9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 1 Review: ‘Buzzkill’

9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 1 ‘Buzzkill’ is a pretty fun episode that, while not exactly surprising, is a great example of what makes this show work. It’s borderline absurd at times (there’s a bee-nado! Gerrard almost gets taken out by what?!), the character beats work to perfection (Bobby’s meta moment! Eddie just following Buck’s lead without question) and the serious moments are woven in so seamlessly it doesn’t feel out of place.

In a way, that’s the genius of 9-1-1. The show has never taken itself so seriously that it cannot pull off both the absurd and the deeply emotional at the same time and that means that the same episode that has Angela Bassett delivering a poignant performance while confronting the man who killed her fiancé can also have Ryan Guzman running from bees like a madman with mostly a straight face. Gotta love network TV.

So, let us break down the emotional, the absurd, and the seeds of what comes next in that 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 1 ‘Buzzkill’ gave us:

NOT EVERYONE HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF FIGHTING BACK

The 9-1-1 Season 8 premiere showcased Buck as the one person in the 118 who had the hardest time with Gerrard and in a way, that makes sense. Not because it was easy for Hen, Chim, or Eddie to deal with Gerrard or because they agreed with a word he said, but because it is sadly easier for minorities to get into the “conceal, don’t feel” headspace. And Buck, as a white man, just doesn’t understand that.

Of course, Buck is also a bisexual man, but we get no indication in this episode that Gerrard knows that, and I get the sense that would be something Gerrard would have thrown in Buck’s face if he knew. Hen, Chim, and Eddie don’t have the privilege of hiding who they are. Being able to do that is the definition of privilege. Buck can fight back and yes; he is being punished. But he can fight back over and over and suggest they all quit because he cannot conceive of not doing so. That, in itself, is privilege.

It’s very meta-commentary, and 9-1-1 can do it precisely because the show is not very white to begin with. When existing in white spaces is the default, it’s hard to see how people who aren’t have to position themselves in places where whiteness is seen as the default. And sure, Gerrard doesn’t last long (did we really get rid of him that easily?), so this isn’t really commentary the show intends to carry long, but it’s still a worthwhile message to send for as long as Gerrard is around.

And Buck is a really good person, as ends up being proven at the end of the episode, by the fact that his first reaction is to save Gerrard, who is literally berating him. Ah, Gerrard, you were (not) fun while you lasted, which was approximately 0.2 seconds. To be honest, I didn’t really want you around any longer, so good riddance. Please don’t come back.

MORE: Season 8 is now here! Did we get any of the things we wanted to see in it right? Check here!

WHAT DOES CLOSURE LOOK LIKE?

Athena has to confront the very idea of closure in this episode, as she comes face to face with the man who killed her fiancé once again. And a part of Athena really thought finding him truly meant closure, that it meant peace. But seeing him again and hearing that he has a chance for early release reopens a wound in Athena that perhaps never closed and forces her to examine the notion that some wounds just never really heal. That you are, instead, just meant to move forward from some losses and understand that you will always be different.

Of course, we don’t get the full journey in this one episode, this is a three-parter, and we have to leave some space for Bobby and Athena to have a cute moment (Bobby, you should have gone with her!), and to see Athena be as good at her job as we know she can be. Poor dude who thought he was going to pull a fast one on Athena Grant. I almost feel bad for him. Except I don’t. (Though I’ll say, I know he’s a criminal and all, but leaving him in the trunk is …eh, is questionable the word?)

The episode ends with Athena and she’s surely going to get more of a focus as this emergency continues, and more chances to try to figure out what closure really looks like for her in this situation. Because the truth of it is the life she could have led with Emmett is now gone. There is no getting it back. And I think a part of her has never really processed that the man Emmett was would have wanted her to move on. Would have wanted her to find the happiness she now has with Bobby. In that sense, she and Bobby are pretty much the same. They carry those pieces of their past with them.

And grief is hard that way. It sticks to you. But at some point, you gotta turn it into something good. You have to make it into remembrance. Process it into a tribute, and find a way to keep going forward with the life you got. Otherwise, you’ll never be happy.

MORE: All the stills from Season 8 are here! And all the trailers are here!

FRIENDSHIP, PARALLEL OR THE START OF SOMETHING NEW

The implications of the fact that we spend the little time we get with Buck and Tommy with Eddie as a third wheel are worth exploring. It is, of course, a nice scene. Seeing them together makes sense. Buck is Eddie’s best friend, and he and Tommy got along fine, so why wouldn’t the three of them hang out? It’s not like Taylor Kelly, who Eddie and everyone hated on sight. Eddie and Tommy can be friends! They were friends first.

And we know Buck cares for Chris too, so it would make sense for Buck to want to be there too for Chris’s birthday, particularly considering that for all Eddie looks like he’s doing more or less okay, that mustache is a cry for help. Plus, I admit I really liked Tommy’s whole vibe there after Chris pretty much ghosted his dad, even if it was just silent support. I like Tommy being Eddie’s friend, too.

But there’s still something off, storytelling-wise, about the show juxtaposing Buck and Tommy with Buck and Eddie as if their relationships were things we should be comparing. One is a romantic relationship, the other supposedly not. So, the framing of this scene is a little sus if you consider how the two are paralleled, and that’s without even going into where this storyline could even be going for Eddie.

Sure, other than proving that Eddie is “a good friend,” which I’d argue doesn’t need to be proved at this point, it’s a storytelling fact, what does the show gain from showing us the three of them interacting? On TV, nothing happens for no reason. So, what is the reason this scene exists and what is it leading up to? Considering the focus on Eddie’s journey, it feels like it’s gotta be about Eddie. So, what could seeing his best friend and a guy he’s casual friends with getting to be a couple awaken in Eddie? I probably don’t have to spell it out.

MORE: Did the 9-1-1 Season 8 premiere answer any of the questions we had after the Season 7 finale?

Things I think I think:

• No dude, if this is what you think being “nice” to people is, then you can’t be nice to people anymore.
• Why do Hen and Chim look like they’re dead inside as Gerrard is passing inspection and Buck looks like he’s going to explode, but Eddie looks like he can barely hold in the laugh even as he’s saying “I’ll do better next time”? Ryan, is that your serious face?
• No, jokes aside, Eddie is really and truly mocking Gerrard with his “respect,” and it’s kinda hilarious Gerrard can’t see it.
• Also, I don’t think 3 months is that short a time, okay?
• IF GERRARD LIKES THE MUSTACHE THAT MEANS IT HAS GOT TO GO, EDDIE. IT’S A SIGN.
• Eddie has a couple of moments in this episode where he’s looking at Buck like “why?”
• “I’ll cry later” ATHENA.
• The Buck/Eddie/Hen/Chim scene is gold.
• Are you really trying to tell me they haven’t talked to Bobby? This doesn’t track.
• SOMEONE SAVE BOBBY NASH FROM SHOWBUSINESS.
• Buck with the bee facts, I love him so much.
• The parallel of Buck with the out-there idea, Maddie with the out-there idea and the Buckley siblings together saving mom and kid!!! One of my favorite parts of this episode.
• This episode already has more core four little moments than so much of S7.
• Kinda love the moment with Hen and Karen and Maddie and Chim too.
• Just saying, Eddie, having Tommy and Buck there for Christopher’s birthday is a CHOICE.
• The Buck and Tommy moment we got was pretty cute! It feels like Tommy is very underdeveloped as a character, which is the sad reality of love interests that aren’t main characters. Other than that, though this was a perfectly nice “insert cute couple scene” here and I’m honestly kinda glad Buck gets that.
• Though “has anyone ever told you you’re a vision in a cone?” is pretty weird flirting, my dude. I’m starting to think Tommy’s just got bad game. Or, perhaps, I’m just so far off his target audience I’m just not getting it. Gay men of the world, please do tell me if this is working for you. I’ll take the L.
• Camera angles were killing me in that scene, killing me.
• Let us talk about Eddie just following Buck’s lead twice in this episode, without blinking, because it perfectly encapsulates their friendship. Almost as important? Buck had no doubt Eddie would follow his lead.
• “You’re the fastest runner.” But how do they know this? How do they know? Like, is this empirical knowledge? Do they actually know he’s the fastest? Is he just guessing? I’m not going to stop hyper-fixating on this small detail! I need answers!
• Tape fixes everything indeed! Chim is right!
• Why would you arrange a prisoner transfer that requires a police officer to drive by themselves through the desert?
• Shows playing fast and loose with police going too far is always eeeh
• How meta can Hotshots get?
• I’ve got a question for you, Eddie! Were like oh you saved him like Good you saved him Buck, or so bad that you saved him, Buck? Because it almost seemed like you were disappointed that Buck saved the man. Just saying!
• We knew how this episode was going to end, and it did not disappoint.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 1 ‘Buzzkill’? Share with us in the comments below!

9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.