The space saga has officially come to a close, and frankly, it was time.
But the hour wasn’t just about the space crew scrambling at the last minute to find their way home.
It was actually more of an exploration of Athena Grant-Nash, who was barely hanging on up there, both literally and figuratively.
I love a good flashback as much as the next person, especially if it really fleshes out characters or helps to give greater context to what’s happening in the present.
9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 4 was Athena-centric, taking us deeper into her psyche in the aftermath of another life-altering tragedy in her world.
Since Bobby’s passing, from what we could glean from the months that passed between 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 18 to now, Athena’s been isolating and throwing herself into work as a means to bury her grief.
By keeping herself so busy, she probably hasn’t been able to sit with her pain or start to heal in whatever way that looks like for her. In the process, she’s alienated her kids, and she was fearful that she’d alienate everyone who loved her if she didn’t change her ways.
And that’s how she ended up in space in the first place.
Now, she was stuck up there in this untenable situation. With time running out, she took on all the burden and risk, placing it firmly on her shoulders, as we’ve seen her do time and time again.
But this wasn’t Athena risking her life to help others and hoping to make it home at the end of the day, which was an incredibly devastating thing to hear.
I wasn’t sure what the flashbacks were meant to do, especially since they weren’t directly related to Athena and Bobby, but that’s clearly because I wasn’t seeing the bigger picture.
We were dropped into a period of Athena’s life in which years had passed since Emmett’s death and since she’d joined the force. But according to partner McCluskey, who was never taught to mind his business, she was still living in the past.
Do I believe that Athena was probably hiding behind her job as a means to not get close to anyone at that point in her life? Maybe. But was it on McCluskey to hammer the point home on a loop while out on patrol? I’m not so sure about that.
The dynamic between Athena and McCluskey was one of genuine camaraderie. And even though he was doing a little too much, everything that he preached to Athena during that day did appear to come from a true place of care.
Athena tends to shut herself off, most likely as a defensive mechanism.
She’s been through a lot in her life, and I would never begrudge someone just trying to keep their head above water.
What started as a routine ride for the two, as they debated whether Athena should have given that man at the diner a chance, suddenly turned into a life-or-death situation in record time.
Side note: We all knew that was Michael, right? They gave that man too much screen time for it not to be someone we know, and I immediately clocked it was Michael, but I wonder if it was that apparent to others.
Anyway, Athena’s vignette pieces hinted at her struggles with seeing herself as a hero.
The flashbacks not only served as a means of showing a moment in Athena’s life that helped her to move forward in her personal life, but also had an apparent effect on how she viewed herself and her role as a public servant.
9-1-1 loves a good action moment, and they should because they’re really good at them.
The shootouts and everything involving the robbery were so well done that it felt like you were watching an action movie at times. And it felt like it was ripped from a scene in Die Hard, in all its ’90s glory.
It was pretty obvious McCluskey wasn’t long for this world, and unfortunately, he made the wrong decision. It wasn’t about Athena not being heroic enough in that moment; it was about her partner making a choice that ultimately led to things spiraling out of their control.
The series really went outside of itself in an interesting way that we haven’t seen since 9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 11, when Buck was in his coma dream.
Having adult Athena sit across from younger Athena, with the two women on opposite sides of how to move forward — one questioning whether they even wanted to — was a tragically beautiful way to illustrate just how lost Athena had become.
She was so disillusioned in those moments leading up to her trip into space, with nothing but a harness and a prayer.
The fact that she was saying out loud that it would essentially be okay if she died out there was deeply unsettling, as was younger Athena, who sat there content with the thought that maybe it was time to give up.
Maybe it was time for Athena to just float away, as she said.
They could have had Athena have this talk with anyone or presented it differently. Still, it was incredibly poignant to hear her talk to her younger self. Young Athena, staring into her future, was ready to free herself from the pain.
What was it all for? What was the point of enduring so much loss? What did she gain aside from another shard of pain to add to her armor?
It’s easy to drown in grief, but just as vital to remember the good that this life has to offer. And that’s why I couldn’t get behind McCluskey’s dying message for Athena to move forward and leave the past behind.
The past helps shape us. Those losses define who we become, and they serve as a template for who we are as people more than anything.
Athena will never be able to pack up Emmett and Bobby because they are fundamental pieces of who she is, as is the pain they left behind.
But those memories and that joy they brought? They should never be forgotten, even as you move forward and place one foot in front of the other and live to see another day. You can accept that loss, but you’ll never just move on from it.
Whatever you felt about the four-part opening emergency as a whole, it led to this powerful moment with Athena confronting all the pain that had been suffocating her and emerging stronger on the other side, and simply holding on was beautiful in both its execution and its simplicity.
Since the episode centered on Athena’s past and her jaunt into space, there was little time for much more, but there were still some sweet moments, as well as some we’ll likely be talking about moving forward.
For starters, Harry has officially thrown his hat into the ring to be a firefighter. And while it was the least shocking announcement of all time, I’m glad that storyline will roll now and we won’t be walking around it.
The conversation between Athena and her kids was long overdue — and maybe too short, if I’m being honest — but it was necessary for both Athena and Harry to apologize and acknowledge they didn’t handle things right.
They’re both human. They made mistakes and have the insight to know that they could have handled things better.
Now they hope to learn from those mistakes and move beyond them together.
But how will Athena handle firefighter Harry? If you remember how she handled dispatcher May, then probably not well.
This story has a lot of potential, though I’m curious whether they’ll give us Harry in the academy or plop him on the team, taking a page out of 9-1-1 Nashville‘s playbook.
Either way, there’s potential here. There’s potential to expand Harry’s character, continue exploring the Grant family’s grief as Harry follows in Bobby’s footsteps, and also examine the dynamics between Harry and the 118.
It’s kind of a win-win from a viewing perspective.
Elsewhere, it was a tiny moment, but Eddie’s look at Chimney after he refused to step in to help a victim with a dislocated shoulder, alongside a glimpse of the couple from 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 3, pretty much guarantees there’s a larger story there.
Chimney’s already been struggling in the aftermath of Bobby’s death and becoming captain, but now he’s shrinking even further in on himself after the decision he made.
I’m already terrified thinking about how this is all set to play out.
But we’re free from space, and it’s time to dig into the nitty-gritty and get into some of these personal stories now.
I may be scared of what’s to come, but more than anything, I’m excited for the season to really get started.
Loose Ends
- There are just TOO many episodes of 9-1-1 to remember every single detail, but can a 9-1-1 historian remind me if we knew that Athena got shot in the leg before? Was that new news?
- A young Romero being at Athena’s bedside when she woke up in the hospital was done personally for me, the number one Romero fan. I love that their lore goes back so many years and that they’ve always had such a strong professional relationship.
- Firefighter Harry is happening, but what do we think is next for May? My guess is that she goes back to dispatch based on everything we’ve seen, but could she be headed for another profession?
- Give the Wilson family a BREAK, 9-1-1 Gods! I don’t need to see any of them in peril or any arguments. There are so many storylines to give them that do not involve intense levels of angst or near-death situations.
- The vindication I felt at the end of the episode when Athena went to flirt with Michael and give him a ticket! McCluskey’s words struck such a chord with her that he changed the trajectory of her life.
- I liked that the space crew all got a satisfying conclusion to their arcs, and Tripp got dumped. And no one died. Yay!
- Two seconds of seeing Bobby Nash, and my chest hurt. I miss you, Cap.
We made it, y’all! We’re back on solid ground, and it’s time to blast off into the rest of the season.
Too soon?
Let me know in the comments how you felt about the conclusion to the space arc, and let’s speculate about what’s to come!
You can watch 9-1-1 on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.
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