Spoilers ahead!
When it comes to 9-1-1 and 3-part premiere events, my experience says that usually, the first part is “lighter” and “calmer” (whatever that means for this show), while the second part is when things start getting wilder as the true big emergency starts. Usually, the second part has the hardest mission: it can’t be too rushed as the incident is supposed to have its climax and conclusion only in the third part. However, it also can’t be too introductory, as part one already did that more lightly and funnily. Part two is, thus, the middle ground: it has stakes and emotional moments but also sets things up for the big finale.
When the Boeing Gets Tough… had an additional challenge. After all, this is an ensemble show, and the plane crash would only have one main character — Athena — on board. So I was worried about how the other characters would participate in this disaster, especially after the season 7 cruise sink in which everyone but Athena and Bobby had very little to do. It’s worth mentioning that I’m unfamiliar with the movie 9-1-1 is paying homage to, Airport 1975, so another thing that had me curious was how they would make this plane situation last for two episodes; there’s only so much you can do when a plane is about to fall. And I must say I’m satisfied and utterly impressed with how exciting this season is shaping up to be.
The episode starts moments before the final scene of Buzzkill, introducing some of the passengers and showing again the moment Athena (Angela Bassett) and Dennis (Glenn Plummer) got into the plane. Dennis reveals to Athena his cellmate confided to him some of his secrets, convincing her that he’s being targeted. But before she can get in contact with her boss, the plane crashes with a light plane hit by a swarm of bees, and the collision creates two holes in the passenger plane: one in the cockpit, having the pilot thrown out and the co-pilot injured, and another in the back of the roof.
“When the Boeing Gets Tough…” – 9-1-1. Pictured: Angela Bassett as Athena, Glenn Plummer as Dennis. Photo: Eric McCandless/ABC © 2024 Disney. All rights reserved.
Meanwhile, the 118 deals with the accident Captain Gerrard (Brian Thompson) suffered — he’s taken to the hospital after being saved by Buck (Oliver Stark), who is having a hard time dealing with what happened — did he save the Captain by accident? Did he want to hurt him instead? Hen (Aisha Hinds) becomes the interim Captain, and the first thing she orders is for everyone to have a celebratory dance. While Hen, Chimney (Kenneth Choi), and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) are having the time of their lives with their dance steps, Buck’s still worried — and I’d say that’s the lighter and funniest moment this episode has to offer.
Back to the plane, Athena is trying to keep things controlled with the control tower and flight instructors’ help. Also, Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Josh (Bryan Safi) step in to help assemble the 118 to remotely assist injured passengers. This episode best decision for me, as every main character has something to do during this big emergency. The scenes in which our 118 main characters help the passengers are also great because they give people on this flight some depth and make us care about them. Meanwhile, Buck recruits at the end Bobby (Peter Krause), who is perhaps the person suffering the most here, still working for that firefighter show. They are headed to the LA airport, where all fire stations were sent to. The episode ends with the co-pilot regaining consciousness, which is a relief for everyone on the plane… Until he suffers what appears to be a heart attack, leaving the complicated mission to land the plane to Athena.
All in all, When the Boeing Gets Tough… is another great episode in this promising season eight. Will Athena seek help from that little kid again? He knows a lot about planes! How is the 118 and dispatcher be involved in the third part? My theory is that Bobby is going to have a big role in part 3, and his reunion with Athena is going to be the moment. What about Dennis, his storyline will end soon or it will remain a part of Athena’s arc this season? Can we trust those US Attorneys? I'm getting weird vibes from them. I can’t wait to have some of these answered next week, and I'm very happy with this season so far — it's too early to say, but usually when the opening disasters are that good, the season delivers greatness, so optimism is the word.
Now you tell me — what do you think about When the Boeing Gets Tough…? Feel free to leave a comment with your impressions/theories, and thanks for reading!
