9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10 ‘Voices’ is a showcase for Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Maddie, and she absolutely deserves every bit of the kudos that she gets for an hour that makes us cheer for her, worry about her and ultimately, celebrate her. This hour sees Maddie at her lowest, but also Maddie at her strongest, most resilient, and most human. And though, for a terrible, heartbreaking, heart-stopping moment, 9-1-1 makes us fear that we might have lost her, we emerge out of this hour if not unscathed, at least well enough to fight another day.
But the lessons are only just beginning. As the hour ends, Maddie is still badly hurt, with a long recovery ahead of her, and Eddie is biding goodbye to Buck, who can only watch him drive away, with a face that promises there might be some realizations in his near future. After all, at this point, even Buck’s masks must be beginning to crack.
So, let us talk about Jennifer Love Hewitt’s tour de force, Maddie and Chim’s love that triumphs against all odds, and that goodbye that doesn’t feel like an end but the beginning of another—more painful story—as we review 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10 ‘Voices’:
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NOT SOME HOMELESS RUNAWAY
The thing about Maddie’s storyline in 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10 ‘Voices’ is that it’s a direct parallel to the woman who once walked away from her family to protect her child when she had PPD, but not in the way you think. Not in the easy, superficial way. Because when Maddie did that, she was not being weak. In fact, when Maddie did that, she was being strong. I cannot imagine the level of strength it requires to give up everything you want, everything you yearn for, because you believe that’s what’s best for them.
In this episode, Maddie does her best to fight for her family once again. It’s just that she’s fighting in a way we can more clearly recognize as fighting. But Maddie Han has always been a fighter. She has always been a hero. She has always been a woman to look up to. From when she escaped Doug, and even before when she took care of her baby brother. In fact, she was a fighter even when she could get away. You don’t need to successfully win the fight to be a fighter.
That’s one of the most insidious things about abuse, that sometimes we don’t recognize women as fighters until they get out of toxic situations. Until they win. But sometimes that’s not an easy thing to do. Maddie has always been a fighter. She has always been the hero of her own story. And Jennifer Love Hewitt has always understood that about her, which is why the version of Maddie we get this hour channels all that this character has gone through before and brings it to the forefront for this win that doesn’t make her a hero, but that perhaps allows some people to finally see her as one.
It’s why she works now. It’s why she has always worked. And it’s why she’s so, so easy to root for. Because she fights for herself, she fights for her family and she fights for what she believes is right, even when she doesn’t win. Sometimes, especially when she doesn’t win. In my book, that makes Maddie Han a hero now and forever—even if she doesn’t run into burning buildings.
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MY HUSBAND’S NOT GONNA BELIEVE THAT I JUST WALKED AWAY
Other ships get a lot of the airtime and words on 9-1-1, but Maddie and Chim shine in 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10 ‘Voices’ because the episode does such a great job of showcasing that even though Buck is Maddie’s brother and Hen is Chim’s best friend, these two know each other better than anyone.
Instinct was telling Chim that Maddie wouldn’t leave. That despite the fact common sense and the cops and so many other things were pointing him in one direction, he needed to trust his gut on this one. And it was Chimney’s gut that ended up helping save the day in this hour, and Maddie’s pure determination to save herself that ended up saving her and Chimney. Sometimes you can be the hero of your own story and still need assistance. It can be a team effort and all that.
But the fact that Chimney was right about Maddie and Maddie was right to have faith in Chimney remains. I think we don’t have to downplay familial relationships to give our romantic relationships the place they deserve in our lives. Because the truth is that, when you marry someone, they do become the person who knows you the best. Sure, there will always be a part of you that only your siblings understand. But the you of today, that… well, that’s someone your partner likely knows better than anyone, and that’s okay. That’s what it should be. That’s the choice you made when you married them.
And sure, sometimes in procedural someone literally needs to get their throat slashed (the way I screamed in horror, my throat is still sore) to get this point across, but the point remains.
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HOPE YOU KNOW YOU DO MATTER TO ME
We get only two Buck and Eddie moments in 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10 ‘Voices’, an acknowledgment that Eddie moving to Texas is not nothing by Eddie that ends up being nothing in the sense that they don’t discuss it, even though they both address the elephant in the room and then a moment at the end of the episode that is more charged and yet in some ways, it’s not, because Eddie seems understandably more focused on the fact that he’s going to see Christopher soon than Buck and Buck seems more focused on his despair than Eddie.
So basically, both are avoiding the real issue at the moment which is that it sucks that Eddie is leaving!
Despite that, we get an acknowledgment of what Buck means to Eddie, which in the grand scheme of things, is a pretty big deal. And we get what is basically an apology from Eddie about the way he (both of them, because he speaks for both) handled his leaving. It’s a way of brushing it off, making it all about his friendship, because Eddie cannot handle making it bigger. He’s gotta get home to his son. He even thanks Buck for helping him get to Christopher.
And Buck, being Buck, cannot do anything but let Eddie do just that. Even though Buck, in many ways, does know that he matters to Eddie. He’d known it before Eddie put it into words. But he does not know in what way he matters to Eddie. I’ll argue Eddie himself does not know in what way Buck matters to him right this moment, and he cannot truly begin to unpack that until he doesn’t have Buck. The two just know they matter to each other enough that it needs to be said before they walk away from each other, which is already a pretty big deal.
It would be so in the real world, but it is especially so in a fictional world. Because this is the show establishing three things they want us to know. They want us to know Buck matters to Eddie—remember, it was Eddie who said it. They want us to know Buck is pretty dang sad Eddie left, the camera focuses on Buck as Eddie leaves. And they want us to know that this story, the story of Buck and Eddie, isn’t over yet. Now, where could it be going? My friends, what do you think?
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Things I think I think:
- “That’s what he gets for leaving, Buck” Really?
- Did you all go change or something? Why are you all wearing different clothes!?
- Yeah, Chimney, call him out for his fake peace. And for Freddie Fakeman!
- It does all look very sus. It looks like Maddie left.
- Abigail Spencer is so good. The two voices. The inflections. Chilling.
- Of course, Hen and Eddie came. This is a family.
- But I really like how these early moments of Maddie missing showcase how Chim is the one who really sees Maddie.
- Hen being the one to call Athena tracks.
- “There’s an app for everything.”
- Amber’s face at Bobby’s explanation of the ties that bind them all together is kinda lol.
- The look on Athena’s face at even the suggestion Chimney could have done something to Maddie.
- What makes me sad is that pregnancy announcements are supposed to be a happy thing!
- “Something about this isn’t right.” Athena, have I told you lately that I love you?
- “Are you sure she wants this baby?” is going a bit too hard, Amber.
- “My husband’s not gonna believe that I just walked away.”
- This mini Buck spiral feels like the beginning of an even bigger Buck spiral.
- Also, Eddie, what is your face doing here? Inquiring minds want to know.
- “And you. You’re just moving back to Texas like it’s nothing. It doesn’t affect anybody else.”
- “It does.”
- Yeah, that’s the closest you’ve come to addressing the elephant in the room, Buck.
- The soft way Eddie says “It’s not nothing.”
- Stab me, why don’t you?
- And Buck just taking it back right away!
- So good to see Mara, Denny and Karen with Jee.
- “When Athena Grant calls, I come running.”
- Again, Athena and cop from every cop show, I love you.
- Did I say how good Abigail Spencer was?
- Mara and Jee asleep and Denny is on his phone lol.
- I fully realize this is not the time or the place but Eddie with the scruff is A+.
- The way I love Maddie Han.
- And the way I screamed when she slashed Maddie’s throat and I thought she was dead. Legit screamed.
- Then ALMOST BLEEDING OUT MADDIE SAVING CHIMNEY.
- Also, Athena. Grant.
- Let’s take a moment for Athena Grant.
- EVERYONE AT THE WAITING ROOM.
- “You should be with your family.”/”What makes you think I’m not.”
- Chimney, baby. At this point, does that need to be said?
- It’s a boooy.
- “Thanks for helping me get back to him” goes hard, Eddie.
- As does the whole “I know this thing between us has been messy and hard.” First of all, this thing? What thing? Is there like, a thing between you? Can you explain it? How would you describe the thing? Quantify it?
- But yes, both of you could have handled it a little bit better.
- You baked him something.
- Like, your sister is in the hospital and you were like let me bake Eddie something.
- Chocolate chip protein cookies. So he has enough energy for the drive without the sugar crash. Okay. Makes sense. Gooootcha.
- The exchange of “I’m gonna miss yous” hurt me.
- Imma be clear, on its face, this scene could be read as entirely platonic. It isn’t, to me, because of context clues, but it’s a really sweet scene of two people who clearly care for each other and are gonna miss each other.
- Bestfriendism is getting a goodbye scene all on your own. That’s how procedurals treat best friends who are not gonna turn into nothing more. Sure, sure.
- “Let me know when you get there is so codependent.”
- He and Chris are just a phone call or a FaceTime away.
- Fanfic writers, do your thing.
- This scene is meant to show us that Buck is feeling it more.
- The difference in the closeups of their faces.
- How sad he looks as the camera pans on him.
- The way the scene ends on him, looking like a lost puppy.
- Okay, so it’s gonna be Buck first. Gotcha, 9-1-1. Gooootcha.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10 ‘Voices’? Share with us in the comments below! Check out our Tales From the 118 podcast if you want to listen to reviews on audio! We are on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Plus, if you want to leave your own rating/comment about the show, you can do so in our 9-1-1 hub!
9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.
Yeah, definitely Buck first. He is right on the edge of realization. Can’t wait to see how the next episode unfolds!! 🤞 As for Eddie, there are so many moments throughout the series where I thought, from fleeting facial expressions, that he HAD to know on some level, and there were at least 3 of these in the last two episodes alone. But it is also clear that whatever he knows, or can feel lurking at the periphery of his awareness, he is flat out refusing or unable to look it in the face.
But yeah, if we had any doubts, it’s coming. There was nothing platonic in the awkwardness of their goodbye and the way they kept hesitating about what to say and how to act. And the show shoehorning those 2 Buddie moments, considering the rest of the episode? To me that means it was important to keep the Buck and Eddie storyline moving, and fresh in the audience’s minds. I’m really looking forward to what happens to them next. As as much as I like Buck, I really want to see some Eddie focus that isn’t filtered through Buck’s eyes and which main concern is NOT the way it affects Buck. Let Eddie be the focus of his own storyline please!
Also agree on Chim and Maddie’s amazing relationship and the way their beautiful trust and understanding of each other was showcased in this episode. And the entire last section of the story really felt like a horror movie. When Chim showed up alone at Amber’s house I wanted to scream “NO Chim, what are you doing, don’t DO that!!” Then the slashed throat, Athena’s call, Maddie popping up like a bloody ghost, the villain rising up from the dead behind the hero’s back….god I was at the edge of my seat.
Thanks for another great review!