By Michelle Gonzaba
After a six week hiatus, 911 is finally back! While the show didn’t leave off on a dramatic cliffhanger, this episode does a solid job of setting up some juicy storylines for the rest of the season.
Maddie is still in the same place as she was before the hiatus-incredibly pregnant. No matter how many yoga sessions she does or spicy food she inhales, her 42-week pregnancy shows no signs of budging. And Maddie isn’t only the mother suffering; Hen and Karen are struggling to let go of their foster daughter, Nia. Karen is handling the situation much better than Hen, who has somehow forgotten what “fostering” means. It’s an incredibly tough situation but Hen is making it much worse with her anger.
Even at 42 weeks, Maddie is still reporting to work. Look, I don’t know anything about work and pregnancy, but you can trust me when I say work would be the last place I would be if I were 500 weeks pregnant. Nevertheless, Maddie continues to work, which leads to a call from a frightened boy named Jacob. He’s able to tell her he’s in a car with his mom and she’s driving the wrong way down the highway. Before Maddie can get more information, the mom hits an airport shuttle head-on and causes a massive pile-up.
Station 118 quickly responds to the numerous car crashes. While extracting Jacob and his mother, Athena finds an almost empty bottle of bourbon in the car. Athena makes a comment about “dumb drunks” that seems to rattle Bobby. While Bobby’s reaction is understandable due to his past, it’s not exactly the best time to have a mental breakdown. Hello Bobby, there are about ten other cars that need your attention!
In true 911 style, Maddie goes into labor while Chim is busy at the scene of the pile-up. Luckily Chim is able to meet her at the hospital, but he forgets their well-stocked baby bag in his brother Albert’s car. He tries to call him to bring the bag but has no luck. Unfortunately, Albert isn’t answering for a reason; he was hit during the pile-up and passed out before he could finish his call with 911.
I have watched too many shows to not recognize certain sad songs that are always played during incredibly depressing moments. Cue “To Build A Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra playing while Maddie gives birth and Albert flatlines. Again, my television-wired brain really thought Albert wasn’t going to make it, but 911 decided to save us all the heartache. Albert’s heart starts to beat again at the same moment Baby Girl Han is born.
After a very stressful day, Hen is in an even worse mood. She lashes out at Karen, accusing her of not fighting hard enough to keep Nia. Karen fights back against the accusation, saying she has accepted they can’t do anything and fighting would be pointless. Just because she isn’t yelling like Hen doesn’t mean she doesn’t care for Nia.
On the other side of town, Athena and Bobby discuss his reaction to the pile-up. She apologizes for her comment about alcoholics, but Bobby thinks she’s right — he believes he’s exactly like the drunk lady who caused the accident. Before Athena can convince him otherwise, he leaves to clear his head. Looks like the back half of the season will deal with Bobby’s demons. Good luck Athena!
Chim, Maddie, and Baby Han are finally able to go home and being their life as a family. Chim, who was with Albert when he woke up, is much more relaxed but realizes they never gave their baby a name. Actually, Maddie already took care of that tiny little detail. After speaking to Chim’s family, she realized she wanted to name their daughter after Chim’s mom. It’s a beautiful moment, but my heart was really set on Chimney Junior. Hopefully, they’re saving it for baby #2.
