REVIEW: ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Season 1 Episode 3 — “Forces of Nature”

9-1-1 Nashville closes out its three-episode opening emergency on a whimper in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3, but there are still plenty of things about the show that keep it intriguing. The aftermath of the lightning strike on Don (Chris O’Donnell) leaves the 113 down and out, but not for long.

Blythe (Jessica Capshaw) arrives at the hospital and gets everyone back on their feet. She also warmly embraces Blue (Hunter McVey), a nice gesture considering how much she hates his mother. Getting back out there puts Ryan (Michael Provost) in command, which gives the audience a taste of how he does in charge. The actual firefighter moments save this episode, but the interpersonal conflicts are too rushed and unsatisfying. 

Many of 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3’s issues stem from its placement as a conclusion of the introduction of the characters and the opening tornado emergency. When the 113 is on the job, they shine. Their connection and camaraderie are evident. Blue and Ryan’s conflict is better shown in the actions they take on the job, or in how Don treats Ryan versus how he treats Blue.

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3 wraps its opening emergency with a whimper rather than a bang.

Big, climactic action sequences are where the best stories unfold. It’s also where we get to see the most of Taylor (Hailey Kilgore) and Roxie (Juani Feliz), who feel vastly underused so far. Three episodes into a new show, and we should know all of the core characters a little more than we do Taylor and Roxie. 

There’s also the matter of Blue and Ryan’s newfound brotherly bond. Originally introduced with contention between them, by the end of the second episode, they were best buds. That continued in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3, despite how easily tension could arise due to Don’s condition.

There just hasn’t been nearly enough time to really buy their easy-going attitudes toward each other yet. Where’s the tension, where’s the anger, where’s the resentment? Without those, their “reconciliation,” if you can even call it one, feels very unearned. Part of that is because there’s just too much of the same thing across all three episodes.

We don’t really know much about the ensemble of characters three episodes in.

Blythe and Dixie (LeAnn Rimes) have confronted each other on multiple occasions without any new information or action. Similarly, the divorce proceedings between Sam and Ryan, introduced in the last episode, resolve themselves after they almost lose Don. They end 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3 deciding to try one last time. We’d cheer, but we don’t them. These should be season-long conflicts that eventually earn their resolutions after we get to know everyone better. 

But that’s the main issue with 9-1-1 Nashville so far. We don’t know the characters very well. At least, not as much as we should for the amount of drama that’s going on. A main character’s near-death experience in Episode 2 does not work on first introduction. The emotion feels forced, rather than coming through organically. What should have been a good reunion moment turned into trite sentimentality. 

Subpar performances in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3  don’t help sell that overwrought sentimentality, either. This feels like a matter of no one yet feeling lived-in with their characters. This could be adjusted if there wasn’t this bizarre rush toward false catharsis. 

With its opening three episodes, 9-1-1 Nashville has potential, but needs to do so much more.

The focus has been primarily on the Hart-Bennings family, leaving Taylor and Roxie in the dust. Cammie, the 911 dispatcher these shows are named after, barely has had any screen time. She has a familial connection to Don, but it’s not super apparent how. In the last shot we get of her in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3, she’s on the phone talking to a deceased loved one who seems to be a sibling of Blythe. But that connection hasn’t been really obvious, despite how much of a focus the Harts have gotten. 

One thing 9-1-1 Nashville does have going for it is the emergencies it showcases, and this continues to show itself in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3. As previously mentioned, this is where the storytelling works best. A lot can be construed by how these characters act in the field, and it’s there that we really get to know them and how they work. The emergencies also look really good, with an on-the-ground feel that makes the action flow well. 

9-1-1 Nashville has promise. It’s present in the premiere episode and episode two. But this conclusion failed to deliver on a lot of those pockets of good. But now that the show is past its opening emergency, it’s time for a more episodic approach, which should give it the breathing room it needs to expand on the elements with potential. 

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 3 is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu, and airs new episodes on Thursday at 8 p.m. Central on ABC.

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