#kenneth c

So, when I decided to start writing reactions for past episodes, I went back and forth on if whether I wanted them to be like the reactions I’ve written for current seasons. I have ultimately decided I’m going to keep these shorts and have four sections I will focus on in the reaction. They are:

Quick Recap

Observations

Funny Lines

911 Lore

Let’s begin with a quick recap.

Quick Recap

The episode begins where “New Beginnings” left off. Chimney got stabbed by Maddie’s estranged husband Doug who only befriended Chimney to get closer to Maddie. While Chimney lay dying, Doug kidnaps Maddie. Buck shows up at Maddie’s place, finds Chimney bleeding out, and calls 9-1-1. He then goes to look for his sister, but she is gone. Athena, Bobby, and Detective Andy Marks (played by Colby French) arrive at Maddie’s apartment. Side note: One thing I love about this show is its continuity with certain characters. The last time we saw Detective Marks was back in season one when Abby and Athena were investigating a stalker.

Buck steals Chimney’s phone and heads straight to the hospital. He goes to Chimney’s room and uses his fingerprint to unlock the phone. Buck is caught and immediately reprimanded. Sensing that Buck is feeling useless, Athena brings him along to the dispatch center where Josh pulls up Chimney’s call. Josh sees the are calls to Chimney’s phone from someone named Jason. Buck recalls that Chimney has been hanging out with someone new and believes that person is Doug who is using an alias.

Meanwhile, Doug and Maddie pull over at a gas station. Maddie tells Doug she needs to use the restaurant, so he unfastens her restraints and allows her to go inside. Maddie makes use of her privacy by writing a note on a piece of paper she found in the glove compartment. Doug grows impatient and demands Maddie come out of the restroom. Maddie escapes through the restroom window but Jason catches up to her. The gas station attendant (played by Roman Mitchyan) comes to Maddie’s defense, but Doug overpowers him and shoots him dead.

We find out that Doug got rid of his phone by stashing it on a semi-truck. Athena, Buck, and Detective Marks catch up to the driver and Athena asks him if he’s made any stops. The driver (played by Tim Stafford) says he stopped at a gas station just before sunrise. When Athena asks if he saw anyone else there. The driver tells her that as he was leaving, he saw a couple go inside. Athena quickly figures out that Doug ditched his phone because he knew it could be tracked.  Athena, Buck and Detective Marks head to the gas station which is currently a crime scene. An officer has found a rental agreement for the car Doug is driving in the restroom. Athena suggests that since the car was rented from a smaller business, there’s a chance it has a tracking device.

Doug and Maddie arrive in Big Bear and break into one of the cabins. Maddie uses a fire poker to attack Doug. She then runs away from the cabin and into the woods. Doug recovers, quickly, and goes after her. When he finally catches up to her, the two have a knock-down, drag-out fight which culminates in Maddie killing Doug. During the tussle, Maddie does get stabbed, but her injury doesn’t stop her from fleeing the scene in hopes of escaping the nightmarish situation.

Athena, Buck, and Detective Marks arrive in Big Bear and locate the cabin where Maddie and Doug were hiding out. When an officer finds blood in the snow, Buck takes off running into the woods where he finds his sister. The two of them embrace and Maddie tells Buck she didn’t give up. The two of them ride in an ambulance to the hospital where Maddie will be treated for multiple injuries.

At the end of the episode, Maddie is transferred to the hospital where a now conscious Chimney is being treated. While a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” performed by Adele plays, Maddie kisses Chimney and you just know theirs is going to be a whirlwind romance. All’s well with the couple, minus their injuries, as the episode fades to black.

Observations

This section will spotlight moments within in the episode I find are particularly notable.

Maddie’s subtle but terrified expression when Doug brings out the glasses they drank from at their wedding; it is also mentioned that one of the glasses has a chip.

Doug mentions his mother twice in the scene where he and Maddie are celebrating his promotion leading me to believe was his abuser.

Maddie hasn’t been working at dispatch all that long yet Josh Russo and Sue Blevins are willing to break the rules for her.

Doug is extremely insecure when it comes to how he is perceived in relationship to other men, especially those in uniform, i.e., firefighters.

In flashbacks, Maddie is shown wearing a lot of sweaters and cardigans, most likely to hide the evidence of Doug’s abuse, while in the present she is wearing a fairly low-cut top.

At the end of the episode, it is revealed that it’s been three days since Maddie and Chimney have seen each other.

Funny Lines

Due to the serious nature of this episode, there aren’t very many comedic moments. However, I did find a few lines that made me laugh:

Athena: “You know, Detective Marks didn’t believe me. He said no one could be that stupid. I said, “You don’t know Buck.”

Bobby: “Buck. Here are the ground rules: You don’t leave her sight, you don’t lie, you don’t withhold any information from her, you don’t break the law, and you don’t do anything that’s gonna force her into early retirement. You got it?”

Eddie: “Then why are you in hospital jail?”

Doug: “In the kitchen? Where the knives live?”

Chimney: “This is much better than rebar.”

911 Lore

In this section, I will highlight moments within the episode where we learn new information about our beloved characters that add to the overall narrative.

This is the second time Chimney has ended up in the hospital and Maddie’s first time ending up in the hospital; unfortunately, it will not be the last for either of them

This is the second time we have seen Buck and Athena team-up. These two have come a very long way from their initial meeting back in the “Pilot” episode.

While not a main character, this is Detective Marks second and final appearance in the show; in both episodes he is featured in, the case he is working involves domestic violence

Buck and Josh meet for the very first time

This is the episode where Athena officially becomes Buck’s mother figure

Hen tells a story about how Chimney looked after Denny while she and Karen were away. This moment further cements just how close Hen and Chimney are and how much they care about each other

Michael and Eddie meet for the very first time

Both Shannon and Christopher reference the many surgeries Christopher has had

Eddie expresses guilt over not being there for Shannon and Christopher

Bobby’s favorite donut is a bear claw

Bobby references Chimney’s last medical emergency which involved a piece of rebar going through his skull