9-1-1 Nashville Season 1 Episode 8 Review: All Hands

9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 8, “All Hands,” delivers an exceptional outing with a triumphant ending to a daring and suspenseful mini storyline.

Sitting right at the halfway mark of the season, “All Hands” feels like the first outing where we get genuine character development from multiple fronts.

All while not deriving from the main arc, this episode provides a beautiful and genuine bonding moment between the Harts and another instance of Cammie proving how badass she is.

No More Hackers

After upping the ante and increasing the stakes with each attack, the hackers are finally a thing of the past. Not that I wanted continued turmoil wreaking havoc upon the city, I do wish we’d gotten one more outing with the hackers.

Not only does their storyline inevitably force all our main characters to work together in some way, but it also pushes them to their limits and delivers stellar performances.

My only issue with this situation is that Cammie is the one to save the day, but we don’t get to see the most entertaining moment on screen — her spraying Tilda in the face with pepper spray.

This moment is arguably the catalyst that leads Agent Turner and his team learning the information needed to trace everything back to the person behind it all. I understand the series’s decision to add suspense about whether Cammie gets stabbed. But I’d much rather have seen her take Tilda down instead.

One outcome I genuinely hope isn’t just a one-off is the chemistry between Agent Turner and Cammie. Coby Bell is a charismatic actor who brings depth to any project he works on and would be a lovely addition to the cast as a recurring character.

Blythe to the Rescue

While Station 113 focuses on helping the hospital with all the incoming patients in critical condition, Blythe and Edward spend their time in the NICU, helping a baby in need with some company.

If I’m being honest, the entire scenario is a major callback for me to Jessica Capshaw’s time on Grey’s Anatomy as Arizona Robbins. Capshaw is an actress who excels at playing warm, multifaceted characters who can make your life a living hell or bring you the most genuine love you’ve ever felt. It’s nice to get to see her in a hospital setting again.

As I’m sure she does to others, Blythe feels like a comfort character to me. She reminds me of good old hometown values. However, while she is a woman who follows her faith closely, she’s also someone who opens her heart to all.

It helps that Jessica Chapshaw naturally exudes that comforting aura that makes you feel like everything is going to be okay. 

As much as I love the hustle and bustle of the series, I also genuinely enjoy these emotional moments that give us genuine character connections. Up to this point, Edward has been nothing but a pain, constantly belittling Don and taking aim at Blue out of pettiness.

However, on “All Hands,” we get to see a small breakthrough between Edward and Don. When the hospital’s electricity is shut down, and the hackers lock the generators, it’s the 113 who come to the rescue, carrying buckets of gasoline up to the roof.

Without their hard work to get the electricity on, Millie and baby Jude both would have died. Being on site and in the life-or-death moment is what finally opens Edwards’ eyes to just how important the station is.

Instead of only seeing him through the eyes of a father, he finally sees Don as the hero he is every day. Through this, Edward stops his ignorant ways and not only pays the hackers’ ransom to end their attacks, but also anonymously funds the entire budget shortfall for the fire department.

Hopefully, this newfound connection between Edward, Don, and Blythe means less family fighting moving forward.

Stray Thoughts:

• Taylor’s reaction when she learns she has to scrub into the OR is priceless! It’s a rare but much-needed comical moment in an episode otherwise focused on serious life-or-death situations.
• At this point, Taylor feels like one of the few characters we’ve yet to see develop. I hope the series pulls back the curtain more and lets us delve deeper into who she is in the coming weeks.

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

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