911 season 9 episode 5 took us on a journey of grief, loss, and the importance of family and faith. There was a lot that went into this episode, which evoked a range of emotions in us throughout. How did “Dia de Los Muertos” play out for the characters?
The episode focused heavily on the theme of grief, as characters such as Harry, Buck, and Eddie all attempted to find their own way through the loss of Bobby Nash. Harry moved back into Athena’s home and is still waiting to find out if he will be accepted into the Fire Academy.
The room he is in is also the place where Athena stored Bobby’s things that were returned to her upon his death. It was clear they were still holding onto his memories, but things got complicated for Athena when Harry put on Bobby’s turnouts as though it was a Halloween costume.
It was not a smart move on his part, and it made Athena feel that he wasn’t as ready as he thought he was to be a firefighter, something that was important to Bobby and meant something to him. By the end of the episode, though, they had a sweet moment where Harry revealed that she was the main reason he wanted to be a first responder.
Harry did make a mistake, but it makes sense that he has some growing pains as he comes into his own, not only as a young man, but as a potential first responder. It is an important responsibility and a worthwhile job for those who spend their lives running into danger for others. We don’t doubt that people like Buck and the 118 will be good sources of support and guidance for him in the long run.
911 has to figure out what they are doing with Buck's character
Speaking of Buck, we finally got to see his new house! While he is renting it, it is a gorgeous home with what looks to be some new furniture and plenty of space for him to make into his own. Unpacking with his sister Maddie, he reveals he has been trying to replicate Bobby’s snickerdoodle recipe, but can’t find the recipe for one last ingredient he needs.
Buck also thinks something is up with the house since he keeps hearing things at night. Maddie teases it could be ghosts, but Buck brushes that idea off. However, one night while he is asleep, he hears a crash and finds the bowl of cookies broken on the floor, and a jar of cream of tartar on his kitchen counter.
He is excited when his cookies turn out great and shares it with the team. However, everyone seems to brush him off, not believing his idea that Bobby helped him from the beyond. Eddie is slightly open to the idea, but Buck’s excitement dwindles when no one takes him seriously.
Because he is desperate to talk to Bobby, Buck gets a Ouija board, inviting Eddie and Christopher over to try it out. Eddie balks, having changed his mind about the supernatural after rescuing a woman being held captive by a small church and her parents who believed she was taken over by the devil.
Buck gets a visit from Ravi, dressed as Raggedy Andy as he believed they were going to a Halloween party. But he does stick around to help Buck with the Ouija board, despite not believing in it.
When they hear a noise and see a footprint, Ravi helps Buck check the attic, discovering a man squatting inside. It turns out the man, Duane Payton, was a former tenant who disappeared after getting an eviction notice but came back to the house, still thinking it was his.
Buck realizes that he was never talking to Bobby at all, and his grief and anger burst out. His home has also been violated, and he angrily tells Duane he is pressing charges and it is not his house anymore. This was a devastating moment for Buck, who has already had his heart broken multiple times in the last year and felt diminished by people he called his friends.
Even though Ravi didn’t believe it either, he still showed up for Buck and admitted he thought Buck needed to do this. He was there for him as a friend even though they aren’t as close, but it was the closest Buck had to having someone in his corner.
Honestly, it is hard to tell what the writers are doing with Buck. It feels as though he is not allowed to have anyone in his corner, and when he needs support, he gets the brush off. This is something that many fans are critical of, since in season 7, it felt as though Buck was moving forward, with being at ease in his life and having a relationship that was meaningful and gave him happiness. But now it feels as though Buck is not allowed to mature or have someone there for him other than to diminish his feelings.
We hope 911 season 9 will lead to Buck finding a place of ease and happiness, as right now it does feel like Buck is supposed to be the emotional punching bag when there is so much more to him than that. The one thing this episode did right for Buck was having him take a new sign to help Duane after all.
Buck heard a noise in his attic, and when he went up there to clean up the mess he made, he found an AA coin on the floor. Taking it as a sign from Bobby, he met Duane at the police station and offered to help, starting with a meeting. This is something Bobby would have done and Buck has always been the type of person to go above and beyond for people, even when they might not want it.
Eddie's faith guides him through another loss
As for Eddie, his attitude towards someone who is supposed to be his best friend aside, he had an emotional arc that had him looking inward at his faith. After his Tia Pepa and Abuela found his rosary beads and bible from Bobby, they were excited he was making an effort to go to church again. However, Eddie admitted he was still having a hard time knowing how to find his faith.
Even though he started the episode open to it, he still found himself having trouble believing, until he went to church with Abuela. She talked to him about finding faith elsewhere, and we already had a feeling what was going to happen, but it was confirmed later on that Abuela would pass away in her sleep.
Pepa had gone to pick her mother up for church when she found her in bed. She called Eddie, who had just been informed by his son, Christopher, that Abuela had come to him the night before to tell him not to be scared and that she loved him.
Eddie was heartbroken to learn about his Abuela and came to comfort Pepa. While they waited for the funeral home, Eddie suggested they pray. There was a beautiful scene at the end with Eddie and Christopher building an Ofrenda, placing photos of Abuela, Bobby, and Chris’s mother, Shannon, on the table to remember them. It’s not a tradition they have done before, but one Chris suggests they do to always remember their loved ones are in their hearts.
When grief has hit Eddie in the past, he has had a difficult time coping with it. We’ve seen him lash out in his anger and unable to comprehend the meaning of it all. But it seems as though he is on a path to understanding that he can have faith in the love of those around him.
We hope this will lead Eddie on that path to healing and moving forward that he needs. Grief has played a major role in his arc for years now. It is time for Eddie to truly be happy and be the person he knows he can be, for himself and for Christopher.
The next episode of 911 will be the midseason finale, which feels way too soon. However, we only have to wait until January for new episodes! In the meantime, you can catch up on past episodes of the series on Hulu.
911 airs Thursdays on ABC at 8/7c.
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