9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 9 Review: I Can Feel Buddie Canon Coming After This Layered Episode Featuring A Devastating Jennifer Love Hewitt
This article contains spoilers for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 9, "Sob Stories"
One of the things 9-1-1 co-creator Tim Minear highlighted in interviews ahead of the move to ABC is that there would be a noticeable increase in scenes featuring Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman). With a few significant exceptions, such as Buck coming out to Eddie, and Buck helping Eddie with the departure of Christopher (Gavin McHugh) in the 9-1-1 season 7 finale, their scenes have been fairly light in tone. It contrasts whatever angst and uncertainty was happening in the main storyline.
That is not the case with "Sob Stories", the show's much-awaited return following its midseason finale, which features perhaps the most significant scene between Buck and Eddie in several seasons. But that's not where "Sob Stories" begins. The episode begins with Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) answering an unusual call from a person identifying themselves as John. What initially seems to be a distress call, with the possibility of self-harm, turns out to be a kidnapping situation and a sinister individual toying with Maddie.
Jennifer Love Hewitt's Performance Anchors The Start Of An Intriguing Two-Parter
Maddie Meets A Suspicious New Character
Wanting to ensure the safety of the young girl John has abducted, Maddie makes two decisions. She first decides to empathize with the caller, who seems reluctant to hurt the young girl. Maddie draws from her own history, opening up about not trusting herself and feeling like she had to run away when she was dealing with postpartum depression after the birth of Jee-Yun. Hewitt gives a great facial performance, with her expressions making the level of Maddie's sincerity something of an open question even if we know she's telling the truth.
Maddie's second decision, to tell John the cops aren't coming after him, backfires. John is monitoring the situation somehow, berating Maddie and cutting off communication when Athena (Angela Bassett) and other officers show up to a false location. I get that Maddie has to fail John's truthfulness test to set up her abduction later in the episode, but it doesn't ring true to me that Josh (Bryan Safi), who is present for the opening scene, or even Maddie herself, wouldn't know better than to offer such a flimsy promise in a high-stakes situation.
"Sob Stories" is directed by Bradley Buecker, with story credits shared by Minear, Rashad Raisani, Matt Solik.
The strange call leads Athena to connect Maddie with Detective Amber Braeburn, played by Timeless and Suits alum Abigail Spencer. I'm just gonna say it: you generally shouldn't trust a recognizable guest star who is introduced out of the blue and has a significant role in the story. Watching the first scene with Braeburn, there are a few clues to a coming twist. Athena explains the renowned missing persons detective asked to be part of the case. Braeburn also looks visibly nervous for a few seconds after she sees the degree of research Maddie has already put in.
I'm just gonna say it. You generally shouldn't trust a recognizable guest star, who is introduced out of the blue, and has a significant role in the story.
Joking that Maddie's thoroughness might put her out of the job, Braeburn points Athena in the direction of registered sex offender Richard Bullock. The detective complains that she's been after Richard for a long time, musing, “Maybe I just want it to be him.” She can't pursue her favored suspect any longer, though, because she's come up empty so many times that it's now considered harassment. This sets up the later twist nicely, but it also offers the outlines of the weightier questions that 9-1-1 will make explicit in the episode's last scene to feature the three women all together.
Before that, but after Athena's attempts to find Richard go nowhere, Maddie gets one last call with the person she now believes is Richard Bullock. In what is the standout scene of this storyline, Richard wavers between being reluctant to hurt the victim he kidnapped and taunting Maddie about hurting Jee-Yun.
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
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Hewitt's acting, both facially and with the changes in her inflection, is spot-on. Maddie nearly growls at the mention of Jee-Yun's name, a small adjustment that demonstrates how 1990s horror icons like Hewitt, Neve Campbell, and Sarah Michelle Gellar excelled in the genre because they were so good at conveying so much with the slightest shift of a gaze and the unexpected recalibration of tone.
It is an unexpected adjustment because, on the whole, Maddie does seem sympathetic to Richard even as he's threatening her daughter. She seems sympathetic even as she encourages him to use the gun in his possession to take his own life, telling him it's the only way to stop his monstrous side from harming an innocent victim. Josh says nothing to this. Sue (Debra Christofferson) even tells her that she did the right thing. But the implication, at least for Maddie, is clear: she might've made an active choice to help kill the person who threatened her daughter.
Buddie Gets A Lot Of Focus As Eddie's Exit Becomes A Reality
Buck Does Not Take It Well
Compared to the hell that Maddie is going through, and the weighty questions that her storyline raises, Buck and Eddie's storyline is lighter. At least it starts with a bit of levity. After learning Eddie is planning to move to Texas in the 9-1-1's midseason 8 finale, Buck's supportive facade is already starting to crack. As he complains about getting a friend request from Gerrard (Brian Thompson), which he calls “creepy”, Eddie is excited to show Buck his potential new home in Texas. Buck is less excited.
He sees an opportunity when Eddie says that he needs to sublet his apartment before he can move. Buck sees an opportunity to sabotage Eddie's chances of moving, that is. Offering to help his friend close the deal, Buck instead lists every minor and major problem with Eddie's apartment to potential subtenants. Eddie quickly realizes what Buck is trying to do and calmly, without comment, asks Buck to leave. Buck obliges. But before he can make it out the door, while in Eddie's kitchen, he overhears the following when Eddie is asked to explain why he's selling the apartment:
Eddie: “Ah, I’m moving to Texas. Family. Los Angeles was actually the job opportunity, but, uh, no ties here. All that matters is in Texas.”
It's tough to hear, right? It has to be. Especially because 9-1-1 has already devoted an episode to the idea that the 118 would not be nearly as close, and would quickly drift apart if not for their work. It was an idea that Buck, with his abandonment issues, took particularly hard. I think Eddie's response is perfectly justifiable. He doesn't want to tell random strangers a complicated, emotional story that makes them less likely to take the apartment. A clean, simple narrative that's told with confidence and a smile works best. Of course, Buck doesn't see it that way.
Buck has already made a new best friend a few scenes later. He adopts Blaze, a puppy he rescues from a burning animal rescue in the episode's only 118-related emergency. While playing with Blaze at the station, and passive-aggressively arguing with Eddie, Buck accidentally reveals that Eddie plans to leave Los Angeles even though he promised to keep the secret until Eddie was ready to divulge it.
Much to Buck's dismay, Chimney (Kenneth Choi), Hen (Aisha Hinds), and Bobby (Peter Krause) completely understand Eddie's motivations once he explains that he's moving to Texas to be closer to his son. Hugs and supportive remarks are shared, with Buck looking on from the outside.
It's a perfect shot that presages the argument that Eddie wants to have later in "Sob Stories." It reminds me of how, in Friends season 10, when Rachel was ready to move to Paris, she could bring herself to say goodbye to most of the group, as sad it was, except for Ross. There's too much history. It would be too painful. There may be some of that going on here, albeit Buck and Eddie barely scratch the surface.
In the episode's penultimate scene, Buck shows up at Eddie's place. He apologizes, revealing that he secretly agreed to be Eddie's subletter, and explains that he came to understand where Eddie was coming from after he had to return the puppy to its rightful owners. Blaze went back to his family, Buck says, and that's all Eddie wants to do. It seems that all is forgiven, on both sides, and the 118 go out for drinks in Eddie's honor.
Buck & Eddie's Argument Stays True To The Characters
Buddie Canon May Be In Sight, But There's Still Work To Do
The penultimate scene is a pitch-perfect encapsulation of both Buck and Eddie. There are the obvious markers, such as Buck swooping in with a grand gesture to help solve the problem he helped create. But it's authentic down to the ways that they've tended to interact with each other. Buck is reactive; Buck is jealous; Buck is emotional; Buck wears his heart on his sleeve. Eddie, conversely, has nearly always been calm and matter-of-fact.
The lack of input from Christopher and what he thinks about permanently relocating to Texas is a glaring absence.
Eddie was the one to reassure Buck when Christopher was lost during a tsunami, calmly asserting that “there’s nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you.” Despite being shot by a sniper and nearly dying, he's again calmly reassuring Buck and revealing how he's changed his will to have Buck as Christopher's legal guardian if tragedy ever struck. He reacts with calm reassurance during Buck's nervous coming-out scene.
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There are a few exceptions to this. The grocery store fight from season 3 comes to mind. There are moments in "Sob Stories" too, particularly the way that Guzman makes sure that Eddie roars with indignation at the idea of having to choose between Buck and Christopher. It's short-lived. But the brevity, the ostensibly quick resolution, doesn't seem like an oversight or a shortcut unlike other aspects of this storyline.
The lack of input from Christopher and what he thinks about permanently relocating to Texas is a glaring absence. The fact that Eddie and Buck don't resolve much in the span of an episode feels like an exciting preview for the rest of the season. "Sob Stories" highlights how well Buck and Eddie know each other, down to Eddie predicting his friend's reactions, and it's a safe bet the thread that will be revisited before the finale. The chances of a Buckley backslide are, as always, alive and well.
9-1-1 Bites Off More Than It Chew With Maddie's Final Scenes
The Kidnapper Reveal Is Likely To Overshadow Anything Else
Buck's backslide might have to wait for an episode or two, in any case, since "Sob Stories" ends with the pregnant Maddie getting kidnapped by Detective Braeburn. Maddie is attacked in her kitchen, seeing Braeburn's face hovering above hers before she blacks out. It's a cool reveal that sets up next week's episode, "Voices", but it's also a bit of a bummer because of what the midseason spends most of its time building towards with Maddie's story.
It's a question that is fraught and difficult to answer, changing depending on the specific circumstances and even just on the day. It is also an incredibly worthwhile question for a procedural to explore.
Athena, Braeburn, and Maddie debrief shortly after Bullock's dead body is discovered. Maddie is devastated about encouraging the man to shoot himself, particularly since the police arrive on the scene mere minutes later, and particularly since he never physically harmed the young kidnapping victim. She feels immense empathy for Bullock, regardless of his horrid history, and it stands in contrast to how Athena and Braeburn can only ever view him as a monster to be dealt with.
It walks right up to the line of asking whether people with the impulse to do evil acts should be treated with a measure of kindness so long as they fight to keep those impulses in check. It's a question that is fraught and difficult to answer, changing depending on the specific circumstances and even just on the day. It is also an incredibly worthwhile question for a procedural to explore.
9-1-1will likely devote much of its attention next week to Maddie's rescue and the detailing of Braeburn's crimes, diluting any intriguing complexities and nuances. But at least for "Sob Stories", the show comes close to something uneasy and compelling. It gives Hewitt a showcase, putting her character in peril once again but making it count.
9-1-1 season 8 airs Thursdays at 8 PM ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
9-1-1 is a television series that explores the intense experiences of police officers, paramedics, and firefighters. Premiered in 2018, it follows these emergency responders as they navigate high-pressure situations and attempt to balance their demanding work with personal challenges in their own lives.
- Network
- ABC, FOX
- Cast
- Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Guzman, Corinne Massiah, Gavin McHugh, Marcanthonee Reis, Rockmond Dunbar, Bryan Safi, Tracie Thoms
- Showrunner
- Tim Minear
- Standout performance from Jennifer Love Hewitt.
- The most meaningful Buck and Eddie scenes in a long time.
- The show walks right up to the line of asking difficult, worthwhile questions.
- Eddie's move to Texas is still lacking any input from Christopher himself.
- The show may be discarding its difficult questions in favor of a simplistic story with Detective Braeburn.
