9-1-1: Season 4/ Episode 4 “9-1-1, What’s Your Grievance?” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
So the secret Maddie is hiding comes out, and, well, it might disappoint you.
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So the secret Maddie is hiding comes out, and, well, it might disappoint you.
| Director(s) | Brenna Malloy |
| Writer(s) | Nadia Abass-Madden |
| Aired (FOX) | 2/8/2021 |
| Newly Noted Characters | |
| Margaret | Dee Wallace |
| Philip | Gregory Harrison |
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Recap
The Dog Did It! – Athena, May
May experiences her first preventable loss in this episode. Well, at least in May’s mind, it was preventable. In truth, it all was an accident. To make a long story short, a disgruntled neighbor, who liked to be on everyone’s bad side, found out someone was lying about their identity and was a con woman. They blackmailed them, took their gun, and thanks to a neighbors dog startling them, they accidentally shot themselves.
The only part May knew about was the woman being shot, when it was assumed to be a homicide. However, Athena learns about the accident. Now, considering Athena doesn’t talk much about work, who knows if she told May the whole truth or not. Either way, after trying to poison the dog, it ended up doing her in and that ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary folk, is karma.
May’s Big Save – May, Chim
After the woman being killed, May finds herself on a worrisome call with a man threatening to kill people. Her taking the man seriously allows for over 37 people and a building to be saved. However, before the man is taken out by Chimney, who was on the scene, he confesses the secret that Maddie told him in the episode before.
A Picture Revealed A Thousand Unspoken Words – Maddie, Buck, Chim, Margaret, Philip
Now, what is the secret? Well, let’s back up a bit and begin with Margaret and Philip, Maddie, and Buck’s parents coming to California. Their trip stirs up a lot of emotions due to them being a bit nonchalant about the hurtful things they say. Be it mentioning Doug and how they felt the need to cut themselves off from Maddie or knowing about Buck’s multiple injuries but deciding not to visit him. All of this leads to Buck having a bit of a blow-up and Chim, who does well with Maddie’s parents, deciding it is a good time for him to exit the situation.
This brings us to what the big secret is: That Maddie’s younger brother, Buck’s older brother, Daniel, he died. That is what led to Margaret and Philip changing from being loving parents to distant, critical, and unable to deal with the dangerous lives and decisions Maddie and Buck chose.
Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Maddie is about 38 years old.
Review
Highlights
May & Athena’s Relationship Continuing To Grow
Right now, the only consistent thing to look forward to is seeing May and Athena grow close. Especially in a way that benefits May because, who knows how long this show may last? Granted, it is doing rather well, and is pretty much holding steady, compared to season 3’s ratings. However, even on the long-running Grey’s Anatomy, there came a point where people wanted to star in their own shows, potentially have movie careers, or focus on other things.
So, the way we see it, this could all be about setting up Corinne Massiah, who plays May, to be a potential breakout star. After all, how else would you explain the sudden focus in Athena’s child, after May and her brother being infrequent with barely any kind of storyline? Nevermind this vibe that May is really about to take the torch from Maddie and be our 9-1-1 operator?
I don’t know if another spin-off is planned or what, but with Massiah doing well with playing off Basset, here is hoping whatever she does next is worthy of the potential she is being allowed to show.
Low Point
The Daniel Reveal
I don’t know about you, but I had so many theories that fit this show’s wild nature. Could Buck have been adopted, and maybe Maddie was his babysitter? What about Buck being the product of an affair? At one point, I was even trying to do the math to figure out if Maddie could have been his mom! Because, the way she made it seem, the secret was HUGE!
But, unless Buck is the reason Daniel died, this secret is a bit of a bust. One that continues to push that 9-1-1 can certainly build up to a dramatic moment, but when that moment hits? Everything from the moment of the reveal to the aftermath is just lackluster.
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