By Michelle Gonzaba
After responding to a polygraph-obsessed bridezilla and her literally flaming dress, Station 118 splits up to deal with their own personal issues. Along with her classmates, Hen is preparing for her doctor’s exams. Mrs. Wilson, Hen’s mom, makes a couple of sarcastic but loving comments before going to the farmer’s market. Her trip doesn’t last long — she collapses shortly after arriving.
Mrs. Wilson’s trip to the hospital isn’t any better than her trip to the market. The ER doctor clearly doesn’t take her or her symptoms seriously. He even tells her, “…some people just faint.” Maybe not the best thing to say to someone who recently collapsed.
Eddie is having a much better time in his personal life. Christopher’s caretaker, Carla, has finally returned to the family after a year away. To his relief, she gets along well with his new girlfriend, Ana. It’s nice to see Eddie so happy, but this show never lets anyone be happy for too long. Watch your back, Diaz!
Maddie isn’t as lucky as Eddie. Motherhood isn’t as smooth as she thought it would be. Her new baby never stops crying and Maddie hasn’t been able to sleep through the night. To make matters worse, Chim’s voice and arms instantly soothe the baby, making Maddie feel even worse. It seemed like Maddie had been okay since the birth, but she is definitely not in a good place. Looks like she was too happy for just a bit too long.
The members of Station 118 respond to a call concerning a woman who has fallen through her balcony. The 911 caller, her son, tells Maddie he can’t help his mom because he can’t go outside. When the firefighters arrive, she doesn’t want to be taken to the hospital-she refuses to leave her son alone, and won’t allow him to leave the apartment due to his autoimmune disorder. Eddie volunteers to stay behind and watch him. I don’t think he can actually do that (isn’t he on the clock?) but it’s a nice gesture.
After learning that the boy, Charlie, doesn’t go to school and never sees the same doctor, Ana decides to do a little digging. She finds out the mom has set up multiple GoFundMe accounts under different names. Eddie and Ana think she may suffer from Munchausen by Proxy syndrome. In the simplest terms, it’s when a caregiver pretends the person they take care of is sick. So whether the mom is mentally disturbed or simply a scammer, Eddie feels like he must do something to protect Charlie.
While less dramatic than Munchausen by Proxy, Bobby and Athena have their own problems to deal with. After smelling bourbon on Bobby’s clothes, she follows him to his AA meeting. To her surprise, Bobby is mentoring the woman who caused the massive pile-up from a few episodes back. Athenia is big mad, accusing Bobby of lying. Bobby responds with his own accusations: he thinks Athena leaves him out of too many big decisions. I love Athena, but she does tend to keep things to herself. Their fight grows worse by the second and ends with Bobby saying their marriage isn’t working. I feel like that fight went from zero to one hundred really quickly, but as I said, this show doesn’t let anyone stay happy for long.
Hen’s mother collapses again and is quickly diagnosed with a heart issue. While waiting at the hospital, Hen speaks to the ER doctor that originally blew her off. Even though he doesn’t sound very apologetic, Hen is even more sure of her dreams to be a doctor.
Eddie is eventually called back to Charlie’s apartment after they get a 911 call from him. It turns out the mom was poisoning him with eye drops to keep him weak. Charlie ends up doing the same to her but has given her an amount large enough to almost kill her. After saving her life, the authorities decide to send the mother and son to different hospitals. It looks like Eddie was able to help Charlie escape his mother’s prison.
While Buck and Eddie discuss Charlie’s case, Buck is suddenly sprayed with blood. While staring in shock, Buck watches Eddie collapse from a gunshot wound to the chest. Before the unknown sniper can take out Buck, he is thrown to the ground by another firefighter. Buck is left helpless as he watches Eddie bleed out on the street. Oh, Eddie, it’s not your fault. Your life was just going a bit too well.
