REVIEW: ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Season 1 Episode 2 — “Hell and High Water”

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2 has arrived. We’re only two episodes in, but 9-1-1 Nashville continues to be a fun iteration of the 9-1-1 universe, even if there’s plenty of similar beats from 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star. It’s definitely a lot more soapy, which might test some viewers’ patience, but these first two episodes made it easy to get on board.

The 113 survives the tornado at Kane Brown’s concert, allowing our first major win for this new fire squad. Once the storm has cleared, it’s back to business as usual at the firehouse. Ryan (Michael Provost) gives Blue (Hunter McVey) the run-down of the house, plying him with chores as he does so. But everything Ryan throws at him, Blue takes it in stride, happy to be there.

Their dynamic as newly-realized half-brothers and coworkers is a highlight in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2. They don’t really know what to make of each other. Despite a few bonding moments, they still find themselves in a complicated situation. Though Don (Chris O’Donnell) had good intentions in hiring Blue on as a fire cadet, the family history will get in the way at some point. 

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2 shows us 113’s first major win (and what they can do in the field).

For a show that’s just begun, so much has happened already. Ryan has not only learned of his parents’ rocky relationship back in the day, or that he has a younger half-brother, but he also gets served with divorce papers. His wife, Sam (MacKenzie Porter), a nurse at the local hospital, drops by during the workday so there are witnesses. In this exchange, there’s a lot of history to catch up on between the two, but Provost and Porter really sell the broken aspects of their marriage, as well as the love that used to be there. 

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2 crafts a decent throughline of the father-son triangle between Don, Ryan, and Blue. These are very soapy elements for the show, something that 9-1-1: Nashville is leaning into hard. While Blue is excited to be there, there’s still a jealousy that crops up from time to time as the episode goes on.

Don and Ryan are really close, which becomes evident as Ryan works through a lot of emotional turmoil in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2. Maybe it’s unintentional, but Don’s already drawing a line in how he treats Ryan and how he treats Blue. The workplace is not exactly an ideal arena to get to know the son whose life you haven’t been a part of all these years. 

A father-son relationship emerges, painting the dynamics between personal and professional lives.

But like with the previous 9-1-1 shows before, the calls make for a great foil to the characters’ personal lives. The tornado ended with Don, Ryan, and Blue all holding on to each other to save a civilian, a symbolic moment that shows all three can work together when it’s called for.

During 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2‘s climactic call at a water tower rescue, Don and Blue stay on the ground. At the same time, Ryan goes up for the rescue, providing Blue an opportunity to admit to Don that he doesn’t think Ryan likes him. It’s the first real moment between them, and a nice look into Blue’s headspace. 

Though Ryan and Blue seem to be on good terms with each other after the water tower rescue, tragedy strikes, literally. Seeing as it took 9-1-1 six seasons to do a lightning strike, it’s funny to see such a dramatic moment happen so early in the show’s run. Don, after witnessing a bonding between his two sons, gets struck by lightning on their way back to the firetruck.

The rush to the hospital is an appropriately intense scene. Their arrival at the hospital, with Ryan doing CPR on his father, brings Sam and Ryan face-to-face again. As Don is wheeled to the back, the 113 looks on as a harsh reality sets in. 

A confrontation between Dixie and Blythe hints that more is under the surface between the two.

Elsewhere in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2, Dixie (LeAnn Rimes) and Blythe (Jessica Capshaw) come face-to-face. Their back and forth is a delight, despite how much they clearly hate each other. There’s a deeper history there than the premiere episode originally let on. Blythe warns Dixie that she had better not have an ulterior motive (we already know she does), but that Blythe is also glad that Don and Blue have a chance to get to know each other. These two aren’t friends, but I’m excited to see them go toe-to-toe in future episodes.

While Ryan and Blue get to know each other, the camaraderie between the rest of the 113 becomes clearer. Taylor (Hailey Kilgore) and Roxie (Juani Feliz) overhear Ryan and Sam, and spend the rest of the day trying to cheer him up. It’s not super clear how long they’ve worked together, but it’s nice to see the bonding of the firehouse in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2, something that 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star were really great at crafting. 

One thing still missing from 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2 is a larger focus on Taylor and Roxie. The two have great chemistry on their own and with Ryan. We’re only two episodes in, so their time is likely coming. But even with their more limited screen time, they’re already so intriguing as characters. Can’t wait to learn more about them, and have the soapy elements from the Hart-Bennings family drama blend more smoothly into the firehouse and the rest of the characters.

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2 leans hard into the soap opera drama of it all, while also delivering some amazing rescues that tie well into the characters’ personal lives. Some wonky CGI aside (that shot of downtown Nashville looked like a computer game from the early aughts), it’s got all the elements that make the 9-1-1 universe so much fun. 

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 2 is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu and airs new episodes on Thursday at 8 p.m. Central on ABC.

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