What an hour of television!
The reservoir break’s effects meant Hollywood was overrun with water and mud, and the 118 was on the ground assisting where they could on 9-1-1 Season 4 Episode 2.
And unbeknownst to them, Athena was fighting for her life in a house that was literally falling down the Hollywood Hills.
The daring rescues and the heroic montages are at the core of 9-1-1, but it has always been the characters that make up its heart.
Both Chimney and Athena have been going through their battles, and though they are wildly different on the surface, they both involve their struggles to get past their fears.
For Athena, she still has worries and feelings of shame about her attack. And while she’s had months to recover, those kinds of feelings aren’t something you can easily get over and be cured of.
The landslide on her very first day back to work thrusts her back into action and back on the job, whether or not she was ready for it. And listening to Sylvia and relating to her story allows Athena to reconcile her own complicated feelings about what happened to her.
Sylvia’s decision to essentially close herself off from the rest of the world was born out of a need to both punish herself in a way but also to put distance between herself and her concerns about what could happen to her and others if she was outside the walls of her home.
Her home has served as her protection, and even as it was crumbling away and going to kill her, she still struggled with whether or not she was ready to leave it.
Sylvia’s decision to fight for herself and fight for her life will hopefully set her on the path for a new version of the life she’s known for so many years. And for Athena, hopefully, she continues to work on dealing with her trauma and restoring faith in herself.
Athena has a massive network of support, and Bobby especially has had his demons to battle (a continuous struggle, honestly), and she needs to know she can lean on her people.
Side note to swoon about Bobby and Athena for a moment, they are the sweetest couple, and we don’t appreciate them enough.
For Athena and May, it appears they won’t be on the same page anytime soon, as May seems hellbent on continuing to work at the call center, and Athena continues to be against it.
May wants to help people. And if there’s anyone who should understand that it’s Athena. But at the same time, she doesn’t want May to make the wrong decision, especially when her decision came from a place of worry.
It’s not as if May has always dreamed of being a 911 operator. Her primary motivation is Athena and a need to be there for her.
Now that she knows May is exploring this line of work because of her, you have to wonder whether Athena will let May figure things out on her own or double down on trying to get her to give it up.
May and Maddie have a good big sister/little sister dynamic going on, and I’m a big fan of incorporating May into the fold more as she grows up. She has a lot to learn about the job, and Maddie was right to pull her when she let her emotions spill over.
This is probably the best storyline May has ever had, so I’ll be continuing to enjoy seeing her grow within the job and seeing how her relationship with Athena changes.
The 118 was off in the Hollywood Hills assisting in any way they could. And the rescue of a baby, and then the subsequent discovery of several pregnant women being held against their will, provided a moment of catharsis for Chimney as it forced him to confront his anxieties about becoming a father.
We all know Chimney’s story at this point and the fact that he has a very strained relationship with his father. You have to assume that, coupled with the state of the world, had Chimney internally spiraling.
He doubted himself and his ability to be a good father, which is natural. Parenthood is a wild thing that you can never be fully prepared for. You can read every book and go to every class, but inevitably there will be something that pops up that you’re utterly ill-equipped for.
But you do your best, and you show up, and then it’s rinse, recycle, and repeat for the rest of your life.
While Chimney was spiraling in his insecurities and self-doubt, he failed to realize what he was doing to Maddie in the process. Helping deliver Amber’s baby helped him see what he was missing out on by letting doubt run his life.
Hopefully, Maddie and Chimney work on their relationship and prepare for the baby together. With the nature of their job and the realities of the pandemic, they’re always going to be under a tremendous amount of stress.
But they are always better when they’re together.
Loose Ends
- I love to see Carla in any way we can get her! And seeing her read to Christopher and Eddie and vowing to always be there for them, even if it’s on the computer? Priceless.
- Give us a whole episode of Michael and David in their domestic bliss, please! But seriously, I hope the show explores more of their dynamic now and what it’s been like to start a new relationship in quarantine.
- The hikers’ love triangle seems like something that DEFINITELY happened to some couples over the past few months.
- Buck is seeing a therapist but letting everyone believe he has a lady friend of the romantic variety. And he’s realized that he’s hiding his true feelings from his loved ones. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
This was an even better installment than the premiere, and it feels like this will be another stellar season.
Which storylines are you most interested in so far?
Are you excited for the 9-1-1: Lone Star crossover episode?
Drop me a line down below and make sure you watch 9-1-1 online right now, so you’re all caught up!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.