9-1-1: Season 5/ Episode 3 “Desperate Measures” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

While you likely could predict how Harry and Jeffrey’s story ends, you may not guess how “Desperate Measures” ends as an episode.

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Aired	10/4/2021
Network	FOX
Directed By	Ben Hernandez Bray
Written By	Kristen Reidel

Newly Noted

Locations & Items

• The Autonomous Zone: A 8 city block area taken over by anarchists who are well armed and claim to be self-sufficient.

Recap

You Know What You Did – Athena, Harry, Jeffrey

So why is Jeffrey so adamant about getting back at Athena rather than running to freedom? Well, she shot his penis off. Yeah, by accident, she shot it off so all of this was basically revenge for taking something he can’t get back. However, when it came to kidnapping Harry, Jeffrey traumatizes him by often pointing a gun at him, trapping him in a trunk, later a wall, and threatening to kill his family, but that’s it. He doesn’t physically harm Harry at all.

But, it’s 9-1-1 and you and I both know that no real harm comes to anyone, even if a rebar goes through their head or a fire truck lands on their body and pins them. So a child? Maybe Harry might be haunted by Jeffrey a bit, but by next season this will be a distant memory.

Though, just to put the nail in the coffin for this storyline, Athena kills Jeffrey by filling him up with bullets.

I Tried To Will Myself Into It, And It Didn’t Work – Eddie, Ana, Chim, Maddie

Eddie decides it is time and he breaks up with Ana. It isn’t easy but, while he loves what she can be for Christopher, he either isn’t ready or just doesn’t want to be with Ana. Which of course hurts for her to know but, she respects it and leaves with dignity.

Speaking of leaving, Maddie leaves too. Yup, after 5 days with her and Chim’s child, she finds it overwhelming and dangerous to the child’s wellbeing, so she drops their daughter off at the firehouse, with a video for Chim, and off in the wind she goes. Leaving you to wonder if this may mean a permanent or temporary goodbye to Maddie?

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. So, all this time, Eddie was just willing himself into a relationship with Ana? Could it be that Eddie is gay and has been closeted all this time?

What Could Happen Next

1. I hope they do something with Harry after putting him through all of that.
2. Chim dealing with what may feel like a generational curse of a parent abandoning their child, and his daughter going through it just like he did.
3. Christopher being mad at Eddie for pushing Ana away.

Review

Highlights

This Is One Of The Rare Episodes Michael’s Existence Was Noteworthy

Michael, like most exes on TV series who stick around, very rarely justifies his continued presence. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate he is an out gay Black man dating another gay Black man and is a good father to his kids. The problem is, he was married to Athena for 17 years knowing who he is and as much as they are cool now, it just feels like Michael’s story would have been better served without that baggage.

But, I will admit, in this episode, I enjoyed Michael getting to be an active character who wasn’t stuck in whatever room he entered into at the beginning of the episode. Also, he got to yell, show initiative, and prove he is more than an outsider to the first responder world.

Jeffrey’s Motive

Jeffrey kidnapping Harry seemed excessive until you learned Athena shot his penis off. With that, you get it. Jeffrey could have been long gone but a rapist without his penis? Never mind a rapist with a superiority complex without his penis? You know he was never going to just run and not get revenge? Athena took his manhood in multiple ways and he had to get it back somehow.

Low Points

You Knew Nothing Bad Wasn’t Going To Happen To Harry

9-1-1 has long lost its ability to get you worried about anyone. So Harry being kidnapped by a psychopath was more of an odd situation than a scary one. Hopefully, though, they justify it by giving Harry something to do besides be up under his mom or dad.

On The Fence

Eddie and Ana Being Over

What was this supposed to set up? Eddie and Ana were perhaps one of the cutest couples on the show and they just ended them and gave Eddie crippling anxiety about being in a real relationship? If not giving him anxiety because he knew he didn’t really like Ana that much and was just going through the motions for Christopher’s sake?

Either way, I feel like a lot of the decisions this episode was made for convenience than to tell the best story possible.

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