The 100th episode of 9-1-1 was and will forever be one of the greatest episodes of the show and, in my opinion, one of the best episodes of modern television to date.
The crossover with The Bachelor was a surprise, but not something that came out of left field. The Rookie's crossover with American Idol proved that the network, ABC doesn't shy away from promoting its content; this is good news, in my eyes, because it means, also, that they aren't interested in shying away from the content of the show. It would be easy for them to say, "okay. We need the views, so even if we don't agree with the story, we will give it to you. We will, however, also not promote it or engage with it. Maybe it'll die on its own."
This is what happened when the show was on Fox. The show, the cast members, they were being put inside a box much too small for its viewership, and refused to play around with telling the stories the audience - and evidently, the actors - wanted told.
In four short episodes, ABC has made it abundantly clear that they aren't interested in stifling the show.
Buck, Bothered and Bewildered has already made a lasting impact on not only its core viewers, but on people who haven't watched the show. Twitter/X users flocked to the social media platform to share their thoughts on it, many of which have spoken about either committing to watching the show now in light of Evan Buckley (Oliver Stark)'s kiss with Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.).
Another interesting way this episode has touched people is by reaching the Supernatural fans - more specifically, the fans that rooted for a relationship between Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins)'s characters. Fans of Destiel were baited throughout the series just to get the untimely confession they waited for before it was unapologetically ripped from their hands moments later.
There is a large cross section of fans of both 9-1-1 and Supernatural that worried (and perhaps still do) that they would be led on during the show's run and let down in the end - again.
This episode has, without a doubt, changed the trajectory of network television.
Another thing that makes this episode wonderful was how delicately the story was told. It wasn't rushed, it wasn't started and finished in the same breath. The ending scene of the show only really unlocked the story of Evan "Buck" Buckley. For the first time, Buck is about to learn who he really is.
Will Tommy be around forever? No. But his character (as well as Lou Ferrigno Jr.'s portrayal of him) will have an impact on the show that cannot be quantified.
And Oliver Stark's now-canonically queer Evan "Buck" Buckley joins the ranks of other wonderfully LGBTQ+ characters in media, welcomed with open arms by the very community he represents - and allies, as well.
And that, in my opinion, is what a milestone episode is all about.
I would be remiss if I didn't take the time to talk about Angela Bassett's Athena Grant and the fierce woman they are on and off screen. Without them, the show wouldn't exist, and her character arc during this episode was perfect. It had her wondering if she could be a mother and a cop, it had her questioning if she was doing either job right. It had her take a minute to think about how she should approach the volatile situation with her son, Harry, who was in trouble with the law. I do also think she handled that situation expertly, and that she repaired what had clearly been a fractured relationship between the two of them for years, whether she realized it or now.
The only thing I wanted out of the episode was more of Peter Krause's Bobby Nash and Aisha Hinds' Hen Wilson, but I have faith that we will get more of them in 7x05 to make up for it.
Tim Minear, the writers, Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lou Ferrigno Jr. You have all set the standard. Congratulations on excellent TV.
The crossover with The Bachelor was a surprise, but not something that came out of left field. The Rookie's crossover with American Idol proved that the network, ABC doesn't shy away from promoting its content; this is good news, in my eyes, because it means, also, that they aren't interested in shying away from the content of the show. It would be easy for them to say, "okay. We need the views, so even if we don't agree with the story, we will give it to you. We will, however, also not promote it or engage with it. Maybe it'll die on its own."
This is what happened when the show was on Fox. The show, the cast members, they were being put inside a box much too small for its viewership, and refused to play around with telling the stories the audience - and evidently, the actors - wanted told.
In four short episodes, ABC has made it abundantly clear that they aren't interested in stifling the show.
Buck, Bothered and Bewildered has already made a lasting impact on not only its core viewers, but on people who haven't watched the show. Twitter/X users flocked to the social media platform to share their thoughts on it, many of which have spoken about either committing to watching the show now in light of Evan Buckley (Oliver Stark)'s kiss with Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.).
Another interesting way this episode has touched people is by reaching the Supernatural fans - more specifically, the fans that rooted for a relationship between Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins)'s characters. Fans of Destiel were baited throughout the series just to get the untimely confession they waited for before it was unapologetically ripped from their hands moments later.
There is a large cross section of fans of both 9-1-1 and Supernatural that worried (and perhaps still do) that they would be led on during the show's run and let down in the end - again.
This episode has, without a doubt, changed the trajectory of network television.
Another thing that makes this episode wonderful was how delicately the story was told. It wasn't rushed, it wasn't started and finished in the same breath. The ending scene of the show only really unlocked the story of Evan "Buck" Buckley. For the first time, Buck is about to learn who he really is.
Will Tommy be around forever? No. But his character (as well as Lou Ferrigno Jr.'s portrayal of him) will have an impact on the show that cannot be quantified.
And Oliver Stark's now-canonically queer Evan "Buck" Buckley joins the ranks of other wonderfully LGBTQ+ characters in media, welcomed with open arms by the very community he represents - and allies, as well.
And that, in my opinion, is what a milestone episode is all about.
I would be remiss if I didn't take the time to talk about Angela Bassett's Athena Grant and the fierce woman they are on and off screen. Without them, the show wouldn't exist, and her character arc during this episode was perfect. It had her wondering if she could be a mother and a cop, it had her questioning if she was doing either job right. It had her take a minute to think about how she should approach the volatile situation with her son, Harry, who was in trouble with the law. I do also think she handled that situation expertly, and that she repaired what had clearly been a fractured relationship between the two of them for years, whether she realized it or now.
The only thing I wanted out of the episode was more of Peter Krause's Bobby Nash and Aisha Hinds' Hen Wilson, but I have faith that we will get more of them in 7x05 to make up for it.
Tim Minear, the writers, Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lou Ferrigno Jr. You have all set the standard. Congratulations on excellent TV.
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