When the first responders race to the rescue of a crashed news copter, they unwittingly become the subject of an eager reporter's first on-air assignment. Bobby tries to deal with his daughter's death, as Athena prepares for May's homecoming dance. Maddie struggles to let go of her fear of the past. The team responds to emergencies at an eating contest, a bodybuilding competition and a toddler pageant.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of FOX's 9-1-1.
"Dosed" was written by Juan Carlos-Coto and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton
There is absolutely an interesting and compelling story in the idea of how cameras change the way in which first responders do their jobs. Athena makes a strong point in saying that body cams hold the police accountable for their actions. However, Bobby is against being recorded out in the field because he needs the victims in dire need of assistance to trust him and his team completely. If a camera is in their face, then they would just be putting on a performance instead of being their authentic self. However, the show mostly frames this conversation around the idea of a reporter coming to do a story on the station after she is saved from a helicopter crash. She is never a fully-formed character though. She always comes across as someone who pushes to get any kind of reaction from the members of the firehouse. She has unprecedented access to everything. But she isn't actually a good journalist. She wants to run a story about these firefighters doing their job while high on brownies laced with LCD. Instead, her boss makes her produce a story about the optimism behind the faces of the people in this high pressure job. It's the more important story that actually captures the essence of this firehouse and the people who work there. However, she mostly comes across as someone who doesn't really know what she's doing or has any kind of journalistic integrity. Moreover, the story falls into the lame trope of teasing that a female reporter is going to sleep with the subject of her story just to get him to open up to her. That's the way that Buck views everything. The show doesn't even confirm if they sleep together. The suggestion is implied at the end of the story despite how much they don't like each other after seeing their true colors. But it also seems like a way to confirm that Buck always thinks highly of himself and that women always want to have sex with him because he is simply that attractive. He is surprised when his sister shows a romantic interest in Chimney instead of Eddie. To him, Eddie is the more attractive guy - even though Chimney enjoys showing off the firefighter calendar to anyone who will listen. And yes, it is promising to see a relationship start to flourish between Maddie and Chimney. They both deserve that kind of happiness in their lives. Bobby and Athena deserve to be happy as well. However, it's understandable that Bobby would feel torn about having these new kids in his life knowing that he won't be able to see his own grown up. He still holds so much anger and regret for his actions in the past. He still sees it as a daily struggle to keep it all together. A lot of things are going his way lately. He is happy in this relationship. He has been welcomed into Athena's family. But there is still the trauma of the past. Him accidentally eating one of the brownies makes him fear that he has lost his sobriety all over again. It felt so freeing. He didn't mean to slip. But now, the urge is on his mind once more. That's terrifying to think about because he is such a calm and composed leader. He has learned how to lean on the world around him. He needs that support. That will ensure he doesn't carry this burden alone. He's happy at the end of the hour. But is that bound to last this season?
