9-1-1 Season Premiere Review: Under Pressure (Season 2 Episode 1)

With a series of explosive chain reaction events, 9-1-1 Season 2 Episode 1, “Under Pressure,” proves that the writers are more than ready for the pressures of standing up to expectations.

One of the great things about this show is its realistic look at everyday heroes and the job they face, day in and day out. It’s never over-the-top or reaching for that shock or awe.

The episode starts off slow and average — to be honest, it’s even a bit boring. However, within minutes, we are reminded of why we fell for this show in the first place. It catches you off-guard and asks you to react within a split second.

Even if you aren’t one of the firefighters or cops, you are transported into the emergencies and made to feel like they are within your world, your realm. You have to make a decision.

Maddie: We all feel pressure, but it’s how you respond that matters.

This “pressure” sentiment doesn’t get spoken aloud until the very end, but it plays out throughout the episode.

It’s in the feud between Buck and newcomer Eddie. It’s in the unease of Bobby and Athena’s burgeoning relationship. It crackles between Maddie and her brother, Buck, like a fuse about to explode.

The pressure to react, to perform, to succeed is all around us. And it’s all around our heroes as they live their lives while saving others.

Some withstand the pressure with no problem, while others crack. We really get to experience what it’s like to crack under pressure through Athena’s story.

It’s not exactly clear, at first, why she doesn’t want her relationship with Bobby exposed. However, during an intense (albeit necessary) discussion with Bobby, we discover that she feels like a failure.

That pressure to succeed (as both a leader and a hero) in a world where African-American women are still seen as slightly less-than drives Athena’s every decision.

We saw a bit of it last season with her divorce, but nothing like this. She finally puts it all out there for us to see, and we want to do everything we can to reassure her.

Michael: If he makes you happy, then why not be happy? You deserve it.

At this moment, Michael is the viewers. He is our voice to Athena.

The beauty and nuance of 9-1-1 is its ability to draw us into each of these characters and make us feel like we are them. We are the heroes in the story, both onscreen and in our personal lives.

It is my hope that Maddie will get her moment to be her own hero. After all, she has already broken free of her abuser. That’s the first and most important step.

It’ll be interesting to see how she does moving forward. I have high hopes for her based on the character traits we’ve already seen from her. She is a voice for all the voiceless abuse victims out there.

Everyday men being heroes is another one of the themes in this solid second season return. It is spoken about frequently and by many different characters.

Eddie reassures his patient, the live grenade guy, that serving in the military isn’t the only way to be a hero.

Eddie: Not all heroes serve on the battlefield.

What exactly is the battlefield? A strong case can be made for LA being its own version of a battlefield. This is something that Buck realizes as he watches Eddie (who he feels is encroaching on his turf) pull a live round out of the man’s leg.

Eddie’s words ring true for Buck too. Buck spends most of the episode trying to reassure himself and his coworkers that he’s still a hero in his own tale, despite the glaring wall of denial he’s built up about the end of his relationship.

It’s my hope that Eddie will continue to teach Buck what it really means to be a hero — that it’s not all flash and theatrics. Simply holding someone’s hand and reassuring them that they will be fine is heroic in the eyes of many.

Speaking of being heroic, we can’t let this opportunity pass by without mentioning Chimney.

In case you’d forgotten, last season Chim miraculously survived a steel rod being rammed through his brain in an accident. He didn’t lose any of his core functions in the ordeal and is able to remain a trusted EMT on the firehouse team.

“Under Pressure” shows Chim’s insecure side. He doesn’t feel he lives up to the hero status of his peers. In fact, it goes as far as him deleting all of his potential calendar nomination photos.

Chim wants to be the hero that he desperately wanted to see as a child, but he lacks the confidence to put himself out there. It’s my hope that this season will allow Chim to grow in himself.

If the current climate for authentic, honest Asian-American roles is anything to go on, I do believe we may get an expansion of Chimney’s character.

I also believe Kenneth Choi is perfect for this story. He gives Chim that optimistically hopeful energy that makes us care about and love the character. It makes Chim’s struggles and insecurities that much more real and present.

If Chim is our hero, then the shining moment of the whole episode is Hen swooping in to silently and invisibly save the day. She’s always in the background being the hero we never know about.

Hen: Not some picture of you trying to be a damn hero. But one of you actually being one.

This moment seals the deal for me on how much I love Hen. She has all the marks of being an honest, loyal, and true friend. She does things for the betterment of others, not to be seen by everyone.

While there are definitely commendable qualities in each of our first responders, the qualities that truly stand out are precisely the ones that are trying to go undetected. For that, Hen is queen.

As 9-1-1 so subtly, yet blatantly, tells us: heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and forms. What matters most is appreciating them when they come along, because it could make a difference in how they see themselves.

Some, like Buck, mask their insecurities and loneliness with the job, basking in the glory of it all.

Still others, like Eddie and Bobby, let their hero out in little kindnesses all day long.

Then there are the heroes, Chim and Hen, who work silently and with little acknowledgment.

No two heroes are the same. And if “Under Pressure” is any indication of how the rest of the season is going to go, we are surrounded by the greatest ones.

Further Thoughts:

• It’s great to see Michael and Athena at the stage in their relationship where they can be friends. It’s hard to believe they finally made it here after such a stressful ride last season.
• I believe the dynamics to watch this season are going to be: Buck/Eddie, Buck/Maddie, and Bobby/Athena.
• The new additions to the cast fit in seamlessly. It’s as if they’ve always been there.
• Based on the premiere’s character focus, I do believe this season is Chim and Buck’s time to shine.

What did you think of this episode of 9-1-1? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Catch up with our review of last season’s finale, 9-1-1 Season 1 Episode 10, “A Whole New You,” right here.

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9-1-1 airs Mondays at 9/8c on FOX. Be sure to catch Part 2 of the Season 2 Premiere on Monday, September 25th at 9/8c on FOX!

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