It’s been a slow week. I have stuff lined up to write, stuff I want to watch, stuff I need to watch… and none of it feels right at the moment. None of it is hitting that spot, ya know?
So, where do we turn? Somewhere new and classic all at the same time.
So, first, you know the drill, new show, new boring details:
An Introduction
9-1-1 is an American procedural drama television series. It was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, for Fox Broadcasting Company and American Broadcasting Company. Season’s 1-6 were released on the Fox Television network, premiering on January 3rd, 2018. After Fox cancelled 9-1-1, it was picked up by ABC, and a seventh season is due on March 14th, 2024.
It is filmed in LA. It is a joint production between Reamworks, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision and Ryan Murphy Television in association with 20th Television.
The cast includes: Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Guzman and Connie Britton (who left the show after Season 1). As well as a cast of reoccurring characters, some of which have since been promoted to regulars since their introduction, including: Rockmond Dunbar, Corinne Massiah, Marcanthonee Jon Reis, Gavin McHugh and John Harlan Kim.
A spin-off series, 9-1-1: Lone Star, premiered on January 19th, 2020.
As always, more details on 9-1-1 can be found on IMDb.
A Summary
9-1-1 follows a group of first responders in LA. Over the course of the show you get to know them both in their personal and in their professional lives. The trials and traumas they’ve lived through, and will go through, the person they are and could be, and what they do.
It’s tense, it’s exciting, and tear inducing in all the right ways.
And now, SPOILERS! (obviously)
Falling on Old Habits
Crime shows are one of the first genre of shows I ever got into. ‘Into’ in the way that you follow along intently, cry more tears than is sometimes justified, and caring so deeply about the characters they occupy your brain when you’re not watching it. Ya know, the kind of ‘into it’ that might inspire one to, for example, start a blog.
So, in that case I suppose we have shows like Criminal Minds and NCIS to thank for where we are now.
They would then get me to Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19. All of that coming together to allow me to entertain the idea of watching 9-1-1 when nothing else I put on is quite ‘hitting the spot’. It’s got a little bit of crime, a lot of fire and rescue, and plenty of character love to go around. It’s much more fast paced than the shows I’m used to in and about this genre. It’s certainly closer to the area of Station 19 than in it is NCIS or the like, which is not the presumption I had when I started it. Strange, considering the main cast are 80% firefighters and EMT’s. Though, in fairness to me I think that’s because I’d seen a few clips of Athena so that’s where my brain was at first.
Regardless, 9-1-1 is in and about the kind of genre of show I have fallen back on time and time again when all the stuff I love, all the stuff I want to and, now, occasionally, need to watch don’t quite hit the spot at the moment. These times I start a new crime show or medical drama. Get three seasons into House, or Body of Proof, start Rizzoli & Isles because I saw a few clips. All these shows I’ve started because I’ve wanted to watch or do so much of the stuff I love I can’t pick one and now none of them feel right.
That might sound ridiculous, and maybe it is. Alas, because of all those ridiculous feelings, and my tendency to have habits and safety nets of shows, I ended up starting 9-1-1 this past week. I was not disappointed.
If I had any sense about me, I’d have started it sooner, but my brother was already watching it. I can’t explain siblings to you if you don’t have any but sometimes your sibling already loving something is enough to put you off something for a little while.
All That Said: Where Am I?
Specifically? Season 2, Episode 16: “Bobby Begins Again”. I have just an inkling of a feeling where this episodes going to go, assuming it’s going to follow a similar pattern to Episode 209: “Hen Begins” and Episode 212: “Chimney Begins”.
Am I liking the last episodes end of Bobby’s suspension? No, absolutely not. I’ve already checked thumbnails for him to be fine, and from what I can tell he largely will be, which is all that matters. I’ve almost finished the season anyways, and unless he’s due a write off, which from my brother I know he’s still got story to tell, he’ll probably be fine. I may just be reassuring myself of this.
As happens a lot on this blog, I am of course late to the party on this show, but I have to say I am enjoying it so far. It is so tense. I was not prepared for that, and yet probably should have been, but I’m enjoying it. Mostly when one of them isn’t nearly dying, but as expected I have exceptions to that depending on who the one currently dying is. It is certainly less tense when no one is in quite so much danger.
Though! This show has bought me to way more tears than I would ever care to admit. I know I am an easy cryer when it comes to TV Shows but, my god, I do think 9-1-1 is trying to set some kind of new record. I have cried happy tears and sad tears at major character things, and minor character things, and characters that are ultimately inconsequential and will never be seen beyond them being rescued, and yet I am brought to tears anyway. I am calling that a sign of good writing.
I have also been saying that it moves so fast. Like they’re in a rush to get some plots and arcs out. Some stuff happens inhumanely fast. Bobby and Athena are already engaged! It feels fast, and that’s just one of the minor things, in the grand scheme of things that have gone fast. I was thrown by it in the first season, but with them having more episodes in the second season it seems to have evened out. Even the fast things are written quite well, though.
It is climbing the rankings in fixations I have to say. I care about a lot of the characters. I am already heavily invested in Bobby and Athena’s relationship. Maddie has quickly become a favourite but I do think she has Jennifer Lover Hewitt bias, I have already seen her in Criminal Minds after all. She was just as brilliant there too, might I add. I love all the rest as well, and want the best for them.
Side note, but in the course of writing this I found out Peter Krause and Lauren Graham split up. As always I am late to the news. I’m not going to lie, Bobby was getting some plus points because he was married to Lorelai Gilmore IRL, and now you’re telling me he’s not? It’s their business, they do what’s best for them, but damn. To be fair, I have not kept up on Gilmore News in awhile, so it does not surprise I’d not seen it about. It is a few years old news. Unrelated, I need to watch Parenthood.
To Conclude
I will probably say more on 9-1-1 in the future, but for now, you have been caught up.
Thank you for tuning into this edition of Fortnightly Fixations, I hope as brief as it was that it was an interesting enough read. Brand new shows generally mean my brains still processing and needs time to lag before it has something to say, so I’m sure they’ll come up once I’ve finished it. In the mean time, I’ve got some watching to do.
I shall see you in a fortnight!
On to the next!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images, narratives or characters present or referenced in this post. All rights belong to Fox and all other relevant parties.