9-1-1 Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Worst Day Ever
Stacy Glanzman
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TV and movies need to stop this silly notion that two people can actually fit in an airplane bathroom.
Fifty-something people surviving a plane crash on 9-1-1 Season 1 Episode 4 I can believe, but that couple stuck in the bathroom through it all? That was a bit of a stretch.
Athena is my hero.
The firefighters may have had the most dangerous jobs, and they were the ones who rescued all those people from a fiery plane crash, but Athena stood up for all jilted, angry airplane passengers everywhere.
That badge says Los Angeles airport police. And now you're telling me that you're taking orders from CEOs? An industry who's motto is "the customer is always the moron?" They make a billion dollars a year on baggage fees, and you're on their side? Your knees pressing against the seat in front of you because they want to add three extra rows, and you're on their side? Five damn peanuts in that bag, and you're on their side?
Athena
And that's if the airline even gives you any peanuts at all.
We've all seen the video of the United passenger who was forcibly removed from a flight even after hitting his head. He could have used someone like Athena stepping in for him.
Seriously, this grieving man just lost his father, was exhausted and uncomfortable, and the best the officer could come up with was to duct tape him to his seat? All he wanted to do was stand up in the aisle.
It had been eight hours; the officer was about to have a plane full of emergency blood clots on his hands if Athena hadn't shown up when she did.
"Worst Day Ever" is a fitting title, but that feels like every day for Athena.
For those keeping score of everything she has had to deal with on the show so far, we've had her husband coming out, her daughter overdosing, her son being put in child protective services, and now she's on restrictive duty at work. It's a good thing she's not the one with the drinking problem.
What are they going to throw at her next?
To be fair, arresting her daughter's bully was not the best move. She should have at least had someone make a phony disturbance call first. She'll remember that next time.
The plane crash aftermath was exciting, and I have to admit, I was worried about that mom but weirdly more for Bobby's sake than for hers. We've already seen Buck struggle with losing a victim, but Bobby internalizes everything, and that one would have really weighed on him.
She lived, and he was still hitting the bottle hard by the end of the day.
He fell off the wagon quicker than I was expecting, and we were probably all rolling our eyes at his promise that it was a "one-time thing."
The good news is that he's not too proud to admit he needs help, and he let Buck and Hen in rather than pushing them away, so that's something.
The visions of his family explain why he takes each save so personally, and why he keeps that book of names. I imagine we'll be getting more to that story before too long.
They're still finding ways to keep Abby involved, even though she's always forced to be separated from the rest of the cast.
Dale's message was heartbreaking. It's impressive to think that in a time of crisis when most people are in full-on panic mode, he was clearheaded enough to make that call.
Abby's the one with the family crisis now, with her mom wandering around town somewhere. Bobby knew when to ask for help, but Abby missed the cue from Carla.
Well, she didn't miss the cue so much as flat-out deny that she needed it.
Abby: She down already? You're good.
Carla: She's down, but now out. I just threw in her favorite DVD.
Abby: Overboard?
Carla: Yup. As I call it "Patricia Clark's lullaby." Just give it 20 minutes, she'll be out like a light. Hasn't failed me once. God bless Goldie Hawn and that mouth-watering white boy.
She didn't do anything wrong, and what happened could have happened to anyone, but that doesn't mean she won't be blaming herself. It's probably safe to say she'll never allow herself to fall asleep on the couch without triple-checking that the door is locked again.
Carla told her she needed to get locks that she could lock from the inside. Now she knows why.
Will her mom be found safe and sound? Athena's daughter is alive, Chimney is alive, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say she'll be just fine. Abby will probably find her on a park bench reading a newspaper or something.
Or maybe someone will call 911 to report an old lady wandering the streets in her nightgown and looking lost. Either way, I don't expect 9-1-1 to pull the rug out from under us with a dead body just yet.
So who had the worst day ever? The plane crash victims, Athena with her growing number of terrible occurrences, Abby after losing her mom, Bobby on a bender, or the guy who was undeservedly duct-taped to his seat? All of the above?
Feel free to vote in the comments!
If you missed any of the action, you can go back and watch 9-1-1 online.
Stacy Glanzman was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in March, 2019.
