This week’s 9-1-1 was a tearjerker. “Defend in Place” focused on a devastating fire at the hospital which impacted several of our favorite characters. We also said goodbye to someone we’ve grown to love over the last five seasons. Let’s get started.
At the beginning of “Defend in Place” we learn that David is going to Haiti to help save lives and assist with the recovery. Michael decides he wants to propose before the move. It was cute how nervous he was and how unsure he was of how to propose. Unfortunately, when he arrived at to see David, the hospital exploded.
Room 81E
The hospital’s fire started in the maternity ward and engulfed multiple floors. The 118 start evacuating (how cute was Buck getting all of the babies to safety?) the hospital when Parker, a young boy, calls 9-1-1 in desperate need of help. He’s trapped with his sister in room 318; or so he thought. Eddie and Buck try to rescue Parker as fast as they can, but by the time they reach room 318, it’s destroyed by the fire.
It was absolutely heartbreaking thinking that Parker and his newborn sister had died. Eddie was clearly distraught knowing he wasn’t able to save a kid and a baby. And we wanted to give both Eddie and Buck a huge hug. But a few minutes later Parker calls 9-1-1 again. It turns out he was reading the room number backwards and was in 81E. We were beyond relieved to learn that Parker was alive. But this reminds us that 9-1-1 is a show about fires and not everyone is so lucky.
Rupert Saves the Day
Before the fire and explosion, Rupert is leaving the hospital after surviving stage 4 cancer. It’s bittersweet as he’s clearly grown attached to some of the staff especially Callie. After ringing the bell and preparing to leave, the hospital explodes. He refuses to leave until they find Callie. We loved that he put his life on the line for her. She does survive as Hen and Ravi are able to rescue her in time. Unfortunately, Rupert doesn’t isn’t so lucky and doesn’t survive.
It was so sad that Rupert didn’t make it. He survived cancer just to die on the same day he was finally finished with therapy. But he was a hero and not only saved Callie, but Ravi and Hen as well.
Goodbye Michael
David had already started surgery when the fire began, and he was determined to save this patient. He tells his staff they can evacuate, but they refuse to leave the patient and David behind. The entire 118 helps stop the fire from reaching David, and they are all able to make it out alive.
After a tearful reunion between David, Michael, and the rest of the hospital and their families, Michael announces he’s joining David in Haiti. While we’re glad that Michael has found happiness (and we know he’ll do good work in Haiti), we’ll miss him. Athena and Michael had a rocky start at the beginning of the show, but they’ve really developed a good friendship. And we love his bromance with Bobby. Goodbye, Michael. We hope to see you again.
Other Thoughts:
- It was nice to learn more about Ravi, but it was a shock to discover he had cancer as a child. Is that part of the reason why he decided to become a firefighter? He wanted to help save people?
- It’s not a secret we haven’t loved Claudette, but we saw a different side to her in 9-1-1 5×08 “Defend in Place.” We felt for her after she thought she lost Parker. It was good to see this softer, more human part to her. We hope to see it again soon.
- We’re ready for a little more humor. It seems like this season has been more serious than previous ones. We get that it’s a show about first responders, but we miss the lighter stories.
9-1-1 airs Mondays at 8/7c on Fox.
