You know your show is in trouble when the best part of the episode is when your main character gets called out and the viewer (me) starts gleefully cackling. That’s what happened in 9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 4 “Bad Case of the Blues.” Don finally saw some consequences for his actions when it comes to taking on Blue as a fire cadet. And I couldn’t be happier.
I’ll say the same thing I’ve said every single week when it comes to 9-1-1: Nashville: I’ve heard great things about Chris O’Donnell and his acting. But he’s not bringing it on 9-1-1: Nashville. Maybe it’s the writing, I’m really leaning into that being the reason why he’s such a bad character. Because every single time he’s on my screen, he’s blatantly ignoring firefighter law, ignoring medical advice, or turning things around on his wife.
That’s why I loved Don getting called out by the fire chief. Don should be questioned for bringing on an inexperienced man in actual emergencies. It’s made even worse by the fact that the show reveals that it’s only been two weeks since Don met Blue. It shows a blatant disrespect for the profession but also fails to inspire us because they’re putting lives at risk. It also makes me disrespect the entire firehouse because they’re okay with this happening.
So yes, I’m having a great time seeing Don getting called out so blatantly. Because he doesn’t care about anyone besides himself. He doesn’t care about Ryan and how his life has completely changed with the introduction of a new secret brother. He also doesn’t care about Blythe, brushing aside her concerns about how they shouldn’t cut corners with Blue’s training. And he doesn’t care about Blue or what he wants. Maybe Blue doesn’t want to be a firefighter. Don wouldn’t know because this show is acting like they can only hang out at the firehouse. Nashville is a whole city. You know that right, Don?
Which let’s talk about Blythe, my favorite part of 9-1-1: Nashville week after week.
MORE: We talk more about Blythe, aka the best character on this show, in our review for 9-1-1: Nashville Season 2 Episode 3 “Forces of Nature.”
Blythe absolutely is within her right to investigate the people that have suddenly appeared in her life. And she could have seen Blue’s transgressions and immediately written him off. But she didn’t. She heard about him shoplifting food and said he could have been hungry. And when he was arrested for joy riding, she was right in saying he was just a kid. Grand larceny is a bigger deal and should be looked into though.
This is not to say that I agree with everything that Blythe is doing in “Bad Case of the Blues.”
I don’t think Blythe should have gone to Cammie to see what was behind that redacted file. Not only is that her pushing her weight around and using her money, which is gross. But it’s also rude to Cammie. This is your family, and you’re asking her to do something illegal. What if she gets in trouble? But I guess Blythe has enough money that she can probably make that go away too.
This right here is the biggest problem of 9-1-1: Nashville. 9-1-1 is a show about the everyday hero. That’s what I think of when I think of firefighters in general. These are the people that I would call above anybody else if I were in an emergency. But the firefighters that I’m seeing now, the Harts and Co., they’re not everyday heroes. They are rich people with the most beautiful firehouse that I would live there myself. And the people that are just going along with what Don is doing, I wouldn’t trust them with my life. That leads to me not investing.
We can’t finish this review without talking about Blue.
I grew up poor. Like dirt poor taking showers in waterfalls because the power was gone and I still needed to take a shower because school was tomorrow. And I had a really hard upbringing. So as a poor person who knows suffering, I look at everything that Blue is saying with the biggest side eye. Because he just feels like a caricature of what a poor and an unfortunate soul would actually be like. He feels like a caricature of me. And when you tie it to the fact that 9-1-1: Nashville feels absolutely soulless, you’ve got a recipe for me not caring.
And I want to care.
I love human connection. And I can watch any sort of show as long as there is that spark of community, found family, or friendship. So stop having Blue saying how poor he is or how good he is at suffering. Show him persevering and give us more moments like the one of Blythe finding out that he extorted someone to help his friend because of the medical bills. Or make him go rogue and scheme against Don for added tension after finding out his mom lied to him and so did Don.
Also stop letting Don cut corners when it comes to Blue. If you want the viewers to respect Don, you have to make it that he respects the people that they’re rescuing. And he doesn’t do that right now by having Blue in dangerous situations like with that woman with her leg after only two weeks of training. It’s disrespectful and makes me hate his Hallmark-esque Captain self. And I don’t want to hate him. I want to enjoy this show.
9-1-1: Nashville can also do with rounding out the cast better.
They keep focusing on Blue when he is the weakest part of the show. In “Forces of Nature” we got to see a little bit more about Ryan and his wife and the friendship between Ryan, Roxie, and Taylor. That made me like Ryan more. So what 9-1-1: Nashville needs to do is continue rounding out their characters, and that includes Roxie and Taylor who have gotten nothing more than supporting Blue in his ill-advised training and the revelation of Roxie being a surgeon.
But what do I know. I’m just a reviewer while a bunch of writers in Hollywood are writing 9-1-1: Nashville. And they should know better than me, right? RIGHT?
911: Nashville airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.
You are clearly determined to hate this show, do us all a favor and stop watching it if you hate it so much