9-1-1 is a fun ride of a show. Filled with crazy situations but grounded characters, it is a very watchable show. So far they’ve given us buildings falling over from earthquakes, gas line explosions, bugs burrowed in influencer cheeks, and a main character kidnapped by her abusive ex. There are adorable kids, but also gruesome scenarios. It has everything!
While the show entertains consistently, there are still some things that would be great to see. Season 3 began last week and looking ahead to the rest of the season, there are some character beats and plot lines that should definitely be included.
Chimney’s Nickname
A lot of Chimney’s backstory was revealed. How he came into the job, the loss of his best friend, his turbulent relationship with his parents. But in all of the flashbacks, he’s still referred to as Howie or Han. (His first and last names, respectively.) A couple of people have asked through the series why he’s called “Chimney” but everyone just laughs it off and say it’s a long story.
They’ve built it up quite a bit, so I hope that they reveal it this season. It would be perfect because if they build it up too much there’s no way it can live up to expectations, but there’s been just enough build-up that they payoff could still be great.
Buck and Eddie Bromance
When they first met, Buck didn’t like Eddie. He was used to being the hot young stud in the firehouse and he didn’t love the competition. But after he got over his initial jealousy, he realized that Eddie was a great guy and they became friends. (It helped that Buck has a soft spot for Eddie’s son, Christopher.) They’ve been rocks for each other when they’re going through hard times, like Eddie’s loss of his ex-wife, and Buck’s injury on the job.
The best times have been when they’re just having fun together, whether on the job or not. Hopefully, there will be even more bonding between them, and more scenes of them taking Christopher around to the ocean or to see Santa again.
Bobby and Athena Have Problems
Athena and Bobby’s relationship is wonderful. They’ve both been through a lot, but have come through as stronger people. However, they haven’t had a lot of turmoil in their relationship. Athena’s ex-husband Michael and both of her kids immediately welcomed Bobby into the family. There was some tension with her parents but it was soon overcome. And while it’s nice that there haven’t been any of the typical “TV relationship” issues, there should be some. No couple has completely smooth sailing.
Where their rocky road could stem from could be differences at work. They both have high-stress jobs and though they work together, they could butt heads. It would just be nice to see them overcome some friction with each other occasionally. It would make their relationship that much sweeter.
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Buck’s Return to Firefighting
Poor Buck got injured when a fire truck he was riding in was blown up by someone who was trying to kill Bobby. His leg was shattered but he spent the time between the final episode last season and the beginning of this season recovering and getting back into firefighting shape. All looked good until he developed some blood clots which sidelined him.
Bobby’s offered him a desk job until they can be sure that Buck is 100%. However, it was implied and Buck picked up on it, that the desk job could be permanent. Buck’s whole identity is wrapped up in being a firefighter and he doesn’t know what to do if he’s not rescuing people, so he quit. The station just isn’t the same without him though, so hopefully, they find a way to bring him back.
An Abby Update
A, if not the major character in the first season was Connie Britton’s Abby. The 9-1-1 operator before Maddie, she dated Buck while dealing with her mother’s increasing dementia and ill health. When her mother died, Abby left Buck behind and decided to travel as she’d spent so long taking care of her mother, she hadn’t spent any time living.
There were some small mentions of Abby in the second season, but for someone who was once such a major part of the show, there have been no updates for a while. Even if she doesn’t reappear, it would be nice to know what Abby has gotten up to.
The fallout from Eddie’s Wife’s Death
Toward the end of the second season, it looked like Eddie and his ex-wife Shannon would be getting back together. They started seeing each other again and were co-parenting Christopher. Eddie even proposed that they resume their marriage (they had been separated) but Shannon, realizing she still had to work on herself, turned him down. They decided to divorce but before they could she died when she got hit by a car.
There was only one episode after that so it doesn’t seem that the full weight of her death was really explored for Eddie or for Christopher. Rather than just moving past it, it would be good to see if there are repercussions from such a traumatic event.
More Crazy Rescues
The show excels at the big, showy rescues. The man dangling from the roller coaster. The woman stuck in the tailpipe. Both of the plane crashes. Both of Chimney’s major injuries, especially the rebar through the head. It’s what gives the show it’s little something extra.
This season looks like it started things off right, ending the first episode with a huge wave heading towards the pier where Buck had taken Christopher for an afternoon out together. They just have to keep things going. Can the show get even crazier? Hopefully yes.
Nothing About Hen’s Ex
While Eddie’s ex turned out to be a lovely woman and Athena’s ex is a wonderful person, Hen’s ex, Eva, is the devil incarnate. She’s a junkie and convict and seems to revel in causing as much chaos in Henrietta’s life as possible. Henrietta and her wife Karen have a baby on the way, they don’t need more drama from Eva.
If there is going to be more home-life drama, perhaps her son could be the source. The show spends a lot of time with Christopher, and with Athena and Michael’s kids, May and Harry, but Hen’s son has barely been in the show. He is Eva’s biological son, so maybe he might have some chaos in him, too.
Chimney and Maddie's Romance
Arguably the sweetest love story of the series is that between Chimney and Maddie. Before meeting Maddie Chim didn’t have the best luck with women. His only long-term girlfriend on the show left him when he was still in the hospital with a rebar in his head. Maddie had even worst luck. She moved to L.A. in order to escape her abusive ex who then decided to kill Maddie and Chimney but she managed to kill him first.
Now that they’ve survived all of that, it would be nice to see them move forward with their relationship. They’ve already had the most traumatic experiences that could happen in a relationship, so it would be nice to see them just be able to relax and enjoy each other. And maybe plan a wedding or addition to the family (if they choose).
Group Socializing
While the big rescues are obviously a key part of the whole show, some of the best scenes are when they’re all having dinner together or out drinking. At the core of everything, the reason why it’s a fun show to watch is that the characters are likable and they like each other. They have fun and are funny when they’re teasing each other.
It was nice to see Karen and Hen out with Michael last year, so putting together people that don’t spend a lot of time working together is also good. More scenes of birthday parties or congratulations or receptions or just them eating around the firehouse or at Bobby and Athena’s house. Throw different people together and sometimes magic happens.