This was 9-1-1 at its best.

Reminiscent of the golden days when 9-1-1 was rolling on all cylinders, 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 8 was tense, emotional, and rewarding. The leads were able to lead the show, and it was an hour that had you on the edge of your seat.

That used to be the norm, but the series has been far from compelling all season. This finally felt like a return to normalcy.

Confining an episode to one emergency has almost always worked best for 9-1-1 because it gives the rescues room to breathe. We had three main stories going on, with David's fight for his patient with literal flames threatening to breach his operating room taking center stage.

Look, let's not beat around the bush here; David AND Michael deserved better from 9-1-1.

We barely know a thing about David outside of the fact that he's a surgeon, and as soon as he said he was going to Haiti, it was a given that we'd be seeing even less of him moving forward.

Michael has been a fixture on 9-1-1 since the beginning, but the show has struggled mightily with figuring out where he fits into things. Sure, he's Athena's ex-husband and May and Harry's father, but he's not a first responder. Therefore, there are a significant amount of storylines he was never a part of.

It meant that the show often relegated him to being a guy who popped in to give advice or lent a helping hand. Even the stories built for him, like his brain tumor battle, became more about other characters' feelings about his illness versus his own.

Whenever Rockmond Dunbar does get a chance to shine, he always knocks it out of the park. And here he got the opportunity to be in all his nervous glory, as Michael got ready to propose to the doctor who swept him off his feet.

Naturally, a raging fire would derail all his plans because, of course.

Michael: You know I'm really in love with you, right?
David: I had my suspicions.

• Permalink: I had my suspicions.

Again, David is a bit of an enigma. We know he's kind, intelligent, and supportive from the bits we've seen, but here we got to see him in his element. He knew the dangers surrounding him, but he wasn't going to leave his patient no matter what was at stake.

It was admirable. And it was in those moments you could see just why Michael was so smitten with him.

We were robbed of hearing Michael's proposal speech, which I'm sure would have been lovely, but I'm willing to let it slide because David saying 'yes' with his whole chest before Michael could even get the words out was beautiful, and it brought all the tears.

Side note, spilling the proposal was Bobby's tactic to get David out of the building, but oh my god, was it frustrating! No one wants their proposal ruined like that!

It's unclear if Michael and David are poised to ride off into the sunset, never to return, but that ending montage had we're leaving the show written all over it. If Michael is going to be gone for a few episodes, there would be no reason for that trip down memory lane of all his best moments.

And if it's true that Michael and David are indeed out of here, that's a significant blow for the series. We never got to see nearly enough of them, and an episode like this just showcased how much we missed out on over the years.

Another emergency involved little Parker, who may be the best big brother in the history of brothers. Can you imagine how scared he had to be at that moment? He was all alone in a hospital that was slowly succumbing to fire, and he still did everything in his power to remain calm and help save himself and his sister.

9-1-1 sometimes gets trapped in these cycles where they do a lot of rescues that don't involve fighting any fires. So, it was cool to see the actual scenes of them handling the flames and figuring out the best options.

The scene with Buck and Eddie was top-notch with the effects, and it was pretty damn heartbreaking for both the audience and Claudette, realizing that the fire had taken out the floor.

For as in control as the first responders have to be at all times, I always appreciate the human moments when they get to feel the overwhelming feelings that come with saving and sometimes losing lives.

The Buck and Eddie moment was brief but necessary. As hard as it is to fathom that you have to literally brush yourself off after thinking that two children just died some few feet away from you, part of the job is compartmentalizing so that you can put all your effort into the subsequent rescue that is sure to come.

It's such a hard job to do, and Claudette, for as tough as she may seem, had her own breakdown about what happened. It was raw, and it was human. Seeing this side of things is important, and I love when 9-1-1 gets into these genuine emotions.

When Parker phoned back into the call center, I imagine that the entire viewing audience collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

There have been a lot of amazing rescues throughout five seasons, but this one felt really special.

The last crisis involved Rupert, a man who seemed a little cranky but was really a guy with a lot of love in his heart.

Hen: Listen to me, it's too dangerous in here, okay? I'm not asking you. I'm telling you.
Rupert: I survived stage four cancer. I can survive this.

• Permalink: I survived stage four cancer. I can survive this.

We often don't get to know the people involved in rescues outside of the surface-level things we learn along the way. And that makes sense because there just isn't enough time.

But Rupert felt familiar. He felt like a man who wanted to help, and he wasn't going to leave that hospital without knowing that Callie was okay. She was there for him through a difficult time, and he wasn't about to leave her alone.

The fact that he sacrificed himself to save Ravi, Hen, and Callie? Excuse me. I'm about to cry all over again just thinking about it.

And that letter was hauntingly beautiful. At least Callie got to hear how much joy she brought to Rupert at a time in his life when he needed it most.

And can Ravi get a hug? The poor guy has been through the wringer this season. Learning a bit more about him was welcome, and of all the partners given to him thus far, he and Hen have worked the best.

Give us more Hen and Ravi, please! Until Chimney comes back. Obviously.

Odds and Ends

• Parker was a resilient kid who fought like hell to save his sister. And that's commendable. But he was a little bit culpable regarding the explosion. I'm just saying.

• Are people coming to your home with engagement rings an actual thing?

• If Michael is indeed gone, I shall miss his gorgeous apartment and that fantastic view of The Cecil Hotel.

• The team handing off babies down the line like hot potatoes? That was a moment.

This was a strong installment after a string of subpar ones. But it was bittersweet, knowing that more than likely, Michael and David are going to be gone for some time.

Let me know how you feel about that development in the comments and what you thought about the hour at large!

As always, you can watch 9-1-1 online via TV Fanatic, so you're all caught up! 

Whitney Evans is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lover of all things TV. Follow her on X.