The 118 races to help protesters at a slaughter house, and a wife who finds herself trapped in a "rage room" with her husband's mistress. Athena takes action after Michael, May and Harry experience a traumatic traffic stop. The team feels betrayed by Buck when his suit against the city goes to arbitration. Eddie turns to Lena in his struggles with his anger issues.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of FOX's 9-1-1.
"Rage" was written by Lyndsey Beaulieu and directed by Jann Turner
Buck had zero understanding of what his lawsuit with the city to get his job back would actually entail. In fact, this story shows how he has largely had a carefree life of never having to worry about any potential consequences. He believes that his friends will welcome him back because he is insanely likable. That has always been the pattern in his life. And yet, he does a great amount of damage to these relationships. Distance is placed between them because of this lawsuit. The city moves fast through arbitation and even offers a sentlement. Buck doesn't want money though. He wants to work as a firefighter and believes he knows his health better than anyone else. Now, that may very well be true. But again, this is a dangerous job that has lethal consequences attached to it at all times. The people who run into these dangerous situations need to have an awareness as to where their limits and shortcomings are. That's something that everyone is continually figuring out. Eddie has plenty of rage as well. He hasn't been processing the death of his wife and that creates some legal consequences for him too. He can't call his best friend to bail him out of jail though. Instead, Buck is letting his lawyer destroy these friendships because they can effectively help his case. Buck fundamentally doesn't understand what attorney-client privilege is. That protects conversations that occur between a lawyer and their client. Buck shared all of these details. And then, they will used to pick apart the decision that led to him being sidelined on the job. He still works for the LAFD. It's not good enough for him. He can point to examples of his colleagues returning to work much sooner after more devastating injuries. Chimney has proven to be an exceptionally fast healer. But Hen is right to point out that everyone's health is different. Buck has an ongoing medical condition. He has to understand the medication he is taking and the consequences it can have on his body. He is so determined to get his job back. He succeeds in that endeavor by the end of this hour. The damage has already been done though. He doesn't believe that anything has changed. He thinks he can just show up at the grocery store and everything will go back to normal. But Athena no longer wants to invite him over to her house. And the rest of the 118 feels betrayed by him because he reacted in such an extreme way to their valid concerns. Love is apparently transactional to him. Because he supported Bobby, Hen, Eddie and Chimney in their times of need, they must step up for him too. He feels like they have failed him. In a way, they have by not trying to figure out a solution that could have avoided all of this. It was too simplistic and debilitating for Buck. He saw this as something he could no longer do. It was taken away from him unfairly. That is still on him though and his perspective of the world. He has to do a lot of soul searching in order to earn back the love and trust of the people on the job. Similarly, Athena has to speak out when bad police officers pull over Michael, May and Harry. It's a scary situation. One in which a gun is pulled on Harry because he was asleep in the back seat. This show is using its platform to have a serious conversation about the state of policing. It highlights and honors the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect and serve the community. But it also has to address the brutal reality that not everyone is protected equally. Athena has her own experience about what it's like wearing that badge. She has to ensure that consequences are applied to this situation. She can't just condone bad behavior. She may come across as against her family's vitriol for what happened. Michael has to smash some things in order to let his rage out. Athena has her own way of ensuring that the future is brighter. It comes through humiliation and not accepting any weak-minded apologies. Doing better is so much more important than hollow words that can come easy after the fact knowing the family has a connection to the police force. These are real and honest conversations happening in households every day. It's tragic that it's the norm but this show uses its stories to hopefully inform the world that everyone needs to be aware and active about how to be a better citizen.
