9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 3 Review: The Sky is Falling

Where 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 2, “Spiraling,” struggled to keep the balance between Earth and space, 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 3, “The Sky is Falling,” nails it perfectly.

In fact, the greatest thing about this episode isn’t the emergencies themselves but the characters. More specifically, the Black female characters who have carried this show in the background for so long.

Now, they’ve been given the spotlight, and man, do they deliver. So, let’s break it all down to give them each their due.

Karen Leads the Charge of Getting the Everyday Heroes Home

We said this last week, but it bears repeating. Tracie Thoms is killing it this season as Karen. For the first time ever, this woman’s career is more important than her wife’s.

Not only is Karen able to stay calm, despite hearing Tripp Hauser go on the news and declare those in space to be lost, but she also has a brain that is working two steps ahead of everyone else. Pairing her up with the equally brilliant Maddie to devise a plan to remain in contact with those in the pod is a stroke of genius from the writers.

Karen knows that what the folks in space need is a calm, steady voice giving them direction. She puts aside her fears for the life of her wife and best friend in order to deliver on that promise.

She knows that when they lose their own escape hatch, the group’s only choice to stay alive is getting to the ISS. This woman may have always dreamed of going to space, but you can’t deny that saving lives in space from the ground is just as awesome, if not more so.

Thoms delivers a strength in Karen that is more than needed, as it appears others are giving up. Not, Karen. She’s come too far to lose everything she holds dear.

I’m already betting big money that in the end she’s going to be the one who manages to get everyone home, safe and sound.

May and Mara Spearhead Turning the 118 into a Shelter/Makeshift Triage Center

The other duo on the ground making waves is May and Mara. First and foremost, we have to say for Mara to go from a terrified, mute child to someone who is calm, collected, and caring under pressure is beautiful. 

This is a child who has so much trauma in her past that no one would judge her if this situation, potentially losing her mom, would stop her in her tracks. Instead, she is just as energized as ever, holding pressure on a head wound while throwing snark at her brother.

It’s great to see her step up to the plate and help her community, especially when being let down by her community is something she’s very familiar with. Everything about Mara points toward her not being a frontrunner in a crisis, but here she is shoulder to shoulder with May, asking who they can help next.

May has always been a calm presence in a crisis. I mean, we’ve seen her help apply pressure to a wound in a car accident, work at dispatch, and keep everyone focused when the dispatch center caught fire. 

However, this time she’s the true leader. She’s telling Maddie what they should do with the empty 118. It is May who is walking around keeping people organized and making sure everyone in the community who needs help is getting it.

And it all started with May knowing the best way to close a woman’s head wound is with a very tight braid. When Hen and Athena get back on solid ground, they are going to be so damn proud of their strong, steady daughters.

Athena and Hen Keep Everyone Grounded

Speaking of Hen and Athena. These two women are probably the only ones in the pod who would survive a zombie apocalypse at this point.

Hen’s training as a firefighter and a paramedic is coming in handy at the most unique moments this entire episode. Between her knowledge of human anatomy and quick fixes, and Athena’s ability to think on her toes, they make it to the ISS mostly unscathed.

Sure, Kern finally steps in toward the end and shows he actually can be an astronaut, no matter how much time has passed, but it is truly Hen and Athena who get them to a safer location.

When Parker is freaking out, it’s Athena’s no-nonsense attitude that manages to calm him down. She has no f*cks left to give, and it shows.

This reckless side of her might become a problem in the next episode, but for now, it’s exactly what 9-1-1 needed to bring more life into the space portions of this episode. I mean, shoving Parker out the hatch to space walk over to the ISS is risky, but it works in this setting.

She truly says, “not on my watch,” as the tech kid freaked out and depleted the last of his oxygen. It’s so fun to watch Angela Bassett in the most ridiculous of situations because that’s when Athena’s most natural state comes out.

At the end of the day, if her cooler head hadn’t prevailed, some of them would still be floating in a space pod, losing oxygen by the second.

Stray Thoughts:

• Chim saying, “I’ve been waiting months for this Interim Captain thing to end. I think this’ll do it,” had us smiling from ear to ear. That’s the only person I would accept taking Bobby’s place.
• Eddie reminds Chim that just because a choice isn’t nice doesn’t mean it isn’t the best one. Love to see his Army training coming in during this crisis.
• On that note, Chim telling Cal that his wife can blame Chim because it was his decision and he should shoulder the blame was a beautiful way to honor the legacy of Bobby Nash. That’s exactly what Bobby would’ve said.
• Harry is a source of comfort for Cal. Oh yeah, they are setting him up to be a helper in some way, most likely a firefighter.
• May and Harry mentioning their parents teaching them things that are helpful in a crisis. Gosh I love this family.
• “Your wife suggested it.” “I bet she did.” Chim knows he can’t control Maddie even if he tried. And he loves it. The Buckley-Hans are true love.
• Okay, I see you roping in the dispatcher from 9-1-1: Nashville

 

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

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