From creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear, 9-1-1 follows the lives of many first responders in the Los Angeles area, from firefighters, paramedics, and dispatchers to police officers. This high-stakes procedural drama stars Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Aisha Hinds, and Oliver Stark in compelling, layered roles. The show has proven itself unlike any other over its eight-season run due to the way it presents real-world disasters.
The 9-1-1 characters go from emergency to emergency with little time to recover, but the episode that really tests them is Season 2, Episode 2, “7.1.” This episode features a massive earthquake that impacts the entire city. Whether you know that Los Angeles is near several fault lines or you follow a group of L.A. residents, you know that the city is prone to earthquakes. The show not only shows how a citywide emergency affects the residents, but also how it affects the first responders. Along with being one of the most intense 9-1-1 episodes to watch, the aftershocks have affected the rest of the series.
An earthquake is a reminder that things aren’t as stable as they seem. After establishing new characters, Maddie Buckley (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz (Ryan Guzman), in the Season 2 premiere of 9-1-1, they’re put to the test with this citywide emergency. For Maddie, it’s her first day as a 9-1-1 dispatcher and she has to separate the big calls to help from the small calls to effectively assist as many people as possible. The episode demonstrates the psychological stress a dispatcher goes through on a large scale as she has to navigate through different calls while worrying about the safety of her firefighter brother, Evan Buckley (Stark). Despite this, Maddie uses her quick thinking skills to help more people by directing them to first responders already on the scene. This is the beginning of her character’s journey to becoming one of the best dispatchers in the L.A. area.
For Eddie, Episode 2 of 9-1-1 Season 2 establishes that he has a young son, Christopher Diaz (Gavin McHugh), who has cerebral palsy. When the earthquake hits, he worries about his son’s safety, but he puts those thoughts aside when Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Hinds) mentions that, as a father, she wants a first responder to do everything possible to save her child. This is exactly what Eddie needs to hear to focus on saving lives as a firefighter. His time as a military medic makes him one of the most experienced members of the L.A. Fire Department. However, this reminder from Hen is the beginning of Eddie putting everything on the line as a first responder, especially when it comes to children.
The earthquake in this 9-1-1 episode not only shakes the city to its core, but also the show. This is the first of many disaster episodes as a way to emphasize that this is not a problem that first responders can solve quickly. Not only does “7.1” take the perspective of a first responder, but through Michael Grant (Rockmond Dunbar), May Grant (Corinne Massiah), and Harry Grant (Marcanthonee Jon Reis), it also shows what it’s like to be a family member of a first responder. The Grant family worries about Athena Grant’s (Bassett) safety as they watch the news while she’s unable to be reached to address the emergency. The show focuses on the lives of real-life heroes, but this episode is enhanced by showing the perspective of the responders’ loved ones.
9-1-1 Season 2, Episode 2 sets up aftershocks that would inspire later seasons to continue covering major disasters, from power outages to tsunamis and even a bee tornado, as seen in Season 8. These episodes are some of the best of the series because they use the setting of a real-life emergency (okay, maybe not bees) to further develop the characters and introduce meaningful elements. Without this constant trend created by “7.1,” 9-1-1 would be stuck in a rut and might not make it to 100 episodes. But the inclusion of these large-scale disasters allows the creative team, cast, and characters to challenge themselves and prove that they can overcome whatever comes their way.
