Don't Drink the Water

This was the best ep in the back end of season 8!

After the last three eps I was genuinely mad about the way the show was handling storylines. But this EP brought back every thing I love about the show in the first place; the genuine connection between the 118, the calls, the callbacks of past calls, A Chris-Buck, Buckley-Daiz family reunion. Finally!!!

A few familiar faces I've been dearly missing for the entire season (Linda and Pepa) ...

It even dealt with grief in a way I wished last episode was coherent enough to do. The Chimney-Athena tension is intriguing to say the least. And with them tripped in the final I can't wait to see what will come of it.

Everything was perfect this episode. (Almost...If only Bobby was still here but alas...)

After two painful episodes, "Don't Drink the Water" bursts in like a defibrillator to the chest, jolting the series back to life. The emotional fallout from Bobby's death finally lands - and lands hard. Eddie's grief comes to a head in a gut-wrenching confrontation with Buck, intercut with a flashback that absolutely floored me. It's hands-down Ryan Guzman's best work all season - raw, vulnerable, and completely arresting.

The episode nails what this show used to do effortlessly: balance chaos, comedy, and character. Screen time is actually used wisely (a miracle!) with side characters returning to their rightful place - providing comic relief rather than dragging us through one-off plotlines destined for the memory hole.

And let's talk about that finale setup - Athena being sent out twice to the same call? Deliciously subtle. It's the kind of slow-burn tease that proves this show can still play the long game when it wants to.

Even the pacing felt like a fever dream of peak 9-1-1, packed with emotional tension and just the right amount of shocking moments. Every beat felt earned - well, almost every beat. The only misfire? This creeping setup for Buck as captain. If Bobby's really gone, Hen is the only character who has earned that title. Giving it to Buck would feel like undeserved.

Still, "Don't Drink the Water" is a triumph. It reminded me why I fell in love with this chaotic, heartfelt, wildly over-the-top show in the first place. If this is how we're heading into the finale, count me all the way in.

This is exactly what I want from an episode of 9-1-1.

Filled with joy, humour, grief and emotion, this was a VAST improvement over the previous dreadful episode. Credit to the acting and especially the writing of Molly Green and James Leffler, it feels like they truly understand these characters and what they mean to each other and honestly they should take over when big decisions need to be made. Loved seeing the characters, especially Maddie and Eddie talk about the impact Bobby has had on them, Hen and Karen's interactions and Buck and Eddie stealing the show with their undeniable chemistry.

If the finale is anything like the penultimate episode, we are in for a treat and i cannot wait to see how 911 closes out a tumultuous season 8.

Those who say we haven't moved forward with the plot are wrong. I want to clarify something: WE NEEDED TO SEE THE GRIEF. The fact that everything felt so bland in the last episode (which I still can't stand, just like I can't stand that Bobby is dead) is what made me appreciate this one even more. Seeing the emotions, the anger, the fear, the PAIN that cuts deep: Buck and Eddie hurt each other, Athena and Chimney hurt each other. And each one finds different ways to cope with the grief. It's part of the plot to finally see how the relationships change between them, if they move backward or forward, if they choose to stay or part ways. Beautiful, thank you.

After the last few weeks, my expectations for this episode were extremely low but i just got win after win tonight. Characters interacting with multiple people and in different locations, good pacing, good writing, not too much focus on the calls, AND eddie whew haven't smiled like this in a month

this is what happens when you don't spend the entire episode focusing on an emergency and actually remembering who your characters actually are and writing them correctly. Tonight is an example of how an ensemble show should be written. Not choosing to focus on one or two characters but choosing to take time and include every one of them because that right there is what makes 9-1-1 the show that it is.