9-1-1 Season 9 Finale Delivers a Strong Ending and Leaves Us Begging for More!
There have been a variety of 9-1-1 finales over the years.
Some have been better than others, which tracks, considering that not every hour will be a home run.
In total, the series typically plays it safe with finales that may start out tense and action-packed but almost always end in a happy, settled place.
The most recent finale that left things wildly unsettled was 9-1-1 Season 7, which saw Gerrard back as captain at the 118, culminating in a loud, collective sigh across countless living rooms.
9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 18 was more in line with the kind of finale we’re used to, with an emergency or emergency-type situation as the main part of the hour, and then a quick little wrap-up to let us all know where all the major players are ending this season.
When you boil it down to its most basic parts, it’s a fine finale. It’s not the show at its absolute best, but there’s a lot to like.
My biggest gripe is the rushed final wrap-up montage, given how much time was spent inside the hospital.
Hooks shooting Athena at the end of 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 17 was as big a cliffhanger as it gets, and so it wasn’t a surprise to see the opening parts of the episode lean heavily into flashbacks, as well as introducing the audience to Hooks’ relationship with the Castors.
It was pretty obvious that Hooks was in bed with them, so we didn’t need that confirmation, but hearing him speak to Nicolai and Anatoly about Athena, reducing her to just some cop who might be in their way, was wildly unsettling.
Athena had no idea she was even on their radar, and it’s pretty wild to think that the 118 rescuing the migrants ended up putting Athena on a hit list.
Hooks was shady from the get-go and clearly a bad guy, but whereas I previously thought he might have been flying by the seat of his pants through it all, he was gleefully evil and calculating.
He was able to come up with a somewhat convincing retelling of the whole shooting on the fly, and he was able to stave off Anatoly from killing him with ease.
Anatoly wanted nothing more than to avenge his father; his motivation was entirely driven by grief and a desire for retribution. He was running on adrenaline and emotion, resulting in the most poorly planned hospital takeover you’ll ever see.
With the 118 already gathered at the hospital due to another emergency, the moment they saw Athena being rolled into the ER on a gurney was all the more impactful.
This wasn’t a case where the 118 was called to the scene, or they heard something while in the truck; instead, it caught them all completely off guard, and obviously none more than Harry.
I love an emotionally gutting scene, and Harry’s yelling as his teammates pulled him back was about as emotional as it gets.
Even knowing there was a 0.001% chance Athena would die doesn’t diminish the impact of all the little moments that led up to the lockdown.
Harry’s a mess. May’s trying to keep it together with Ravi’s help. Hen’s steadfast in her determination that Athena will get through simply because she’s Athena.
Then you have Chimney, who’s a bit lost and unsure as to what he’s supposed to do or who he’s supposed to be as captain. And one thing this season has done, when it remembers that Chimney stepped into a brand new role, is allow him these moments when he’s not sure.
Most people don’t step into a new job and just know everything right away. There’s a learning curve, coupled with the reality that sometimes there is no right answer.
There’s no handbook on how to handle your friend’s shooting, who also happens to be your probie’s mother and a close friend to most people in your station.
Eddie was also a little lost while they waited for news, blaming himself for involving her in the migrant issue. And it hit him hard enough that he went to the hospital chapel to pray about it.
I’ll never fully understand television promos, because Eddie’s injury would have been something that I wouldn’t have spoiled beforehand.
Yes, it’s the kind of shock that gets people talking and may get a couple extra eyeballs on the episode, which I guess is the point. But it’s also this big plot point that you don’t want spoiled in advance.
Some people may have been turned away, thinking about the implications of both Athena AND Eddie knocking on death’s door.
Anatoly’s heart was not in it, though, because one swift stabbing to the gut was NEVER going to bring down Eddie Diaz.
He has a Silver Star.
The best parts of the hospital arc were when everything descended into chaos, with the hospital in lockdown, Anatoly on the loose, and everyone off in pairs, sans Eddie, who was bleeding out in an elevator.
There was a steady sense of suspense throughout this whole ordeal, which 9-1-1 always plays really well. Because again, Anatoly was never going to get to Athena, but that doesn’t stop the moments from feeling charged.
Especially when everyone was spaced out all over the hospital.
Hen and Chimney, having to partner up together like old times to save the life of the dad Anatoly shot, felt like the show slipping back into its earlier-season rhythm.
And I’m glad the show remembered that Hen’s big 9-1-1 Season 9 arc revolved around her illness, which could be exacerbated by stress.
There are not many things more stressful than having to put your hand into a man’s chest and keep his heart beating.
For Buck and Harry, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed that pairing, and before everything went to hell, it was nice to see Harry opening up to Buck and being vulnerable about his complicated feelings regarding what happened to his mother.
It can be extremely difficult to see someone you love in a coma, hooked up to a ventilator, while your mind goes to the darkest of places. It’s just simply not easy.
With Harry now firmly entrenched in the 118, he works to save people every single day. And when you’re staring down at your mom, fighting for her life, and there’s nothing you can do, that’s the epitome of scary.
But at the same time, like Buck was saying, some of the hardest moments in life are those moments when you can’t do anything more for someone than just be there.
You can’t make things better in any tangible way. You can’t save anyone.
But sometimes the bravest thing you can do is just sit with someone in their fear and pain so they don’t have to face anything alone, whether they know you’re there or not.
Buck and Harry’s hospital adventure had them rappelling down to the basement and doing all kinds of things, with the sole purpose of cutting power for a few seconds so they could reach Athena.
The Godfather, being one of my favorite movies of all time, meant I absolutely loved the visual of May and Ravi moving Athena’s hospital bed to evade Anatoly, just like Michael did for Vito in the acclaimed film when the hitman came for him.
We may not be getting a lot of May and Ravi’s relationship, but the scenes of them in the hospital were wonderful, and a great indication of the team they are within the early stages of their relationship.
While all this chaos unfolded, the random check-ins with Athena in her own coma-like dream felt like little more than a reason for her to finally decide to make a pivot in her career.
And that’s fine, but man, wouldn’t that have been an amazing spot for a Bobby cameo?
I get why it was McCluskey because he died on the job, but the softie in me would have loved to see Bobby tell Athena to keep fighting, get back to May and Harry, and find her happiness.
Come to think of it, were there any Bobby mentions in this one?
It’s not as if there has to be a Bobby mention every week, because maybe that’s not realistic, but it just felt incomplete to not hear his name at all.
Anyway, I’ll get out of my feelings, I promise!
May and Harry saving their mother in different ways was a really beautiful part of this one, and that’s why it was again frustrating that the end was so rushed because we didn’t even get to see Athena alert and talking to her kids about anything.
Hooks was captured, Athena said she needed to talk to Maynard, and then boom! We were basically transported to some undefinable spot in the future.
Side note, Eddie’s whole stabbing arc in this episode had so much potential, and it was like there was absolutely no time to do anything with it.
Even when he was FINALLY found, it was like a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. We barely saw anyone’s reactions, and then he was just fine and eating pudding!
I’m complaining too much about a finale I thought was pretty decent, but imagine if there had been more time to see more of the migrant storyline and how exactly Buck came to foster Theo, which was left completely up in the air.
It’s odd to enjoy a conclusion while disliking the path it took.
Will a lot of these things be explored in 9-1-1 Season 10? Of course.
But I use the word ‘incomplete’ again because that’s how it felt, seeing Buck welcome Theo home without us seeing any of the buildup to this pretty BIG development in Buck’s life.
Athena becoming a detective is another BIG development for this show.
These exciting developments are treated as footnotes rather than important next steps.
Loose Ends
- They’re all so lucky that hospital had excellent cell service.
- I was yelling at Williams when he left Athena’s door to get coffee when Hooks arrived. I was prepared to never forgive him for that!
- Do we think Sue returns to dispatch next season?
- It was good that they found a way to incorporate Maddie and Josh, even though they weren’t physically at the hospital.
- Eddie helping Esteban by sending him down to El Paso was amazing. More of that feel-good stuff, 9-1-1!
It was a season, people!
I’m sure you guys have a lot of thoughts about this one, so make sure to leave all your thoughts below!
And check out my interview with Oliver Stark, where he talks about what’s next for Buck after the finale right here at TV Fanatic.