Critic’s Rating: 3.9 / 5.0
3.9
Here’s the thing about a midseason finale: you go out with a bang or whimper.
Or, in rare cases, you can go out with a little bit of both.
And boy, do I wish that were the case for 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 8. Unfortunately, this hour felt like any other hour of the series, which isn’t a bad thing but certainly not what you expect from the last hour before a lengthy hiatus.
In the olden days (as they used to say), shows broke for the holidays and then came back sometime in the winter, but there weren’t typically these advertised midseason, or fall, finales, as they’re called now.
A show simply took a break, but the final episode before the hiatus wasn’t hyped with the word “finale,” meaning it didn’t necessarily have to take on increased importance in the narrative.
Nowadays, these finales are often compared to season finales since the winter break can be nearly as long as the summer one. They can end in an open-ended way or even on a cliffhanger to give viewers something to remember and talk about during the break.
That’s not to say a midseason finale must do that, but you certainly want this hour to have at least somewhat higher stakes than the average episode because you want those viewers clamoring for the show’s return.
After a shortened 9-1-1 Season 7, the series got back into the midseason business here, but it wasn’t an hour that felt much different from anything else we’ve seen this season.
There wasn’t anything too wild or crazy happening across any of the storylines. If anything, it was lackluster in scope, especially considering the bulk of the main plot involved Brad, a character we’re not remotely long-term invested in.
The Hotshots storyline was a fun addition at the beginning of the season, and it continues to be a lighthearted thing that does illicit laughter. Still, at this stage in the season, we’re more than a third of the way through, and it feels like this story has eclipsed its expiration date.
The crew welcomed Brad’s addition to the 118, and it played very much as the team being happy to indifferent about having Brad with them. He seemed to have endeared himself to everyone, though they may have been scared of bruising his fragile ego.
Since his introduction, Brad has felt a kinship with Bobby rooted in sheer reverence for the man he considers a real-life hero.
While Brad’s a hero in fictional character name only, Bobby’s the real McCoy, and joining the 118 was his time to soak in some of that magic and real-life stuff that Brad will never experience on a backstage lot.
And there was nothing inherently wrong with the story they were trying to tell here with Brad, but it came at the expense of other stories, and after a season in which Brad’s shenanigans have at times seemed to be more important than those of the characters we’ve known and loved for the past eight seasons.
It doesn’t help that we’ve seen Brad be not-so-great to various people throughout the season, making the foray into his personal life to deeper examine the misunderstood TV star feel somewhat unnecessary when there are more pressing matters to attend to.
But again, the story wasn’t horrible, especially as the hour developed and Brad was forced to realize that he was once again playing make-believe, but real lives were at stake.
All things considered, Brad should have been on a much shorter leash on the scene of that wastewater explosion, but an awful lot was going with trying to make sure that young couple didn’t drown in that car, and Brad being a grown ass man should have known better than to exert himself where he didn’t belong.
But Brad’s not like most of us, who would have observed from the sidelines since we’d recognize we don’t actually know what we’re doing. But fresh off the 118’s critiques of his show, Brad seemed determined to make a real-life save, and he did, but it could have gone spectacularly wrong.
Bobby had every right to lay into him, and for his part, Brad takes Bobby yelling at him better than just about anyone else daring to challenge him. And that all stems back to his admiration for Bobby and his work.
The 118 take everything in stride because they see the gamut of the job. They see and celebrate the successes when they can, but they also see the losses. You can never get too high or too low because there will always be another emergency that needs you at your absolute best.
Brad flits around, taking notes and making his own rescues to truly get into the head of a firefighter, but he’s not actually one. He didn’t train, and he didn’t know the intricacies, so his stepping in could cause more harm than good. He needed to be reminded of that.
The story could have ended there with Brad learning an important lesson and actually sitting back to observe more than he had been, but this is 9-1-1. He was going to get a chance to redeem himself essentially, and it came in a way perhaps no one expected.
Brad, being famous and all, kept being recognized on calls, and while he tried to brush it off as best he could, there was only so much he could do about the attention. But had he not been there for the call of the man ready to jump off the overpass, there may have been a much sadder outcome to that story.
Craig was struggling, and while the 118 had seen these calls before, they weren’t having much luck talking Craig down until he noticed Brad.
And there was something really lovely about hearing Craig talk about Brad’s character and what Hotshots meant to him because it was so relatable for those of us who genuinely care about the medium of television.
This was a chance for the show to talk to us via the Hotshots show, and they played it brilliantly. 9-1-1 is a lot of people’s comfort shows, and it’s gotten many people through tough times.
Television and characters mean something to people. They may not be real (and it’s important to remember that!), but they can still mean something to you. They can make you feel a myriad of emotions, real human emotions, and that’s a beautiful thing.
In that moment, it wasn’t Brad in turnouts pretending to be a firefighter that made him a hero. It was him just being Brad Torrence, Hollywood star and lead of Hotshots, who got through to Craig in a way that no one else out there could do at that particular moment.
Brad was clearly at a crossroads, and his stint at the 118 didn’t go how he envisioned, but he may have learned the most valuable lesson: we’re all capable of being heroes. Cue the swelling music and the soft smiles before the fade to black.
Brad’s storyline wasn’t shocking or anything like that (and there was a great moment with Eddie I’ll touch on in a bit!), but it wrapped satisfyingly, and that should definitely be the end of it.
He may be a better person moving forward and more appreciative of what he has, but let him do that away for the 118.
Ending things with the 118 stepping onto the Hotshots set was a clever way to bring things full circle, and it was funny. I belly laughed at the whole scene, especially how awkward the guys were while acting and Eddie stuffing a donut in his mouth while running back to get to his mark.
If this were just a regular schmegular episode, it would have been perfectly fine for what it was. But leaving us with the Brad show as the lasting memory of this half of the season left me feeling a little underwhelmed when the credits rolled.
Aside from Brad, Athena had the B-plot, in which she and Romero teamed up to find the person who assaulted a kid who anointed himself the ‘cart cop.’
This was a throwaway storyline, as in the show will go on, and you’ll probably never think about it beyond this hour, but it’s always nice to have Romero back, as he and Athena have a great rapport.
Graham was doing the absolute most for his YouTube channel. The whole time I watched the scene in which he had the entire parking lot jammed up, I wondered how confrontational those lots would be if people were demanding and videoing all the people who can’t be bothered to return their carts to the corral.
And leave it to 9-1-1 to have me seriously contemplating my own actions when it comes to returning my cart at my local supermarket!
Graham was a part-time justice crusader and part-time influencer because if it were truly just about the morality of returning your cart, there would be no reason to stream and post everything online for views and validation.
Graham was lucky to make it out of that beating alive because the person who assaulted him wasn’t just an annoyed person who wanted to send him a message. They seemed content to leave him for dead and stuffed him inside the shopping cart for good measure.
The hour didn’t feel overly busy, but the Brad stuff took priority to the point where the wrap-up to the case felt rushed. It was so apparent that the security guard or the older gentleman who found him hurt Graham because they were the only ones with names and legitimate motives.
Ira and his size 9 shoes being the culprit was no surprise, but his being a parole jumper with multiple felony assaults was! The kindly, older cart coraller being a cold-blooded assassin was undoubtedly a little twist.
Athena getting Graham a job at the grocery store was sweet, and like the Brad business, there was nothing inherently awful about this story, but it just fell flat in this context.
The one story that hit the most and left us with many questions and concerns heading into the break was Eddie, who was still going through it in his time away from Christopher.
The Eddie/Christopher storyline was one of the most anticipated storylines heading into 9-1-1 Season 8, and while they have touched on it, it’s felt very disjointed at times, like an afterthought.
Eddie’s been open and vocal about missing Christopher and feeling like he’s missing out on these critical moments in his son’s life. Still, it wasn’t until 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 6 that we saw the start of Eddie working through his own feelings about what happened.
While Christopher’s absence is a big part of this story, everything that led up to Eddie’s decisions is equally important, as it resulted in his current situation. However, we’ve barely scratched the surface of any of that.
Eddie engaged in an emotional affair with Kim because of many deep-rooted feelings about his relationship with Shannon and probably even more things dating back to his childhood, but they haven’t shown us Eddie talking through any of those things.
His confession to the priest about his guilt and not feeling worthy of joy was the first step in working through his feelings. Shedding his mask and allowing himself a respite felt like a moment we’d all been waiting for.
It was the moment we’d see Eddie start to work on himself more, understand his actions, and move forward to reconciling with his son and bringing Christopher home.
But that’s not really what’s happening here.
After his breakthrough, we got no progress during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 7, and then in this hour, Eddie decided seemingly overnight that he wasn’t content to miss anything else in Christopher’s life and decided he would move to Texas.
He didn’t talk to anyone about the decision—not Christopher, his parents, Buck, Bobby, or anyone else at the 118.
It was a decision that seemed to come after his conversation with Brad. But Brad was telling a cautionary tale about estrangement becoming permanent if you let your career ambitions take priority over your children, which wasn’t at all the same situation Eddie found himself in.
You could tell in the video call that things have certainly thawed between father and son since we last saw Christopher during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 1. And it’s a shame that development happened purely off-screen.
Christopher was much more willing to engage with his dad, showed genuine excitement over getting Brad’s autograph, and was forthcoming about information regarding his life.
No one aspires to only have a relationship with their child through a computer screen, but progress has seemingly been achieved. But what will Eddie’s decision do to that progress when they haven’t had a real conversation (that we’ve seen) about everything that happened and how they move on from it?
But also, does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Eddie is the parent in this situation, and he’s taken great strides to respect Christopher’s wishes and do what he thought was best, but at what point is enough enough?
Christopher is a child, and whether you believe he should have never let Christopher go or you’re okay with the situation, I think we can all agree that both sides deserve to be heard by the other, but Eddie’s the one who ultimately must decide what’s right.
Having said all that, Eddie’s decision to move was born from missing his son, but I wonder how this decision will affect the progress made with Christopher before they have had any of those hard talks.
And it’s not as if Eddie had just passed the fleeting idea of visiting Texas for a bit and checking in with Christopher or even just thought about moving so that he could bounce off his friends.
No, Eddie went full-blown hiring a realtor and was ready to start getting into the nitty gritty of looking at houses. Getting a realtor is a big step, and while Eddie may have yet to have his bags packed and plane ticket bought, it seemed like a decision he was more than ready to make.
Buck’s showing up was perfect timing or the worst timing, depending on how you view it. However, like Eddie’s decision to leave the 118 during 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10, Eddie had essentially made up his mind.
He was “getting the ball rolling,” but he was a man who was prepared. He dove right in and looked at listings more than cursorily.
But unlike last time, Buck caught him before Eddie could catch him even more off-guard.
There has been less Buck and Eddie this season than we had last season, but that could be said for many of the pairings. So, it was nice to see the two guys together in Eddie’s kitchen, a place where they’ve had so many important chats, talking about Eddie’s plight, even if it was far too brief.
Buck, ever the fixer, didn’t try and talk Eddie out of it or make him feel like his decision was a bit hasty, even if you could tell by the utterly confused and devastated expression he was sporting that he certainly wasn’t enthusiastic about the latest development.
The “we” of it all was such a Buck gesture and continued reinforcement of the partnership they forged over the years. Buck had to quickly handle the possibility that his very best friend was about to join another piece of his family in Texas, leaving him without two essential pieces of his heart.
But Eddie’s choices aren’t about Buck. They are about Christopher, and Buck knows how to be nothing but supportive of his Diaz boys.
Are Eddie’s concerns his concerns? Absolutely. And he’d shirk his feelings to ensure that he was the partner Eddie needed him to be during a monumental moment in his life. But that face? Buck was having many feelings in that moment we desperately need to see unpacked YESTERDAY.
So, where does Eddie go from here? Does anyone think he’ll actually make the move to Texas?
It’s hard to imagine we’re headed toward a scenario where that happens. Leaving the 118 to head over to dispatch is one thing, but leaving the state? That’s a much tougher pill to swallow.
We could see him and Christopher addressing the elephant in the room before Eddie makes any serious moves to pack a box and sell his home, leading to Christopher returning home.
Or even Eddie pushing pause on the actual move but spending an extended amount of time in the Lone Star state reconnecting with Christopher in person.
Jumping to Eddie 100% moving may be a little premature, but there’s a lot to chew on here over the break, and that’s precisely what you’re looking for in this kind of hour.
It may not be a cliffhanger of epic proportions, but it will keep us guessing and discussing what to expect for the next few months.
Operation Bring Christopher Home has hit a snag. In the not-so-distant future, we may be looking at Operation Bring Christopher AND Eddie Home, with Buck Buckley leading the mission.
Loose Ends
- This one had many laugh-out-loud moments, many of which involved Ryan Guzman. Eddie’s attempt to backtrack when telling Brad his show was FAKE and his total bewilderment during Brad and Craig’s heartfelt Hotshots speech was hilarious.
- When the show returns in the spring, will Buck still be baking? It’s seemingly only been a short while since the breakup, so I get it, but what’s next for Buck? These are the real questions we need answering!
- I love the little moments where you see Buck and Eddie’s core friendship come through, like when Buck acts as if he’s not going to look at the tablet but then does it anyway. Only your very best friend is doing something like that.
- No Maddie at all in this one felt so odd. We have the Madney pregnancy as a surefire plot point in the back half, but she and Chimney have had very little to do to this point.
- Are Eddie’s parents just choosing not to tell Eddie anything that’s going on with Christopher? I need more information here.
- Bathena still needs a house. This is terrible news, but it means I may still get my Bathena working a mystery together while house hunting or house building dream I’ve wanted from the beginning.
- Imagine being that couple drowning in wastewater in the middle of the street. Horrific.
Well, that’s all the new 9-1-1 we’re getting this year! Be on the lookout for my midseason report card coming soon, but in the meantime, let me know how you’re feeling about this one in the comments.
Were you missing some of the main characters?
Did you like the conclusion of Brad’s storyline?
What should Eddie do?
What do you want to see when the show returns?
You can watch 9-1-1 on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.
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