Spoilers forward!
Since its transfer to ABC, 9-1-1 is set to discover larger grounds for its opening disasters. For season 7, we had a cruise ship sinking within the ocean. Final season, a beenado (!!!) precipitated two flying autos to collide, forcing Athena to land a airplane.
For its ninth 12 months, the artistic staff needed to take their present to infinity and past: this time, we will area. And like final season, the premiere opens with a fast scene that provides us a style of what is to return sooner or later, juicier elements of the catastrophe:
Elbow surgical procedure on a robotic arm within the chilly vacuum of area goes improper
Astronaut Joyner is fixing one thing exterior the spaceship. Captain Stanton talks to him from inside, attempting to persuade the mechanic to complete the restore later. Then, communication is down. Stanton sees one thing approaching Joyner; it is coming to hit him from behind, and it is coming quick. She tries to warn him, nevertheless it’s too late: Joyner is hit by area particles whereas the captain offers with the chaos contained in the spaceship.
Then the episode rewinds to 2 weeks earlier, in the course of the ceremony to call the station after Bobby.
Athena misses the Memorial Station ceremony as a result of she has a date to attend
Chimney, now Interim Captain Han, has just a few phrases to share after Chief Simpson opens the ceremony. He is doing his finest to maintain it cool, however speaking later with Maddie, it is potential to see a little bit of his insecurity. In any case, it is no small mission to step into Bobby’s footwear. Is he actually match for the job? Are his buddies about to hate him now that he is their boss? His spouse is fast to guarantee Chim he is doing an excellent job as the brand new captain, and he or she’s happy with him — a stunning Madney scene!
“Six months ago, the LAFD lost a hero. To honor his leadership, his service, and his sacrifice, from today on, this will be the Robert Wade Nash Memorial Station.”
In the meantime, Hen and Eddie are having the time of their lives with their new partnership because the 118 paramedics. At the very least it is what Buck thinks, feeling hints of an analogous jealousy to the one proven within the episode “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered,” now that his finest good friend will not be his work accomplice anymore. It has been some time for the reason that relationship between Buck and Eddie hasn’t been the identical, and I’ve a sense a giant a part of this primary half of the season can have them determine why.
Might and Harry additionally attend the ceremony, and through a fast convo with Sue, it is said that Harry is crashing at Might’s, who’s finishing her research in December. However that is simply small discuss for now. The siblings are apprehensive: their mother, Athena, did not present as much as Bobby’s — her late husband’s — tribute. Karen and Hen are additionally feeling the sergeant’s absence, and they’re all asking themselves: The place is Athena?
On a date, in fact.
A faux one (clearly) as she works undercover to research a case. Disguised as “Sondra” and assisted by Elaine, Athena goals to collect data and confessions from Jonathan Prescott, a person linked to mobsters. Irritating Athena, the faux date is interrupted by Particular Agent Cordell, now answerable for the suspect, because the FBI hijacks the case.
“Eat The Rich” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Angela Bassett as Athena, Maurice L. Whitfield as Agent Cordell. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.
Anybody else bought the vibes that Cordell would possibly come again sooner or later? Maybe the FBI has an curiosity in monitoring Athena? There’s one thing about how this agent was launched that makes it appear to be there’s extra to this story.
Elsewhere, a whale eats a person…
This week’s loopy emergencies
1) A billionaire, whereas kayaking off Angel’s Gate, finally ends up eaten by a humpback whale;
2) A bus faculty driver and the children he is driving cope with ethylene glycol poisoning;
3) A lady faces an an infection by foodborne micro organism from a wound attributable to a soup can lower.
Eaten by a whale
Tripp Hauser is in bother. Persons are protesting as a result of the app he created is simply too addictive and threatening to the surroundings. In the meantime, he is spending thousands and thousands on personal millionaire spaceflights, inflicting dips within the firm’s inventory and making the board think about altering the management.
Kayaking off Angel’s Gate in the course of a videoconference, Tripp finally ends up eaten by a humpback whale. The decision is not interrupted; actually, he will get to speak to Maddie from contained in the whale whereas the 9-1-1 operator contacts the 118.
“Eat The Rich” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Ryan Guzman as Eddie, Oliver Stark as Buck. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.
Because the Coast Guard takes too lengthy to reach for rescue, Captain Chimney has an thought straight from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Residence. Humpbacks sing to one another, and loud noises, like boat engines, can drive them to the floor. Additionally they hear sounds by water for miles. Due to this fact, the 118 places a parking cone over the siren, connecting it to the gated valve and operating an inch and a half line by it. After charging it full blast, the firefighters pump 120 decibels into the bay, saving Tripp.
The pictures created to characterize the sounds of the siren wailing by the valve and hitting the humpback are among the coolest issues this episode has to supply, and a few of my favorites from the present. Additionally, the particular results used to create the whale are superior. Props to the concerned!
After Eddie jumps off a bridge to rescue an unconscious Tripp, Hen proceeds to reanimate the billionaire, who wakes to the imaginative and prescient of paramedic Wilson saving him. Folks file the staff saving Tripp’s life, and it does not take lengthy for these TikToks to go viral… Let’s circle again to this quickly.
Tequila for the children
A faculty bus driver passes out whereas driving a complete class of youngsters, all of them unconscious too. After an accident occurs, Athena joins forces with the 118 to find what occurred. The antifreeze is in charge: the engine overheated, compromising the hose and entering into the AC system. Everybody within the bus breathed it in and bought ethylene glycol poisoning because of this. Metabolized to glycolic acid, this precipitated a number of organ failure in fifteen children. To save lots of the day, the staff needed to do the unthinkable, giving rum, whiskey, and tequila pictures to the children.
If somebody cares…
Gina Moningham was as soon as an individual full of affection, buddies, and the need to stay. Within the current, she’s an previous lady who seems to be lifeless, with affected areas in her arms, fingers, higher torso, neck, and face. Athena comes to research, because the scent attracts the eye of Gina’s neighbors.
Pondering she’s standing in entrance of a corpse, Athena’s shocked when the previous lady screams for assist. Whereas the 118 tries to search out out why she’s in that state, her previous is revealed, because the viewers will get glimpses of her previous life as a teen in love and anticipating a toddler, with Jasmine Thompson’s Mad World taking part in within the background. As issues do not go as she deliberate, Gina isolates herself from the surface world, turning into an individual who will get infections by foodborne micro organism from a wound as a result of she does not care about checking the wound, and nobody is searching for her.
“Eat The Rich” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Tamra Meskimen as Gina. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.
“It makes a difference if someone cares.”
This remaining emergency hits Athena arduous. She’s on their lonesome in her home, attempting to maintain herself occupied, going undercover in a number of instances. She’s additionally rejecting all of the invitations and avoiding her kids — a scene with Might and Harry touches this topic, as Athena discovers Harry dropped out of college and is working at a espresso store.
This episode offers with Athena’s grief in ways in which final season could not, exhibiting a personality frozen in time, avoiding ceremonies that would remind her of Bobby, and avoiding even calling him by identify. As a substitute, she drowns herself in work, going undercover and creating different names and personalities so she will get a break from being Athena Grant. That is all very attention-grabbing, and Angela Bassett shines as a lot as ever.
A tiny little favor
In the meantime, Tripp decides to reward Hen. As his recognition declines and Hen turns into well-known after the rescue she carried out goes viral, Tripp’s firm, MacroNova, presents to donate $5 million to the LAFD. This might imply new gear, upgrades to the firehouses, counseling providers to firefighters and their households. Nevertheless, for this donation to occur, Hen might want to do Tripp a tiny little favor: Hen has bought to go to area.
“Eat The Rich” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Tracie Thoms as Karen, Aisha Hinds as Hen. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.
It is in low Earth orbit. They’d go up some hundred miles, do two laps across the planet, and are available again down. Hen’s bought a plus-one invite, so her rocket scientist spouse Karen goes together with her. However Karen has to disclaim it, as there are a number of pending lawsuits between Tripp and the folks Karen works for.
After Buck, Eddie, and Chimney spend the episode attempting to persuade Hen to take considered one of them together with her to area, Hen makes her determination throughout a dialog with Athena. The sergeant is apprehensive about having a destiny just like Gina’s. After Hen assures her good friend that this isn’t occurring in a good looking heart-to-heart, Athena says that she’s saying sure to the subsequent factor she’s invited to. Hen smiles. Minimize. They’re inside a spaceship, able to take off. The episode ends.
“Eat The Rich” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Kenneth Choi as Chimney, Aisha Hinds as Hen. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.
In conclusion…
Eat The Wealthy ups the sport after an underwhelming finale. Following the rushed, weirdly irregular (or just outright unhealthy) remaining episodes of season 8, this premiere competently reintroduces the viewers to a world with out Bobby. Everybody has loads of screentime, from the 118 members to Athena, Might, and Harry. And most significantly, Bobby’s right here too, haunting the narrative of each character from afar. The emergencies are nice and enjoyable, and the area journey guarantees to be a wild trip.
However 9-1-1 by no means had an issue with premieres and opening emergencies. Excluding one season of two, you may all the time depend on this present on the subject of starting sturdy and properly. What is completed with the center and the ending is one other story, tho.
This season specifically has an enormous activity: after leaving room for interpretation about Bobby being really alive, it is secure to imagine that a part of the viewers is raring to find if all these clues will culminate in what might be considered one of this present’s most explosive storylines, or if it was all for clout. And if it finally ends up being the latter, no matter is deliberate for the center of the season is vulnerable to being judged not just for what it’s, but additionally for what it is not.
Moreover, the final season suffered lots with among the principal characters’ storylines being sidelined in favor of minor/recurring characters, to not point out the frequent massive emergencies that push private storylines for later. So whereas it is all enjoyable and video games within the premieres, will the writing staff have the ability to maintain writing persistently for each principal character all season lengthy?
Anyway, a win is a win, and the ninth season begins sturdy. The emergency being targeted on Athena and Hen is a big professional, as their friendship is likely one of the nicest and most strong issues on the present. And the area factor, similar to the beenado, might find yourself being manner higher than anticipated. That is to say that the subsequent two weeks are promising, and 9-1-1 is again on observe!
Be happy to go away a remark along with your impressions and theories. Thanks for studying!
