Before we start: If you haven’t read my post about trailers, you might want to before reading this post. I’m gonna be hitting on some of the things I touch upon in that post. Also, if you haven’t watch 9-1-1 Season Four Episode Fourteen “Survivors” (or the previous episode), do not read. I’m going full on spoilers here.
So. Let’s talk finales.
TV finales are hard. There’s a lot to think about before writing the final act of the season. Has the show been renewed? Or is it on the bubble. Should it be a two part finale, split with the season break? Or maybe have the arc last a few episodes, and end during the finale. What characters should be featured? Who can be safely set aside with a smaller role?
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg that showrunners and writers have to come up with.
Over my many years, I’ve seen some spectacular finales. Ones that leave the viewer on the edge of their seat from May to September, begging for more. An amazing example would be “To Hell…” and “…And Back” from season four of Criminal Minds, which ended on a cliffhanger, leading directly into the season five opener “Nameless, Faceless.” A two episode case that sets up so much, then a shock ending, leading to a crazy but incidental case in the premier that leave characters in a much different state then they had been only twenty four hours previous.
Those three episodes left a mark on me, and I didn’t even watch them live. I got into Criminal Minds late in Season Five, so long after this moment. But even though I didn’t have to experience that three-four month wait for the conclusion to the story, it still shook me.
This type of finale works when the producers know they already are assured for a new season. They could safely leave a cliffhanger, to ramp up emotions for the fans.
But I’ve also seen it backfire.
When I was young, my favorite cartoon was Super Robot Monkey Team HyperForce Go, over on Disney XD. It was an animated show that took heavy inspiration from various anime and sentai shows out of Japan. The first season was one that was pretty episodic, where you could tune in and not have a problem, excluding the rare two-parter. Even season two, where storylines would stretch beyond a single episode, it was still possible to treat it like most American after school cartoons. Season three and four have massive season spanning storylines, where each episode primarily connects to the previous. And that worked! Mostly. The creator decided to end season four with a massive cliffhanger, showing the main cast of heroes preparing to team up with heroes from across the galaxy to stop the evil villains (I’m being vague as possible, go give the show a watch on Disney+.) It’s a scene that now reminds me of the massive Avengers shot in Endgame.
But the gamble didn’t pay off. The show was surprisingly and quietly canceled after season four. No ending, no summary of what happens next. The finale was a massive build up with no pay off. Thanks Disney.
And that shows the dangers of writing finales. They are hard to nail.
Last night, I went into the 9-1-1 Season Four finale with that thought in my head. I’ve talked about how fast I watched the show to catch up to this point. I’ve seen three finales at this point.
- The Season One finale felt like a regular episode. There were some plot threads tied up, but really nothing was left at stake. It wasn’t really a showstopper, just a good end point for the season.
- The Season Two finale was amazing. It tied into the previous episode, but not in a heavy handed way. Buck is heavily injured due to a bomb exploding under the ladder truck he is on, and his place with the LAFD is left in jeopardy due to those injuries. On top of that Eddie is left with the question to return to El Paso (where his family is) in the aftermath of his estranged wife’s death. Both of these plotlines tie into the Season Three Premiere (which in itself becomes three episodes).
- The Season Three finale is a major bookend episode, with a lot of plotlines both started and ended. Buck (finally) gets closure with Abby, even if I feel like Abby still did that boy dirty. Maddie finds out she’s pregnant. Michael’s health is on the mend. Athena deals with the aftermath of being attacked in the previous episode, but comes out stronger (a plotline that S4 deals with). There are some fun little plotlines set up…
And then the world ended.
Remember when I said finales are hard? I feel for the writers across every scripted show this season. Since 9-1-1 is set in the real world (for the most part), the writers chose to address the pandemic during Season Four. Some of the plotlines from Season Three were dropped or placed on hold (Christopher’s camp is quickly canceled, May defers from college for a year and is working at the 9-1-1 call center). Maddie’s pregnancy storyline is a major feature for the character, but it also sets the timeline in a tailspin (there’s a month discrepancy). Chimney has his loyalties tested between Maddie and the firehouse, especially Buck.
Oh, and there’s Hen’s med school plotline, that is probably one of the weirder choices this year, but it fits. And Eddie… exists? He really doesn’t have much this season besides a budding romance that the fans decidedly do not want. (No seriously, check Tumblr. Or AO3. It’s frankly hilarious.) Bobby and Athena seem to be fine, then suddenly there’s a fight and cracks in their relationship, and I feel like with four more episodes this would have been a more solid storyline.
And then there’s Buck. Buck, who is the heart of the team. The one to put himself in danger. The one who acts first, does the dumb, get’s yelled at, then does it again. Because he’s Buck. He finally starts therapy, which is a major thing for the character. He tries to date someone (that doesn’t work, and it’s a plotline that deserves to be forgotten). His apartment becomes the home to his team at the 118 (besides Bobby) during the height of the LA lockdowns, which means his safe space is basically gone. Buck does solidify himself as a major person in Christopher’s life, which helps when Eddie missteps with his new relationship. And the viewers got to finally get some backstory on Buck, besides the few little tidbits he’s dropped before, when he finally got his “Begins” episode, though I did feel it was a little too focused on Maddie. By 4×13, I kinda felt like Buck was finally finding his footing in his life.
And then Eddie got shot in front of him. That’s how then ended 4×13.
So, let’s talk the finale. Buck literally drags Eddie underneath the 133’s ladder truck to keep him safe from the bullets raining down on them from the sniper. He helps keep him from bleeding out (and to the fan’s happiness, finally calls him “Eds,” which has been a fanon nickname for a while now). Eddie survives surgery (yay!) and spends most of the episode either unconscious or drugged. Side note, make Ryan Guzman act doped up more often, because it was kinda hilarious. Also, his girlfriend gets like one line and less than a minute of screen time. I have a feeling that she’s not sticking around for too much longer. (An Instagram post from Ana’s actress also seems to imply this, but take that as a grain of salt.)
While at the hospital, another firefighter is brought in, and there is talk that there is a serial sniper taking aim at the LAFD. So, to protect both the public and the firefighters, the LAFD will be wearing Kevlar vests and be surrounded by SWAT when on calls. And for some reason, no one thinks to send a traumatized Buck home. Seriously, it is very clear he is not okay. And damn it, his breakdown after telling Christopher that his Dad wasn’t coming home that night was heartbreaking. For proof of the fact that Buck had no business working, I point to the scene where the victim is at the top of a massive crane (you know, the type that helps build skyscrapers). There’s no cover for them to safely climb until the LAPD sweeps all the surrounding buildings. While Bobby is speaking to the SWAT captain, Buck grabs what is needed for the rescue and begins one of the scariest rescues I’ve seen on this show yet. It’s shown that there are several points where he could have been shot. He’s borderline suicidal at this point. But no, “Buck’s gonna Buck.” That’s the 118’s takeaway. He gets a pathetic verbal reprimand from Bobby, and I’m sorry, but I was not happy with it. (I’m planning on doing a post about Buck in the coming days. I have things I want to say.)
By the end of the episode, the team is called to a burning building by the sniper, because of course he wants to go out in a blaze of glory. Bobby is shot, and Athena gets to play hero and save him, while keeping Buck from helping her (hilarious, guys). All is well. Eddie finally tells Buck that he changed his will following his near death in Season Three (well collapse, his “Begins” episode, which had the same director) and if Eddie should die, Buck would be Christopher’s legal guardian. Also, he calls him Evan. And then we are treated to every family group coming together, including a party for the released Eddie (with bonus appearances from Eddie’s Abuela, Ana (who gets the same type kiss as Abuela) and Taylor, who is with Buck now. It’s a thing.), Bobby and Athena sit down to a family dinner with Athena’s kids and Michael and David, and Hen and her wife Karen share a picnic with their former foster daughter and her mother after meeting them at the part coincidentally.
There’s a few plotlines that got really buried during the episode, including more hints to Maddie’s postpartum depression with leads her to quit her job (apparently this will be a storyline that will tie into Season Five in September). There’s also the start of Buck and Taylor’s relationship, which I’m not a fan of. I think they are amazing at being friends, but I really feel like Taylor did Buck a little wrong in this episode. She puts up walls which Buck respects, then tears them down and kisses him, then runs. He doesn’t follow (remember the walls?) and instead heads to Eddie’s bedside, as he’s just woken up. At the end of the episode, Taylor arrives at Buck’s apartment and calls him on not running after her. When he says flat out that he’s done chasing after people, she kisses him again and stays with him. It just doesn’t really fit.
All in all, it was a solid finale. Sure, the sniper plotline kinda fell flat. And there were a couple lines that I’m not a huge fan of. But I’d give it a solid 8/10. At least on par with Seasons Two and Three. Heck, it’s better than most of the season finales I’ve seen in recent years (up to and including Supernatural. And Locke and Key, which is a fun show on Netflix with a terrible S1 finale).
Like I said, finales are hard. You’re tying up loose ends while also leaving some dangling for the next season. You have to make it satisfactory for everyone, especially if you’re not leaving the season with a cliffhanger. This one worked. And I’m happy with it.
And now I get to spend the next four months waiting for September. Thanks guys. XD
Until next time!
