9-1-1 Season 10 Episode 3 “Streets of Fire” is a prime example of how great this show can be if they just let everyone be competent. Because this isn’t the craziest emergency that this show has had. Last year we went to space, and we’ve had a tsunami before. But somehow, this volcano emergency feels like the most grounded and proud that I’ve been of the 118 and the Firefam as a whole.
“Streets of Fire” also sets up some primetime angst for Buck and Eddie. Because Buck is right in trying to make sure that Theo’s days are no longer filled with angst after what happened to him with his parents. But Eddie is also right. Theo doesn’t need a friend. He needs a parent. In the end, Eddie walked out, just like Buck said. But dear Lord, we hope he comes back. I can’t take another Buddie divorce because this is platonic, right?
MORE: Remember when 9-1-1 killed Bobby Nash because “realism”? We’re still mad.
Competence is Sexy
KENNETH CHOI
Everybody was so confident in “Streets of Fire.” And this is how I like to see the 118 and the Firefam as a whole. You had Maddie over at dispatch directing everyone and stepping up like I knew that she would. And yes, at the end of the day, they blamed her for what happened, and she got demoted. But she wanted that demotion because it was too much responsibility. But she still did what had to be done.
Then you have the 118 out on the field. They were doing the big hero moves; I’m looking at you, Chimney. Bobby would be so proud of the Captain that you have become. You also had the 118 helping victims, redirecting them to the hospital, and then redirecting the lava itself alongside the bomb squad like it was nothing. They came through for the people of L.A. but also for each other. And this is what I like to see.
I even loved that we got some May in the hospital. That moment where Ravi, Buck, and Harry stopped in amazement at the sight of her. They knew that she would be the kind of person, the kind of first responder, to stay in an emergency like this. But it’s one thing to know this, and then it’s another to actually see it. And they are so proud of her in the same way that we’re proud of Athena for helping that old man and Sparks, even if we wouldn’t do the same thing.
At the end of the day, this is what I want to see when it comes to 9-1-1. Not dumb mistakes. Not jumping into fires with no regard for their safety. And the show would be better for it if they remembered that competence is sexy.
MORE: We thought things were leading to Buddie before…
Who’s Right? Buck or Eddie?
When it comes to the argument that Buck and Eddie have in “Streets of Fire,” I don’t think everything’s as black and white as people would like to make it out to be. Because at the heart of this disagreement that Buck and Eddie have is the love and care that they have for each other. Theo is a new addition to this family that they have made across multiple seasons. But the love extends to Theo now. And in a way, I think both Buck and Eddie are right.
Buck might be the hardest one to talk about when it comes to whether he’s right or not in the way that he’s parenting Theo. But I do agree with him that he’s trying to make something terrifying, aka the volcano, less terrifying. Buck’s trying to create a safe space for Theo to understand the world but also to be who he wants to be within it, maybe in a way that Buck was never allowed to while growing up. But there’s an inherent flaw in his logic that makes me lean more towards Eddie’s perspective on things.
For Eddie, he’s been present as Buck cares for Theo. But he’s sat back, letting Buck take the reins and waiting for the moment that Buck needs help. And that moment has come. Buck needed a wake-up call, and Eddie gave it to him. Because Theo doesn’t need a friend. He needs a parent who will give him structure and boundaries while still providing a safe space. And he knows Buck is capable of that because of how much he’s helped Eddie when it comes to Christopher. Unfortunately, Buck isn’t ready to hear that and tells Eddie where the door is.
As a viewer who loves Buck and Eddie, I’m delighted but also devastated by the angst in “Streets of Fire.” I remain hopeful that everything is going to be okay because of the bond that they’ve built over the years as friends but also as co-parents to Christopher. Now they’re raising another kid, in a relationship that’s so painfully not platonic. And the look that Buck gave Eddie at the end… he knows he needs help. I’m just hoping that Buck reaches out sooner rather than later and that Eddie comes back. Because they need each other. Because they’re family.
MORE: Is Eddie Gay? We’ve discussed it before
Additional notes about “Streets of Fire”:
- Love how concerned Eddie was with the lava.
- While serving face. And not a hair out of place.
- Never tell someone to NOT LOOK DOWN!
- Because guess what? They’ll look down!
- May being a boss like her parents <3
- And then her boyfriend and two brothers looking all proud!
- I ain’t moved by Sparks dying. Not at all.
- Does that make me a bad person? Eh, I don’t care.
- Ravi is appropriately concerned about the lava!
- ATHENA GIRL. RUN. LEAVE THAT MAN BEHIND!
- How dare you play Agnes Obel “Fuel to Fire.”
- How did they find us? They always do.
- The 118. My dumb wee woo show.
9-1-1 airs new episodes every Thursday at 8/7c on ABC.
