911 season 8, episode 8 midseason finale establishes a possible exit for one member of the 118

The midseason finale of 911 certainly had its moments, but for the most part, it felt like it was missing the action and cohesiveness that came with an episode we would expect to see before going into a three-month hiatus.

In the episode, “Wannabes,” we mainly saw the focus on Brad Torrence, who was shadowing Bobby and the rest of the 118. The meta concept of the television show “Hot Shots,” was fun for a while, but we really weren’t sure how Brad fit into the world of 911.

Plus, he seemed to get in the way more than anything, getting too excited to rescue a woman but not taking into account that he needed to wait for the actual firefighters to make sure she didn’t have a spinal injury before moving her.

We did get some depth from Brad, learning from a scene with Eddie that he was estranged from his son. While the scene was touching and allowed Eddie to see that he couldn’t continue to let the gap between him and Christopher grow, we do wish we could have seen him come to this realization with someone closer to him, like Bobby or Hen or Buck.

Is a member of the 118 really being set up to leave after the 911 midseason finale?

However, sometimes it helps to have someone who is removed from the situation to talk to about these things. Brad did also show he was useful in another way, saving a man who was about to jump off a bridge.

The calls weren’t as exciting as they usually are, and it was hard to connect with what was happening. Plus, we’re really missing the camaraderie of the 118. It feels so different from what we’re used to seeing with the team, especially in terms of talking with each other about what is happening in their lives.

Athena also had a decent plot line in which she dealt with an individual named Graham, who was essentially a cart cop, someone who made sure that customers put their carts in the cart rack once they were done shopping. Unfortunately, the cart cop was assaulted, leading Athena and Detective Rick Romero to work together to find out what happened.

As it turned out, one of the store employees didn’t like that someone was basically allowing customers to put carts away instead of leaving them around the parking lot for him, so he assaulted the kid in question. But despite all of this, Athena still helped him by getting him a job with the store so he could take care of the carts themselves.

This was a silly case, especially since it is only natural to want carts to be in one place so you can bring them inside easily back into the store if you do this kind of job, but at the same time, we’re glad to see Graham will have the chance to keep doing what he loves to do without getting beat up.

What is in store for the characters in the second half of the season?

Then we got to Eddie, who learned that his son was taking part in a chess tournament and was doing things that meant he was settling into life in El Paso. It caused Eddie to reconsider where he was in life and he began looking into finding a home in Texas.

This would be a surprising move, taking him away from the 118. Buck came over to his house right before his appointment with a realtor and it was clear that while supportive, his best friend was caught off guard by the news. It’s always hard to face the possibility of losing a friend. But losing a friend right after having a relationship end? That’s a lot to handle.

Plus, the episode hinted that Buck is still not over Tommy. He briefly admits to almost relapsing and calling his ex, thus causing him to bake even more. While it is definitely a weird way to mention still wanting to contact your ex, it does show Buck is still not ready to let go of the relationship. Does this mean there is hope and we can leave the door to a reunion slightly ajar?

With the three-month hiatus ahead, there’s a lot to speculate over for all of the characters involved. We just hope that in that time, the show will allow all of them to grow and develop and take the time to focus on the core characters so they can thrive in an environment that isn’t overshadowed by side plots.

The promo for the next episode is sure to take us on a ride, especially since it involves a serial killer and a pregnant Maddie getting abducted. Is it March yet? Although to be honest, after an intense and unbelievable first half of the season, we’re ready for a break.

911 airs on Thursdays on ABC at 8/7c. You can catch up on previous episodes during the winter hiatus on Hulu.

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