After a grueling winter hiatus, FOX’s 9-1-1 is finally back tomorrow! Since it’s been a few months since we last saw the 118, and given the fact that we have also been occupied with the goings on at the 126 on 9-1-1: Lone Star, it’s hard to remember just what happened in the first 10 episodes of season 5.
Not to worry! We are going back through the highs and lows, the biggest calls and even the most heartbreaking moments of season 5A to get prepared for the latter half of the season. So let’s get to it!
From Ransomware Attack to a Blackout
As with any season opener, or ender, for the 9-1-1 shows, season 5 kicked off with a big one. What started out as a not-so-harmless ransomware attack on the City of Los Angeles (that was also in other big cities), ended with a blackout in the city, and during a heatwave, no less. The 118 dealt with none other than zoo animals loose on Hollywood Boulevard (and a very funny zookeeper Buck moment), as well as multiple calls that were pretty insane like air traffic control and a plane almost hitting the tower directly. However, the blackout also brought back one villain that Athena wasn’t too happy to see, and nearly cost her one of her children.
Jeffrey Is Back
Jeffrey Hudson, the Serial Realtor Rapist from the third season that attacked Athena and everyone heard it over the radios, is back. While it looked like Athena and Jeffrey’s other victims (or survivors) had a pretty good chance to win the case, the ransomware attack happens and Jeffrey slips away. Every police officer in the city is out looking for him during the blackout but when they do find him, Detective Ransone arrests Jeffrey and when it seems like all is fine, a twist happens. Jeffrey’s lawyer slits Ransone’s neck and she and Jeffrey get away. (Ransone, though left for dead, fought for his life and won luckily.)
Jeffrey soon kills the lawyer and goes after Athena’s family as Michael has neighbors over since the house has a generator. However, in the midst of the chaos, Jeffrey comes in and takes Harry without anyone realizing it. Thanks to a video someone posted online of Harry and Jeffrey, they get an idea of where they are and Athena pursues Jeffrey on foot, with the help of the 118. Harry is found in a subdivision that is under construction, and while he was okay, the trauma never left anyone.
The Buckley-Han Dilemma
When Maddie had baby Jee last season, it did not come easy. We saw the start of her postpartum depression and that only continued on in the first half of season 5. Thanks to the blackout, Chimney spent most of his time at the firehouse, leaving Maddie alone with the baby. After a tired Maddie lets Jee slip into the bath for a couple of seconds, she makes the tough decision to leave. While she did take her to the doctor to get her checked out, she realizes she needs some time away so to not be a burden and a danger to her and Chimney’s daughter. She leaves Jee at the firehouse when Chim is out, along with a video for her baby daddy.
Just a few episodes later, Chimney decided to embark on a road trip to find her, obviously bringing baby Jee along. We hadn’t gotten many updates since he left, but rest assured, we will meet back up with them again in 5B, with episode 12 specifically centering around that. At some point, we will also find out everything about where Maddie has been, what she’s been up to, and what was going through her mind.
Eddie’s Breakdown
Following the season 4 finale sniper shooting, Eddie has been going through it. He has been experiencing panic attacks, and it’s due to thinking about having a family with Ana, even Buck has been noticing. Following the blackout, Eddie breaks it off with Ana but his problems don’t end with that. In the winter finale, Christopher has been trying to make sure to have the perfect Christmas with his dad, but nothing seems to go right. He tells Eddie he’s afraid he’s going to be dead next Christmas, hence wanting to have the perfect one now.
With the well incident, the shooting, and the prison riot where Buck and Eddie were held hostage, Eddie makes the difficult decision to leave the 118 so he can be there for Christopher and focus on his mental health. He breaks the news to his colleagues at the end of the winter finale, and when the show picks back up again, we’ll see him in his new job as a dispatcher, or something similar.
The Beginning of a Ravi Begins?
We have gotten the “Begins” episodes of all the major players on 9-1-1, or “Begins”-like episodes, and now with the introduction of Ravi, is there a possibility we could get one for him? We got a bit of his backstory in episode 8. During an explosion at the hospital, Hen and Ravi try to save a patient who was just declared Cancer free, though he went back in to try to save his favorite nurse. The patient, Rupert, died from his injuries and Ravi admits to Hen he gets why he did it.
Ravi spent most of his childhood in hospitals, and he confesses that those doctors and nurses practically become family. He had chemo on the weekends instead of soccer tournaments, but he got cheered on just the same. Now that we are starting to see Ravi more, hopefully we’ll be getting a “Ravi Begins” in the future.
Michael and David Start a New Life
Season 5A included a much more permanent exit. After finding out that David was going to be leaving for a while to help with hurricane relief efforts in Haiti, Michael makes the decision to propose to him. While the hospital explosion delays the proposal, and David refuses to leave the OR while doing surgery, Bobby goes in and tells David about the proposal. When he finally comes out of the hospital, David tells Michael “yes” and the two decide to go to Haiti together, officially ending Rockmond Dunbar’s time on 9-1-1.
Other Storylines
- The Call Center gets a “new” hotshot Dispatcher named Claudette, who is a legend and intimidates May
- There was a prison riot that left Buck and Eddie as hostages
- Toni reconnected with a past love (go Mama Wilson!)
- Taylor’s dark family past is revealed: her father is in jail for killing her mother
- Plus the many, many insane calls the 118 went on
There will be plenty more to look forward to in 5B of 9-1-1, as Eddie transitions into his new job, Maddie and Chimney finally return, and we are introduced to a couple newbies with Arielle Kebbel’s Lucy Donato and Bryce Durfee’s Jonah Greenway. Along with that, the calls are going to be bigger than ever as the 118 will be dealing with a pipe bomb on a family car, a woman who is afraid of nothing, spiders, and more.
Be sure to check out our biggest questions following the winter finale here, as well as catch up on our episodic recaps.
Don’t miss the spring premiere of 9-1-1 tomorrow, Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on FOX, followed by 9-1-1: Lone Star! Check out our other 9-1-1 coverage here.
