9-1-1 Season 9, Episode 16 ‘I Got You Babe‘ is the kind of episode that underscores what this show does well, and what it does really, really badly. Throughout nine seasons, 9-1-1 has done a pretty good job of establishing characters we care about, in whose journeys we are invested. That means that even when they throw ridiculous things at us (them), we are sometimes okay to roll with the punches. We’re invested.
However, it seems like every season, the show does this thing where it remembers a few episodes before the end that it has to build up to a season finale, and starts throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. There’s no real sense of buildup or a suggestion that anyone considered what the overarching arc of the season should be from Episode 1. This inevitably leads to episodes that feel rushed and ideas that might work better if they were developed just being rushed.
At some point, we gotta stop letting the show off the hook for its pacing issues, which are consistent and glaring. Sure, by the end of episode 17, we have a pretty good idea of where the season finale is probably going. But nothing about it feels like the continuation of a journey the show set up at the beginning of the season. And no, this isn’t the procedural standard. I’d know, I cover many procedurals, and two other franchises. This is a 9-1-1 specific issue, one that continues to hold the show back from reaching its full potential.
MORE: Remember when 9-1-1 killed Bobby Nash because “realism”? We’re still mad.
ACCIDENTAL BABY ACQUISTION
Sometimes it feels like this show is playing with fanfic tropes, or at least romance tropes. It’s just, ironically, doing so without committing to the romance part that usually goes with these tropes. But the tropes don’t work as well in a vacuum. And sure, giving Buck a kid has been a tried-and-true way of cheering up Buck for years. But it’s never been his kid.
Not that I have any real problem with this storyline other than… It’s really rushed. Well, that and I don’t really understand what the point is. So, I guess I do have some problems. Why are we going here with Buck? Where do they want this journey to take him? This is a TV show, so all of these things should have clear answers, and I don’t think they do right now. And hey, I’d trust that this show has a long-term plan for them, but do they ever?
However, considering what the show is giving me, I do think it would be more out of character for Buck to just be like “this isn’t my problem” now. Sure, Theo had a mom and a dad, and while he did, he absolutely wasn’t Buck’s problem. But now that he doesn’t, would it really be in character for Buck to be like “well, he’s not actually my kid, I was just a sperm donor!” We know it’s not. So here we are, with the fanfic trope without the romance. Very 9-1-1 thing to do.
MORE: We’ve been saying it’s time for Buddie for a while.
YOU’RE THE BOSS
‘I Got You Babe’ gives Maddie some much-needed perspective into what her new position means, not just for her but for the people around her. Sure, Maddie stepped up to take Sue’s job because that was the right thing to do, but also because she thought she’d be good at it. And she isn’t wrong, she is. But it all happened so fast that it’s easy to see that Maddie didn’t really think about what it meant to make this decision.
Because yes, this is a change for her and for the people she’s called her friends for so long. And as Josh said, now she’s the boss, and everyone needs to let loose without the boss around every once in a while. But that doesn’t mean she has to lose everyone. It’s all about finding a new balance. Because she’ll remain the boss, that part isn’t changing. How can she still be a friend? And what does being a friend and a boss look for Maddie going forward?
She’ll figure it out as she goes. That’s the thing. She doesn’t need to have the answers now. She just needs to understand that change is inevitable, and that sometimes, it can be good. It’s just about how you adapt.
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YOU CANNOT BE LUKEWARM ABOUT ICE
The problem with an ICE storyline in the year of our Lord 2026 is that if you’re going to do it, you cannot be lukewarm. You cannot be vague. Because it’s easy to turn on the news and see what’s happening to Latinos, day in and day out. And let’s be honest, if there was any realism to this storyline, Eddie would be in an ICE detention center right now. They wouldn’t have cared that he identified as an LAFD officer. They wouldn’t have just taken the migrants. They would have asked questions later.
Of course, that would have required this storyline to be more than just something they threw in for the last three episodes.
I like that this isn’t the kind of storyline they just brought in for one episode and then just forgot, I do. And I appreciate how involved Eddie, in particular, has been in it. But he’s been involved in a very detached way, not like this is personal for him. And let me be clear, these days, it’s personal for all of us. You cannot have a character like Eddie and make this be something he is invested in just because he’s a “good guy.” That’s not the way it works.
MORE: Here’s our review of the latest episode!
Things I think I think:
- Never argue with a toddler, Buck. You will indeed always lose.
- Buck, don’t you have a fear of God?
- Sorry I asked, of course you don’t.
- Eddie needs another kid. Truly.
- The donations are very nice, but there’s still a lot of separation in the way they refer to “the migrants” that I’m not sure I love.
- Buck is great with kids!
- Look, I knew this storyline was gonna come back to haunt us one day, I just don’t understand why now.
- “He’s still Buck”… ouch.
- I like that Buck is talking it over with Eddie, because it rings true. Those are the kind of things Buck always talks over… with Eddie. Also, Eddie has a kid that Buck has known for years, so it makes sense.
- “Can you guys stop saying sperm?”
- Okay, this feels kinda… unfair on Buck. If you had reservations, you could have asked before!
- Also, has no one been able to diagnose ADHD? Truly?
- The white shirt and the splatter looking like blood, you’re evil 9-1-1.
- “Stop, you’re not a monster.” The nicest thing you’ve said about Buck, Chimney.
- And you followed up with more nice things!
- MADDIE, YOU GAVE EVERYONE FOOD POISONING?
- At least they know names!
- Oh, ICE in 9-1-1, too.
- Except if this were real life, they’d be taking Eddie, too.
- Yeah, I get Eddie going to Buck right away and trying to stop him.
- Theo’s had a very, very hard few days.
- “So, whose job is it?”
- Yeah, Buck’s gonna have a kid.
- Of course, Buck talked to Eddie. And of course, this hit Eddie hard.
- His frustration is just a little too general, though. Like you can be specific!
- And you’re gonna end with Athena getting shot?!
- Ok, but we all clocked that when he invited her, right? I’m just complaining cause it’s rude, not cause surprising.
- Wait, what happened to Eddie? And Athena? What’s that PROMO?
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of 9-1-1 Season 9, Episode 17 ‘I Got You Babe’? Share with us in the comments below! Check out our Tales From the 118 podcast if you also want to listen to our reviews. 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.
Honestly, this episode was a disgrace. I can’t believe that a show that supposedly is all about found family managed to create such bad dialogues about a sperm donor kid. But I shouldn’t be surprised, this show has a problem when it comes to the biological families, it always ends up forgiving everything biological parents do, for example. The only good thing was to see Ryan’s acting as Eddie, which is scary to think of, because apparently Ryan had to ask to be included in the plot about his own people. The problem with 911 is that they don’t plan their plots, and things end up being a big mess. Big problems end up in rushed plots that make no sense and sometimes even become an offense to the real people who go through them.