Michael is at a crossroads.

With his mortality staring him directly in the face, he’s understandably struggling with what that means and what’s best for the people who love him.

9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 13 saw him taking his annual camping trip with Harry,and deciding to bring Bobby along for more than just emergency backup in case something went wrong.

The relationship between Michael and Bobby has been a bit up and down at times, but even when the two men argue, they find their way back toward common ground. And that common ground will always be their shared love of Athena, May, and Harry.

Including Bobby on the yearly camping tradition just seemed like it was done in case Michael had any kind of medical issue, at first. He is battling a brain tumor, after all, and if he fell ill, it would be important for another adult to be there.

But Michael had something bigger in mind.

Ever since Michael made the decision not to go through with the surgery, his family hasn’t really known how to process it. Bobby has tried the most to just accept the decision like Michael asked them to, while Athena hasn’t be quite as willing, and May has struggled with the guilt of feeling like it was er fault he didn’t go through with it.

Michael, meanwhile, has been trying to reconcile with his own feelings and trying to ensure that he’s putting his family in the best possible place if he does succumb to his disease.

Bobby accused Michael of pushing them away and not necessarily taking everyone else’s feelings into account, and at first, that sounded a bit unfair. But at the same time, maybe Michael hasn’t fully considered how his actions and decisions affect everyone else.

It’s a tricky and tough thing to navigate. There’s no guidebook on how to manage this kind of situation, and everyone is doing the best they can.

Listening and communicating is truly the best they can do, and Bobby and Michael were able to do that after they got past their little squabble.

Michael: I'm not pushing anybody away. Listen man, I'm taking some steps back so you guys can have all the space. You know, to learn.
Bobby: To learn what?
Michael: How to be a family when I'm gone.

Permalink: How to be a family when I'm gone.

At the end of the day, Michael just wants Athena and the children to be okay. And he wants them to remember him -- the same way he remembered his father.

Bobby has stepped up to be an amazing step-father, and Michael entrusting him with the tree-planting tradition and continuing that legacy was a beautiful moment for the two men.

Bobby has, obviously, never meet Michael’s father, but through Harry’s stories alone, he could feel a connection to him and the camping trip. There’s no doubt that Bobby would continue that trip and always remind Harry about his father’s long-lasting memory.

It’s starting to feel like we’re getting closer and closer to Michael’s passing and I am NOT ready for that.

I get taking things slow. But tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. So if you love her, tell her.
Eddie [to Chimney]

Permalink: I get taking things slow. But tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. So if you love her, tell her.

Chimney and Maddie’s relationship has come a very long way since their early flirting days. And now they’re reached a crucial point in their relationship where it’s time to admit how they feel.

It wasn’t exactly a conclusion they came to on their own, but Chimney took the leap to express his feelings after he got a bit of a wake-up call from Albert.

Maybe it didn’t come across as tactfully as it could have, but Albert wasn’t wrong when he called out the lack of passion between his brother and Maddie.

They were friends first, and that was always apparent between them. But they do lack the killer chemistry that Albert was talking about.

Don’t get me wrong, they are a great couple, but we don’t get to see the sexy side of their relationship nearly enough.

A lot of times, the first time a couple says ‘I love you’ is awkward because you never know what to expect when you say it first. Chimney took that leap, and, at first, it wasn’t clear where Maddie stood.

But when she explained herself, it made all the sense in the world.

Those words have a different meaning for her, and saying them just doesn’t feel right to her after years and years of saying it without any emotion behind it.

She’s still capable of feeling all the things that those words signify, and the fact that she was open and honest about it with Chimney just shows how committed she is to him and how much progress she’s made in the months since Doug’s death.

Having their big date interrupted by a near-death experience suffered by a fellow patron was typical for 9-1-1, but it only brought the two closer together and solidified what we already knew.

After a lot of grief and some hiccups along the way, these two are the real deal.

9-1-1 has never shied away from a cliffhanger ending, and we got a very unexpected one during this hour.

Josh’s assault during 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 12 was harrowing, and it was obviously going to play out throughout the course of the season, as Josh was left to pick up the pieces from the life-changing event.

23 TV Characters Who Need to Kick Their Love Life into High Gear

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But who thought that psychopath would walk into the call center with an assault rifle and hold the whole place hostage?

It would appear that the attack on Josh was far from random, as he must have sought out Josh for a bigger reason. But what could that be?

Hopefully, Maddie’s last words to Chimney will set off the warning bells in his head that something has gone terribly wrong.

Loose Ends

There was just not enough Buck and Eddie. And to be honest, can you ever have too much Buck and Eddie?

Athena trying to convince May to go to USC and follow in her footsteps was cute and totally like Athena.

The entire scene between Chimney and Albert, whilst Albert was naked in the middle of the living room, was hilarious. Albert hasn’t been around long, but he’s been a great addition during the back half of this season.