9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Hell and High Water

9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 2, “Hell and High Water,” is a perfectly executed series premiere follow-up.

From beginning to end, the episode is well-paced, eloquently allowing for proper growth in each respective area.

Not only does “Hell and High Water” spend the perfect amount of time jumping back and forth between the different plot points, but it really hammers in the importance of family.

Tornado Touchdown, Part 2

While 9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” primarily focuses on setting the scene and acquainting our main characters, this time around, they’re given their time to shine.

Cammie is a beast in the operator’s chair, flawlessly keeping Lucy calm and collected when she and her mother, Angela, are trapped.

The downed power lines on top of their cellar door are not even the worst of it, as the anxiety and stress force Angela into labor. That leaves Lucy with the duty of helping deliver her baby sister.

Throughout the 9-1-1 franchise, we’ve seen many instances of pregnant women needing to be saved, and/or having births due to traumatic events. However, we’ve yet to see an amniotic sac being ripped open and a baby given mouth-to-mouth before.

It’s refreshing to see new, never-before-seen scenarios in a franchise that prides itself on its ingenuity and jaw-dropping moments week by week.

A Shocking Experience

While I am enjoying the series so far, making high-stakes decisions this early on, with Don being electrocuted by lightning, almost feels too sudden.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to explore this new route and watch how it will affect Don’s life down the line. However, it’s sort of like a cop out because Chris O’Donnell is the face of the series. There’s no way he’s about to be killed off within three episodes.

It would likely be ten times more convincing as a traumatic moment, keeping fans on their toes, if it were someone else in the 113 to get electrocuted.

Nonetheless, no matter what’s taken from “Hell and High Water,” there’s inexplicably no denying that the familial aspects at play are some of the best. Michael Provost and Hunter McVey both deliver some exceptional performances working alongside one another.

As I sung her praises above, I’ll do it yet again. Cammie locking in the moment she hears about Don and getting an entire pathway shut down for Taylor to reach the hospital while debris covers roadways is one of the most exhilarating moments of the episode.

“I Will Cut A Bitch”

After falling in love with Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins on Grey’s Anatomy, it’s so lovely to see her on another network TV series. 

The chemistry between Jessica Capshaw and Chris O’Donnell only continues to grow, and I’m thankful for that.

If Don and Blythe are meant to be the Athena and Bobby of this 9-1-1 universe, they have some major shoes to fill, and it won’t be an easily tamed feat for dedicated fans.

Blythe: If that’s what you want, I support it. But if she pulls anything shady, I will cut a bitch.

Capshaw hasn’t fully been allowed to showcase her acting range yet, but we do get a glimpse when her character confronts Dixie, adding depth to the overall story between these half-family members.

Can it Get Any Worse?

After discovering a long-lost half-brother and being forced to work alongside him, Ryan is already uncomfortable and trying to cope with the situation.

Now, he has to add a failing marriage and a father on his deathbed to the mix as well. Can things get any worse?

On a serious note, Ryan is in the trenches and has been truly going through it. It says a lot about his character that he hasn’t let that fester inside him and lash out at Blue.

Again, family is a central key of this series, which is why Taylor and Roxie’s embrace with Ryan when they overhear Samantha serve him divorce papers is so heart-warming.

It’s the little things, like a fresh pair of socks on a cold night and a cup of cocoa to warm you up, that mean the most.

There’s Something Missing

One thing to note, so far, is the apparent lack of inclusion of the police aspect.

Sure, we have Cammie, who’s a 911 operator, but she’s not someone on the force who is actively going to these crime scenes and putting her life on the line.

One of the key aspects that has kept the 9-1-1 franchise so popular is its ability to flesh out the working relationship between the three departments.

After 9-1-1‘s Athena Grant and 9-1-1: Lone Star‘s Carlos Reyes, it feels unbalanced for there not to be anyone in this spin-off.

I’m also still patiently waiting for the introduction of some LGBTQIA+ characters in the sea of heterosexuals. The series, so far, isn’t sticking true to the usual tradition of having a queer person in the main cast.

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I hoped more thought-out, jaw-dropping moments, and boy, does this episode deliver. From a young teen delivering her mother’s baby, to the water tower save where Taylor and Ryan almost lose a patient, but prevail in the end.

When it comes to an ensemble TV series, one of the most dire key points of success is being able to breeze through the many different stories happening at once, without it feeling like too much is thrown at the audience.

That’s an issue that 9-1-1: Nashville is avoiding so far, and I hope to see it continue throughout the series.

Stray Thoughts:

• It’s evident Dixie isn’t thinking about the well-being of her son. She’s vindictive and willingly kept him from his father his whole life until it benefited her, all in the name of being petty. I look forward to some real character growth from her because right now, she’s unappealing.
• I do feel bad for Blue. He’s only trying his best to connect with Don, but his embracing Ryan only after their heroic save proves that Don isn’t there quite yet.

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What did you think of this episode of 9-1-1: Nashville? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

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

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