911 – Sick Day – Assessment: No One is Protected This Time

Spoilers forward!

One might say that the eighth season of 9-1-1 has been a blast of a loopy experience for the reason that starting, and this wouldn’t be a lie. Nonetheless, the episodes that aired this 12 months are even crazier than common — 8B has delivered banger after banger, and Sick Day, the primary a part of 9-1-1: Contagion, is not any exception. This time, the present is doing one thing slightly bit completely different placing a giant two-parter emergency in the midst of the season (not within the finale the place we’d anticipate it), and even when that is the primary half that units the stage for insanity to occur subsequent week, beware: Sick Day could be very prone to trigger you misery.

The episode opens with Chimney (Kenneth Choi), Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), and Jee-Yun (Bailey Leung/Hailey Leung) having lunch with Hen (Aisha Hinds), Karen (Tracie Thoms), Denny (Declan Pratt), and Mara (Askyler Bell). The 2 households are having a good time, and Jee-Yun is tremendous excited to seek out out the gender of her sibling, so Maddie and Chimney order a cake only for Jee to have her second. That’s a humorous, gentle scene that exhibits how shut these two households are, and the way excited everyone seems to be for the brand new little one becoming a member of the household. If something, remembering this cute little scene that opened the episode makes me unhappy contemplating how the hour ends.

The episode continues with the 118 coping with a “usual” multiple-vehicle collision — and for common I imply a disturbing and thrilling emergency that permits Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody) and Bobby (Peter Krause) to be within the spotlights. When saving a sufferer, Ravi doesn’t see her child at the back of the automotive — there’s a motive for this, because the state of affairs was very distressing and the whole lot might explode any time, so Ravi needed to hurry up. When the sufferer wakes up and requires her child, nevertheless, it’s clear that the kid remains to be trapped within the automotive, so Bobby dangers his personal life to save lots of the infant. Oh, man, I used to be positive Bobby wouldn’t die like that, however the scene was so unsettling (and superb) anyway. The child and her mother are saved ultimately, and Bobby’s simply effective, however Ravi feels terrible in regards to the state of affairs.

That is nice as a result of, for the primary time in years, we’ve the chance to look at a glimpse of a Ravi-centered storyline, as later he talks to Buck (Oliver Stark) about feeling responsible and pondering of possibly leaving the 118. I liked this fast second between these two as a result of Buck additionally suffered loads with the insecurities of this job in earlier seasons. As proven by 8×11, he was by no means notably near Ravi earlier than Eddie’s (Ryan Guzman) departure, so this dialog between them is rewarding due to these implications: they’re nearer now, so Buck can mentor Ravi.

“Sick Day” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Oliver Stark as Buck, Anirudh Pisharody as Ravi. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.

In any case of this, the “Contagion” half begins with a mad scientist “creating” (if I obtained it proper, she makes an existent virus worse) an epidemic. She additionally develops a remedy, however by making a lethal factor even deadlier, she is rightfully fired. Livid about this, the scientist assaults one in every of her colleagues and units the lab on hearth. The 118 is then known as to the analysis lab due to this incident till the state of affairs will get a lot worse and the lab turns into a biohazard.

Buck was saving one of many scientists when the lab entered quarantine after an enormous explosion, which implies that for an enormous a part of the episode, Buck is separated from the 118. Due to this, he and Athena (Angela Bassett) be part of forces with the Military to discover a solution to save their mates and family members. Oh, have I discussed that Maddie is the dispatcher guiding the workforce via the entire thing? Which means possibly for the primary time shortly, we’ve an emergency that entails nearly everybody equally, which could be very thrilling, but additionally very scary.

This time, the members of the 118 at risk are Hen, who had her lung collapsed after the explosion, and Chimney, who was uncovered to the lethal virus and has his organs failing. This places everybody out of their consolation zone — Chim can’t function Hen as a result of he’s sick so he has to information Bobby via it (and Hen clearly can’t assist as a result of this time she’s the one who wants assist). Buck and Athena can’t do a lot at first — however as soon as the Military discovers in regards to the lethal virus and decides that the 118 has to die to not unfold the illness (even after they hear in regards to the remedy), they’re fast to take issues into their very own fingers.

“Sick Day” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Kenneth Choi as Chimney. Photograph: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.

Truthfully, I’ve been penning this nearly each week since 9-1-1 returned with Sob Tales in March, however WHAT!! AN!! EPISODE!! I used to be on the sting of my seat, I used to be biting my nails the entire time, I used to be feeling sick and nervous and GOSH this was intense!!! Once more, it’s been some time since we had an emergency this massive involving nearly each foremost character (possibly the final one was the bridge collapse within the season 6 finale?), and with Maddie listening to the whole lot and Buck and Athena becoming a member of forces and guiding Ravi to the remedy, everybody had their time to shine. This entire forged is wonderful, and what they obtain right here each individually and collectively is insane and incredible! Props to director Karla Braun and the entire workforce for delivering this large hour of tv; I will be perpetually grateful for the Peter Gabriel’s My Physique Is A Cage needle drop in direction of the top, a robust track for a putting scene!

The episode ends with Ravi discovering that there’s no remedy within the lab anymore as a result of the mad scientist took it together with her, so we’ve to attend for the following week to find how the 118 will escape alive this time… Perhaps that is what’s going to deliver Eddie and Christopher (Gavin McHugh) again to L.A.? Solely time will inform, and subsequent Thursday higher come sooner so we are able to all see how this emergency ends.