The veil is the thinnest between the living and the dead on Día de los Muertos, and that’s what we’re sure to experience on 911 season 9 episode 5. However, before all that, we head a week earlier to Halloween.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from 911 season 9 episode 5
It’s back to our regular 911 calls, and it all starts with a car accident on Halloween. A man in a costume that he can barely see through is driving, and as he and his girlfriend have a bit of a tiff, they end up in a car accident.
The 118 is called out, which is where they fun a series of tests. The driver appears to have a spine injury and he may be going into shock, but it’s too risky to pull him out from the passenger side. That means they need to find a way to get the driver door off, but all the equipment keeps failing, because, well, it’s Halloween night!
It’s only as they get the door open that the driver asks about the man he hit. Didn’t his girlfriend think it would be time to tell them? Well, the girlfriend didn’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anyone there. We did see someone in the road, but only the scarecrow is left behind.
That’s because the guy who was carrying the scarecrow is walking around still. Well, until he gets into a coffin in someone’s yard. What?
Is the ghost of Bobby around in 911 season 9 episode 5?
The next day, Buck is trying to recreate Bobby’s snickerdoodle recipe, but he can’t find it written down. That could be because he’s still not unpacked, although he does note that it took a month to find a place and three months for the previous tenants to move out. The house and the yard are worth it to Buck, though, except for the noises of squirrels out in the house from the tree in the backyard.
He’s not the only one who will need to do some unpacking. Harry is moving back into Athena’s place, but it’s not like a room is set up for him. Athena ended up putting a lot of stuff in that spare room, including a box full of Bobby’s things. I get that Bobby is going to be a big theme throughout 911 season 9 episode 5.
We do learn that Athena has finally given Harry permission to join the firefighters. It’s not that Harry needs it, but he wants it, and he wants his mom to be proud of him. It’s such a cute moment.
Meanwhile, at Eddie’s place, the women in his life find out that he’s potentially reconnecting with his faith, and they’re happy for him. However, Eddie isn’t going to force the church on Christopher, and I love that decision. Religion is forced on so many at a young age, and it’s better for people to find their own way.
That night, there’s a noise that wakes Buck up from his sleep, but nobody is in the house. The cream of tartar jar has fallen on the floor, which happens to be the missing ingredient from the snickerdoodle cookies. Is it possible that the ghost of Bobby has sent him a message? We know Buck, and he probably thinks that’s the case.
Only Athena can take down a runaway pumpkin
Buck takes the new batch of cookies to the firehouse, and sure enough, the 118 is impressed. They’re not all that certain on the idea that Bobby sent him a message about it. However, a call comes through that stops the discussion about it, and it involves a flyaway pumpkin. Yes, a huge blow-up one that is bouncing down the streets.
Maddie works out that it’s going to blow to the freeway, which means they need to call support in to stop it before it gets there. One of the cops tries the tire strips, but it bounces over them and continues onto the freeway. Of course, it’s Athena who stops the pumpkin with the most hilarious seriousness to it by tasering it. Oh, Athena, never change!
Eddie comes out of church with Isobel, but he shares that he’s not feeling Bobby’s presence. Isobel make sit clear that that isn’t where he should be looking. And when we cut to another church in the area, that’s probably true. There’s a girl tied to a table with a man putting her through an exorcism. I don’t really blame her for biting him!
The 118 deal with a demon
This gets the 118 to the church, where they all learn about the exorcism. As Buck gets the people outside, one of the churchgoers closes a door. Buck can’t help but take a look at her. This gives the 118 a chance to ask questions about the young girl’s health and travel history, but there’s something much gibber going on. There are chains on a bed in the small room, and while Buck initially wonders if there is a mold issue, Chimney notices blood on a broken part of the bed.
She has tetanus. The reason the girl isn’t letting go with the bit is because of lockjaw. At least now the 118 know how they can treat the young girl, giving her a paralytic in the hope of getting her to let go. Just before Eddie gives her more when she doesn’t release, Chimney realizes that there could be too many sensor inputs around them. Sure enough, it works, with Eddie able to release the girl from Brother Isaac.
Now that the 118 can get Abigail out of the church, Brother Isaac shares that she was going to walk away from the church. While the parents believe they were doing the right thing, Athena and the LAPD certainly don’t agree with that, coming in to arrest the parents and Brother Isaac. Children really should be given the choice.
Buck wants Eddie and Christopher to come over on Halloween night to play with a Ouija board, but Eddie refuses to let it happen. Seeing the young girl makes him turn back from his faith and the supernatural again, making it clear that Bobby isn’t in Buck’s house. It’s time to let it all go.
It’s not Bobby in Buck’s house
Remember the guy from the car accident? Well, he pops up on Halloween night when children are out trick or treating. Nobody is that concerned at first, but it’s sure to change.
Since Eddie doesn’t want to play with the Ouija board, Buck decides to get Rav to come over under the pretence of a Halloween party. He becomes a good sport, although it’s a chance to manipulate the pointer. Of course, he can’t deny that there’s something when there’s a bang and then a footprint appears on a shelf.
There just happens to be access to the attic above that shelf, and when Buck goes up there, he comes across a man staying up there. He was a former tenant who ended up going into the attic when he was evicted. It’s heartbreaking for Buck to realize that it wasn’t Bobby after all this time, and it’s even more heartbreaking when Ravi admits that he gook part in playing along because he felt like Buck needed it.
At Athena’s house, she walks into the house to see Harry dressing up as a firefighter in Bobby’s uniform in the living room. He’s chosen to go to a Halloween party in the get up, opting for it as a costume, and it sets Athena off. Harry should have realized that this would have hurt her, especially since he died on the job. At least he doesn’t argue back when she tells him to take it off.
Bringing a man back to life
It’s another day, and now it’s time for a funeral. As the coffin is laid into the ground, there’s the sound of man. Only the man isn’t shouting out from the coffin. It’s the guy from the car accident who laid down in the grave, and the 118 need to figure out what happened to him. With a conversation of a blue car and a headless driver, Eddie manages to connect it all back to the car accident, and Hen and Chimney realize that the injury has led to a syndrome that has made this man feel like he’s really dead.
Eddie decides to play along with this, and as he checks for a pulse, he says he can’t find one. Chimney understands what’s going on, with Eddie trying to bring him back to life. The guy falls for it, and while they’re all cheering, they forget all about the fact that there was supposed to be a funeral going on. At least it’s a happy ending for one guy, though!
Back at Buck’s house, he starts to hear noises in the attack, and he’s sure that Dwayne, the former tenant, is still up there. However, when he gets up there, nobody is there. Buck starts picking up the guy’s things when he comes across a sobriety chip, making Buck think of Bobby once again.
Meanwhile, Eddie gets a phone call. There’s been a death close to him. It's Abuela.
Can Eddie deal with another loss?
Eddie’s aunt went to Abuela’s house to pick her up for church, which was when she found her in the bed. While she initially looked like she was sleeping, it was soon clear that Abuela had died. While they wait for the funeral home, Eddie and his aunt pray at Eddie’s suggestion. This is a chance to reconnect.
Meanwhile, Buck has decided to drop the charges against Dwayne. Instead, Buck wants to get Dwayne to a meeting.
Athena spends the next day speaking to the uniform, sharing how Bobby inspired her kids and she’s not sure if she can forgive him for that. It wasn’t Bobby, though. Harry admits that he wants to be like Athena, because he was the son of a first responder long before Bobby came into their lives.
911 season 9 episode 5 was certainly needed at this point in the story to give Athena and Harry a chance to reconnect. However, there’s still a lot more grieving to do, especially for Eddie. He now needs to figure out how to grieve the loss of another person when he has no idea how to do that. And while he sends his mom off to the funeral home, a Día de los Muertos parade goes past him, and he watches with a small smile. Maybe there is hope that he can move forward, especially as he and Christopher pay their respects to the dead.
Christopher notes that they should do it every year. It won’t make him too sad, because they are always in their hearts.
This is a live recap of 911, so stay tuned for the latest updates.
911 airs on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.