‘9-1-1’ 5×07 Recap: “Ghost Stories”

911 this week certainly had a different tone than it did last week. After a thrilling episode that saw Buck and Eddie held hostage after a prison escape, this week just felt different. For one thing, the promo for the episode definitely did not match with the one we watched itself. There were clips shown that didn’t even appear in the show itself, so it felt like we missed out on a lot of things. Before we dive into our thoughts on the episode, let’s go over what happened on 9-1-1 5×07.

When will Chimney come back to us?

Despite all of that, we did get to see the return of some characters, aka our beloved Chimney! Yes, we finally got to see Chimney, whose road trip has continued in his quest for Maddie. He took Buck’s possible clue from episode 5 and ran with it, although Hen had a point that Maddie could still be in California since the place he thought it was is also there.

However, it was still nice to see them talking again and to know that at some point, Chimney and Buck talked. Of course, we want to see them all back together but we’ll take what we can get. During his travels, Chimney comes across an infant in need and when paramedics arrived, he runs across an old friend. Eli, who had been a paramedic when Chimney first started at the 118, is someone Chimney can talk to for just a bit.

During his entire time trying to find Maddie, Chimney has obviously been running himself ragged. Both he and Jee have been in hotel rooms for a month and he is unshaven, tired, and morose. Eli points out to Chimney that he needs to take care of himself to take care of Maddie. Otherwise, the voices in her head telling her she is a burden will make her spiral more if she knows he is spiraling.

Hopefully, this conversation with Eli is the catalyst for Chimney coming home. We miss him and once he comes back, we know we’ll be one step closer to having Maddie back as well.

Sometimes ghosts can come in different forms

Image via FOX

Another important storyline in this episode revolved around Harry looking for his ghosts. He is having trouble coming to terms with his kidnapping and doesn’t feel like he has anyone to talk to who understands. May even points out to Michael at one point that her family isn’t healing together.

In a truly haunting scene, Harry goes to face his kidnapping himself, going back to the house where he had been trapped. But when he falls through the floorboard and hurts himself, he immediately calls Athena.

Athena, who had been at work, drops everything to go find Harry with Detective Ransone. In the moments after he is patched up due to a dislocated shoulder, Harry asks Lou about his experience with Jeffrey. He knows Lou understands how he is feeling and the man provides Harry with the courage he needs to face his trauma.

When Athena returns, Harry is ready to go back to her home. The entire family welcomes him and we hope this is a step towards all of them healing together.

Is the truth always worth chasing?

Image via FOX

Now, what can we say about the case this week? It mainly revolved around Taylor, Buck’s girlfriend, trying to discover the truth about what happened to a man who was shot and buried alive. After the 118 rescues him, Taylor tries to investigate herself, much to Lou’s chagrin.

What was interesting about this was that we have seen Buck working with Taylor in the past to investigate, such as last season with the missing girl. But in this episode, Buck didn’t seem particularly interested in taking part in it. Sure, he was a sounding board for her earlier, but at the end of the episode, he clearly doesn’t understand why she is putting herself in harm’s way for a story.

It looks like Taylor is affected by something, a story, and we might find out what it is later. But it’s jarring to see Buck not as invested in what’s going on with her like he normally would be. Is this the beginning of a storm brewing for the couple?

9-1-1 5×07 gave one couple some closure

Image via FOX

One couple who did find closure were Hen and Karen. Hen received a visit from her own ghost, her ex Eva. She is leaving town and is clean. Eva wanted to say goodbye to Hen, who did of course tell Karen. But Karen still has her own haunts when it comes to Eva and she doesn’t fully trust that Eva is gone for good. For Karen, Eva represents the possible loss of her family, her wife, and her son.

Realizing she needs to let go of those feelings, Karen has a touching and romantic scene with Hen letting her know this. Hen reaffirms her love for her, showing just how strong they are together as a unit. We’re glad communication is happening for one couple!

Thoughts on 9-1-1 5×07 as a whole

Overall, this episode was decent in moving some storylines forward and closing others. But with the promo showing clips that were not even in the episode and making it seem like it was a Halloween episode (looking at you Hulu), it just led to some disappointment. There weren’t as many scenes with the firefighters as a unit. Sure, we got them working together as a team at the beginning, but it all felt so separate.

Plus, we didn’t get to see Eddie, not even a mention of him. We would have taken just one brief sentence saying he was off having fun adventures with Christopher. But he was noticeably absent and definitely missed. At least throw us a bone and tell us why he took time off!

All this to say is while the episode wasn’t horrible, it just felt like a lot was missing and left out. Plus, they made it look like it was a Halloween episode when it wasn’t. Hopefully, next week will be more exciting, especially with David present next week! We need more David in our lives!

Let us know your thoughts on 9-1-1 5×07 in the comments below.

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