9-1-1: Season 5/ Episode 7 “Ghost Stories” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Taylor, Harry, and Detective Ransome lead the episode as a three-way murder plot brings two together, and Harry finds solace in shared trauma.

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Aired	11/8/2021
Network	FOX
Directed By	Kristin Windell
Written By	Stacey R. Rose
Introduced This Episode
Eli	Mac Brandt

Recap

Meanwhile, In Boston – Chim, Eli

With him suspecting Maddie returned to the place where she was married to Doug and happy, Chim finds himself in Boston. But rather than finding Maddie and the adventure being over, Chim comes across an old friend and fellow EMT, Eli, when Chim finds himself in a life or death situation with a baby (not his). Thus leading to Eli trying to talk Chim out of hunting down Maddie, if only due to him possibly adding onto Maddie’s sense of guilt, failure, and other negative emotions.

The Challenge Of Not Looking Back – Eva, Hen, Karen, Harry, May, Athena, Michael

Eva, Hen’s ex, Danny’s mother, is back, but it seems she is just back to have a proper goodbye. But with her showing up and Hen telling Karen, it sent Karen into a bit of a dark place. One which flares her insecurities and even leads her to confront Eva. Someone who reassures her that Hen doesn’t love her as much as she loves the family she has with Karen and that she, Eva, is heading to Portland for real, not to test Hen’s loyalty. Thus leading to Karen moving on.

But while Karen moves on, Harry is still very much stuck on that night Jeffrey kidnapped him, despite how much his parents would like to move on. Michael, in fact, barely wants to talk about it, and Athena is worried not just about how little Harry is willing to speak but also a website dedicated to Jeffrey that puts a crosshair on her face for killing him.

This makes it so, outside of May, Harry doesn’t have anyone in his family who seems ready to really have a conversation about what happened.

Sometimes, It Takes A While To Talk For You Don’t Have That Right Person To Talk To – Harry, Athena, Ransone, Taylor, Buck

A husband, a wife, and what was supposed to be a hired hitman create a dramatic situation that leads to Taylor and the newly returned Detective Ransone competing to crack the case. Ransone and Taylor have competing theories on who is to blame for the attempted murder of the husband, only to learn both sides are guilty of hiring the hitman for an insurance payment. This leads Buck to wonder, when it comes to Taylor, why she worked so hard on this story, and all we’re left with is that she doesn’t like unsolved cases and the hint she might be related to a potential murderer.

But, not to be outdone in bringing the drama, Harry returns to the house Jeffrey stuffed him in, and after falling through the floor, he calls upon his mom, who rushes over, with Ransone in tow. This leads to Harry finally getting someone who can understand as Ransone is having the same visions of Jeffrey, and in their trauma bonding, Harry finds solace. The kind that allows him to return to Athena’s home and even open up about what happened to his family.

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Things To Note

• It has been a month since Maddie left.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. So is the man who potentially killed his wife Taylor’s dad and mom?

What Could Happen Next

1. Considering the show could use dropping a character or two, I don’t think we’ll see Maddie anytime soon.
2. More Buck and Taylor scenes, as we see who she is beyond her job and being Buck’s girlfriend.

Review

Highlights

Taylor Becoming More Intriguing

Relationships have always been a tricky thing on 9-1-1 since it has such a large cast. Karen, for example, will be there for a few episodes and completely disappear, and when she is there, it rarely is about who she is as an individual, and mainly what she contributes to Hen’s life as a partner or co-parent. And for many, their individual life gets diminished, and they find themselves in the shadow of their spouse. It has happened with Michael, and I’d even submit Maddie’s character slowly but surely shifted to living in Chim’s shadow.

The only exception is Athena and Bobby. But with their marriage, often I see him as someone taking away from us getting the legendary Hen and Athena scenes which presented us the best relationship on the show – platonic or otherwise. Mainly since Bobby and Athena have a good friendship, but I wouldn’t say they have romantic or sexual chemistry.

This is why Taylor getting to step out from Buck’s shadow is quite interesting. She got to show herself as a journalist, her past got hinted at, and Buck was actually in her shadow this episode. So whether she may get a May-like promotion, in terms of character, or this is just another short-lived moment under the sun should be interesting to see.

On The Fence

The Return Of Chim

I don’t dislike Chim, but I also do feel the show needs to lose a series regular to make room for May, perhaps Taylor, and bring some new blood onto the show. So of the series regulars we have, it has made Chim the most expendable. Eddie’s storyline as a veteran, having a son who has additional needs, and then his struggles to date again still has traction. Bobby is the head of the 118 and still mentoring Buck and now a new kid, so he has something to give. Hen is becoming a doctor and still provides much-needed reality checks to her peers, and Buck? Well, he still has maturing to do and is the big risk-taker.

Chim, on the other hand, his storyline with Maddie feels like a means to keeping the character on life support. It may connect him with Buck and start a new chapter in his life through being a parent, but with Maddie gone and her character stuck in going from one trauma or dramatic storyline to the next, she doesn’t benefit or boost Chim. She kind of brings him down and considering Chim wasn’t strongly missed, by us, a part of me wouldn’t mind if he was written off in an Eva where. That is, he may pop in every now and again but isn’t necessarily a week-to-week character.

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