9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 1 Review: Let The Games Begin

Television

Ah, another 9-1-1 season is upon, which means another season of laughs, tears, and all the feels!

9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 1 was full of at least two of those, though perhaps you shed a tear or two depending on what tugs at your particular heartstrings.

All in all, it was a solid introduction to a new season. All the major players were present, and while it maybe didn’t feel like the start of something, it certainly felt like a nice way to reacclimate us to our favorites and what’s happening in their lives. The stories will naturally flow from there.

Past 9-1-1 seasons have revolved heavily around a larger-than-life emergency or disaster to start the season. But that’s not the case here, as the blimp disaster that’s dominated promotional campaigns turns out to be on par with most of the typical rescues we see. However, it may clock in a little more screen time.

Athena enters the stadium trying to help calm the situation and suddenly finds herself running around trying to help a dying young woman with an artificial heart.

It’s always lovely when Athena, the 118, and Maddie are all on the same call, and it feels like a promising start to the season to see them all working together on the same call, even if they’re not all interacting.

It’s also good to see Maddie back at work and looking happy. There’s a time jump here of four months, and you can tell that all the characters, not just Maddie, have benefited from that time away.

Maddie and Chimney aren’t together, but you can see that their bond is as strong as ever. They’re co-parenting and spending time together, even away from Jee, and it’s obvious the spark is still there, but there’s still some hesitation.

And it makes sense for both of them to be cautious. Their relationship is bigger than just the two of them, and it’s crucial for them to be on the same page regarding what they want and are ready for.

That’s why their decision to hook up without talking first almost ends disastrously.

Just because you love someone does not mean you’re meant to be in a relationship with them. Maddie and Chimney’s original breakup wasn’t from a lack of love for one another but born out of a need to take a step back, work on themselves, and put all their energy into being the best parents they could be.

Now they’ve had months to adjust to this new dynamic, and you can tell there’s a shift from where things ended with them during 9-1-1 Season 5. But there are still some lingering fears and doubts, which is why it was so important for them to communicate and make clear what they wanted and what they were willing to do.

Chimney: I had a one-night stand with my ex. I don’t know what the rules are.
Bobby: Maybe that’s what you need to find out.

While Chimney was a bit too scared to face the morning after music, Maddie stepped up to the plate to bare her soul and made a promise to her family. Now that they’re committed to staying, we’ll see a new version of the couple.

It’s 9-1-1, so of course, there will be ups and downs, but it truly does feel like they’ve turned a corner, and I’m excited to see things between them deepen and strengthen throughout the season.

Maddie and Chimney weren’t the only couple with a tight focus during this hour, as Athena and Bobby finally got ready to go on their cruise!

Bobby was in full vacation mode, and it was sweet to see his excitement for the trip and his desire to be as prepared as possible. When you’ve seen the things he has, it doesn’t hurt to have a plan in place at all times.

I adore the Bobby and Athena relationship so much, as it’s obvious in these kinds of stories how well they work together. Is Bobby a touch overbearing, maybe? Sure, but Athena understands why and she doesn’t push back much.

Bobby’s recovery is his life, and he’ll be in a situation where there will be alcohol, and creating a plan for himself and staying busy is important to him. Athena gets it; as always, these two are supportive of one another.

It’s a shame the cruise will be put on pause, but Athena and Bobby will surely be taking the time they would have been on the cruise to visit her folks and figure out what happened with her dad. The cut to black right after the crash and the facetime call dropping was cruel!

I’m assuming Samuel had a medical emergency that had him driving the car into the house, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the next hour.

And since Bobby was already on his way out of town, he won’t have to scramble for an acting captain since he had already made that choice during the hour.

Hen is a fabulous choice for captain. She knows the job, the house respects her, and she knows how to lead in a way that others will follow. Bobby should have asked her upfront if she’d be interested in adding more to her plate instead of assuming.

Lucy has been at the station for seven minutes, and while she may have the experience, that doesn’t mean she knows this house in particular and what it takes to lead. Hen does. And Buck does, too, for that matter.

Damn, did I feel bad for Buck, who was doing everything he could to try and prove to Bobby that he was up to the task.

Buck pours everything he has into the job, and honestly, on paper, he probably does have the qualifications to at least be in the running. But being a leader is more than just telling people what to do on the scene. It’s about taking and absorbing all the responsibilities and making unpopular decisions.

Bobby: You’re a great firefighter. When you’re all in, nobody goes harder than you. But being a good leader is about more than just the work. It’s also about life experience, and I think you need some more of that before you’re ready.
Buck: Is this cuz I don’t have a couch?

Is Buck, at this particular point in time, ready for that?

The idea of needing more life experience is interesting because what does that really mean? It feels like he should either be ready or not ready, and they use the whole couch metaphor here to show that he’s just not ready yet.

The end of last season was a way to show Buck’s growth and willingness to choose himself, even if it meant being alone. And even in the ensuing months since the Taylor Kelly breakup, he’s still dealing with the fear of making more mistakes.

And you can’t have that fear when you’re leading a crew of people into a fire-alarm fire where any indecision could be the difference between life or death.

But even so, the idea of Buck as captain at least deserved a conversation.

Moving that recliner over instead of buying a couch feels like a moment to signify that Buck is at ease in his own way, even if he’s still not quite ready to commit to a new piece of furniture.

I love an introspective Buck storyline, so here’s hoping we’ll continue to see Buck work on himself and that this whole captain talk is the first of many.

Loose Ends

  • So, Harry moved to Miami to live with David and Michael. I guess that means we won’t be seeing Harry much!
  • May is off to college, and I wonder how much they will incorporate her into stories this season. She’s not going very far, so hopefully, we’ll still see a lot of May!
  • The new dispatcher is adorable, and I need mentor Maddie in my life!
  • The golf emergency was so random and perfectly 911. The chances of that ring being shot right into his chest were so low.
  • Buck cooking dinner for Eddie and Christoper while they talk about work, and Christopher roasts Buck. So many family feels in a short little scene.
  • Lucy is out of commission for a few weeks, and all I could think when I saw her was she’s STILL working at the 118. Why?
  • Imagine risking kidney failure to win a car. Imagine.
  • The little boy losing his little brother during hide and seek and then calling 911 so Maddie can help him find him and also spur her to stop running and confide in Chimney. We love an emergency that gets our people THINKING!

This was a very subdued hour by 9-1-1 standards, but it was still a decent way to kick things off.

I’m not totally sure where things are going this season for the characters, but I’m excited to be back with everyone!

Tell me in the comments what you thought about the premiere and what you’re looking forward to seeing this season!

As always, you can watch 9-1-1 online via TV Fanatic anytime!

Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

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