The season seven finale of 9-1-1 had so much going on and at times, it felt like we could barely take a moment to breathe. In order to really go into what happened, let’s focus on the arcs that were present and what we can look forward to when season 8 returns for the next television season. Let’s go over what happened on 9-1-1 7×10, “All Fall Down.”
Bobby’s life hangs in the balance as Athena avenges him
In the hospital, we saw Athena watching over Bobby, who had been resuscitated after being dead for 14 minutes. Doctor Salazar, who we have seen in previous episodes, told Athena they were allowing Bobby’s body to recover before they could determine his prognosis.
Athena received clothes from her captain, Elaine Maynard, and learned it appeared the fire originated in their bedroom area. She believed she knew who did it, but didn’t tell Elaine her suspicions. Once she was able to see Bobby, she vowed to get revenge on Amir, believing he was the one who set the fire.
Without permission from the hospital, Athena left and called Maddie to learn where Amir lived. Not having heard about the fire yet, Maddie believed she was at work. But after the phone call, she called Chimney and learned the truth.
When Athena found Amir at his home, she was sure he was involved and confronted him. However, Amir remained calm and denied having set the fire. Just as he allows her to take him in for questioning, they spot some members of the cartel arriving. Recognizing them from the desert, Amir goes outside to meet them so Athena can escape.
Athena follows them so she can call in reinforcements, where they are eventually rescued. Luckily by this time, Bobby has woken up and they reunite.
Was Athena in the right to do what she did?
Athena tends to go overboard when it comes to her job. Add in what happened to her home and her husband, it was bound to be a recipe for disaster. Amir got pulled into yet another situation that he did not need to be involved in. But in the end, he did share a sweet moment with Bobby. The two men met when Amir went to see Bobby once he was out of the hospital.
Amir told Bobby he admired him for how he came back and lived. Even if he couldn’t forgive him, he didn’t want to see Bobby ruin all of his progress by quitting his job. But would it be that easy?
Even if Athena doesn’t face consequences for what happened with Amir, we hope she and Bobby can rebuild after losing their home. Luckily, they have May and Harry, who helped them with clothes and new phones so they could hopefully save some memories. But as the couple said, the most important things they had was their family.
Hen and Karen’s fight for Mara
Hen tried to visit Mara at the group home, but it was clear that the young girl had fallen back into refusing to speak. Now back in the situation she had previously been in, Mara once again was closed off. And despite having snuck in, Hen was eventually found out.
Later when Chimney and Maddie were over, Hen admitted what happened and told them Mara was now in a group home. Even if they fought to bring her home, she could be stuck there until she aged out of the system.
Unbeknownst to Karen and Hen, Chimney and Maddie made a big decision. They went ahead and contacted DCFS in order to apply to be emergency foster parents so they could provide Mara with a home. This would allow her to be part of Hen and Karen’s lives while they worked on bringing her home.
This was such an amazing gesture from the Han family, especially considering how close they are with the Wilsons. We absolutely loved seeing their friendship grow this season, especially for Maddie. She had admitted to Hen at the end of last season how isolated she felt and now we see her thrive being part of their family as well.
We’re so excited to welcome Mara to the family and look forward to seeing how the Wilsons fight to bring her home in season 8.
Oh, and as an aside, before Karen saw Mara, she thought Buck was joining them for dinner. Seeing how excited she was to see him, we need more Karen and Buck scenes in season 8!
Eddie struggles as Christopher makes a decision
In what had to be one of the most heartbreaking moments of the episode, we ended up saying goodbye to Christopher. After becoming so angry at his dad for the situation with Kim, Christopher locked himself in his room. Eddie tried to give him space but still called Buck to check on the boy.
Buck was helpless, unable to do anything, especially when Eddie’s parents, Ramon and Helena, showed up. Christopher called them and told them what happened. With the grief over Shannon once again weighing on everyone, in addition to Eddie’s mistakes, Christopher wanted to go to Texas with his grandparents.
Eddie did not want this to happen while Helena assured him that it would just be for an indefinite amount of time so they both could heal. It was a big ask for Eddie. He was hopeful that Buck could get through to Chris.
Buck himself was out of his depth with everything that was happening. He has always been such a big part of the Diaz family’s lives, but this was completely out of his element. Even after talking to Christopher, it was clear the teen did not want to stay.
Buck and Eddie must say goodbye to Christopher
Even though his son wouldn’t look at him, Eddie made sure to repeatedly tell Christopher that he loved him so much. The moment Christopher wanted to come home, Eddie would bring him back. This did earn a response from Christopher, who left with his grandparents. Buck stayed with Eddie, providing his friend with a comforting touch.
While we don’t know how long he will be gone, the thought of Eddie being alone without his son is devastating. This has been such a difficult arc for Eddie and we wonder just how far down he has to go before he can pick himself up. It’s understandable that Christopher is given the space he needs to grieve. It was nice to see his wishes were respected. We just wish that Eddie hadn’t been so blindsided by it happening so quickly with barely a discussion.
Is it too much to hope that with a possible jump to after the summer, Christopher will be home?
A surprise twist at work
If you thought things would end after that, things only got worse. Eddie arrived at work just in time to see Ravi confused over who was acting Captain for the day. Hen came in with Chimney, informing them she had been replaced.
At first, they all believe Bobby is back, especially since he shows up for work. But in a surprising, and unfortunate, twist of fate, Captain Victor Gerrard is back. The team is stunned to learn that not only had Bobby quit two weeks ago before the fire, but that someone up high was concerned about the leadership at the station.
One thing is for sure, we’re not looking forward to Gerrard being back. He’s a racist, homophobic, and misogynistic man who made Hen and Chimney’s life hell, in addition to Tommy. How will the team fare under his leadership again? We can’t see them letting him break them down again. And just who is behind the decision to appoint him?
We wouldn’t be surprised if Councilwoman Ortiz was involved. She was determined to destroy Hen and Gerrard is one way to do that. But if she thought Hen was a quitter, then she was wrong. As much as we detest the idea of him being back, this will make for an interesting vision for season 8.
Final thoughts on the 9-1-1 7×10
As much as I enjoyed a lot of the episode, especially the flirty banter between Buck and his boyfriend, Tommy, there were some issues we saw with the episode. For starters, the pacing felt off since it focused so much on Athena looking for the arsonist.
We didn’t really get to see the team sitting with Bobby. It didn’t even feel like we got to see the impact of almost losing Bobby on any of them like we did when Chimney was stabbed in season 2 or when Buck was struck by lightning in season 6. Buck did mention to Tommy what Bobby means to him in a moment of vulnerability. It’s important to show just how Bobby has impacted the team and I do wish we could have seen more of it. The bond between the 118 is one of the most beautiful things in the show and it would have been amazing to see that showcased more in the episode itself.
What do we want to see in season 8?
We also hope we can have more time to flesh out Buck’s arc involving his sexuality in season 8. We also want to learn more about the man he’s dating. There hasn’t been enough time with a short season to see them grow and we hope season 8 continues to explore their relationship. Buck has been the happiest he has been and we want to get to know Tommy along with him.
Plus, Tommy acknowledged that he wasn’t the best under Captain Gerrard. It would be interesting to see how this foreshadows his journey alongside Buck in season 8. Buck will be dealing with Gerrard as a captain. How can Tommy help as his boyfriend and could it cause tension? Hen and Chimney already had to work under him. Now with Ravi, Buck, and Eddie part of the team, how will this shake things up for them as well?
All in all, despite the pacing and wishes for more scenes with the 118 as a unit, we’re excited to see how season 8 develops for the characters.
All 7 seasons of 9-1-1 are available on Hulu to watch during the summer hiatus.
