9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 11 Review: Holy Mother of God

Buck and Bobby are going through deep emotional upheaval during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 11, “Holy Mother of God.” After years of estrangement, Bobby comes into contact with his family, and Buck deals with needing to replace Eddie in his social circle.

If you think this episode is here to be completely serious, you don’t know this show at all. Despite these emotional moments, the episode’s overall feel is more comedic. 

9-1-1 has been good at balancing intensity with brevity since the beginning. The last two episodes centered on an intense situation with Maddie’s kidnapping.

Now, we are watching as Bobby has to come clean about his Megachurch Religious Leader Mom, and Buck spirals as he tries to befriend Ravi and comes into contact with his ex, Tommy. On top of it all, Aisha Hinds steps out of the director’s gate with a spectacularly shot and directed episode to cleanse our palates.

Bobby, Charlie, and Ann Test Their Faith

Since 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 8, “Step Nine,” we’ve known that Bobby stayed with his father when his mom took Charlie and left. Beyond that, we don’t know Bobby’s relationship with them.

However, since neither of them has been discussed, it’s easy to assume there isn’t one. That becomes even more apparent when Bobby and Athena talk about Ann as they oversee the building of their new home.

We rarely see Bobby get prickly or defensive about anything, but something about her gets under his skin from the first moment they interact. And from the looks on everyone’s faces when he’s dismissive about it multiple times, it is clear that he’s not going to willingly open up.

The scene with Bobby and Athena having a sitdown with Charlie and Ann feels so raw and honest. As someone who has a prickly relationship with some of my own family, the feelings felt very true to form for anyone with complicated families.

Peter Krause does a phenomenal job digging deep into Bobby’s deep-seated opinions about his mom and dad. This is all to show that as far as Bobby has come, he was always going to be that young boy caught between his parents when he needed guidance instead.

Bobby’s and his mom’s faith journeys are questioned during their heated discussion. It’s too bad Bobby is standoffish about her because if he weren’t, maybe he’d see that their beliefs aren’t that far off from each other.

The difference is that she swindles people out of money to share that faith with others. I’m not saying Bobby needs to forgive his mom completely, but maybe his apology to her at the end of the episode is a good place to start rebuilding their bond.

Buck Can’t Stop Talking About Eddie

Aside from Chim’s consistent one-liner jokes, the funniest part of this episode is Buck spiraling as he tries to deal with life sans Eddie. It’s great to have Ravi back in the firehouse; we’ve desperately missed him.

Even more so because he gets to be Buck’s sounding board in the most comedic way possible. Buck trying to get Ravi to go with him for a social hangout wouldn’t work with anyone else because Hen, Chim, and Bobby know him too well to cater to his denial.

When Buck compares Ravi to Eddie, it becomes abundantly clear that Buck isn’t able to make a new friend without constantly bringing up the old one. Even Ravi calls him out, though Buck doesn’t realize it, by pointing out that Buck’s worked with Ravi for four years and never showed an interest in him.

The bar scene is much more comedic because Buck is getting drunk, which makes him talk about Eddie all the more. And then there is Tommy.

Ravi can’t escape fast enough, so he dumps Tommy at Buck’s feet. This exchange is interesting for the two former lovers because Buck discovers that Tommy and Eddie stopped being friends ages ago, which makes an impression on Buck despite his inebriation. 

Not only that, you can tell from the look on Tommy’s face that Drunk Buck amuses him.

Tommy and Maddie Point Out the Obvious to Buck — But He’s Still in Denial

On a slightly more serious note, it’s not that surprising that Buck, as drunk and upset about Eddie as he is, sleeps with his ex. Hello, so many people make bad decisions when they are one of these two things; imagine fighting against them both.

It’s sweet to see Tommy go out of his way to get groceries for Buck so that he can cook him breakfast. Despite it all, he’s a person who does care about Buck, which is why he’s the perfect person to call out the obvious.

Oliver Stark pulls no punches when he shows Buck reacting to everything Tommy says regarding their relationship and Buck’s bond with Eddie. The top two moments from this scene are “Now that the competition is out of the way” and “Oookay.” 

It’s evident that when Tommy exits, Buck’s wheels are turning. Oliver shows Buck’s inner turmoil in this scene very well because it’s clear that Tommy has made him realize that this thing with Eddie is bigger than Buck thought.

It’s so beautiful to see Buck seek out his sister for advice about what he’d just done. And while he tries to spin a web of reasons why he’s not in love with Eddie, it’s clear from Maddie’s face that she’s not entirely buying it.

In both moments, Buck comments that he knows Eddie and Chris are never coming back, further solidifying the implication that Buck actually loves Eddie. He feels that his feelings don’t matter because there is nothing he can do about it. After all, Eddie is “straight” (again, I point to Tommy’s “okay”) and won’t ever be coming back to LA.

It’ll be interesting to see if his denial will continue or if, over time, he’ll realize that he needs to choose his own happiness. Perhaps Eddie’s return to LA will push this narrative further. Even if this ends up being a one-sided love situation, I’ll be happy to see Buck admit his feelings.

Stray Quotes of Note:

• So, I guess Buck is the Jesus in this metaphor? – Chim
• I’ve been here for four years! – Ravi
• I don’t have to have sex with everyone I have feelings for, and I don’t have to have feelings for everyone I have sex with. – Buck
• He’s been trying to bury me alive for 42 years. Imagine the life I could’ve had if I’d left sooner. – Woman Buried in the Garden

Further Stray Thoughts:

• Athena in that pantsuit?! SLAY GIRL!
• Aisha killed it! Her directions for all the silly and heartfelt moments did a great job of conveying more than what was being said.
• Poor Ravi! He just wants never to have to hear about Eddie ever again.
• I feel we haven’t seen the last of Ann and Charlie.

 

 

 

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9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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