There was a lot to unpack during this gripping hour of 9-1-1.
Anger was the overarching theme of 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 5 as a host of different situations confronted the first responders and their loved ones.
It was a highly emotional episode, handled with care and packed with the raw, heartbreaking storylines we’ve come to expect from this powerhouse series.
Michael hasn’t been an integral part of the season thus far, but he was back in a big way here, as he grappled with a situation that has become all too familiar over the past few years.
The scene unfolded quickly, just as these situations seem to go in real-life.
Michael was pulled over, removed from his vehicle and pressed against the car in mere minutes.
Related: 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 3 Review – The Searchers
The urgency and the tension were at an all-time high in that scene, and when May exited the car, you couldn’t help but gasp because the scene was set for something truly awful to transpire.
Five scared people were interacting, but only two of them had weapons. And Michael, May, and Harry walked away scarred for life as the ramifications of that night will haunt them forever.
Harry: Why did they do that to us?
Athena: Cause they were afraid, honey. And they overreacted.
Michael: They were afraid because they saw me as a big, scary black man.
For Athena, hearing about the encounter brought about a very pivotal conversation about race and the police.
Having gone through the incident themselves, Michael and the kids were angry and sad and frustrated with the officers in question. And while Athena got angry, she saw things in a different light because she is both an officer of the law and a black woman.
She understands the complexities involved, and she naturally doesn’t want her children to adopt an ‘us versus them’ mentality.
It’s is a tough subject to tackle in the space of an hour, but 9-1-1 doesn’t sugarcoat things. The talk Michael had with Harry was a real one that black families have in their households.
And May’s questioning of her mother felt real and earned after what she went through. And Harry’s confusion was authentic.
May: How can you be a cop when they treat black people like this?
Athena: It is not all cops, May. The good outnumber the bad.
May: Not when the good choose to look the other way when the bad do stuff like this.
Athena: No one is looking the other way.
Michael: Really? Because those cops are going home tonight, and they’ll probably sleep easy. Business as usual for them. But our son and daughter are sitting here traumatized.
He’s 10 years old and has had a gun pulled on him. He will be forever changed by that, and it’s normal to wonder why he’s seen as “different.”
It isn’t a storyline that has a happy ending, but there a lot of teachable moments.
And kudos yet again to 9-1-1 for telling the story and allowing it to foster conversations within many households, just like it did in the Grant’s.
Buck’s lawsuit against the city got very real when the 118 got called in for an arbitration hearing, and all of their personal histories were laid out bare.
Related: 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 4 Review – Triggers
No matter where you stand on the lawsuit in general, Buck’s lawyer presented a very decent argument when you consider all of the other things that have happened to members of Bobby’s squad of the years, Bobby included.
Chimney has had two horrific things happen to him fairly recently, and we can assume that as soon as he was medically cleared, he was back on the job.
Eddie lost his wife in gruesome fashion, and he wasn’t asked to take off extra time out of fear he wasn’t ready to come back full-time.
Why was Buck’s situation different?
The decision for Buck to sue the city and Bobby was a bit decisive, but it felt like it stayed true to Buck’s nature. He’s a very emotional person, and it was a very emotional decision.
He felt betrayed by Bobby, and he felt backed into a corner, so he made a rash decision without ever fully considering the consequences.
And that’s where a lot of Eddie’s anger towards Buck came from.
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Buck’s lawsuit had real-world consequences, such as the fact that Eddie was unable to talk to his friend. And by proxy, Christopher wasn’t either. That had to be extremely tough for both of them.
Buck can be ingenuous at times, and he was very much so in this storyline. He didn’t even think about what it meant to get his job back and how different things would be.
He’s about to find out though, as he’s back at the 118 and Bobby appears none too pleased.
Loose Ends
- If there is one complaint, it’s the Lena and Eddie thing. It just needs to stop. And what, exactly, was that fight club-esque place? Are those a real thing in Los Angeles?
- Michael and Bobby’s heartfelt chat was a definite highlight. And the best part about it was that Bobby just listened. Too often people continue to suffer because they never feel heard.
- Do better. Two simple words from Athena that could mean all the difference to that young officer.
- The cases of the week took a backseat to personal issues, but both encapsulated the theme of the hour well, especially the on-the-nose rage room emergency.
- Maddie is still perched outside Vincent and Tara’s house, and she is struggling big time.
- Losing their viable embryos is a devastating blow for Hen and Karen. Hopefully, they continue to communicate well as they decide how to move forward.
This season is off to a tremendous start, and the series continues to tell thought-provoking content consistently.
What did you guys think about “Rage”?
Are you glad the lawsuit is over?
What did you think about the traffic stop?
Would you ever go to a rage room?
Leave all your comments down below! And please do yourself a favor and watch 9-1-1 online right now if you haven’t already!
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Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.