9-1-1 Review: Heartbreaker (Season 1 Episode 6)

On 9-1-1 Season 1 Episode 6, “Heartbreaker,” love is in the air. After this crazy episode only one thing is certain, love hurts.

This whole time, the show has had us invested in the personal lives of Buck and Abby, mostly as separate entities with undertones of combining the two.

Buck: She said yes and then hit him.

Abby: Love hurts.

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to put them together, right?

Honestly, the idea of them going on their first date on Valentine’s Day gives even me, a hopeless romantic, reason to groan. Being invested in these characters means believing that their unique qualities will set them apart from other cliche TV pairings.

However, 9-1-1 decides to go with the most cliche trope of them all.

Buck and Abby, if they are to be taken seriously, deserve better than to be lumped into all those other couples who use Valentine’s Day to their advantage. It’s way sweeter if Buck merely says they don’t have any specific plans but that he wouldn’t turn down a moment to hang out.

I think that Buck is ultimately trying too hard and being disingenuous by taking Abby to a fancy restaurant. While Buck may have been the type to tell a girl “I know people” in the past (for example him having sex with a girl in the fire truck to impress her), in just a few short episodes he’s shown that his feelings for Abby are deeper than that.

The other issue this episode poses is the “too soon”-ness of their coupling.

It would have been more believable and one-of-a-kind for them to have forgone the usual Valentine’s Day traditions. I want to see Abby take a stand and demand a more real experience with Buck.

Carla: For once don’t worry about other people’s wants and feelings.

Abby hasn’t had a man in her life since her break up a year ago. She deserves for this venture to be one of excitement and fun; truth and love. By jumping the gun and moving too fast, she denies herself that experience.

This is not to say their date isn’t cute and romantic. It just lacks the depth and connection we hope for in a couple as unique and fun as Buck and Abby. When Abby first asks Buck to go on a date with her, he turns her down because he’s not ready to date.

Now, only a few episodes and not much time later, he is suddenly okay with going on a date with her on the biggest love day of the year? It just doesn’t feel accurate for either character. It feels like Buck and Abby are giving in to the pressures of the holiday and not really doing what they want.

Who knows, maybe Buck’s brush with death will slow things down a bit once more. It’s not likely based on how he reacts to seeing her once he is out of danger, but one can hope. Buck does tend to be a bit skittish about delving deeper into his emotions, so the chances are looking pretty good.

Bobby: Why don’t you try getting to know her. Just this once. Really get to know her.

It’s clear as day the emergency during Buck and Abby’s date is merely a set up to show Abby’s truly remarkable skills. My only wish is that it would have happened later in the date, or not at all.

This is not saying we don’t want Abby to show off her badass smarts, not at all. It just would have been cool to see the two of them talk about themselves a bit more, get to know one another.

The show should separate out Abby’s continued growth as a hero from her growth in the love department.

I want Buck to be candid with Abby about his problems with sex addiction. Conversely, I want Abby to be open and honest about her struggles with balancing her job and her mom.

These two characters have so much depth and hope to offer each other. This date is a prime opportunity for them to explore it a bit more. 9-1-1 definitely missed the mark with this one.

Bobby: Valentine’s Day rarely ends up like you plan. That’s life. You gotta roll with what comes.

It is nice that the hour ended things with Bobby giving Abby a tone of hope. He truly is the voice of reason, the constant in a sea of uncertainty. It’s nice that they are finally meeting each other.

Their personality types are a perfect offset of everyone else’s on the show. They are both calm and quiet. I think that is why they both help Buck on such a personal level.

Let’s hope that if Buck and Abby start to take things too fast, Bobby will be there to remind them. It’s easy to see him stepping in and giving Buck the advice he needs to take a second look at his actions. After all, he’s done it many times so far.

We can only hope that in the coming episodes Buck and Abby will take things slow and truly explore who they are as individuals before jumping head first into a relationship with each other. They are lovely together, but lets see them grow and heal a bit first.

Other LOVELY thoughts:

• Hen coming up to Abby at the party and giving her the 20 questions is cute. It shows that she really loves Buck and wants what is best for him.
• Once again, Bobby is the king of advice. However, I want to give him a bit of a hug knowing what I know about his family.
• Chimney is back? WHAT? I know they explain it as a “miracle,” but I am highly disappointed with this move. It’s not that believable in my book.
• That Athena. I am so glad to see her back in action. But, my heart breaks for her. I’m really glad her family reminded her that Valentine’s Day can be for parents and their children as well. SHE DESERVES TO BE LOVED!

What did you think of this episode of 9-1-1? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below! Catch up with our review of 9-1-1 Season 1 Episode 5, “Point of Origin” right here.

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9-1-1 airs Wednesdays at 8/9c on FOX and will return with all new episodes in 3 weeks on February 28th.

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