Athena and Bobby have to deal with idol worship at work as Buck stress bakes in 911 season 8, episode 7

911 season 8, episode 7 saw the return of the “Hotshots” set, where Bobby worked before he returned to the 118. Plus, we also saw the aftermath of Buck’s break up, which included a lot of baking from the firefighter as he dealt with his feelings over whether to call Tommy to talk.

Starting with Athena’s plot, she took on a rookie named Matthew Sparks, played by actor Zach Tinker. Sparks appeared to be a hot-headed, young recruit who graduated from the top of his class. However, Athena had a weird feeling about him and was discouraged from having him ride with her. She even tried to tell Elaine that she did not want him as a partner.

911 season 8, episode 7 tried to send a message that felt a little lost in translation

Her fears about Sparks’s thirst for power were proven correct when during a stop, he inadvertently shot a woman in her vehicle during a routine stop. Sparks claimed he had been reaching for his taser but grabbed the wrong holster.

Athena saves the woman’s life, but it looks like this may be the end of the road for Sparks. The situation caused Athena to reflect on whether she should continue to be a lone wolf at work.

She tells Elaine as much, electing to take on another rookie so she can help them make better choices. This may be an important step for Athena as she may soon be at the point where she needs to think about retirement. But for now, the best thing for her to do is help where she can with those around her.

Even though it looks like this is the message the show was sending, it was such a jarring choice to have it occur in the wake of an officer-involved shooting. A situation where Athena needed to come to terms with how her position at work is changing as she gets further along in age could have gone in different ways. 

It was a bit hard to figure out exactly what the goal was, especially if it was to have Athena take on a different role on the job. 

Brad Torrence from "Hotshots" is not done with Bobby just yet

As for her husband, Bobby had to once again deal with the Hotshots crew when Brad began having difficulties with Vincent Gerrard as a tech advisor. He wanted Bobby back, but he refused to leave the 118 again.

Instead, Bobby offered to help talk to Gerrard about toning down his attitude. Although considering how long Gerrard has gone to be a jerk without changing his mindset, it feels like this is a tall ask for Bobby. Gerrard also appeared to just be whiny at the thought of losing his cushy job. 

Bobby had dinner with Brad to attempt to work things out, but then Brad showed his true colors when he verbally berated a waitress. As Bobby tore into him, he unknowingly went viral for going off on him since he was being recorded without his knowledge.

Just when we thought we saw the last of Brad that was not the case. He was in awe of Bobby’s tirade and decided to come to shadow Bobby at work with the Chief’s blessings.

Is Buck's break up permanent or is there still a possibility for closure or a reunion?

Buck’s break up in the last episode was also mentioned as the bereaved firefighter was not coping. Whenever he thought about calling Tommy, he would bake…and bake…and bake. By the time Maddie and Chimney came over for dinner, he had baked at least over a dozen loaves of bread and Baked Alaska…which takes 10 or so hours to make.

It’s clear he is not doing well and keeps wondering if he should call Tommy. Maddie and Chimney aren’t much help, telling him that he should look toward the future. But it is clear Buck misses him. Then at the firehouse, after he makes lunch for everyone, Buck sees Tommy starting to text him.

He gets excited but then disappointed when the speech bubble goes away. Even though he wants to call Tommy, both Hen and Eddie try to prevent him from doing so. It makes sense they are just protecting Buck since he did get dumped. Although, they didn’t seem too against the idea of Tommy reaching out. Is there a possibility that Tommy and Buck could eventually cross paths again?

In the past, we’ve never seen Buck mourn his relationships. Sure, he had trouble letting go of Abby, but he never got true closure until season 3. Then his relationships with Taylor and Natalie were done without fanfare while his season 2 relationship with Ali fizzled and we didn’t see him in the aftermath.

So it does look like there is a chance we could see a reconciliation. Whether they do get back together or have the closure both men need is still up in the air. There is still some hope to be had, but we do want to see Buck finally take agency in his own life and decide what to do without anyone standing in the way.

All in all, even though there were parts of the episode that didn’t make complete sense, like why is there a need to see the “Hotshots” set, we still enjoyed seeing what was happening in the lives of the 118. Now we just need to prepare for ourselves as the midseason finale is coming on Thursday, Nov. 21 and then we have to wait until March to see the rest of the season.

Honorable Mentions:

• Buck made Baked Brie because Maddie loved it, but she declined. Considering the only time she declined in the past was when she was pregnant with Jee, Buck figured out quickly that she was pregnant again. Cue an adorable group hug between Buck, Maddie, and Chimney!
• Uncle Buck made an appearance and anytime we see him with Jee, it’s the cutest thing in the world. We hope to see him with his new niece or nephew as well!
• Eddie playing keep away with Buck’s phone may have been out of a desire to prevent his friend from doing something that could cause him pain, but it made both him and Buck look like children as they fought over it. Let’s not take Buck’s phone again for all our sakes, especially Eddie’s ankle!
• While we loved to see Hen, Eddie, and Buck teasing Bobby, Chimney was missing from the group scenes at the station! Was he just busy taking care of his growing family? What a man!
• We didn’t see Bobby going viral on our bingo card, but it was the funniest thing to witness.
• Athena and Hen got to have a scene together! We missed their scenes so much!

Watch 911 on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC. You can also catch up on previous episodes on Hulu.

Make sure to stay tuned to Precinct TV for more coverage of 911.