911 Nashville Episode 4 gives us the first real look at what this spin-off show can do. Beyond the flashy multiple-episode arc, emergencies are the regular procedural episodes. It’s good to have a mix of both, and for a brand new show, the best way to get to know the characters is by the status quo.
Despite the past few episodes focusing heavily on the Hart-Bennings family dynamic, 911 Nashville Episode 4 focuses on Blue (Hunter McVey) specifically. Even though she warmly welcomed Blue in the hospital, Blythe (Jessica Capshaw) still asks her family’s personal private investigator to look in Dixie’s (LeAnn Rimes) potential motives. And when he offers information up about Blue as well, Blythe only hesitates a second before looking through the redacted file.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
An accident at the local water park brings the 113 on scene to rescue a group of rude and obnoxious teenagers who overloaded a water slide. As they work together to get the rest of the teens off the slide, the lifeguard caught up in the accident falls, hanging onto a railing far above the ground
This gives Blue the opportunity to showcase his moves. Without a safety harness, he free climbs up the bars and attachments of the slide, pulling the lifeguard to safety. It’s a tremendous feat of athleticism and instinct, the kind of thing that goes viral.
911 Nashville Episode 4 gives Blue the athletic spotlight.
And viral it goes, thanks in part to a repost from Firefox, aka Marjan from 9-1-1: Lone Star, a nice little shout-out to the first 9-1-1 spin-off show, gone but not forgotten. The virility of the video lands Don (Chris O’Donnell) in the Fire Chief’s office, who’s confused why there’s one of his firefighters going viral when he doesn’t even know who this firefighter is. And, that’s a good point! Let’s talk about how ridiculous it is that Blue was able to walk in off the street and is now in the field working rescues.
The most aggravating part of Blue’s story is Don. The character is interesting enough, especially with the mystery of the redacted file. But having him be a part of the 113 feels very convoluted. When the Fire Chief tells Don that Blue’s status as a fire cadet is over now and that he can go train officially at the fire academy, Don argues, saying that Blue has the right instinct and deserves to stay with the 113.
But that’s such a naive way of looking at things. And doesn’t make Don out to be a good father or a good captain. Why wouldn’t you send your son to the fire academy, and instead subject him to a week-long deadline to pass the fire exam?
Considering how early in the run of episodes we’re in so far, this isn’t a good look for Don, who we don’t know that well anyway. Everyone at the 113, including yourself and your other son, went through the fire academy. Why is Blue so special?
9-1-1 Nashville continues to leave us wanting to know more about some characters.
Of course, we know Don carries guilt for not being a part of Blue’s life, but this seems like a little much. The whole one-week deadline feels like a false tension – it quite literally doesn’t have to be this way.
Looking at it from a Doylist perspective, doing a storyline about someone attending the fire academy is possible. 9-1-1 did it. It’s one thing to not understand where a character is coming from; it’s an entirely different thing to understand it completely and still think he lacks serious judgment.
9-1-1: Nashville Episode 4 goes through with making Blue train for his fire test in one week. The training montage is a lot of fun, a bit reminiscent of when the 126 helped Mateo study for his exam in 9-1-1: Lone Star. But it also emphasizes how weird a decision this is for Don to make. It seems like he’s not thinking about the rest of the firehouse, who are now dedicating their time to training someone who should be at the academy instead of doing their jobs.
The rushed conclusion during the three-episode opening arc lost a lot of the tension that had been built up. Where it seems like tension should crop up, like the other firefighters’ opinions on Blue’s presence at the 113, there isn’t any. We’re four episodes in, and we still don’t really get any insight into the dynamics and relationships of the other firefighters at the 113.
911 Nashville Episode 4 does reintroduce some tension by episode’s end. Blythe’s snooping into Blue’s criminal past reveals a somewhat altruistic past, charged with grand larceny because he was trying to pay for a friend’s medical care.
This little investigation by Blythe does confirm that Cammie’s relationship with the Harts is through marriage. She was married to Blythe’s brother, who has since passed. The redacted file actually doesn’t cause any distress between Blue and Don. And in this, the episode does really well at misdirecting you enough to hit you with the real drama.
911 Nashville Episode 4 leans on the classic kinds of rescues.
Blue’s finally invited to brunch at Blythe’s family estate, where Ryan (Michael Provost) and Don ambush him with a practice test. He passes, but as Ryan tallies his score, Blue goes snooping around the house out of anxiety. That’s when he finds the photo book of his childhood pictures, proof that Don and Blythe knew about him along. When he appears at brunch to toast to family, there’s an exciting new drama in the air.
9-1-1: Nashville Episode 4 does all the classic kind of rescues and does them well, but is weighed down by the unrealistic tension put on the plot by Don. However, as the first regular procedural episode of the show, it’s a good showcase for Blue, proving the show can handle more individual stories.
Previous Episode | Next Episode
9-1-1: Nashville Episode 4
-
Rating - 7/107/10
TL;DR
9-1-1: Nashville Episode 4 does all the classic kind of rescues and does them well, but is weighed down by the unrealistic tension put on the plot by Don.
