9-1-1 Review: Fools (Season 3 Episode 12)

It’s true what they say: “love is blind.” Throughout 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 12, “Fools,” people learn that lesson the hard way, but ultimately come out the other side much better off.

This is one of 9-1-1‘s more emotion-driven episodes that, while enjoyable to watch, doesn’t necessarily move any of the stories forward. It’s not a bad way to go, but I fear it will ultimately make this episode forgettable within the landscape of the series as a whole.

To be honest, Eddie and Christopher — and Carla by proxy — are the stars of this episode. And quite frankly, if we have nothing more than them for the whole hour it would be a 5-star episode. 

It’s unfair to anyone else on the episode when Christopher is around because not only is he an adorable kid, but the actor — Gavin McHugh — really brings forth a vulnerability that outshines anyone else. It’s easy for Christopher’s story to turn into inspiration porn, but I feel that this episode really draws his story away from that.

9-1-1 really drives home that Eddie is the kind of father who never wants to limit his kid — no matter who he is — which is great but can also be hindering at times. It is encouraging to see Buck work through Eddie’s thoughts on the whole situation with him.

If we are being honest, that whole exchange between Buck and Eddie is one of the greatest things about their friendship. Whenever Eddie becomes too clouded by his love for his son, Buck is there to remind him that what he’s doing isn’t entirely wrong, but he needs to approach it from a different angle. 

For example — yes, Eddie is right to not let Christopher’s CP define and limit him; however, he does need to let Christopher know that he can’t do everything. And the way that 9-1-1 chooses to write that is hands down the best father and son exchange I have seen on television in years.

Eddie is a wonderful father because he continues to learn and grow with his son instead of for his son. Yes, he tries to protect Christopher — and sometimes lets that get the best of him — however, he doesn’t take charge and put Christopher in a bubble, either.

In short, Eddie lets Christopher be a kid and learn as he grows that he may be different but that doesn’t mean he can’t be just like his friends.

The greatest thing Eddie does for Christopher on this episode is when he tells him that he’s always game for Christopher to try new things, but maybe they should do it together until Christopher is older. That leads him to find a way for Christopher to really experience a skateboard as he wants. 

When 9-1-1 first introduces Christopher to their audiences during Season 2, it really teetered on the edge of being more about inspiring others than about depicting him as a kid. In fact, Esme details these issues in her article right here.

As Season 3 has progressed, Christopher has become more of a singular character and not only used to inspire those around him. In fact, I would venture to say that he is becoming an educator to his father on how to be a better dad. 

It’s all about trust, and 9-1-1 still has a ways to go with Christopher, but “Fools” pushes it ever forward which is a good sign.

Josh — Maddie’s 9-1-1 operator friend — is learning the hard way that love is far from easy. Despite chastising online dating when the episode begins he manages to still trust someone online enough to go on a date with them.

To be clear, I am #TeamJosh all the way and so I too feel blindsided when his date turns out to be nothing more than fraud. Josh deserves all the love in the world and one of the biggest hugs.

It’s just disheartening to see him do the exact opposite of what he’s trained to do, which is to report emergencies properly. He doesn’t want to face the humiliation, which is understandable, but he deserves to let the police handle the situation.

Based on his behavior toward Maddie when he comes back to work, I am inclined to think he is going to try and exact his own sense of justice. That isn’t smart and could get him hurt even worse — let’s hope our intuition is wrong.

I also hope that this doesn’t cause Josh to pull away from any kind of dating because he deserves to feel loved and appreciated. The other way this could go is he becomes paranoid or traumatized in some other way and it affects his ability to do his job.

Josh has me hopeful that he truly is fine and able to move on from this whole thing. He is Maddie’s light in the darkness — maybe now it is her turn to return the favor.

Whatever the way forward is for Josh, it is clear that he let his eagerness for a “love connection” to influence his judgment of the whole situation.

My one complaint about Josh’s storyline is that I’m so sick of gay-bashing being a storyline on shows with queer characters. I’m aware that it still happens but, is it really necessary to add drama or emotionality to a character’s arc? 

I guess I’m just tired. There are so many other ways 9-1-1 could’ve executed the disaster level of Josh’s date. Does it really have to get violent?

Based on the preview for the next episode, maybe the violence against Josh is necessary and will play into the events coming up. 

Further Thoughts

• Carla needs to be a regular on the show. She doesn’t take crap from anybody and adds a little bit of spice to the episode whenever she’s around.
• The lady with the bullet in her head keeps getting more and more twisted, but ultimately I wouldn’t blame her if she’d shot her husband. He’s a real piece of work.
• So nice to see that the internet sensations with the cement head from Season 2 are back…NOT. What a bunch of idiots.

 

What did you think of this episode of 9-1-1? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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9-1-1 airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX.

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