Is there anything Athena (Angela Bassett) can’t do? We’ll go with 9-1-1, which ends the three-episode bee-nado (the bugs are nowhere to be seen) with the sergeant landing the plane on the freeway.
With the flight attendants and passengers knowing CPR is switched to shut down when the pilot goes into cardiac arrest, Athena and her young co-pilot take control of the plane. Meanwhile, on the ground, Bobby (Peter Krause) is determined to get to his wife as he drives a stolen truck from the Hotshots set with Buck (Oliver Stark) and the actor who wants to play him, Brad (Callum Blue). (Funny part: Buck comments on Brad’s British accent and he never would have guessed, since Stark is British.) “She’s been trying to reach me all day. I need her to hear my voice, and I need to hear hers just in case,” Bobby tells Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) as he checks to see if she can get through to the passengers.
Athena and Bobby finally connect when she learns that she can’t turn the plane around to land at LAX or any airport close enough. What does she need from him, he asks. Does he have a runway in his back pocket? Well… He has runway 110. That’s right, Bobby decides to turn off runway 110 to give his wife the runway. Swoon.
Buck borrowed a motorcycle to stop the car in the opposite direction—it took a few minutes for anyone to really hear him—and after the plane had flown straight over Runway 118 and the other companies waiting at LAX, they were all called to the freeway.
The flight instructor instructed Athena on how to land, the boy sitting with her in the cockpit made sure the seatbelt light was on, and almost everyone in the 9-1-1 world was on the plane, watching the news about the plane or speeding toward Runway 110. Bobby stood on the roof of the truck waiting for Athena to land the plane. “I saw you,” he told her. “I saw you too. I love you,” she replied. “Talk to me directly,” he said.
Of course, it was a hard landing. (The child is understandably frozen at first, before Athena pulls him out to help.) “Welcome to Los Angeles,” Bobby greets Athena as the plane stops in front of him.
But they’re not out of danger yet. They have to quickly evacuate the passengers when a fire breaks out on the plane, and Athena stays behind to continue CPR on the pilot. She sends Dennis (Glenn Plummer) to find Bobby, who then joins the 118 crew—he immediately reverts to captain mode—on the plane. They’re able to save Athena and the pilot.
But there’s still the matter of Fulton’s black book; the “AUSA” who pulled Athena back in isn’t the real lawyer and isn’t in the trunk where she left him. And he’s not the only one chasing Athena, Dennis, and the book whose location the prisoner knows. Luckily, Athena’s husband has a fire truck (albeit a TV one) that they can hide in while sending the AUSAs who assigned her to escort duty on a futile search.
This is when Athena makes it to LAX—the library with everyone involved in Fulton’s sex trafficking ring in his car. But as soon as Athena, Bobby, and Dennis find it (there are some famous names in it), one of the AUSAs shows up and points a gun at them for it; he’s in the books. Dennis takes a bullet for Bobby but then stabs him in a very fitting spot considering his crimes with a knife he made on the plane. Athena then handcuffs the AUSAs and calls the police. Bobby thanks Dennis for saving his life, and Dennis says he owes Athena his life.
The episode ends with Athena visiting Dennis in his hospital room. She commends him for not running away or disappearing after killing his fiancé, even if it took him this long to bring him to justice. Nothing can change what he did and bring Emmett back, but Athena gives him her blessing to accept the deal that was offered. And with that, she and Bobby head out into the hallway to watch Dennis reunite with his family. “I’m fine,” she says.
But wait, there’s more! Gerrard (Brian Thompson) is still in charge at 118, and nothing seems to have changed as he talks to Hen (Aisha Hinds), Chimney (Kenneth Choi), and Eddie (Ryan Guzman)… until he goes up to Buck and hugs him for saving his life! “Can you feel these hands, son? This is mommy looking out for you.” (Oh no!) No one knows how to react. And honestly? Neither do we.
