Editor's Note: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 1 of 9-1-1 Season 6.
9-1-1 returned this Monday with Season 6, and while the seasons always start off and end with bangs, it really felt more like a return to form. This premiere was really more of a check-in with our characters, seeing where we are in regard to relationships and personal journeys. Although that doesn't mean we were robbed of the wild calls that this show is known for. There's a blimp crashing into a stadium, a man shot by a wedding ring, and two people get new cars thanks to dehydration and exposure.
The team once again is working together like a well-oiled machine, and it's great to see both Chim (Kenneth Choi) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) back on the team. What's surprising is that Arielle Kebbel's Lucy Donato seems already out of the team. Although Lucy said she is injured, this feels like a major step back from the show after acknowledging some fans' dislike of the character. While some might find her to be a welcome addition, the show has a lot of characters and a lot of relationships that it might do better to focus on, so not seeing her until the mid-season is just fine.
The premiere offered new plot arcs for the season, but it also revisited some fan-favorite relationships. We finally get to see Buck (Oliver Stark), Eddie, and Christopher (Gavin McHugh) hanging out together on screen again. The trio is often a little dose of sweetness in an episode and the scenes offer insight into both Buck and Eddie's characters. Of course, last season we saw that Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chim were on the rocks. After struggling with post-partum depression, Maddie ran away and the two eventually broke up. But it looks like things are looking up for the two of them as they reconcile their relationship and raise baby Jee-Yun together.
May (Corrine Massiah) is headed off to college, while Bobby (Peter Krause) and Athena (Angela Bassett) are headed off on a cruise. There are new characters being introduced at the call center. The 118 is getting an interim captain while Bobby enjoys the high seas with Athena. The season feels primed for drama. As Hen (Aisha Hinds) gets the promotion to interim captain and Buck does not, it's clear that we'll be seeing a lot more of Hen's development this season as well as Buck's maturing. At the very least, he ended the episode with a couch.
Of course, the show would not be complete without a shocking twist ending. Before Bobby and Athena leave for their vacation they are video chatting with Athena's parents only for a shocking accident to leave us uncertain of what happened and whether they are dead or alive. Does this mean no cruise for Bobby and Athena? Time will tell.
Season 6 is already like an immense step up from Season 5, which felt disjointed at times. The team was broken up, Buck was in that awful relationship with Taylor, and the show often felt like it was living in the shadow of its own spin-off: 9-1-1: Lone Star. Perhaps this means good things for us lovers of the original gang, and we'll see the 118 tackle problems head-on as a group rather than separately.
Rating: A
9-1-1 Season 6 premieres new episodes weekly each Monday on Fox.