9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 18 Review: Intrusive Thoughts

If there is one thing we can say about 9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 18, “Intrusive Thoughts,” it is that the characters definitely bring the drama. One thing that makes this finale fun and unique compared to the other in-universe shows is that it ends on a fade-to-black cliff-hanger.

With strong performances from both Jessica Capshaw and LeAnn Rimes, this finale reminds us that at the center of everything it has always been a fight between two women who love the same man.

The balance of personal drama and interesting emergencies keeps us excited from one moment to the next, anxiously anticipating the next move. And while nothing about the storytelling is truly in-depth it is still a fun time.

Blythe Hart Has Met Her Match, But She’s Not Backing Down

From the start of this season Capshaw has always given her all to ensure Blythe Hart has a few of sharp edges underneath her Southern charm. As the season progressed, those edges got sharper and sharper.

Now, we are confronted with Dixie’s threat of exposing Blythe’s less than stellar past, and those edges are making her that much more captivating. Blythe’s life is crumbling around her and she is desperate to keep her good name intact, but it doesn’t last long.

After a heated conversation with her ex, Patrick, Blythe is moments from paying Dixie the money she demanded to keep her tracks unreleased. However, she needed to be reassured by her father first, which is a conversation we are all glad she decided to have.

The great thing about Blythe’s conversation with her father is that he reminds her their prestige and influence is as much of an asset as anything. He reminds her that she is his and her mother’s daughter, meaning she should never roll over and surrender.

During this conversation it truly feels like all Blythe is going to do is come up with some way to discredit Dixie so that her release barely gets noticed. Fortunately for all of us, her actual solution is so much juicier.

While her wealth and privilege make what she does possible it is still a fun twist we don’t necessarily see coming. Buying out Dixie’s contract so that she doesn’t have a label, ergo can’t release her album, is genius.

Cammie Has a Heart to Heart

Outside of the Don/Blythe/Dixie triangle of mess, the rest of the family is having impactful moments of their own. One such situation that resonates beyond the run time of the episode is Cammie’s call with the jumper on the overpass.

She’s always been an empathetic dispatcher, but this call in particular goes above and beyond. She gets extremely personal with the woman in order to help her, which seems to help Cammie a bit herself.

Cammie’s grief over her husband has been an undercurrent to her character this whole time, but to hear her talk about him in this moment warms our heart. Kimberly Paisley-Williams completely nails every little micro-expression and nuance of Cammie’s grief as she attempts to talk the woman down.

When she thinks the woman successfully jumped, the fear in her eyes is palpable. We can all tell just how much fear she holds that once again she was unable to prevent someone’s death.

It is one of those moments that will stick with you forever. Those moments of fear as the woman’s body freefalls and then it pans out and we see that she has landed on the top of a truck, very much alive.

I think we all took a collective sigh of relief in that moment, not just Cammie.

What this scene tells us is that Cammie’s at her best when she’s showing her own vulnerability. It allows her to be calm, collected, and most of all human. 

Ryan and Sam Have Some Hard Decisions to Make

Finally, the family drama turns to Ryan and Sam, who have now reached 10 weeks gestation with their pregnancy. It is clear from the get go that Sam is 100% in while Ryan is a bit more hesitant.

He’s still excited and happy about the potential child, but his insecurities about Sam’s health are weighing much more heavily. This causes some discord between them, which is to be expected when bad news happens.

Sam knows what she wants and isn’t willing to waver on that decision. Unfortunately, that decision is the opposite of how Ryan feels. 

When we talk about stellar performances for this episode, Mackenzie Porter shines. It isn’t easy to portray a woman who is going through multiple struggles and unknowns while keeping a positive outlook.

However, Porter nails it with an ease that forces us to trust her convictions. Even before Ryan is willing to hear her out and stand by her decision, we as an audience are backing her. All because Porter makes it hard to disagree with her.

There is something to be said about a woman who knows being a mom is her path in life and therefore will stop at nothing to accomplish that. Nothing is going to stop Sam, not even potential cancer.

Having an emergency that centers on a mom saving her child against impossible odds to open Ryan’s eyes is actually perfect. It’s the best way the writers could’ve created a pathway for Ryan to have a change of heart.

He needed to reach that point on his own without someone else convincing him to support her decision. Watching a mom do everything in her power to keep her baby alive, is that exact moment of realization he needed.

Watching him go home to Sam and tell her he’s got her back is so satisfying and a moment of relief for us all. It shows that these two love each other enough to go through even the hardest of situations together, should they have to.

Unfortunately, we will have to wait for Season 2 to find out just what her fate is — cancer or no cancer.

 

 

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

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