Spoilers ahead!
At the beginning of There is no Place Like Home, things are still very similar to how they were at the end of 9-1-1’s seventh season: Bobby (Peter Krause) isn’t the Captain of the 118 anymore, Gerrard (Brian Thompson) is the new boss, Christopher (Gavin McHugh) is still in Texas living with his grandparents, and Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Karen (Tracie Thoms) are still not allowed to foster Mara (Askyler Bell). As the title says, this episode comes to fix most of these things — and this time, help comes from the most unexpected place.
The episode aired a while ago, so by now you probably know that Gerrard plays a big part in solving the situation. He sets up a trap to Councilwoman Olivia Ortiz (Veronica Falcón), using his bodycam to record one of her wicked schemes. This video is shown in court later, exposing the politician — and that’s how Bobby becomes the 118 Captain again, and that’s how Mara returns to Hen and Karen.
But why such a villainous character as Gerrard would do something like this? Someone that’s been downright abusive and bigoted since his very first appearence on the show — was the accident in the premiere enough to change his heart? The answer, as usual, is not so simple, and I think this episode does a good job making it clear that Gerrard is not a good person and that he hasn’t earned any kind of redemption.
First, There is no Place Like Home opens with Gerrard having some buddy time with Buck (Oliver Stark). The old man repeatedly says that Buck’s generation is “weak” and “fragile” — they are all snowflakes, he says — and there’s more to it! Budget issues are now a thing, and some people from the firehouse must be fired, so Gerrard decides that Buck will be the one to choose who will be laid off. From the very beginning, it’s clear that this man hasn’t changed at all. If anything, Gerrard learned how to hide his bigotry, making it look like it’s just his way of being a demanding boss.
And I think the writers found a smart way to give closure to these arcs at the right moment without dragging things for too much. Now, in a surprising turn of events, Gerrard is the new technical advisor of Hotshots, and everything’s back to normal… Aside from Christopher. Eddie (Ryan Guzman) is still dealing with the absence of his son — there’s a storyline in this episode about a male cheerleader with an absent father that’s all about Eddie dealing with his loss and with the turmoil in his head. During some cheerleading, the teen has his pelvis twisted in an accident, and that’s the moment Eddie and Hen come to action. It’s nice to have paramedic Eddie back! Also nice to have him paired with Hen — who at the moment was also having problems with having her child back. Finally, a tiger living in an apartment attacks its owner and his landlord, which provides some fun scenes with the whole 118, and gives Chimney (Kenneth Choi) a moment to shine.
“There is no Place Like Home” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Aisha Hinds as Hen, Tracie Thoms as Karen. Photo: Christopher Willard/ABC © 2024 Disney. All rights reserved.
Overall, it was a good episode, a nice way to start the season for real. I love Veronica Falcón’s acting, she is incredible — I’d be willing to have Ortiz for another couple of episodes just to have her acting opposite Aisha Hinds. The scene at the court was great too — not only a big moment for Hen but also a big moment for the 118. And I’m happy Bobby is finally back — the sequence in which Chim, Eddie, Buck, and Hen all come to his door to ask for help was flawless, the best moment of the episode. I was also pleased by the Eddie storyline — it was a very thoughtful way to let the audience know about his feelings regarding not only Christopher but maybe also his relationship with his father.
And as much as I was happy for Hen and Karen to have Mara back, I finished 8.04 certain that they would catch a break after all they’ve been through. Then Masks came and oh boy, it’s fair to say that their centric episode actually happened this week. This time, Denny (Declan Pratt) almost dies crushed by a car, adding fuel to the current drama between Hen and Karen regarding the amount of work the firefighters have on holidays, which makes Hen lose important moments with her family. Now that they have Mara back, Karen is fearful about Hen not having enough good family moments with her.
I think it was a good storyline, maybe placed at the wrong time, as it feels too soon to have a storyline this heavy (when it comes to Denny almost dying) just after they gained their daughter back. But I think the arguing between the couple was an interesting conflict designed to make us think about how holidays can be a moment of fun for everyone but first responders, who need to be there to keep everyone safe. Also related to safety in holidays, Athena (Angela Bassett) has a short, surprising storyline involving teenagers and multiple clowns (that one clown bit was fun.)
“Masks” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Aisha Hinds as Hen, Tracie Thoms as Karen, Ryan Guzman as Eddie, Declan Pratt as Denny. Photo: Mike Taing/ABC © 2024 Disney. All rights reserved.
Also, Buck is dealing with a possible curse transmitted by a corpse he used as decoration by accident. After dislocating his left shoulder and waking up the next day with his face covered in boils, Buck is determined to break the Billy Boils curse. For that, he will have the help of Eddie and his boyfriend Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.). This storyline was funny at first, but as the episode went on, I was amazed by how many thoughts were running through my head. There’s an elephant in the room, right? Buck, Tommy, Eddie. I think the elephant has been there since the very first time Buck and Tommy kissed, as their relationship seems so intertwined with Eddie from the beginning.
I had many questions during my first watch, mainly about where the show is headed after this. Is this about to become a love triangle? Or is this already one? Or is it a third thing to be disclosed — like a way to make this new relationship be accepted by fans? Tommy visits Buck at the hospital and finds Eddie already there — this scene is fun because it highlights the close bond between Buck and Eddie, who are now finishing each other sentences. Then, the face boils — there's a very quick sweet moment of Eddie taking care of Buck’s wounds, and while the moment itself can be interpreted in many different ways, it’s interesting that it exists after all. Also, the similarities between Eddie and Tommy are once again highlighted here; they have so much in common. Tommy has also some sweet moments, as he takes care of Buck, and at the end of the episode, he seems proud of him.
All of this is to say that this episode makes some interesting choices, and it seems safe to assume that Buck and Eddie are each other’s person (not necessarily in a romantic way, though) — right now, they have this very strong friendship (which is at times very platonic), and I don’t think that’s changing any soon. They will always be there for each other, and what they have will remain, no boyfriend or girlfriend will be able to change that, and the show apparently wants us to know this. Now, if Eddie between Buck and Tommy is just a way to make Buck’s new relationship more palatable to the audience, or if there’s a storyline there waiting to be developed, that remains to be seen.
My theory is that, if Buck’s relationship with Tommy is to end, there won’t be drama like what happened with Eddie and Marisol. I feel like they want to make Buck’s first queer experience as smooth as possible, so I don't think there will be any developments regarding Tommy's bigotry in season 2 — we'll have to act like those things didn't happened (which is unfortunate.) All that Masks does is to show that Buck and Tommy are occasionally different from each other, and only time will tell what this means for both (or should I say the three?) of them. I also have this theory that a romantic relationship between Buck and Eddie isn't off the cards — I don't think it's something that will happen soon, but if they want to go there... Well, the table is set.
Finally, I need to say that I loved the Halloween costumes. I laughed so much during that initial sequence of Bobby dressed up as a vampire using a funny voice with the children, Chim having the time of his life during Halloween, and Eddie failing to scare the little ones. Also, it's so nice that Hen has two amazing costumes in this episode! The production here was amazing, make-up, costumes, the Halloween decorations — it’s been a while since I had so much fun with a good Halloween-themed episode like this one.
Now tell me your thoughts! What do you think about these last episodes? Hit the comments with theories and thoughts, please! And thanks for reading!
