9x15 synopsis for those who want it:
starting off with the guy coming to report his murder to athena - Officer Williams cameo!! hi bb <3
Athena says she has never met this guy before; he tells her that he’s there to report his murder and throws up blood/passes out on her desk
Buck meets a new doctor, hands are shaking, camera work is shaky too. Says it’s about the car accident and his ribs, pain level is about an 8/9, the doctor is… pretty much a dick. Apparently Buck has seen three different doctors in a month, and has to explain to the guy that he was treated initially in New Mexico. - this is the sneak peek, if you’ve seen it.
Doctor says he is going to flag Buck’s name in the system for future doctors, tells him to get some help.
Harry and Ravi are talking about Harry getting a tattoo or something to mark that he’s no longer a probie.
May shows up to give Harry his night guard, Ravi pops out from under the truck, super awkward moment between Ravi and May, Ian shows up, ready to take her out to a reservation.
We find out Ravi took Harry seriously and isn’t dating May and didn’t call her!?!! Ravi, my guy, my dude, you absolute numb nuts.
Murder guy is in the hospital, they don’t know what he’s been dosed with, or why he went to see Athena. She chats with another police officer.
Back to the firehouse, Harry is insta-stalking Ian, Harry tells Hen about Ravi and May, Eddie shows up, Chimney shows up, everyone is picking on Ravi about not calling May - deserved but also.
Buck is not here, Chimney is wondering where he is.
Buck is throwing up in the firehouse bathroom, and giving himself a pep talk in the mirror.
first to second commercial break
Athena and the other cop go to a school to meet murder man’s son, telling him he’s in the ICU - son initially thinks he’s gotten in trouble, sounds like maybe that’s normal for him? Son says he hopes it’s slow and painful - damn.
Murder guy is an investigative journalist, has lots of enemies, writes under a pseudonym. Smash cut of different targets he investigated being interrogated.
We find out he’s been poisoned by polonium-210. (Russian political assassination is it’s main use).
Dispatch; everything is a mess, ambulances are backed up at every hospital. Buck is also getting testy outside.
Ravi and Harry see Ian there. Hen says to Ravi again that he should have called May.
Josh takes a call from a mom with a kid who can’t breathe; Maddie takes over the call and tells the mom to drive him to the ER.
Ian asks Chim to fill something out at the hospital, Josh calls Ian to let him know the mom and kid are coming. Maddie is still on the phone with the mom and directing her, the kid stops breathing and the mom looks back to check on him, she then has to swerve to avoid a motorcyclist and spins out and hits a fire hydrant.
second to third commercial:
Josh and Maddie are talking to the mom and Ian; Ian grabs the airway kit and starts running to the crash site, the 118 gets in their truck and follows; Ian totally beats them.
Ian has the kid almost intubated, Harry and Ravi deal with the car and fire hydrant, they bag the kid and he starts breathing again.
Athena and the other police officer are back at the hospital to talk to murder man. He’s awake and wants to see Athena. He tells Athena he knows all about her, her career, that she chooses to work the streets, knows about the plane on the freeway. He says because of that he knows he can trust her, because she’s not someone to look for accolades. He says he can tell her who did it, and that it was his bike water bottle that was spiked and poisoned him. And also that she shouldn’t trust anyone else.
third to fourth commercial:
Athena and the other cop, back at the station, talking about the water bottle and the polonium. He’s mad that she ran the test without telling him. She said she was just waiting for the results before telling him. Athena thinks this is tied to an unfinished condo building with a big builder who has ties to Russian business men, and that it was a scam to launder money and it was never meant to be finished. The detective wants to take over the entire case; hello Athena why did we not listen to Morelli about this?
Buck is looking ROUGH at the firehouse, back to shaky camera work. He’s talking to Eddie in the ambulance, asks him for help and then starts talking about trucks, says he’s thinking about switching, says maybe it’s a waste having a truck if he’s not hauling anything, says maybe he’s a hatchback guy. Eddie finally looks at him and realizes how bad he looks; Buck says he has food poisoning, maybe, sushi.
Hen tells Eddie his phone is ringing in his locker and Eddie leaves to check it; the Med drawer is still open and Buck grabs a bunch of stuff, then throws it back in when the bells go and closes the drawer. The team runs for the trucks; Chimney tells Buck to ‘look alive’.
fourth to fifth commercial:
Athena talking to murder guy again.
Buck goes to talk to Chim, Chim tells him not to interrupt him while he’s writing up after action reports. Buck tells Chim he needs to fire him for stealing meds from the rig; Chimney asks what he took, and he said Fentanyl but he put it back.
Chimney asks how long he’s been using, Buck says since the car accident. He had oxycodone but ran out. Chim asks if he’s high at work, says he looks like he’s been in withdrawal for one or two days. Chimney asks if he’s told anyone else; Chimney tells him what the protocols are, that he could face criminal charges. Or he could keep it in house and keep an eye on Buck. Buck says he should fire him, Chimney says that Buck came to him for help and he’s going to give it to him, he’s going to call the chief and figure something out.
Buck says this isn’t him, Chim says he knows. Says he’s not surprised by the timing, it’s a year since they lost Bobby. Buck says he forgot. Chimney says grief is funny like that, it can sucker punch you.
Athena brings murder guy’s son to the hospital to say goodbye to him, leaves them alone to talk. Murder guy dies after he and son talk.
Athena arrests the guy’s son; he’s the one that poisoned his dad.
Hen and Eddie are at Buck’s house going though it to remove “temptation” so that Buck can get better. Eddie says he wishes he questioned him more after New Mexico. (dude, same, give a shit about your bestie). Buck and Chris are outside playing cards, Chris says Buck is letting him win because he doesn’t like people touching his stuff. Buck says it’s because they don’t trust him, and Chris asks if he would trust him.
Maddie and Chim are making up his bedroom, they say he has lots of people looking after him.
Eddie checks his blood pressure? (sorry I looked down) and says the chain of command is a good thing and is support for Buck. Montage of everyone at Buck’s house, playing games, hugging him, giving him IVs, Buck detoxing/throwing up, them bringing him food. Big family dinner at Buck’s with the 118, he gets up and leaves the table, Hen helps him with he throws up, more montages of people sleeping over, even Athena and May show up at the end.
Ravi comes in when May is there; we get sound back, no music montage. May and Ravi talk about his order (probably wrong, not a big deal), and Ian.
Ravi says he hopes May and Ian are happy together, May says they’re not dating, he’s just helping her figure out nursing school, Ravi interrupts and says that’s great, he thinks she’d be good at anything.
Buck asleep in bed, he wakes up, finds Athena in his living room reading. Athena says he’s been asleep about five hours at least. Buck apologizes to her about the anniversary; says he’s sure the last thing she would want to be doing today is babysitting him. She says that taking care of each other every day is what’s important, she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.
They talk about Bobby; Buck says like he understands him a little better now. Athena says that Bobby loved him, and would have wanted that part to remain a mystery.
Everyone else is outside around a fire, talking about Bobby; May and Ravi are sitting together.
Buck and Athena join them, Maddie asks how Buck is doing, Buck says he thinks he’s through the worst of it.
They mark midnight and it officially being a year since they lost him, and they all toast him.
