9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10 Review: Wrapped In Red

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We are ten episodes into this fifth season, and what has even happened?

Seriously, please share with the class what everyone's individual storylines have been, how they've grown thus far, and what the overall plot points have been now that half of the season is behind us.

9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10 was fine for what it was, but it did nothing to save what has been a supremely underwhelming season thus far.

Christmas Eve - Tall - 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10

You kind of have to start at the end with this one, right?

Coming off the shooting and into 9-1-1 Season 5, it would have been entirely appropriate for Eddie to be dealing with the aftermath of what happened to him. He very nearly died, again, but it's rarely mentioned.

Instead, he got saddled with that weird Ana breakup arc and then stuffed into the background until 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 6, where he was thrust into a life-or-death situation yet again. And then it was like that never happened.

If the goal was to always get here, with Eddie having an epiphany about his job and the toll taken on Christopher, they could have done a much better job of setting it up. They've had multiple hours to dive into this story, particularly how Christopher has been dealing with the emotional upheaval, but they chose not to.

What we get instead is a few minutes here and there of Christopher doing the best he can as a kid to express his fears about losing his father.

Bobby's In Charge - 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10

And Eddie having a couple of minutes to reflect on the fact that his job is dangerous (something he already knew) and then hastily deciding he would need to leave the 118 for the betterment of his family.

And that's all well and good, but it's all thrown together so quickly that it's hard to get invested in it.

That's been the problem with so many things. Everything has felt rushed (see: Chimney leaving to go after Maddie and barely being heard from or Buck and Taylor going from 0 to 100 even though we've seen five seconds of their relationship on-screen).

Now, even if they set this up better, in what world would Eddie decide the middle of this makeshift party ON CHRISTMAS was the time to break the news to some of the closest people in his life?

These people all spend Christmas together, and they don't get the courtesy of private one-on-one conversations, perhaps the day after the biggest holiday of the year?

Holiday Cheer - 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10

Eddie made Buck the guardian of his child in his will, and he wouldn't even think to pull Buck by himself and let him know he was leaving? Make it make sense.

Again, Eddie putting Christopher first makes sense. I only wish we could have seen them get counseling together or have a few conversations throughout the season to let us know what was going on in the Diaz household.

It's truly a shame how badly they shafted Eddie this season because you can see here how compelling the character can be when given the material. Because even with a somewhat random story to tell, it was by far the most interesting thing happening in the hour.

Everything else was kind of sad for a holiday episode.

Sure, it ended with the team coming together to help others in their time of need, but up until that point, it wasn't all that jolly.

The lonely lady calling 911 on repeat to just have someone to talk to was incredibly upsetting because that's a real thing that happens. Perhaps they're not calling the emergency hotline. But there are so many people out there who genuinely don't have anyone to talk to.

Phyllis didn't care who was on the other end of the line, as long as it was someone.

Athena was there multiple times throughout the installment to give her own little brand of tough love where it was needed. And those are the kinds of stories that Athena has been relegated to for some time now.

She was tasked with speaking to the two ladies deceived by the pilot, and it was an okay scene, but they could have easily cut that second encounter and given us more of Christopher and Eddie.

But I digress. We haven't gotten much follow-up on Athena and Harry, which was such a powerful and impactful narrative. And it's not like it needed to last forever, but there were certain things there that could have used further exploration.

Together Again - 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10

And let's not even talk about Bobby and his complete lack of everything so far. He has literally just been a sounding board and an advice machine.

But let's get back to what did happen and the fact they're still giving us Buck and Taylor every week, which is to be expected but still not enjoyed. Buck fretting over a gift was typical Buck, but it would have been nicer to explore his feelings about missing Maddie instead of that.

Maddie has been gone for some time now. And we get fleeting moments of mentioning her here and there, and I get it that they don't need to be talking about her 24/7, but during Christmas, it's understandable he would be struggling a bit being away from her.

His gift to Taylor was perfectly in line with who he is, which is a man who does his damnedest to protect the people he loves. He could have gotten her any host of presents, but he needed to get her something he felt would help keep her safe.

Let's not even talk about the sweater Taylor gifted him because we didn't get to see it, and if their opposing gifts aren't a perfect representation of their relationship, then I don't know what is.

Happy Buck - 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10

We have a lengthy hiatus coming up now and a lot to digest as we await the back half of this season. There will be much talk about Eddie leaving and when we'll see Maddie and Chimney return, but the real talk should be about whether or not things can be salvaged at this point.

To often, the series has felt nothing like the show of old days, and you can't help but wonder if they'll get that magic back soon.

Odds and Ends

  • Okay, but beyond two phones, how in the world was Arthur affording two whole families? And considering they both ended up at the same Christmas wonderland, how close was he keeping these families for how many years?
  • Poor Melia. Imagine finally getting the courage to put your heart on the line, not get the reaction you're looking for, and then promptly falling down an elevator shaft. Everything worked out in the end, but that was truly an unfortunate series of events.
Snuggling Up - 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10
  • It was lovely to see Christopher, even though it was an emotional story. Getting to see him happy in front of the Christmas tree was great.
  • My one wish for the end of the season? Please give us more, Ravi!

Alright, guys, the floor is yours! Reactions have been all over the place as far as season 5 is concerned, and I'd love to hear how you guys feel right now!

Leave all your comments down below and make sure you watch 9-1-1 online right now so you're all caught up!

Wrapped In Red Review

Editor Rating: 3.8 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 (25 Votes)

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

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9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10 Quotes

Maybe we can invite the UPS driver for Christmas. I think he might be more invested in the holiday.

Athena [to Bobby]

Eddie: Right and left ankles are broken.
Buck: One for each wife.
Eddie: He's lucky that's all he's broken.