9-1-1 - Trapped - Review

I am stepping in this week to review the latest episode of 9-1-1, "Trapped". This was another well written and well acted episode. The episode did a great job of balancing excitement and action with the personal stories of the characters.

"Trapped" begins with a homeless man sleeping on a bench outside. He's told by a cop that he can't sleep there so he climbs into a trash bin. He ends up being dumped into the garbage truck and is terrified he's going to be crushed. He calls 9-1-1, and Bobby and Buck try to track down the garbage truck. At first they get the wrong one, but Athena gets to the correct garbage truck just in time and stops the compactor. They all start throwing garbage bags out of the truck, and Hen spots his foot. Luckily he's alive.

This was an exciting start to the episode, but then we switch to Abby at home. She's getting ready for work, but her mom wants her to stay. Her mom slaps her, and Abby has to fight back tears. She knows her mom is getting worse and she debates staying home, but Carla tells her to go to work and to enjoy her date with Buck.

Hen is also having personal issues, and she discusses her custody problems with Athena over lunch. Hen is worried that her ex may have a case, and she could lose her son. Athena then talks about her new man and that she and Michael are getting divorced. Hen wants to know all about her new guy. I really like Hen and Athena's friendship. I've written this on other reviews, but female friendships are so rare on television these days. That's one of the things I love about this show.

Hen does go visit Eva near the end of the episode, and Eva tells her she wants her back. Hen is not having it. She loves Karen, and her son already has a family with Hen and Karen. I was so disappointed in Hen earlier this season when she slept with Eva, but she's trying to make things right. Hopefully she will fight for Karen and her son.

The episode then switches back to another emergency. A mom and her son are on their way to therapy when all of the sudden the elevator crashes. The son lands on his arm, but his mom is unconscious. He calls 9-1-1, and when the firemen get there the elevator starts filling with water. The mom and the son have a brief heart to heart, and the mom says that the reason she pushes him so hard is that she knows he can be better than what he is. Buck goes down the elevator shaft and is able to pull the mom to safety. He goes back for the son, but the water is so high that it's weighing them down. Buck has trouble, but is able to pull the son out of the elevator and get himself out just in time. Before they take the mom to the hospital she tells her son that he proved he wasn't a helpless idiot and that he needed to move out. I thought that brought some humor into a serious and dangerous situation.

After the rescue, Athena and her new guy enjoy some alone time, but they end up getting themselves into a bind. They accidentally handcuff themselves to the bed, and the key is across the room. They only have his phone nearby, and she doesn't want him to call any of his friends. She calls 9-1-1 (because it's the only number she has memorized) and asks for Abby. She gets Abby to call Hen, and when Hen shows up she starts laughing hysterically. She thinks this is hilarious, and I did, too. Hen does give Athena the key, but not before laughing some more. I have to wonder how often this happens in real life, and if 9-1-1 is called to help these type of situations.

Later he cooks dinner for Athena, and it's clear he wants something more serious. She tells him that she doesn't want a relationship after just getting divorced. I'm proud of Athena for knowing what she wants and sticking to it. She should be able to have whatever personal life she wants.

Abby and Buck finally get to go on their date, and it's so cute. Buck has arranged for them to have a hot air balloon ride and has flowers and truffles! I loved that he did all of this. Unfortunately Abby gets called away because her mom is having another episode. You can tell Buck is disappointed, and he discusses his feelings with Bobby. He cares about Abby but thinks he may want to have something more fun. Bobby talks some sense into him by telling him that any adult relationship is going to have issues like these, and every great woman has people that depend on her. It seems that Buck listens to Bobby because later he tells Abby that he wants to be with her. He's in. I absolutely love these two, and it surprises me. When the show first started I was concerned about the age difference and thought Buck was a little immature. But it's clear he cares deeply for Abby. I'm all in with this relationship!

The last call of the episode is to rescue a man who is trapped in his own home. The man, who we learn is Winslow, was crawling through a tunnel is his house when the tunnel collapsed. Winslow's brother, Cecil, who also lives in the home, calls 9-1-1 and warns everyone about the booby traps. Cecil and Winston are hoarders and created traps to protect their home. Cecil can't get to his brother because he's blind, but Chimney is able to crawl through the tunnel and get to the clock. Once he switches the time to 11:11 all the traps are shut off. Cecil is scared and upset for his brother, but everyone starts throwing stuff out of the house, and they are finally find Winslow. He has a nasty gash on his leg, and they have realign it so he doesn't lose his leg. Chinmey and the rest of the team get Winslow to the ambulance, and they help walk Cecil out so he can be with his brother.

Near the end of the episode we revisit all the people we met this week. The homeless man, Sam, leaves his homeless shelter and goes back out on the street. The son from the beginning of the episode moves out of his mom's house, and Cecil and Winslow fix their house back to the way they want it. I thought it was nice that we got to see what happened to these people. It brought us some closure.

"Trapped" ends with Abby waking up and walking over to her mom. She then sees that her mom has passed away. Wow. What an emotional way to end the show. I didn't think that Abby's mom would die so soon. I thought we would have to watch Abby struggle with keeping her at home or making the decision to put her in a nursing home. I'm very interested to see what will happen to Abby now without her mom, and if this will change her relationship with Buck.

I can't believe that the next episode is the season finale. This show has been a complete surprise for me, and it has become one of my favorites. I don't want it to end.

What did you think about "Trapped"? Did you enjoy the cases of the week? What do you think will happen in the season finale? Discuss below in the comments section!