The penultimate episode of 9-1-1 season 8 demonstrates the impact of Bobby’s death better than his funeral. The first-responder drama is still favoring small time jumps, not wanting to let the audience sit with their sorrow for too long. But even as the characters attempt to move forward in their own ways, and even as the show regains some of its light tone, “Don’t Drink the Water” does a far better job of showcasing what the absence of Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) actually means for those who loved him.
It doesn’t absolve the glaring missteps of “The Last Alarm,” like how a scene featuring Bobby’s mother, Ann Nash (Lesley Ann Warren), was cut to give more time to a typical case-of-the-week. But in my time reviewing 9-1-1, I’ve noticed the series sometimes needs two tries to get things right. Eddie (Ryan Guzman) moving to Texas needed a couple of episodes before it zeroed in on what really mattered, which is his relationship with his son. Bobby’s death, as well, is far more effective the further we get away from it.
9-1-1 Checks In On Everyone’s Level Of Grief
A Devastating Pre-Credits Scene Sets The Tone. “Don’t Drink the Water” immediately starts off on the right foot with a short scene that is more effective than anything in the previous episode. It’s a flashback to a time when Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody) was still a probie. The 118 is gathered around a table, and Ravi is in a hurry to eat an appetizing meal. But as the leader of the 118 explains, they all wait to eat together as a family.
Bobby then shares stories of the full moons that the 118 has shared together, where all sorts of strange things happen, including delivering babies on yoga mats back in season 1. The whole team, including Henrietta (Aisha Hinds), Howard (Kenneth Choi), and Eddie erupt in boisterous laughter. It’s possible, even probable, that Buck (Oliver Stark) is remembering the moment as more significant than it actually is. He’s probably remembering them laughing more than they did, but he doesn’t really see himself in the flashback. He just sees the people he loves, all together, smiling and happy.
It makes it all the more devastating when the flashback ends, cutting to Buck sitting at a table at the firehouse alone. In a great bit of facial acting from Stark, he’s holding back tears that don’t quite fall. The contrast in sound is excellent as well, juxtaposing the noise of a family feast with the dead-silent isolation that Buck feels. It might be the best scene of the episode. But, thankfully, the rest of “Don’t Drink the Water” is also strong.
After the title sequence, the focus shifts to Athena (Angela Bassett) with May (Corinne Messiah) and Harry (Elijah M. Cooper). Even though Athena can’t differentiate between the three different shades of white that she’s asked to choose between, she tells her kids that she doesn’t plan to sell the house. This surprises Harry and May, who expected that she might after Bobby’s death. They are less surprised, though, about her announcement that she plans to go back to work.
It’s a sweet little scene that makes the case that Messiah and Cooper should be welcomed back to the cast more often, but it also draws attention to the fact that we’ve heard nothing from Michael (Rockmond Dunbar) about Bobby’s death. Dunbar left 9-1-1 under controversial circumstances, but at one point, Bobby and Michael were close. It’s weird that Athena doesn’t at least get an off-screen call from her ex and the father of her children.
The biggest strength of 9-1-1, eight seasons in, is that it’s the rare long-running network show without major changes to its main cast. It’s a mystery why the script doesn’t lean in on that built-in chemistry more than it does. But when it does, it works. The last stop, before we transition to the big two-part emergency of water that catches fire, is to check in on Henrietta and Eddie. They’re in Hen’s kitchen with Karen (Tracie Thoms), worrying over Buck. There’s some back-and-forth about whether Hen should aim to be the new Captain and if Eddie should return to the 118 or accept a job at the Texas Fire Department. Hen isn’t sure. Neither is Eddie.
More than the specifics of these brief scenes, it’s the fact that the characters are talking to each other and about each other. That’s what “The Last Alarm” lacked, leaving its cast to portray different reactions to loss in their separate concerns. The biggest strength of 9-1-1 is that it’s the rare long-running network show without major changes to its main cast. It’s a mystery why the script doesn’t lean in on that built-in chemistry more than it does. But when it does, it works.
