced him.
If these sorts of conversations have taken place or are happening, they’ve all been off-screen.
After we meet Eddie in Texas, not a lot time has handed, however from the primary time we see Eddie and Christopher work together, there’s one other noticeable shift between the pair, and you may’t assist however surprise how they bought from level A to level B.
Eddie was doing his Eddie factor in Texas, which was looking for work and doing no matter he might to get Christopher to love him once more. And as unhappy as that will sound, it’s not unusual for a mother or father to really feel like they’ve let down their baby.
Eddie has been in a fog ever since Christopher left, however being again with him bodily didn’t robotically raise it. There was nonetheless a chasm, in all probability as a result of they nonetheless hadn’t had these powerful conversations.
Shopping for the PS5 felt like bribery, however not a lot for his love as only a semblance of affection.
Christopher has all the time been so pleased with and reverent of his father, and instantly, having your son begin to really feel like a stranger and ponder whether they even such as you a lot anymore is a devastating feeling.
Eddie wasn’t able to face any of that head-on, so he selected to lean right into a lie relatively than be trustworthy with Christopher—and his people, for that matter.
9-1-1 has a critical mother or father problem, as in loads of the grownup characters’ mother and father are simply messy folks with quite a lot of points and questionable parenting expertise, and the Diaz mother and father have all the time match into that mould.
And whereas we’ve seen Ramon and Eddie begin to restore their relationship through the years, we will’t say the identical for Eddie and Helena, and you might inform at that dinner that she was greater than able to overstep Eddie the minute the chance arose.
She’s all the time wished to mother or father Christopher the way in which she noticed match and the way in which she thought he wanted, bypassing her son. She’s seemingly unaware (or possibly all too conscious) of how her meddling comes throughout, however she appears uncaring as a result of she thinks she’s all the time proper.
Helena has all the time offered as figuring out higher than Eddie, like she had a leg up as a result of she was there at the start when Eddie was away and attempting to supply for his household. And as a substitute of being supportive upon his return, she felt to say herself as the higher choice for his personal son.
So, these previous months in Texas have been about Helena dwelling her finest life and attending to mother or father Christopher the way in which she’s all the time thought he ought to be parented.
There’s loads of good story to mine there, particularly with Ramon seemingly within the center, but in addition not as a result of he by no means really says something to Helena when it’s wanted, however we took an enormous detour from any of that to get into Eddie’s Uber arc, which was enjoyable but in addition extraordinarily random.
Eddie not attending to be a firefighter was clearly devastating from an expert standpoint as a result of he was banking on that job, however it additionally devastated him as a result of he felt prefer it was another approach to disappoint Christopher.
Did he assume he would get away with mendacity to Christopher and his mother and father till Captain Morales got here round in a number of months and informed him the hiring freeze was up?
Eddie was so determined to stop himself from failing that he didn’t assume past his restricted scope of what he might do within the second to stop the rift with Christopher from rising even additional.
Clearly, together with his most important help system in Los Angeles, Eddie took each alternative to FaceTime Buck when he was feeling down, and he wanted Buck’s reassurance and recommendation maybe greater than he wanted something.
When Eddie talked about packing up his ball and going residence after not getting the firefighter job, he wanted Buck’s mild however agency reminder that he wasn’t there to do something however be Christopher’s father, and that was to stay his primary precedence.
Eddie felt so dangerous for himself that he actually wanted somebody who understood him higher than anybody to inform it to him straight and never maintain again.
And that’s all the time been the great thing about Buck and Eddie’s relationship. There’s a belief there that enables them to be weak in a method they aren’t all the time with others of their life.
Eddie going from that dialog to doubling down on the lie and turning into the most effective Uber driver he may very well be was a spotlight of the hour.
There’s a false impression about Eddie that he’s stoic and simply strolling sarcasm, however there’s a talkative, personable oversharer buried deep down in there, and it got here out in full pressure whereas driving folks round.
The poor man was incapable of studying the room, and it was embarrassing but in addition slightly endearing since you’d swear he’d by no means been round folks in his life with the way in which he was performing.
Getting his act collectively and principally turning into an Uber driver chameleon was the one method he would ever excel at that job, and it was good to see him discovering some pleasure, even when it was considerably fleeting and tied to a lie. Pleasure is pleasure typically, folks!
It was all the time going to return crashing down as a result of you’ll be able to’t inform a lie as elaborate as having a complete job you don’t have and assume you’ll by no means get caught.
Whereas I used to be fearful that this might trigger a setback in Christopher and Eddie’s relationship, it doing the other was a pleasant shock, however as soon as once more, it felt like a missed alternative for the 2 of them to speak concerning the previous.
Their discuss was candy, don’t get me flawed, and it was good to see Christopher vocalize his need to have his father there with him, however it felt like, once more, we missed so many steps to get there.
Christopher transferring away, and Eddie subsequently transferring away, WAS a BIG deal. After all, we wished to get to the purpose of seeing them reunite once more, however we missed a lot of what really bought them there.
That’s why this was an entertaining story general, however it additionally left me wanting a lot extra in the long run.
Unfastened Ends
- RIP Denali, and hi there, Toyota Prius! That truck has been part of Eddie because the combat membership days, so it appeared becoming that he removed it now when he was again in Texas and purging a lot of his LA life. No truck, no firefighting. God, I hate to assume what may very well be subsequent.
- There was no follow-up on final week’s improvement of the Buck and Eddie of all of it. However we nonetheless have six extra hours to go this season!
- The pizza man within the parking storage was a suitable emergency, however it didn’t actually slot in the remainder of the hour. It was like they forgot there was no actual emergency exterior of the one with Maddie and simply threw it in there for giggles.
- Eddie’s wardrobe morphing again into an expansion from Texas Digest was jarring! And that Texas home is a scorching mess. Can Buck go to so Eddie can get a second opinion on how one can make that place actually pop?
Even when I used to be disillusioned with sure selections, it was one other enjoyable hour, and you may’t take that away from it!
As all the time, I might love to listen to what you considered this one and what you’re trying ahead to seeing over the remainder of the season!
Please drop your feedback beneath so we will talk about.
You possibly can watch 9-1-1 on ABC at 8/7c on Thursdays.
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