911 has a tendency to throw us for a loop, and that is exactly what happened in the 911 season 9, episode 14 plot that followed Evan “Buck” Buckley’s abduction in the previous episode. While Buck dealt with the aftermath of his trauma, his sister got a surprise, and maybe unwanted, promotion at work, as May also felt some growing pains about where her life was going.
Maddie was at work listening to Sue Blevins (Debra Christofferson) get everyone ready for the day when she noticed her boss began to get confused while speaking. Sue was actually having a stroke, and she immediately jumped into action to help her get emergency treatment.
Maddie has a new responsibility that causes tension with Josh
Sue was left in the hospital to recover, leaving someone to need to take over in her place. Instead of choosing the most likely candidate, Josh, who has worked under her since 2005, she asked Maddie to take the lead. Maddie was not sure about this and even told Josh she hadn’t said yes yet. However, the rejection stung him, and he decided not to return to work.
He also avoided Maddie’s calls, and this left Maddie to figure out how to run dispatch on her own. It was difficult for her to figure out how to be in so many places at once, and at one point, she took over a call for Linda, who clearly did not appreciate the assistance that quickly.
When Maddie talked to Sue about why she chose her, Sue said it was because Josh cared so much and would want to take on everything himself. Maddie was confused at first, wondering if this meant she wasn’t as caring either, but Sue voiced it as her knowing how to delegate. In the end, Josh did come back to work, and Maddie figured out the best way forward was to give everyone a chance to take on a smaller task at the office.
I will say, this was surprising to see since Josh has done well taking over dispatch in Sue’s absence. There was an entire scene in season 4 where Josh helped the 118 avoid an active threat when they were rescuing a kidnapping victim. He has the seniority as well, and it did seem like Sue brushed him off rather quickly. It would have been better if she spoke to him one-on-one instead of leaving Maddie to have to take on the responsibility on her own.
May's search for her new career is finally being spotlighted
In addition to Maddie dealing with a sudden change at work, May Grant was also having some of her own growing pains. She wanted to try out an internship at a law office without Athena’s help since she had been friends with the woman in question, Gabi.
The experience wasn’t exactly how May thought it would go, since Gabi had to go and try to deescalate a situation at a hospital. A guy had been brought in due to an accident, and the police wanted a blood sample from him. However, they didn’t have a warrant, and the nurse there was trying to treat his patient without interference.
May jumped in unexpectedly, thinking she was helping the nurse, Ian, by destroying the blood sample so the police didn’t get it. However, this still didn’t end things, especially since the police got the blood later and the patient passed away.
Gabi explained to her that she may not have had the mindset to be a lawyer, which left May feeling upset. Later, Gabi came to have dinner with Athena and Hen, with May listening to them discuss how they all got to where they are today. May made a comment about not being cut out to be a lawyer, and they reminded her that her origin story was just starting.
Later on, May invited Ian for coffee to discuss the possibility of nursing. This is one avenue they could explore with May, especially since we have seen her care for people ever since season 3 during the tsunami episodes. She helped save a woman’s life during those events, and at the beginning of season 9, she also helped triage patients in the firehouse when the hospitals were overrun with people who needed help.
We’re so excited to finally see a storyline for May, especially since we started the season off watching Harry find his footing as a firefighter. May has been incredible to watch since the pilot episode, and following her journey is something fans have been craving for seasons!
Buck's ability to act like he is okay causes Eddie to miss some signs
Now, we have to get to the nitty-gritty of Buck’s plot and the aftermath of his abduction. Buck was doing his best to appear fine to his loved ones. However, when Eddie found out he skipped a therapy appointment to go to dinner at Maddie and Chimney’s, he was concerned. Buck told him that he would eventually talk to someone, but he didn’t want to spend time thinking about the ordeal.
At one point, Eddie and Chris tried to visit Buck, but he avoided them, hiding away from the world. Even though he was at work doing his job, it was clear he was still trying to handle things on his own personally.
The one case they had to tackle was helping a couple as they attempted to renovate their new home by themselves. In fact, the couple in question were survivors of the near-plane crash from season 8, in which Athena was helping to land the plane. They had gotten together afterward, but it was clear the home renovation was more of a challenge than they could tackle. Buck could understand where they were coming from, but Eddie made a note that it was also good to ask for help.
Buck did his best to show he was okay, even being okay with Eddie and Christopher hanging out again. Eddie apologized for how he responded to Buck’s decisions, and Buck forgave him. However, once they left, Buck went to grab some pills and took some before sitting in the dark, hiding from the world.
We do not know where the show is going with this arc, if Buck will become addicted to pills or if he is not dealing as well emotionally and just trying to tough things out on his own. Buck is a character who always seems like he is fine, something Maddie has mentioned before in previous seasons. He has also been hiding a lot of pain from everyone, from the loss of Bobby to being unable to move on from his ex, he hasn’t been able to fully express all of the trauma he has gone through.
Hopefully Buck is able to ask for help before things get worse, and the show will take the time to show he has a support system around him. We want better for Buck and for him to be able to heal from everything he has gone through in the last year. At this point, we want Buck to be happy and to have the emotional support he deserves.
911 airs Thursdays on ABC at 8/7c. New episodes are available the next day on Hulu.