9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 16 Review: Love to Death
After a deadly and shocking call that reminds her heavily of her late husband’s death, Cammie inserts herself into a murder investigation on 9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 16, “Love to Death.”
We see her address her feeling of loss head-on in her therapy group, giving us another welcoming cameo from Coby Bell’s Agent Turner.
Elsewhere, Blue deals with the fallout of his decision to keep his party at the Harts’.
“Love to Death” is a fast-paced, story-building episode that hits on all points. In addition to proper character building, we see the series continue to escalate the gruesomeness of the calls Station 113 responds to. It’s one of the primary factors in the series that they’ve consistently gotten right and excelled at.
A Key Part in Solving a Murder Investigation
As interesting as Blue and Dixie’s storyline is, it’s a nice change of pace to have Cammie front and center for a good portion of the hour. Cammie is a badass 911 operator and a crucial part of the series’ core plot, which is why it’s nice to see her get more screen time.
Not only that, but both Kimberly Williams-Paisley and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘ Kyle Richards give one hell of a performance.
What begins as a chaotic 911 call ends in tragedy when a woman, Vera, is stabbed to death. Cammie, being who she is, takes it hard, blaming herself for not getting the correct address at first.
It’s that guilt that leads her to attend the woman’s wake and learn more about her family, which turns out to be the key to uncovering the truth.
Kyle Richards plays Aubrey, the doting, mourning sister who only wants justice. Our first interactions with her are a confrontation between her and Vera’s ex-husband, Brian, whom she tries to pass the blame to for Vera’s murder.
Turner and Cammie have proven themselves to be quite the dynamic duo, and their skills come to the rescue yet again. Before Aubrey can succeed with her plan to kill Vera’s daughter, Olivia, and gain access to her fortune, it’s Cammie’s quick thinking and Station 113’s prowess that saves the day.
Plus, like anyone else who enjoys romantic storylines, I’m a sucker for slow burns, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing with Cammie and Turner.
From their tag team on 9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 7, “You’ve Been Boarded,” to Turner getting Cammie to open up in their grief group, and them now helping solve a murder, they continue to prove what a great duo they make.
Cammie’s storyline of grief and healing touches on a sensitive subject that too many people endure, and it deserves to be front and center as often as possible.
An Evolving Relationship
With Dixie maintaining the cold shoulder toward Blue, we’re privy to some quality time with him and Taylor living together and acting like a true couple.
Up until now, we’ve only gotten mere moments dedicated to their fondness for one another, making their time in the spotlight that much more entertaining.
Taylor is quickly cementing herself as a genuinely great partner to Blue. Not only does she allow him to move in, no-questions-asked, but she also meets with Dixie one-on-one and helps get the ball rolling on repairing their relationship.
That’s not all, though. “Love to Death” gives fans a little treat with Taylor’s roommate, Jalen, getting some quality screentime.
The more world-building we see the series do, the better off it’ll be in the long run. As much as these fast-paced, adrenaline-inducing moments bring quite the thrill, it’s the connection with these characters that keeps us coming back.
Overlapping the duties between the fire department, police department, and the paramedics is what made fans fall in love with the 9-1-1 universe, so it’s about time we see that in action more often on 9-1-1: Nashville.
Jalen being in only two episodes so far this season, frankly, is disappointing. His job as a police officer warrants more screen time on its own, but the fact that he’s also Taylor’s roommate only underscores the need to include him more.
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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Cade Taylor
Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.