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The second-to-last episode of Season 8 delivered yet another emotionally charged experience. However, as we look forward to the eagerly awaited conclusion, I trust the series will explore each character’s sorrow more thoroughly before going on break.
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One week following the funeral for their cherished friend Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), which was attended by Athena (Angela Bassett) along with her children and others from the 118, “Don’t Drink the Water,” the first episode of season eight, depicted the main characters grappling with intense feelings as they endeavored to progress both personally and professionally within the acclaimed ABC series.
Amidst the 118 confrontations with a string of bizarre fires triggered by methane infiltration in the area’s groundwater, Athena, Buck (played by Oliver Stark), Chimney (portrayed by Kenneth Choi), Hen (acted by Aisha Hinds), Eddie (by Ryan Guzman), Maddie (with Jennifer Love Hewitt), and Karen (interpreted by Tracie Thoms) managed to find precious opportunities for bonding and emotional openness. However, given how significantly Bobby influenced them, rushing past his storyline would do both the series and its audience an injustice. It’s crucial for characters to experience breakdowns prior to achieving their ultimate transformations.
The episode failed to include Captain America coming back to life as many fans had wished, and there’s still much unresolved business before Season 9 begins. However, the second-to-last episode of Season 8 brought in some engaging dialogues, notable guest appearances, and intriguing mysteries. Let’s delve into these aspects now. If you’re looking for
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Season 8, Episode 17 recap? Efwebe’s got you covered. Here’s a rundown of the major
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Developments leading up to the Season 8 finale.
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Contents show
Blasts From The Past
Season 8’s penultimate episode kicked off with Buck flashing back to a family firehouse dinner, in which Bobby reminisced over two Season 1, Episode 7 “Full Moon (Creepy AF)” emergencies: the team delivering babies in a yoga class, and Buck delivering a tapeworm. (You know,
The emergency that stood out to Oliver Stark was notable.
As a clue indicating Buck’s bisexuality! The episode included significant discussions around Hen and Karen’s upcoming nuptials and brought back familiar faces such as Eddie’s Aunt Pepa (played by Terri Hoyos), Graham the traffic officer (portrayed by Sam Roach), and Lorna “The Smurf” (acted by Phoebe Neidhardt). This installment titled “Don’t Drink the Water” masterfully infused nostalgic elements, allowing viewers to reminisce about the series’ history while mirroring how the characters recalled their personal odysseys and recollections of Bobby. -
Blessed Be Father Brian
One of those throwbacks from yesterday was
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s resident charming clergyman, Father Brian (played by Gavin Stenhouse), made a timely comeback right when a new pope was being selected! Interestingly, an American character named Robert, who — unsurprisingly — has many viewers speculating that Robert Nash might return shortly! This happened six years after Stenhouse portrayed Bobby’s preferred priest in four episodes.
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(Including the pilot episode,) he got an unforeseen call asking him to come back during Season 8, Episode 6. There, he engaged in a significant talk with Eddie regarding his sense of self. In this instance, Buck entered a confessional booth and reached out to Father Brian for assistance, apparently oblivious to his relationship with both Bobby and Eddie. Encouragingly, Father Brian prompted Buck to communicate with someone dear but gone; thus, Buck shared openly with Bobby, expressing feelings of disorientation: “Everything feels unstable, and I’m clueless about fixing things.” Upon questioning Bobby for some indication, a real-world event occurred—an actual 2.8-magnitude tremor struck North Hollywood. Could this be evidence that Bobby remains among them somehow? Might Eddie and Buck eventually recognize their common link through Father Brian? Only time will tell! At present, what stands beautiful is that Buck acknowledges his struggles and proactively seeks support while finding guidance from a figure pivotal to Bobby—regardless of Buck being aware of it or not. -
Eddie Receives The Long-Awaited Screen Time He Needed (And Christopher Makes A Comeback!)
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Fans have been puzzled, devastated, and angry about Eddie’s limited appearance this season. In recent episodes, he hasn’t shown up at all.
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missed Bobby’s passing, hardly said anything during his funeral episode, and numerous significant events occurred off-screen. Although this isn’t what the fans hoped for,
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Does take certain measures to mend the harm caused by granting Eddie multiple significant moments—Scene 817 included—that enable him to explore his emotional connection with Bobby and his sentiments regarding departure from Los Angeles more profoundly. Early in the episode, Eddie engages in an enlightening conversation with both Karen and Hen where he admits feeling somewhat off since he had not communicated with Bobby for two weeks before his passing. Hen comforts him by reminding him that Bobby understood how diligently Eddie worked towards establishing a fresh start in Texas; although Eddie recognizes this internally as well, it feels good to have external validation—especially following such personal grief experienced largely in solitude.
As the story unfolds, Eddie mends ties with his aunt Pepa, returns Christopher to Los Angeles, and participates in a pivotal interaction with Buck—a segment worthy of closer examination. Additionally, Scene 817 revisits Eddie absorbing the tragic news concerning Bobby’s demise, providing insight that resonated deeply, albeit perhaps less intensely than fervent viewers desired. Moreover, the narrative discloses that Eddie received employment overtures from the El Paso Fire Department, culminating in what becomes one of the show’s most poignant and unforgettable sequences… -
Buck And Eddie’s Blowout (And What Comes Next)
After realizing he’s last to learn about Eddie’s job offer from Ravi, Buck does what we’ve seem him do before. As he puts groceries away with a passive aggressive pout, he congratulates Eddie on the news and calls him out for not telling him, saying, “Everyone has been tiptoeing around behind my back, cause apparently I’m too fragile to accept the truth.” Eddie tells Buck that he knew he would make the news all about him: “Trials and tribulations of Evan Buckley, a tragedy in 97 acts.” He says Buck has been spiraling since the funeral and no one knows how to talk to him. But after Buck says, “Sorry I’m sad that Bobby’s dead,” a switch flips in Eddie’s brain, and he lets his own pent-up emotions about Bobby and Buck’s oversights ooze out.
Eddie lunges towards Buck, grabs his shoulder, and furiously says, “You’re not the only one that lost him, we all lost him. And we’re just trying to do our damn best to get through it.” When Buck says he knows, Eddie reminds him he never asked what it was like for him to wake up in the middle of the night alone to the news, sob in the dark, and tell Chris that another person he loved was dead. Guzman’s connection to and empathy for Eddie are palpable as he tears up and contorts his face. Buck apologizes, telling Eddie he
knows
Bobby was important to him, too. And Eddie reveals that he carries unshakable guilt, thinking that maybe if he were there, he could have made a difference. Guzman finally gets the spotlight in an intense, agonizing scene that dives deep enough to unearth powerful performances and ugly character truths. And I hope we haven’t seen the last of those this season.Before Buck made his grand gesture and rented Eddie’s house so he could move to Texas with Chris, the two besties faced painfully similar issues in their relationship. They can talk on FaceTime for hours. They care deeply about each other. But when times get tough and the stakes are sky high for both of them, they still struggle to communicate. By the end of 817, they’re back on good terms, with Eddie bringing Chris for a visit to cheer Buck up after “I heard some dick was being mean to you.” But it’s clear the two haven’t unpacked everything between them yet, and still have some major discussions to have,
including a potential 8×11 debrief
. Hopefully, ON SCREEN. -
Athena and Chimney’s Devastating Falling Out
When discussing characters who require dialogue, the tension between Athena and Chimney is truly heart-wrenching. Following her outburst before Bobby’s funeral, character 817 observes Athena leaving Hen’s residence to steer clear of Chimney. She eventually confesses, “I don’t hold anything against him; honestly, I don’t. But every time I lay eyes on him, I’m reminded of the person who should be here but isn’t. Chimney is still with us, whereas Bobby won’t ever return home again. While I understand this might seem unjust…whenever I catch sight of him, rage consumes me, and I can imagine he feels remorseful when looking back at me too. Perhaps the most sensible course moving forward is for Chimney and myself to maintain some space. From now onwards, our relationship needs to remain strictly professional.” Respectfully speaking, Miss Athena Grant-Nash, that simply will not do! Her emotions are genuine, relatable, and grounded in reality, yet both she and Chimney find themselves grappling with identical sorrow. His sole desire is to treat her as Bobby would’ve wanted someone close to their family treated if fate had chosen differently. Thus, let’s hope the series concludes by bringing these two closer and giving him an opportunity to express such sentiments properly.
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Quality Karen Scenes
This is simply to say: More Karen in
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Season 9, PLEASE! Eddie and Hen’s conversation easily could have been between the two of them, but I’m so glad it wasn’t. Karen’s over here asking the real questions, like “Eddie, do you realize LA is your home and you should probably come back ASAP?!”T hank you, queen. One of the episode’s greatest heart-to-hearts comes towards the end, when Karen goes to visit Athena without Hen — another refreshing writing choice, because she’s her own character! Karen calls Athena out for leaving after seeing Chimney and gives her a photo from her and Hen’s wedding that shows Athena, Bobby, Chimney, and the 118 happy as can be. The pointed gift is meant to stir up Athena’s negative feelings towards Chimney, and it’s a success. After Athena opens up a bit, Karen is a supportive friend, an advocate for Hen, and wasts no time reminding Athena that Chim is family. Karen 4ev. -
Captain TBD
After thinking about Chief Simpson’s offer to be new captain of the 118, Hen officially turns down the position, because she’s not good at telling people what to do and would rather be a hands-on paramedic/mom/wife. Despite Bobby’s feelings that she was the best person for the job, he would absolutely understand and respect her not wanting the promotion. But who does that leave as captain of the 118? Will Chim step up? Will Eddie return to LA for the job? Or will they hire someone new? And will the role be filled by the time Season 8 concludes?
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A Season 8 Finale Emergency
Before
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Season 8, Episode 17 concludes, Athena watches an apartment building collapse before her eyes and calls the emergency in, saying, “SEND EVERYBODY!” It’s clear Season 8 intends to go out with a bang — but with a major time crunch, here’s hoping the writers can intertwine professional and personal storylines in ways that bring each character to satisfying conclusions before the finale wraps.
New episodes of
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premiere Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.