A Los Angeles freeway may become a runway on season 8, episode 3 of the ABC first-responder drama.
Things already weren’t going well on Athena’s flight — and apparently they’ll only get worse when 9-1-1’s three-part premiere event continues on Thursday.
Athena (Angela Bassett) ended the first episode of season 8 on a jetliner that collided with a small plane that was caught up in the “bee-nado.” Last week’s episode 2 saw the Los Angeles police officer tasked with piloting the plane while also keeping an eye on the prisoner she was transporting — Dennis, who shot her first fiancé, Emmett, decades ago and she helped put behind bars in season 3. With the help of a young passenger with a passion for aviation, Athena was using guidance from a flight instructor working with the air traffic control team on the ground and the plan was to land at Los Angeles’ largest airport, LAX. But in a preview clip from episode 3 exclusive to Entertainment Weekly, it appears that there is no longer an option.
Related: Rob Lowe reacts to ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ cancellation: ‘It’s the end of an era’ “I’ve had better days,” Athena tells her husband, Bobby (Peter Krause), who is en route to LAX with his former (at least for now) 118 firefighter Buck (Oliver Stark).
“I’m sorry I’ve missed all your calls,” Bobby replies. “Baby, you have been all over the news. Listen, I am headed to LAX, there’s just one problem, the 110 [freeway] is kind of backed up, so, I might have to meet you at the luggage carousel.”
The moment of levity is cut short as Athena gives him an update: “Save yourself the trip, we’re gonna miss LAX…. We’ve lost our ability to turn. In about six minutes, we’re going to be waved to LAX as we passed over it.”
“Well what do you need from me?” Bobby answers, stifling his panic. “You got a runway in your back pocket?” Athena answers. Then Bobby gets an idea: “What direction are you headed?”
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“Due north, to god knows where,” she replied. “Bobby, we’re running out of fuel, and they’re worried that this thing is gonna take out of people — and I don’t just mean the ones in it.”
“That’s not gonna happen,” Bobby told his wife. When she informed him she’ll need about a mile of clear runway, he responded, “I’ll give you more than that.”
“Bobby, you’re on the 110!” Athena says, putting the pieces together as Bobby chimes in: “And you’re headed right towards me.”
