‘9-1-1’ Season 8, Episode 17 Explores The 118’s Bobby Grief. Here’s Hoping We Dive Even Deeper.

Blasts From The Past

Season 8’s penultimate episode kicked off with Buck flashing back to a family firehouse dinner, in which Bobby reminisced over two Season 1, Episode 7 “Full Moon (Creepy AF)” emergencies: the team delivering babies in a yoga class, and Buck delivering a tapeworm. (You know, the emergency that stuck out to Oliver Stark as a hint that Buck was bisexual!) From a crucial conversation about Hen and Karen’s wedding to returning characters like Eddie’s Aunt Pepa (Terri Hoyos), Graham the cart cop (Sam Roach), and Lorna “The Smurf” (Phoebe Neidhardt), nostalgia was sprinkled throughout “Don’t Drink the Water” in a way that helped viewers reflect on the show’s past as characters reflected on their own journeys and memories of Bobby.

Blessed Be Father Brian

One of those blasts from the past was 9-1-1‘s resident hot priest, Father Brian (Gavin Stenhouse), who reappeared just in time for a new pope to be chosen! (An American named Robert, who — naturally — has fans convinced Robert Nash will be back soon enough!) Six years after Stenhouse appeared as Bobby’s go-to priest in four episodes of 9-1-1 (including the pilot), he received an unexpected call to return in Season 8, Episode 6 and had an impactful conversation with Eddie about his identity. This time around, Buck stepped into a confessional and sought out Father Brian’s help, seemingly unaware of his ties to Bobby and Eddie. Father Brian encouraged Buck to speak to his lost loved one, so Buck opened up and told Bobby he felt lost without him, like “everything is falling apart and I don’t know how to fix it.” When Buck asked Bobby for a sign, the ground literally shook as a 2.8 magnitude earthquake hit North Hollywood. Was it a sign that Bobby’s still with us? Will Eddie and Buck ever realize their Father Brian connection? We can only hope! For now, the beauty lies in the fact that Buck knows he’s not OK, is actively seeking help, and found himself learning from another man who meant so much to Bobby — whether he knows it or not.

Eddie Gets Some Much-Needed Screen Time (And Christopher Returns!)

9-1-1 fans have been confused, heartbroken, and outraged over Eddie’s lack of screen time this season. In the last few episodes, he wasn’t present for 9-1-1: Contagion, missed Bobby’s death, barely spoke during his funeral episode, and had so many major moments happen off-screen. While it’s still not what fans wanted, 9-1-1 does take some steps to repair the damage done by giving Eddie several substantial 817 scenes and letting him dive deeper into his emotions about Bobby and feelings about leaving Los Angeles. At the top of the episode, Eddie has a refreshing heart-to-heart with Karen and Hen, in which he reveals he “felt a little weird” because he hadn’t spoken to Bobby for two weeks prior to his death. Hen assures him that Bobby knew how hard he was working to build a new life in Texas, and though deep down Eddie knows that, too, I’m glad he gets that reassurance — especially after processing so much of the tragedy alone. As the episode progresses, Eddie reconnects with his Aunt Pepa, brings Christopher back to LA, and shares a crucial scene with Buck, which we’ll dissect in a moment. 817 also flashes back to Eddie receiving and processing the devastating news of Bobby’s death, which meant a lot, even if it wasn’t to the extent fans wanted. The episode also reveals Eddie got a job offer at the El Paso fire department, which ultimately leads to the most moving, memorable scene…

Buck And Eddie’s Blowout (And What Comes Next)

After realizing he’s last to learn about Eddie’s job offer from Ravi, Buck does what we’ve seem him do before. As he puts groceries away with a passive aggressive pout, he congratulates Eddie on the news and calls him out for not telling him, saying, “Everyone has been tiptoeing around behind my back, cause apparently I’m too fragile to accept the truth.” Eddie tells Buck that he knew he would make the news all about him: “Trials and tribulations of Evan Buckley, a tragedy in 97 acts.” He says Buck has been spiraling since the funeral and no one knows how to talk to him. But after Buck says, “Sorry I’m sad that Bobby’s dead,” a switch flips in Eddie’s brain, and he lets his own pent-up emotions about Bobby and Buck’s oversights ooze out.

Eddie lunges towards Buck, grabs his shoulder, and furiously says, “You’re not the only one that lost him, we all lost him. And we’re just trying to do our damn best to get through it.” When Buck says he knows, Eddie reminds him he never asked what it was like for him to wake up in the middle of the night alone to the news, sob in the dark, and tell Chris that another person he loved was dead. Guzman’s connection to and empathy for Eddie are palpable as he tears up and contorts his face. Buck apologizes, telling Eddie he knows Bobby was important to him, too. And Eddie reveals that he carries unshakable guilt, thinking that maybe if he were there, he could have made a difference. Guzman finally gets the spotlight in an intense, agonizing scene that dives deep enough to unearth powerful performances and ugly character truths. And I hope we haven’t seen the last of those this season.

Before Buck made his grand gesture and rented Eddie’s house so he could move to Texas with Chris, the two besties faced painfully similar issues in their relationship. They can talk on FaceTime for hours. They care deeply about each other. But when times get tough and the stakes are sky high for both of them, they still struggle to communicate. By the end of 817, they’re back on good terms, with Eddie bringing Chris for a visit to cheer Buck up after “I heard some dick was being mean to you.” But it’s clear the two haven’t unpacked everything between them yet, and still have some major discussions to have, including a potential 8×11 debrief. Hopefully, ON SCREEN.

Athena And Chimney’s Heartbreaking Rift

Speaking of characters who need to talk, Athena and Chimney’s rift is absolutely CRUSHING ME. After she yelled at him ahead of Bobby’s funeral, 817 sees Athena leave Hen’s house to avoid Chimney, and she finally admits, “I don’t blame him, I really don’t. It’s just that whenever I look at him, I see the man who isn’t here. He’s alive and Bobby’s not. I know it’s not fair…Every time I look at him, I get angry. And I’m pretty sure every time he looks at me he feels guilty. I think the best thing for everyone is if Chimney and I just keep our distance. The only thing that we need to be to each other from now on is professional.” With all due respect, Ms Athena Grant-Nash, absolutely not! Athena’s feelings are valid, realistic, and recognizable, but at the end of the day, her and Chim are battling the same grief. All he wants is to care for her the way he knows Bobby would have cared for his family had he been the one who died, so I hope the finale brings them together and gives him that chance.

Quality Karen Scenes

This is simply to say: More Karen in 9-1-1 Season 9, PLEASE! Eddie and Hen’s conversation easily could have been between the two of them, but I’m so glad it wasn’t. Karen’s over here asking the real questions, like “Eddie, do you realize LA is your home and you should probably come back ASAP?!”T hank you, queen. One of the episode’s greatest heart-to-hearts comes towards the end, when Karen goes to visit Athena without Hen — another refreshing writing choice, because she’s her own character! Karen calls Athena out for leaving after seeing Chimney and gives her a photo from her and Hen’s wedding that shows Athena, Bobby, Chimney, and the 118 happy as can be. The pointed gift is meant to stir up Athena’s negative feelings towards Chimney, and it’s a success. After Athena opens up a bit, Karen is a supportive friend, an advocate for Hen, and wasts no time reminding Athena that Chim is family. Karen 4ev.

Captain TBD

After thinking about Chief Simpson’s offer to be new captain of the 118, Hen officially turns down the position, because she’s not good at telling people what to do and would rather be a hands-on paramedic/mom/wife. Despite Bobby’s feelings that she was the best person for the job, he would absolutely understand and respect her not wanting the promotion. But who does that leave as captain of the 118? Will Chim step up? Will Eddie return to LA for the job? Or will they hire someone new? And will the role be filled by the time Season 8 concludes?

A Season 8 Finale Emergency

Before 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 17 concludes, Athena watches an apartment building collapse before her eyes and calls the emergency in, saying, “SEND EVERYBODY!” It’s clear Season 8 intends to go out with a bang — but with a major time crunch, here’s hoping the writers can intertwine professional and personal storylines in ways that bring each character to satisfying conclusions before the finale wraps.