‘911 on FOX’ 6×11 Recap: “In Another Life”
911 on FOX heard fans wanted coma Buck and boy did they deliver! After being struck by lightning at the end of the last episode “In A Flash,” Buck woke up in an idyllic world where his brother survived. But by the end, he realizes things are not as they seem and he struggles to find his way back home. Let’s go over what happened on 911 on FOX 6×11.
Buck is left fighting for his life on 911 on FOX 6×11
Image via FOX
While Maddie, her parents, and the 118 hold vigil in the hospital for Buck, in his coma dream, Buck wakes up after hitting his head in a fall. The doctor at his side teases him about not having someone watching him, but Buck is confused as he can hear Eddie’s voice in his head, watching over him in real life.
Buck is stunned when Maddie appears, looking so different with pigtails and calling the doctor their brother, Daniel. Buck is amazed and confused, unable to figure out exactly what is going on. But when he finds that his parents are loving and doting over him, it’s a dream that feels like he wants to hold onto.
Despite this, there are obvious clues that things aren’t right. He has items he sees that remind him of the real world, including a Ferris wheel, which calls back to the tsunami he and Christopher survived.
Buck begins to snap out of the fantasy when he goes to a family dinner and instead of Jee-Yun and Chimney, he sees a young girl and Doug. Horrified, Buck can tell even in his dream, Doug is still controlling. When he confronts Maddie, she tries to deny it, but with the knowledge he has, Buck refuses to let her down again. It’s something that even in this world, his parents and brother are doing.
That’s what brothers are for
Image via FOX
Realizing he needs help, Buck runs to someone he knows will believe him, Chimney Han himself. He convinces Chimney to listen to him, despite Chimney not knowing who he is. Buck is horrified to find out that in this world, Bobby has been dead for five years.
In real life, Buck begins to suffer breathing issues due to a lung contusion. Once he calms down, in the dream, Hen arrives, confused and wondering why they are helping him. Buck explains how he knew Bobby, but it looks like at the time of the plane crash in season one, he didn’t have the support of both Buck and Hen to survive.
Buck asks about Eddie, finding out that without the support of the 118, he lost custody of his son after a nasty battle with his parents. It’s a confusing notion, knowing that in real life, Eddie would never give up on Christopher. But with it being Buck’s psyche, he has come up with the worst possible scenario. Without having a network in place, without Carla, himself, and the 118, he was alone. Eddie was apparently not deemed fit to care for his son and be a firefighter.
With Hen and Chimney slowly realizing that whatever is happening to Buck’s body is affecting him in the coma, they go to the hospital so Buck can figure out what is happening. He finds the afterlife version of Bobby, someone who is lost to his addiction.
Buck realizes he needs to go home
Image via FOX
With Bobby’s help, Buck realizes his importance in Bobby’s life and that deep down, he has always been Buck. As Buck struggles to survive, he finds that he needs to be at peace with who he is and who he wants to be without anyone else’s opinion to be free and go home.
He tries to escape, but Daniel, taking the form of his inner demons, tries to keep him from leaving. Despite making it look like his family is giving up on him, Buck fights back against his inner self and breaks down the barrier keeping him from returning to his body. This is to the relief of his parents and Maddie, who are hoping that Buck can breathe without the ventilator. He takes a deep breath to the relief of his sister.
Throughout the episode, we also saw the 118 visiting Buck and refusing to leave their side. Eddie, while not seen as much as we would have liked, clearly was deeply affected. At one point, Christopher refused to leave without seeing Buck. After sneaking his son in, Eddie is overwhelmed and struggles to hold onto his emotions, unable to even look at Buck.
We don’t know yet what was going through his head, but without verbal cues, you can tell how deeply affected Eddie is by almost losing his best friend. There’s no version of Eddie in Buck’s coma dream because Buck was dealing with his trauma and inner demons. Eddie is not part of that trauma and we’re sure eventually they will be able to talk about how this affected them both.
Buck’s relationships are highlighted on 911 on FOX 6×11
Besides remembering Eddie and Christopher throughout, the episode highlighted Buck and Bobby’s relationship. Buck has said in the past he sees Bobby as a father figure and this episode solidified it. To Bobby, Buck is like a son to him that he brought into the family. Even though we’ve never seen Buck have a dynamic with May and Harry, it’s a nice idea that they see him in such a warm light.
Buck’s parents seem to be trying to be more attentive to him. But, we’re curious how long this will last. They even offer to buy him a couch, despite his refusal. Buck may have chosen to forgive his parents for himself. This is so he can move past his childhood trauma, but does this mean they deserve it?
Chimney also got some sort of closure regarding his father, thanks to his stepmother. He learns his father felt shame for not bringing him back to Korea. It makes Chimney want to open a door to let his father in. But it would be more meaningful to hear it from the man himself. Who knows what will happen down the road? We’re looking forward to finding out how these two sets of parents will make amends with their grown children.
This was such an outstanding episode of 911 on FOX. It truly was Oliver Stark’s episode and we loved learning more about Buck’s inner self. Hopefully, he will use the lessons he learned to be happier with himself and the decisions he makes.
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