Discover Top Posts Tagged with #911 4x09

9-1-1: FLASHBACK

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a 911: Flashback so there’s no better time than the present to jump back in. My last reaction was to an episode from season one involving a plane crash. Today, I’m going to be reacting to a multi-car highway pile-up in season four. The episode is called “Blindsided” and it originally aired on April 19, 2021, on FOX. It was written by Andrew Meyers and directed by Marcus Stokes. So, dear readers, pay close attention to this reaction so you’re not blindsided!

Recap

The beginning of this episode is a stark reminder of what life was like during lockdown. Maddie wakes suddenly, scaring Chimney who is sleeping next to her. He thinks she’s gone into labor, but she tells him she hasn’t. We then get a black screen with the words: 42 Weeks Pregnant. Scratch that! 42 Weeks 1 Day Pregnant. We then get a montage of our mom and dad-to-be attempting to induce labor. Chimney catches Maddie chugging hot and sour soup. The following day, Maddie gets stuck in a yoga pose. Chimney helps her up. Maddie says she’s impatient and ready to give birth. Chimney gives a list of other things she has tried to go into labor. Pineapple, raspberry tea. Spicy foods. Exercise. Nothing’s working! Chimney asks Maddie about what they should try next, and she suggests they have sex. She then throws her clothes at him and two get to gettin’. The next day, Albert drives Maddie and Chimney to the hospital. In the backseat, Maddie tells Chimney she thought labor would be more painful. They arrive at First Presbyterian Hospital believing today will be the day they will meet their kid. Seemingly a few minutes later, the two exit the hospital. Maddie tells Albert that today is not the day.

After the title card, we see Hen and Karen meet with social worker Diedra (played by Andi Chapman). Their foster daughter Nia (played by Margot Terry) is taken away, briefly, to see her biological mother. Hen and Karen are clearly bothered by this because they’ve become quite attached to Nia. Diedra says they should talk about scheduling overnight visits for Nia and her birth mom. The three of them go outside and Hen tells Diedra that he and Karen want to meet Nia’s biological mom. Diedra says she cannot set up a meeting between the Wilsons and Nia’s mom – something Hen and Karen already know. Hen argues that she and Karen need to make sure Nia is safe. Diedra reminds Hen it is the state’s job to ensure Nia is safe and this process has always been about reunification. Karen asks if there is anything Diedra can tell them about Nia’s mom. Diedra tells her that she cannot tell them anything beyond the fact that Nia’s birth mom has demonstrated an ability to give Nia a safe and stable home. Hen points out that she and Karen don’t even know what got Nia in foster care in the first place. Diedra empathizes with how Hen and Karen are feeling, Due to the pandemic, Nia has been with Hen and Karen longer than intended. Hen asks about what options her and Karen have. She asks if they can adopt Nia. Diedra reminds them both that they have done a great job looking after Nia; however, reuniting Nia with her birth mom has always been the main goal. She then says that even if they can put Nia back with her mom, the state doesn’t just walk away. There will be follow-up visits and check-ins to ensure Nia is safe. Diedra heads back inside and Hen is fuming. Karen asks her to calm down. Hen asks how she can calm down when their family is being torn apart. She asks Karen how she can be calm. Karen says she is upset, too, but this is how things must be.

We head over to the dispatch center. May shows up for her shift but is too busy looking at her phone that she runs into Josh. She quickly apologizes and tells him she just got a friend request from her high school bully – Laila Creedy. Josh suggests that he respond to Laila’s request on her behalf but May assures him she is okay. She tells him she’s going to ignore it. It’s been three years, and it doesn’t matter what Laila has to say anymore. Meanwhile, in the breakroom, Maddie is experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions. Linda (played by Chiquita Fuller) walks in to refresh her coffee. She asks Maddie if she and Chimney have a name picked out for their baby. We then get a flashback of Maddie and Chimney tossing around potential names for their daughter. We hear the names Piper, Poppy, Princess, and Priscilla. Each name gets shot down by Maddie. In the present, Maddie tells Linda the name is TBD. Linda then tells a funny story about her mom giving birth to her baby brother. She says that by the time her mom arrived at the hospital, she still didn’t have a name picked out. After giving birth, she decided to name her son after the doctor that delivered him. The doctor’s name was Norman and Linda’s last name is Bates. Yup! Linda’s brother is Norman Bates. Canon! Maddie immediately texts Chimney and tells him they need a baby name ASAP.

We get our first call of the episode. A young boy named Jacob (played by Antonio Raul Corbo) is riding in the backseat of his mom’s SUV. He dials 9-1-1 and his call is answered by Maddie. He tells her his mother is driving down the wrong side of the freeway. Shout out to this kid who really sells the fear of being helpless to stop something bad from happening. His mother is visibly drunk and not responding to his pleas to stop the vehicle. More calls pour into the dispatch center regarding the vehicle going the wrong way. Jacob’s mother continues to drive erratically while he begs her to pull over. There are several near-misses with other cars driving towards them until they eventually crash head-on with a van. The line goes dead as Maddie sits in stunned silence. Several other vehicles crash into the SUV. The scene looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic horror movie.

In her first appearance in the episode, Athena races to the scene of the accident. She talks to her husband who reports there are three casualties so far and at least a dozen injured. The two of them walk over to the vehicle that started the accident. Eddie reports he’s picked up a heat signature in the front seat and a smaller heat signature in the back. Athena says that dispatch says they got a call from the driver’s son. Chimney realizes Jacob is trapped inside the car. Bobby and Eddie use saws and jaws to pry open the roof of the vehicle. Jacob is unconscious but, thankfully, alive. The driver, too, is miraculously alive. Chimney assesses the mom and Jacob for injuries while Athena speculates as to what caused the accident. She finds a half-empty bottle of whisky on the floor and asks, “How many people have to die tonight because she was drunk and stupid?”. The camera pans over to Bobby, and it is clear his wife’s question hits a little too close to home. Bobby checks in on Hen and asks how she’s doing. Hen reports she is not good. A kid getting hurt by the adult who is supposed to be protecting them is hitting a little too close to home as well. She tells Bobby she will be fine because they are doing their job. There’s a double meaning to her words. Hen clearly thinks she and Karen are the best for Nia; not Nia’s birth mother. Next, we see a firefighter named Renfrow, from the 132, attempting to extract someone from their car. Bobby yells to him asking if he remembered to disable the airbags. Renfrow doesn’t hear Bobby which is a shame because the vehicle he is standing next to suddenly explodes, knocking everyone down.

Chimney runs over to Renfrow to see if he’s okay. Thankfully, he is still conscious, but he has some burns on the right side of his face. Buck goes to see after the driver who is also alive. He requests a burn blanket. Bobby is stunned by the chaos around him. Knowing his own history with substance abuse, you can see he is struggling to keep focused while trying not to dwell on his own previous accident. Meanwhile, over at dispatch, Maddie is attempting to answer a call from someone stuck in traffic behind the accident. However, her contractions are starting to intensify. Sue Blevins clocks the pained expression on her face and intercepts the call. She then asks Maddie how long she’s been in labor. Maddie tells her it’s hard to tell. She looks at her watch and tells Sue she has an hour left. Maddie is adamant that she can continue to work but Sue overrides her. We then get back to the scene of the accident. Athena tells Eddie she already has a warrant for the arrest of the drunk driver and says she will be heading to the hospital. Bobby approaches and Athena asks him if he is okay. He tells her he’s doing fine. Even though Athena was very judgmental of the drunk driver, she does look genuinely concerned about her husband. Sue Blevins radios to Bobby and asks him if he can spare a paramedic for a woman in labor. Bobby tells her there should be paramedics closer to the dispatch center than his paramedics currently are. Sue radios back and says but none of those paramedics are the baby’s father. Athena immediately catches on and eventually so does Bobby. He looks over at Chimney and tells him the rest of them can handle things and he needs to go meet his daughter. Chimney is absolutely adorable in this moment. He’s so ecstatic about meeting his daughter. Athena offers him a ride to the hospital since she is going there to arrest the drunk driver. Back over at the dispatch center, Josh takes Maddie to the hospital.

Next, we head over to the hospital. Athena notices a man at the nurses’ station. He’s inquiring about his wife, but the nurse tells him he cannot see her because she is in a secure room. The man is upset, and Athena asks if everything is okay. The nurse tells Athena that he’s there to see Rachel Hawkerson – the drunk driver responsible for the pile-up on the freeway. Athena takes him to the side and explains what happens. She tells him that he cannot see his wife because she is in custody while the LAPD investigates the cause of the accident. The man, whose name is Wyatt Hawkerson (played by Ramón De Ocampo) puts two and two together and realizes his wife is the reason for the accident. He says that he saw on the news the accident was caused by a drunk driver. Wyatt is in semi-disbelief and tells Athena his wife would never drink with their son in the car. She promised him she would never drink around Jacob. Athena tells him that sometimes people break their promises. The two go outside and Wyatt makes a call to the children’s hospital where Jacob is being treated. When he hangs up, he tells Athena that Jacob is still in surgery. He says he needs to get over there and Athena offers to have another officer take him. Wyatt asks Athena if Rachel said anything at the scene of the accident. Athena tells him his wife wasn’t coherent. She asks Wyatt if he knew Rachel was drinking and he says he thought all of this was behind them. He tells Athena that his marriage was nearly ruined by Rachel’s drinking but when Jacob came along, things got better. He then asks Athena if she’s sure his wife was drinking. Athena tells him Rachel’s blood alcohol concentration was four times the legal limit which explains why she became disoriented while driving. She also tells him that it was Jacob who placed the call to 9-1-1. Wyatt starts to cry and Athena comforts him. She tells him he didn’t know and he says he should have.

Meanwhile, Chimney makes it to the delivery room and goes to be by Maddie’s side. He asks if she needs anything and he tells her she needs her breathing beads. He tells her they are in the baby bag which is in Albert’s car. Chimney tells her he will call Albert to see if he can bring the bag to the hospital. Chimney calls Albert but ends up getting his voicemail. Maddie tells him it’s okay right as the doctor arrives. She tells Maddie and Chimney it’s go-time. We then switch over to the dispatch center where May is responding to a call. The man on the line tells her that he thinks he was involved in the accident. May tells him that first responders are already on the scene, and he should see them. He tells her he doesn’t see anyone. She asks him if he is injured and he says he’s bleeding. We then see the interior of a vehicle where Albert is trapped behind the wheel. Blood trickles from the ceiling down onto his face. We then get a zoom out where we see that his car is upside down.

Next, we get a title card that says: 1 Minute Before the Pile Up. We see Albert driving in his SUV. He sees a car coming towards him on the freeway and calls 9-1-1. He ends up getting hit and swerves off the road. His car flips several times before landing in an embankment. We flash forward to the present where Sue Blevins radios to Bobby about a call they received from a driver who says he was involved in the pile-up. Bobby is confused because everyone involved in the accident has been tended to. Sue tells him the person says they are trapped in their car. She turns to May and asks her to call the number. When May dials the number, she hears Albert’s voicemail. She reports this to Bobby. Buck, who is listening in, asks May what the voicemail greeting said. She repeats Albert’s voicemail greeting back verbatim which is all the confirmation Buck needs. The remaining 118 spring into action while Maddie starts pushing. The 118 fan out and start double-checking all the vehicles involved in the crash. They don’t see any signs of Albert. Bobby radios to dispatch to ask about which call came in before the pileup. May tells him the call came in from exit 43. Buck quickly realizes that Albert wasn’t a part of the accident; he was in front of the accident. The 118 drive to the exit and Buck jumps out. He sees Albert’s car and can see Albert trapped inside. Bobby, Hen, Buck, and Eddie work fast to get to Albert. Hen checks him out and sees that he is bleeding internally. Albert starts to code right as Maddie gives birth. Very symbolic. Hen attempts to resuscitate Albert and tells him he has a niece he needs to meet. Maddie and Chimney’s baby appears to be happy and healthy. Hen continues to perform chest compressions and eventually Albert opens his eyes. Chimney tells Maddie everything is perfect. He tells her he loves her. She says, “I love us.”

Morning finally comes and it’s time for May, Josh, Linda and Jamal (played by Ashwin Gore) to end their shift. Josh announces that Maddie gave birth to a baby girl. Jamal asks if they want to have drinks to celebrate. Linda reminds him it’s morning. They decide to get breakfast instead. They ask May to tag alone but she declines, She looks at her phone, again, and sees the friend request from Laila. Sue walks up to May and tells her that Albert is alive and his condition is stable. May is relieved because it would’ve been horrible if they’d lost him on the same day as Maddie and Chimney’s baby was born. Sue tells May to go home and get some rest.

We head back over to the hospital. Buck brings Maddie’s baby bag to her room. He tries to tell Chimney about Albert, but Chimney is too busy gushing over his new baby. He tells Buck that Maddie and the baby are both doing well. He then sees the baby bag in Buck’s hand and asks him why he has it. Before Buck can explain, we switch over to the Wilsons’ residence. Hen walks through the front door and sees Nia’s overnight bag packed. Karen reminds Hen of Nia’s overnight visit. Hen tells her that after the night she has had she wants Nia at home. Karen finally pushes back and tells Hen that it’s not going to happen. They can keep fighting this but it’s not going to change anything. Nia is going to be reunited with her mother and that’s that. Hen once again accuses Karen of not fighting hard enough but the latter tells her there is no fight. Nia has a mother. Nia is not theirs – even if they love her like she is theirs. Karen says she is holding on, but she can’t do it alone. I was so proud of Karen in this moment because this woman puts up with so much and is so patient. I’m glad she stood up against Hen while also being very loving.

Back at the hospital, we see Chimney sitting at Albert bedside. Chimney tells his comatose brother about what it was like to watch his baby being born. He talks about being a dad. He tells Albert he cant wait for him to meet his niece. What I like most about this scene is it shows how far Chimney’s come with accepting his half-brother. The two have really become close over the last year, almost as close as Buck and Maddie. Chimney then asks Albert if he has any suggestions for names. He also asks Albert to wake up and reminds him that the Hans are great healers. Ain’t that the truth, Chim. Ain’t that the truth. Chimney says he finally has everything he’s ever wanted – a family of his own. His family includes Albert. He also says that today could be the best day of his because he has his baby girl and his brother didn’t die. Chimney then starts to cry. Albert slowly regains consciousness. He can barely say anything, but Chimney assures him they have plenty of time to talk.

We head over to the Grant-Nash household. Athena walks into the kitchen and tells Bobby she heard about Albert. She asks if he is okay and Bobby says that he is alive. He then asks her about Jacob. Athena announces his surgery was a success and that he is stable and recovering with his dad. Athena then says that Jacob’s mother got lucky and only walked away with some minor scrapes and bruises. She tells Bobby that her husband, Jacob’s dad, had no clue she was drinking again. She then says she isn’t so sure she believes him. Bobby tells her that he could be telling her the truth or that he just needed to believe it was true. Athena apologizes to Bobby for what she said at the accident. Bobby tells her she wasn’t wrong. What Rachel Hawkerson did was drunk and stupid and people died because of her actions. He then tells Athena that while he doesn’t know her, he knows what it’s like to inflict that kind of damage. Athena assures him he is nothing like Rachel but Bobby pushes back by saying he is exactly like Rachel and that the day he forgets that it will be a very dangerous day. He then tells Athena he needs to get out for a bit. He tells her he loves her and she says she loves him, too. We next see Bobby at an AA meeting where he is speaking with a room full of fellow addicts. We then get a montage where we see Wyatt Hawkerson talking with Jacob. We see Rachel being handcuffed to her hospital bed. Eddie hugs Christopher. Hen and Karen say goodbye to Nia after their visit. We see Maddie and Chimney at home with the baby and they are FaceTiming with Buck. Chimney refers to Buck as “Uncle Buck” completely unaware Maddie has already used the name. They both let him believe it’s the first time it’s been said. We learn Maddie and Chimney still haven’t picked out a name for their baby girl. Maddie finally tells Chimney she has a name for their little one. The name she has chosen is Jee-Yun which is Chimney’s mother’s name. Maddie tells him she spoke with Mrs. Lee to tell her about the baby and about Albert. Mrs. Lee kept saying she wished Chimney’s mother could be there. So, that’s how she got the idea to name their baby after her grandmother. Chimney is touched by the gesture and says it’s a beautiful name. Maddie mentions Albert and says, talk about bad luck. Chimney says he doesn’t think it was bad luck what happened to Albert. In fact, he says he’s beginning to think they are the luckiest people ever.

Observations

Albert is driving for Lyft. In Season 8, after moving home to El Paso, Eddie will start driving for Lyft.

It’s so strange to see everyone wearing face masks. I wonder how it was for the actors to have to emote using only their eyes.

May gets a friend request from Laila Creedy. The last time we saw Laila was back in season one. Laila used to bully May which eventually led to the latter attempting suicide. We do not get to see if she accepts or declines the friend request.

There’s a lot of parallels between 9-1-1 and it’s spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star. In this episode, Maddie (a dispatcher) is pregnant. Chimney’s half-brother Albert is involved in an accident and nearly dies. Chimney (a firefighter/paramedic) is not with Maddie when she goes into labor. Maddie and Chimney decide to name their daughter after a deceased family member – Chimney’s mom, Jee-Yun. In season 3 of Lone Star, Grace Ryder (a dispatcher) is pregnant. Judd Ryder’s coworker TK Strand is on life-support after nearly freezing to death. Judd (a firefighter) is not with Grace when she goes into labor. Grace and Judd decide to name their daughter after a deceased family friend – Charles Vega.

Athena as a member of law enforcement is very judgmental. I know officers should have good judgment but the things she said around not only Bobby but Rachel at the scene of the accident was very unprofessional IMO.

Speaking of Rachel Hawkerson, we will see her again in a future episode.

I love the Maddie and Linda coworker dynamic, and I wish we got to see them interact more.

It’s kind of weird seeing Chimney at someone’s bedside when it’s often others sitting at his bedside.

Maddie and Chimney decide to name their daughter after Chimney’s deceased mother. They will later name their son after Chimney’s deceased fire captain – Bobby Nash.

Maddie and Chimney are back to living together in this episode. When season four premieres, Maddie is living with Albert and Chimney is living with Buck.

Funny Moments

Maddie tossing her shirt at Chimney because she’s ready to get busy.

Maddie being nonchalant about having contractions.

May telling Josh she got a friend request from someone she went to high school with and him saying, “Ah, a whole seven months ago”.

Maddie writing “I really don’t want to pick our baby’s name this way” on a piece of paper and Chimney saying it won’t fit on their daughter’s driver’s license.

Linda’s brother’s name is Norman Bates. That’s funny to me for some reason.

Athena’s advice to Chimney: “If she tells you to shut up, shut up.”

Maddie does end up telling Chimney to shut up when he’s been toxically optimistic.

Season 4 is such an interesting season. It’s a reminder of how uncertain things were during this time. The pandemic introduced me to this show and after binging the first three seasons, I honestly wondered if there would be a fourth one due to everything that was going on with Covid and such. Thankfully, we did get this season, and I like how they didn’t shy away from showing the effects of the pandemic. As weird as it is to say, I like seeing everyone wearing masks. They could have just ignored everything and wrote a regular season that didn’t address the pandemic. I’m so happy the writers chose to lean into what was going on in the real world. Maddie and Chimney’s story is very relatable. Having been inpatient during the first year of the pandemic after undergoing surgery, I remember how scary it was and how isolated I felt not being able to have my family visit me regularly. There was a lot of FaceTiming and phone calls and text messages to keep me connected with my loved ones, but it wasn’t the same. Maddie giving birth is one of the high points of the episode. Her and Chimney have been through so much over the last few years. It was nice to see them have a win even if they still had to contend with Albert getting hurt in the accident. I also like the other plot points we got this episode. Hen and Karen’s story is sad because despite knowing they would some day have to give Nia back to her mom, that didn’t stop them from falling in love with that adorable little girl. Then we have May who has to make the decision if she’s going to reconnect with the person who drove her to nearly end her life. I especially loved the moments between Bobby and Athena. I love the open and honest conversation they have at the end of the episode. I really like that Bobby makes no distinction between him and Rachel Hawkerson. I think that helps Athena to understand him better. I love how candid Bobby is about his addiction and his efforts to remain sober. I love them as a couple so much. In fact, I think that is one of my favorite things about the show – the couples. Overall, this episode is definitely one I would say is recommended viewing for someone new to the show. I think it’s one of the most important episodes of not only the season but the show. Welcome to the world, Baby Jee-Yun Buckley-Han! We have been waiting on you! Speaking of waiting, hopefully you all will not have to wait too long for my next edition of 911: Flashback. Until next time …

#911 4x09

Trending Tags

Recently Viewed Tags

#911 4x09