This week on “Crash and Learn”, 9-1-1 reminded us that everyone crashes, even those who seem like they can do anything.
Instead of taking off on their cruise, Athena and Bobby are in Florida to help take care of things down there with Athena’s parents. Athena’s dad is in a medically induced coma due to the crash. While her mother is physically well, she’s not coping well with the emotional side of things. When Athena discusses adding a ramp to the house, among other things, her mother gets defensive, leading to conflict between the two. Athena’s mom is being hit with a ton of change all at once, so it makes a little sense for her to have her reservations. However, Athena is quickly realizing that her parents are getting older, which means they will need more help and assistance. Bobby becomes a mediator between the two throughout the episode, managing to calm them both down at times.
Back at the 118, Hen is interim captain, and she does a great job with it! Our first look at Captain Wilson happens when a husband tries to blow up the other man his wife sees on the side. She ends up having to make an arrest at the scene, but she handles it with ease like she does most things. Hen is commonly seen as a voice of reason and someone who always has it under control, but we get a glimpse of that control slipping out of her grip throughout the episode. A defining scene is when the audience sees Hen fall asleep while driving home due to her lack of sleep. After all, she’s studying for her med school finals, acting interim captain, and trying to be a good mother and wife all at once.
As per usual with 911, the calls seem to perfectly line up with at least a few of the characters’ current journeys. But, in this episode, there’s definitely a special light shined on Buck and Hen in particular. Buck has been in a self-discovery phase ever since his heart-to-heart with Bobby last week. He’s reading self-help books and just really trying to figure out what his key to happiness is. So, it makes perfect sense for the next emergency to be at no other place than a Happiness Convention.
There’s a group of three friends there, and one of them, Lev, has been searching for his happiness. They were all trapped under piles of rubble, but Lev was the one deemed least likely to make it. They were short on hands, and the call was between Lev and a younger adult, Frankie, who was also trapped. When the team decided to save Frankie and Lev agreed, Buck sat there with him through his final moments. Lev finally said that he thinks he gets it now. After all this time in his life, he was searching for purpose and happiness, and he found it in his final moments. Any viewer of the show would realize just what kind of impact this would have on Buck, who has always been searching for that fulfillment. He’s just now realizing that it’s something that comes from within and not another person. This storyline could go to many different places for him, and I’m personally excited to see where it takes him.
Going back to Hen, there’s a really lovely moment between Buck and Hen where they talk after the call has very obviously impacted the both of them. At the end of that talk, Hen gets a call saying she failed her neurology exam. It was a realistic portrayal that no matter how hard you try, sometimes, you can’t do everything. When she arrives home, she realizes she forgot about Denny’s robotics meet. This lapse in memory is the catalyst for an inevitable breakdown. She feels like she’s failing at everything, being a mom, being captain, and her exams. After Hen talks to Karen about how she fell asleep at the wheel, Karen tells her she will have to choose either being a paramedic or going to med school, but she can’t do both anymore. Additionally, Aisha Hinds does absolutely incredible anytime Hen gets the focus of an episode, so major props to her.
The ending of the episode comes with a major shock factor. Back in season 3, the audience was told that a little girl, Tanya, who had disappeared, was a major factor in Athena’s decision to go into the crime and justice field. Well, the police just found Tanya’s body underneath the foundation of Athena’s parents’ home, and that could mean a ton of different things.
