As we approach the midseason finale of 9-1-1, many storylines are swirling, as is typical of the series’ fact-paced and frenetic pace.
9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 7 alone saw Athena dealing with a hotshot rookie who perhaps didn’t join the force for the right reason, Bobby back on the set of Hotshots, and Buck struggling in the aftermath of his breakup.
It was a busy hour, and things are only set to ramp up as we hit the final hour before a lengthy winter hiatus.
After such an intriguing hour, we had to chat with 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear about everything, including what’s next for our favorite first responders in the coming hour and beyond.
And it sounds like this may only be the start of some journeys.
Athena & Her Rookie Clash
Athena has gone through a lot in the beginning hours of 9-1-1 Season 8, and after an injury finds her slowing down a bit on the jump, she’s partnered with an up-and-coming rookie.
Rookie Office Sparks and Athena have a tough go of it as partners, and ultimately, once they’ve separated, Sparks shoots a woman during a routine traffic stop after discharging his weapon instead of his taser.
We’ve often seen Athena work alone, but Minear told us that thoughts of Athena having a partner have been in the works for some time.
“We’d been talking about hooking her up with a rookie since actually the beginning of the year, just because I thought it would be interesting to switch it up,” Minear said.
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell a lone wolf story when they’re just a lone wolf. You sort of don’t remember that that’s what she is until you introduce an irritant into that situation.”
While the story indeed began one way, with the eager Sparks getting under Athena’s skin, it took a more serious tone, which wasn’t necessarily planned.
“It just felt like it would be a good story for Angela, and it ended up being much more serious than what we had initially talked about. It was going to be more of a goofy thing; she was riding with some goofball.
“But when we landed on the complication that happens near the end, it’s interesting for Athena too, because she even says to Hen, ‘Something about him rubs me the wrong way, but maybe I’m just annoyed that I pulled a hamstring and I’m not as young as I used to be and I can’t keep up.’
“So, I thought that was an interesting mini dilemma for Athena to wonder, ‘Is she writing somebody off because she’s annoyed or because there’s her spidey senses going off?’ And I think it was a combination of both.”
After we see Sparks head to his disciplinary meeting, Athena informs Captain Maynard that she would be interested in mentoring another rookie in the future.
It leaves the obvious question: will we see Athena with a partner soon?
Minear told us, “It’s quite possible.”
Every Time He Tries To Leave, They Pull Him Back In
While Athena was dealing with her own set of problems on the job, her husband Bobby also had some stressors in his professional life.
No matter how much he may want to leave the world of Hotshots behind him, they keep calling him. After the 118 assists on a rescue on the Hollywood set, Chief Simpson saddles Bobby with an interesting request: make Gerrard more likable.
To accomplish that, he has to try to convince star Brad Torrance to get along with Gerrard, which is a hard ask when Brad is so transfixed with Bobby himself and not his replacement.
“I think that Brad is a man-child in some ways,” Minear said when asked about Brad’s fixation on the Captain of the 118. “I think he wants to feel like his life amounts to something. But I think underneath it all, he feels like a fraud.
“He probably feels like a fraud of an actor, but he certainly feels like a fraud. He wants to be authentic on screen. I think that’s actually true. He wants to be an artist.
“And he sees attaching himself to Bobby and really absorbing the reality of what Bobby does, and putting that into his work is going to make it feel for him like he has something of value that he’s contributing to the world.
“What you’re going to discover is that he’s a guy that doesn’t really have a lot in his life, that maybe he sacrificed the things that really mean something: family, parenthood, and relationships on the altar of his ambition for celebrity.
“And I think he confuses celebrity and meaning with art. You probably understand that, you’re a writer. I understand that. So, he wants to feel like he amounts to something. That’s why he sees Bobby as someone who has not just a career but a vocation, saving lives.”
“That means something. So he’s probably going through a bit of a midlife crisis, poor old Brad, and he’s trying to find his place in the universe where he can feel like he amounts to something.”
Brad ends the hour with his bags in tow, ready to join the 118 and shadow behind Bobby and the rest of the team as he gets the full experience of being a real firefighter on the streets of Los Angeles.
Minear previewed what we should expect from that.
“You’re going to see some chaos, and then you’re going to see some of that bluster and façade kind of stripped away, and you’re going to see maybe the real man underneath,” he explained.
“And it’s The Wizard of Oz, right? It’s like, ‘If you ever go looking for your heart’s desire, don’t look any further than your own backyard.’ His life may have meaning that he doesn’t even understand that maybe he will learn.”
Will Bathena Ever Find A House?
While this hour explored Athena and Bobby’s professional lives, we didn’t get to check in with the fan-favorite couple to see what’s happening in their personal lives.
But rest assured, Bathena fans, Minear told us that the search for their house hasn’t been abandoned.
“What’s next for Bathena as a couple is definitely that the house is a pretty big priority,” he said. “When we come back after the hiatus, all that stuff is going to get moved down the field tremendously.”
Buck The Baker Deals With His Breakup
In the aftermath of Buck’s unexpected breakup with Tommy, he channels his grief into baking in an attempt to keep himself from reaching out to his recent ex.
We even see Buck spend some time with niece Jee-Yun, getting her into the baking spirit after parents Maddie and Chimney drop her off to spend quality time with her Uncle Buck.
As Buck processes the end of that relationship, Minear told us what we should expect from Buck’s continued post-breakup period.
“For Buck, now that he’s discovered his bisexuality, I think at some point he says, ‘I don’t know what pond to jump back into.’ For Buck, this isn’t just like a normal post-break-up. He was discovering something about himself.
“And as Tommy said last week, ‘You’re still figuring out, and that’s good.’ Buck’s still figuring himself out. So, I don’t think it’s as simple as the old hamster wheel of, ‘Get together, let’s move in together, break up, move on.’
“For Buck, it’s much more he has to turn his gaze onto himself, kind of in the way Eddie is for himself, too. These guys are now at a stage in their lives where they’re still kind of figuring out who they are.
“And I think that’s particularly true for Buck, although in a way, Buck knows a little bit more about who he is after his relationship with Tommy, but there are a lot of possibilities open to him.”
At one point during the hour, Eddie and Hen good-naturedly hide Buck’s phone for him when he complains about whether or not he should call his ex.
The call never happens, but it begs the question of whether or not Buck is ready to put that relationship in the past and move toward the future.
When asked just that, Minear stated, “Yeah, I mean, he’s going to be moving to what’s in his future. And look, Tommy is in Buck’s romantic past for sure. But that doesn’t mean that Tommy is necessarily not ever going to intersect with Buck in this universe again.
“Tommy is always going to be somebody who kind of opened a door for Buck, and that’s an important thing to be in somebody’s life.”
A Different Story For Madney
While brother Buck was struggling with his heartbreak, Maddie and Chimney were still in their pregnancy bubble, and they weren’t going to tell Buck about the pregnancy when they stopped by to dine with him.
But soon enough, Maddie’s food aversion clued Buck into his sister and brother-in-law’s good news, resulting in a round of congratulations and a sweet family hug.
Looking ahead to what’s next for Madney and when others will find out about their bubble of joy, Minear said, “People will discover the pregnancy. What I wasn’t interested in doing was the same pregnancy story for Maddie and Chimney.
“It’s like we’ve done that story, and so I think the way I’m approaching it this time is going to be maybe a little surprising to some people.”
Relax, Everything Will Be Just Fine During The Midseason Finale. Or Will It?
As previously mentioned, 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 8 will serve as the midseason finale. The show will then go on hiatus until it returns on March 6, 2025.
Heading into the final episode of this year, we know we’re poised to see Brad ingratiate himself into the 118, but little else is known about how things are set to wrap up this part of the season.
Minear helped us by sharing a little tease about what’s coming.
“What I would say is that episode eight this year is more kind of tying up some story threads that have been set up in the first eight episodes. Nobody’s hanging off a cliff at the end of the episode except for possibly one character.”
***This interview has been edited for length and clarity.***
You can watch 9-1-1 on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.
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