We find out how the 118 is dealing with their grief in 911 season 8, episode 17. This is important considering they have their first big call without their formidable captain.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for 911 season 8, episode 17.
After the funeral, it's usually time for life to move forward. After all, our lives go on after the death of someone else. In the lead up to the funeral, the focus was on Hen and Chimney's grief, and now we take a look at how Buck is dealing with the loss.
Meanwhile, the 118 have to deal with their first call since Bobby's death, and it's a big one. Why exactly is the water on fire?
Buck struggles to figure out what to do next in 911 season 8, episode 17
The episode starts with a flashback of Bobby. We were promised Peter Krause would be in each of the episodes as the season ends, and we've not been let down yet. This time, it's Buck thinking back to when Bobby made it clear that the firehouse eats together as a family.
Buck is struggling to understand what Bobby's final words meant. He's tried to keep everyone together after Bobby's death, but it's not working. He feels like everyone is pulling away, noting that they don't eat together anymore. Buck is "not okay," and he makes that clear in a confessional booth as he speaks to Bobby. He needs his captain back.
Athena has news for her kids in 911
Meanwhile, we learn that Athena is continuing with the building of her and Bobby's dream home. I'm in agreement with her that all those three "shades" of white were the same.
At the end of the discussion about white with her kids, she ends up sharing that she has something she wants to run by them. Both May and Harry understandably think that she wants to sell the home, but that's not the case at all. She wants to go back to work, which isn't a surprise to the kids either. They know their mom.
Hen and Eddie have some (possibly) exciting news
Eddie is hanging out with Hen and Karen in 911 season 8, episode 17, with Eddie admitting that he couldn't remember the last time he spoke to Bobby since leaving LA. That's not surprising considering he was handling so much with Christopher, and it is something Bobby would have understood.
Eddie and Hen are dealing with their grief a lot better than Buck, but they weren't there as the truth came out. They didn't have last words with Bobby in that room. So, of course it's a little easier for them.
They have their futures to consider. Hen has been offered the captain position, but she's not sure she wants to take it. Meanwhile, Eddie has landed a place at the El Paso fire department, although when he calls LA home, Karen and Hen can't help but point it out. Maybe he can return to the 118 as a new parademic if Hen opts for a promotion.
There's something in the water as familiar faces return
While Buck is talking to Bobby, he feels an earthquake. Sure enough, it leads to something in the water, and it all starts in a dentist office. While a woman is getting treatment in the chair, she suddenly breathes out fire. The 118 is called to treat the dentist who has burns to his face, and that's when Buck realizes they're dealing with a former patient: the Smurf woman.
Then Athena's first day back at work leads to running into the guy who was policing the return of shopping carts. It turns out that he's spiraled onto forcing everyone to follow the rules in his apartment building. He messed with the wrong guy after putting laundry left for hours in the lost and found, and that person decided to call 911. While Athena wasn't impressed with the call, it did mean pointing out to the kid that he was spiraling, and he needs to change.
Well, there is definitely something in the water. As a woman runs a bath, a fire starts. In the actual bath. In the water. It's just the start of the emergency for the 118 to eventually deal with, as this fire quickly spread to other apartments.
Things take a much bigger turn when the 118 end up firing out literal fire after all. Captain Gerrard finds out how they can get water that isn't fire, and Maddie explains that there's methane in the water and there are some hydrants take water from the ground. Hen, Buck, and Chimney all work together to figure out how they can get water from the nearest hydrant. Gerrard has come a long way, but you can see that he's ready to pass this baton onto Hen. She just needs to be ready to accept it.
Maddie calls in multiple other engines to get extra hoses to get to the 118. It's jus time to be able to get the fire in the apartment building under control. It's also the win that the 118 needed to know they are as one again.
Eddie points out that it's not all about Buck in 911
I feel sorry for Buck in this episode. People are tip-toeing around him because of how he's handling his grief. They all allowed everyone else to grieve, giving Athena and Chimney their space. Buck was the one there for them, especially Chimney. And now, nobody can really be there for him, treating his grief as a bit of a joke.
Yes, Eddie has a point that Buck makes everything about him, but there's no competition in grief. Everyone handles it their own way. Even as Eddie shared what it was like to get the call about Bobby in the middle of the night, it didn't take away from the way Buck was feeling considering he was one of the last people Bobby spoke to.
There is hope that the two can make up though. Christopher comes to LA as does Eddie's aunt, who he shared recently had a stroke, and Buck is ready to try to make Christopher feel as well as he can about all this. After all, Christopher is also grievin the loss of Bobby.
Chimney is also still struggling with grief, and he finally opens up a little more to Maddie. He is suffering from survivor guilt, which is understandable. Maddie points out that Chimney didn't once manipulate Bobby into the decision to save Chimney and not himself, and we know that. Bobby would always make sure his team got out alive before himself. That was the type of captain that he is.
Hen makes a surprising decision at the end of 911
Gerrard ends up passing out surveys to give feedback about his performance as captain. Chimney cannot wait for Hen to take back the position, and that's when we learn the shocking decision. Hen has decided she won't be captain.
Will we be left with Gerrard? They'll need someone, considering Athena gets a call to the apartment building of the shopping cart thief again only to end up with rubble falling onto her car when there's an explosion at the building. What a way to end the episode and get us ready for the 911 season 8 finale!
911 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.