RECAP: ‘9-1-1’ Season 9 Episode 11 — “Going Once, Going Twice”

9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 aired, and all I can think about is May (Corinne Massiah) and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody). Most of the episode bordered on cringe with no heart, but that May and Ravi moment at the bachelor auction felt sealed in fate, like there’s something to live for with 9-1-1 again.

Is that dramatic? Maybe. There just hasn’t been anything exciting in the last couple of episodes. The cliffhanger from 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 10 held promise. Chris is potentially in danger from Abigail, the girl Eddie helped and now who has an attachment to Eddie, and all because Eddie (Ryan Guzman) offered a traumatized girl some help. The trailer that immediately followed the cliffhanger did a good job of hyping what comes next. But when 9-1-1 finally returned after its short break, the promise fell flat.

Turns out, Chris wasn’t in danger at all, and all the momentum from that cliffhanger and the previews comes to a screeching halt within the first few minutes of 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11. Instead, a large part of the episode focuses on a firefighter bachelor auction that Chimney wants the team to sign up for, especially Buck (Oliver Stark), because last time he raised $8,001.

9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 lets us down after the build-up from Episode 10’s cliffhanger.

However, Buck opts out of the auction, citing back problems, which raises eyebrows among everyone. This started out kind of silly, but it actually led to a wonderful acknowledgement that Buck has changed over the years.

Part of his reluctance to join the auction was that he couldn’t do a back flip anymore, i.e., he’s not the spry twenty-something of the early 9-1-1 seasons anymore, just as he’s not the womanizing heart throb either. He spends his time collecting different “old people hobbies” like baking and now knitting, and hangs out with his niece. When offered to be a couple’s third, Buck’s response was that he wants to learn to be a half.

While he spends a lot of 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 insecure that he’s not that twenty-something year old anymore, by the time he agrees to join the auction, he turns his new personality and identity into his strengths, which earns him one dollar more than his highest bid from before at $8,002. Even better, a cute elderly knitting group splits the bill and welcomes Buck into their knitting group.

Once Ravi takes centerstage, a romance starts to blossom.

It’s been a frustrating past few episodes for Buck. His growth has been easy for the audience to see, but that maturity has strangely been ignored by the 118. Perhaps the auction was the perfect place for Buck to showcase who he is now, in front of everyone he loves. It’s also really nice to see a Buck and Maddie scene again. It’s been a while since the siblings had a good heart-to-heart. 

May arrives at the 118 to help the guys prepare for the auction, one of the first concrete plots she’s been involved in this season. While it’s great to see her, I am side-eyeing her being brought in for the first time to glam up the guys.

Anyway, there’s actually not much to be seen in the preparation stages here. It’s later at the auction when Ravi walks the stage to complete silence until May bids to get the ball rolling. It’s the slow realization from both of them that they may like each other. And it’s the smiles at their dinner date that have me looking forward to more 9-1-1 episodes for the first time in a while.

May being brought in feels both like a breath of fresh air but also a little too convenient.

The momentum from the cliffhanger may have whittled, but 9-1-1 did steer clear from turning Abigail into an irredeemable character. The show does not have a great track record with handling mental illness, so this Abigail storyline was looking a bit suspicious at first. However, it does allow Abigail to get out of her situation for good once we get past some miscommunication.

After all is said and done, though, there’s not much to glean about Eddie from this storyline. He tried to help a traumatized girl, she got a bit attached, and it ended with him getting attacked by her father. Maybe it makes his relationship with the church more complicated, but the season already covered his return. There’s maybe, potentially, a new love interest in Alex, but honestly, it leaves a lot to be desired.

While the idea that Alex and Eddie are a thing is floated in 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 by way of Abigail’s jealousy and perception of Alex and Eddie, it’s discussed more clinically than anything else. The chemistry between the two actors is lacking as well, but again, it could be there; it just hasn’t had much time outside this Abigail storyline for them to connect. Ultimately, while the Abigail story ends on a hopeful note for the girl, it adds little to the table for any of the main characters.

Hen, finding yet another calling, only comes across as indecisive rather than coming into her own here.

For Hen (Aisha Hinds), 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 is all about finding her calling … again. She receives a clean bill of health (guess that chronic illness was less chronic than we thought), but decides she’s not ready to return to the 118 yet because she doesn’t want to mess up the routine that’s improved her health so much.

Fair enough. But then 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 sends Hen and Karen into the middle of a car crash, and, predictably, Hen realizes she’s meant to be a paramedic as she takes charge of the multi-car crash in the middle of an intersection. This would have been a dynamic story for Hen, especially since she initially chose not to return right away. But this is also not the first time we’ve seen Hen realize she’s meant to be a paramedic. What should be a triumphant moment rings hollow because it’s incredibly repetitive.

9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 loses a lot of momentum in its first few minutes by not delivering on its exciting cliffhanger, and never finds its footing again. It makes some significant, long-overdue acknowledgements of Buck’s growth, and brings a fanon ship to life with May and Ravi. Cheers to them.

9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu, with new episodes every Thursday on ABC, and is available on Disney+ and Hulu the next day.

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