RECAP: ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Episode 1 — “Buzzkill”

There’s been a lot of, ahem, buzz, around 9-1-1 Season 8, and for good reason. “Buzzkill” goes all in on the “bee-nado” for this season’s opening disaster, at least in this first episode. While nothing like the great disasters of seasons past, or even the cruise ship arc of last season, the killer bees showcase various interesting rescue situations that nicely tie in to the difficult adjustments that come with having Captain Gerrard back. 

Things are tense at the 118. Captain Gerrard wasted no time in the three months since Bobby accidentally retired in turning the 118 into “his 118.” He’s got remodels already in progress, leading with petty insults and discipline. However, everyone’s either got something to lose or knows how to operate under the likes of Gerrard. Hen can’t risk losing her job and needing to showcase stability to regain her foster license. Chimney has two kids at home, one of which is Mara, who should be with Hen, Karen, and Denny. And Eddie’s known a Gerrard before; falling in line is the best and smartest way to get through the days.

Buck’s another story. For the first time in his career, he’s working under a captain that’s not Bobby Nash. Bobby has significantly influenced Buck, mentoring him away from the reckless, probie fireman he was in Season 1 to who he is now. But under Captain Gerrard, Buck struggles to fall in line. 

Honestly, I don’t blame him. While everyone else understandably doesn’t want to rock the boat, Buck’s just operating the way he’s been operating with Bobby. He shares his ideas and finds solutions. Gerrard is putting people at risk because he can’t stand his inferior having better ideas than him. 

Throughout every bee emergency, Buck showcases how smart and innovative he is. Gerrard hates it and punishes him with extra chores despite saving the day multiple times. But despite Gerrard’s attitude, Buck finds joy in his work. One of my favorite aspects of Buck’s character is the amount of trivia he has in his back pocket. 

This brings me to what I’m calling Buck’s Trivia Corner, where each week, we celebrate the trivia Buck learned at some point in his life. Buck arrived at each bee-related rescue with a bee fact on hand, just as I knew he would. This episode’s bee facts include:

• Bee swarms can generate as much electricity as a storm cloud (I am convinced Buck knows this from looking up lightning strike statistics)
• Smoke calms the swarm of bees. It’s what beekeepers use to stop them from stinging.
• Bees are attracted to floral scents. Other smells, like bananas, make them mad.

Good to know, Buck! As long as they’re on firehouse grounds, the group party line with Gerrard is that it is what it is. But once everyone’s home, all bets are off.

At Eddie’s house, Buck and Tommy help Eddie decorate for Chris’ 14th birthday, hanging streamers and making cupcakes. Buck complains to Tommy that Gerrard took credit for his bee emergency rescues, to which Tommy chuckles and shakes his head, saying, “Sounds like Gerrard.” It’s not a huge moment, but it’s another insight and reminder of how much Tommy has changed and how much Gerrard hasn’t. It depends on Gerrard’s status after the end of this episode but seeing Tommy take another stand against Gerrard would be redemptively satisfying. 

It’s also great to see Buck, Tommy, and Eddie hanging out together. Remember, Eddie and Tommy became fast friends after 7×03, but once Buck and Tommy started dating, their friendship largely existed offscreen. Having Tommy be there for Eddie is a great reminder of that friendship. The fact that Tommy is also there as a surprise for Chris reiterates how integrated Tommy already is with everyone. 

This scene also depicts a wonderful moment of visual representation of what showrunner Tim Minear said in the Entertainment Weekly Season 8 preview: “Obviously [Buck and Tommy are] comfortable hanging out with Eddie, but when you couple with somebody, it takes up some of your time, so that also leaves Eddie a little bit out in the cold.”

Hiding behind the couch, Buck and Tommy get a moment to themselves. It’s flirty, it’s cute. It’s still early days but they feel slightly more settled. They’re sitting close together, taking up space in each other’s spaces. Behind them, Eddie sits by himself, trying to get the Zoom to connect with Chris. The close shot of Buck and Tommy huddled behind the couch with Eddie barely visible on the other side showcases that divide visually. 

But Eddie’s not entirely alone. Buck and Tommy are there to celebrate Chris, and to be with Eddie when Eddie can’t be with his son. Even though people enter relationships, that doesn’t erase the friendships that are already there. Bringing Tommy into this fold fills out the scene, makes it feel more lived-in and comfortable, highlighting how much the 118 and their friends are there for each other. 

One of the sweetest moments of “Buzzkill” brings us to the Han household, where the Han-Wilson family dynamic continues to be a delight. Ever since Maddie and Chimney stepped in to foster Mara after Councilwoman Ortiz canceled her adoption out of revenge for her son’s death, the Han-Wilson’s have merged into one large family. It’s clear they visit each other frequently for meals, which is good to keep Mara and Denny’s relationship healthy and for Mara to continue being around her future adoptive parents. Plus, it’s nice to hear Hen and Chimney let loose about how much Gerrard sucks. 

Though this scene provides plenty of feel good moments, there’s one cause for concern. Hen and Karen have hired a foster attorney, who, according to Hen, Councilwoman Ortiz has no power over. They have a meeting with the attorney on Friday, but Hen’s worried about how much she can push Gerrard to grant her time off. This balancing act Hen must walk between her family and Gerrard’s pettiness could potentially drive a wedge between Karen and Hen.

As the 118 gets used to the new Captain Gerrard, Bobby’s getting used to his new crew — the stars of the soon-to-be highly entertaining but misunderstood firefighter procedural network show ‘Hotshots.’ As a technical advisor, Bobby swoops in to correct the way the actors handle equipment and their movements in a scene. If the notes Bobby gives aren’t actual notes 9-1-1 has received, then my name isn’t Katey. Bobby’s been sent to advise on the show by the fire chief, presumably while the matter of Bobby’s accidental retirement gets sorted out. 

Bobby’s natural leadership and charisma catches the eye of the star of ‘Hotshots,’ one Andrew Jacoby, Duke of Kenilworth. Or so he’s called in Princess Diaries 2, a discovery I’m still not over. Callum Blue plays Brad Torrence who plays Race Banner on ‘Hotshots,’ and he’s latched onto Bobby as the quintessential hero archetype he needs to emulate for his role. Considering Bobby has issues with being seen as a hero, this dynamic will be interesting to watch unfold. Not much else came from this part of the episode but it’s off to a great start. I’m ready for full-blown meta episodes a la Community. 

One of my favorite moments in all of 9-1-1 is when Athena (Angela Bassett) knocks on the door of Dennis Jenkins to arrest him for the murder of her finance. For the culmination of a cold case, it’s a quiet affair. There’s no big chase, no interrogations. Just two people in a room connected by an awful tragedy. 

Dennis returns in the premiere, requesting Athena as his escort to Los Angeles. He’s made a deal to help with a sex trafficking case, at the end of which he’ll walk free. Athena’s rightfully upset about this; this man has walked free for decades and though he didn’t fight his original arrest, this seems like a cop-out. Even if he can help in this case, the bitterness Athena feels about how short of a sentence Dennis ended up serving radiates off the screen. 

But despite the unfortunate circumstances, this does lead to one of my favorite dynamics in television shows — when two characters at odds with each other get put in life-and-death situations. The Bobby and Amir episode last season is a perfect example of this because the situations force the characters to drop their grievances, no matter how valid they are, so they can tackle a different, more current issue. This often leads to a better resolution between the two characters, one filled with the tragic understanding that they are both human, brought together by the worst kind of fate imaginable. Showcasing the humanity of a character who’s done wrong makes their downfall all the more bittersweet. 

Athena runs into a man claiming to be FBI during her prisoner transport. But Athena clocks him immediately and learns that someone wants Dennis dead. They can make it to the airport and get in the air, but just as Athena asks to speak to the captain, a small plane swarmed by bees hits Athena’s plane in what seems to be a homage to the 1974 disaster film Airport 1975.

Nothing like a good old in-flight emergency to get us back in business and away from the bee puns. 

But it’s looking like Gerrard will not be present for the plane emergency. Finally fed up with Gerrard, Buck decides to go all in and talk back and call Gerrard out. But it backfires; Gerrard starts verbally abusing him. Buck seems to dissociate during this tantrum but is still able to clock the flying object headed toward Gerrard’s head. Buck tackles Gerrard out of harm’s way but the force of the tackle was enough to send him out on a stretcher. I’d say good riddance, but I feel we’ll see him again. 

“Buzzkill” was a solid start to Season 8. I’m glad Tommy is here and that so many character dynamics are thriving. The plane emergency looks like it’ll un-bee-lievable (sorry). As special-event episodes go, this one is great.

9-1-1 airs new episodes every Thursday, available on Hulu.