The collapsing hotel Bobby's crew goes to after the Earthquake.

With a 7.1 earthquake, everyone is put into a position of danger. However, for Bobby’s team, it is a building on the verge of collapse. Network FOX Director(s) Bradley Burcker Writer(s) Zachary Reiter Air Date 9/24/2018 Characters Introduced Dean Joseph Will Marvin Julian Works Christopher Gavin McHugh Ali Tiffany Dupont Harlow Brian Howe Jeff Mike…


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With a 7.1 earthquake, everyone is put into a position of danger. However, for Bobby’s team, it is a building on the verge of collapse.


Network
FOX
Director(s) Bradley Burcker
Writer(s) Zachary Reiter
Air Date 9/24/2018
Characters Introduced
Dean Joseph Will
Marvin Julian Works
Christopher Gavin McHugh
Ali Tiffany Dupont
Harlow Brian Howe
Jeff Mike Gray
Kat Nev Scharrel

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The Expressway: Athena, Dean, Marvin

While Athena’s family is fine, and her son excited about the idea of no more school for a while, Athena is dealing with a repeat offender in her backseat. A young man named Marvin who enjoys joy riding and seems to think that with him being under 18, he can have all his fun now and have his record sealed once he becomes an adult. Problem is, Marvin ran from the cops this time and with this being his 3rd arrest in a year, it doesn’t seem they’ll go easy on him.

Making the earthquake unfortunate for Dean, a man stuck after the expressway gives way and his car flips, and then leaks gas and catches fire. But, his life-threatening moment gives Marvin a chance to save the day. All thanks to “commandeering” a cement truck and using cement to put out the fire.

Oh, but don’t you worry – Marvin is still going to court. It’s just now Athena will write a nice letter for him. Maybe get him less time or perhaps a slap on the wrist.

Commentary

Athena thanking Marvin for using hit hot wiring skills for good.
Athena: Thank you for helping me and that man today.

It’s interesting to see how Athena handles a repeat offender like Marvin. She’s nice and cool with him, even with knowing he is a runner, and he goes right in with her. It pushes you to think about cops relationships with their community and people like Marvin. For while we don’t go into Marvin’s backstory, like if his parents are around and all that, it’s nice that we don’t have to go through all that spiel. That Athena can just be a cop who knows a kid’s pattern, likely tried talking to him before, but he didn’t listen. So while she got a soft spot for him, she did all she could.

Upstairs: Eddie, Buck, Christopher, Ali, Harlow

We get a bit of a Weinstein storyline as an old man named Harlow tries to make a move on his assistant named Alie before the quake happens. However, once the quake happens, he is pressed up against some glass as Ali hangs off a table. Thus leading to Buck and Eddie risking their lives to try to save them. Which comes with the added fear, for Eddie, since he has a son, Christopher, who is special needs. Add on Christopher’s mom is out of the picture and it seems there is no other family around, it makes this rescue all the more dangerous. Hence why Harlow ends up dying, due to aftershock breaking the glass he was on, and Ali is hanging from a building.

Commentary

Eddie talking about being all his son has since his mother isn't in the picture.
Eddie: I’m all he’s got.

Though it is also noted with Hen, you have to really keep in mind how dangerous this job is. That first responders are people. So no matter if they got kids or not, in the process of saving a life, they not only lose their life but someone loses a piece of theirs. Christopher has no one else so while Bobby or someone else could take him in, they can’t be his dad. Maddie’s life right now exists because of Buck. He is her rock, he is also protecting her, so his death would make an already difficult situation seem like the world wants her to be punished.

Which makes the whole Harlow death kind of interesting and a bit of a finger to sexual predators like him. I guess that is so the audience can live vicariously. If not some victims.

On The Ground Floor: Jeff, Bobby, Hen, Kat

For one family it was a vacation saved up for years. When it came to one basketball team, it meant one of its players, Jeff, getting possibly scouted and his life taking off. But then the earthquake hit and Kat went missing, perhaps in the basement, and one of the supports in the collapsed restaurant landed on Jeff’s calf. Thus leading to the team going in and giving an ultimatum. A guaranteed out but losing a leg, or a dangerous procedure where they would try to raise what is pressing the leg but if things get unstable, Jeff maybe crushed to death or trapped further.

Naturally, a teenager who isn’t trying to walk around with one leg, he chooses the more dangerous situation. Which, luckily for him, works before the aftershock hits. Unfortunately for Hen, it sends her down a floor but maybe it may give her the opportunity to find Kat.

Commentary

Jeff making it clear he is not leaving without his leg.
Jeff (Mike Gray): Without my leg? No way.

Is it wrong I kind of wanted, expected, more death out of this? We do see one person got crushed, maybe the lady who was high maintenance, but there is something about Harlow dying that felt too appeasing. Add on that lady and it is like the annoying and bad people died while the nice folk lived. Which seems a bit too tilted towards ideal justice.

Not to say everyone should have died but between Jeff, Kat, and Ali, one of them shouldn’t make it out. It might create a teary-eyed moment, but it feels necessary. Especially since we know no one from the team is going to die or get hurt. Also, if they do, they’ll probably end up like Chimney and have a miraculous recovery like a superhero.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

  1. What’s with cars catching on fire? I get why it may leak but the fire part goes over my head.

Highlights

  1. Harlow’s death, as well as the annoying lady. Which I know is terrible to say, but it felt kind of good.
  2. It was nice that Athena, while still doing her job, showed a kind side to Marvin. Who you know she tried to steer in the right direction but his ass is hard headed.
  3. It being clear, as much as we see Bobby’s team and Athena deal with crazy situations and come out alive, it doesn’t always end up like that. We haven’t seen a first responder die yet on the show but people have died. Like when Buck was on that rollercoaster. So I’m fully expecting, as sad as it might be, maybe even triggering for Bobby if Kat dies, we are going to get reminded fate doesn’t just take the Harlow types in situations like this. It takes the innocent too.

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