'9-1-1' Season 9 finale recap: Athena and Eddie face terrifying attack as Buck makes life-changing choice
This story contains spoilers for '9-1-1' Season 9 finale.
ABC's flagship procedural drama '9-1-1' concluded Season 9 on Thursday. The suspenseful episode, titled 'Hearts and Flowers,' kept viewers on edge, with the fate of multiple characters hanging by a thread. While Angela Bassett's Athena was in the hospital fighting for her life, Ryan Guzman's Eddie Diaz was stuck in an elevator after fighting an assassin. Since procedural shows are known to bid farewell to beloved characters in finales, often in the most heartbreaking ways, fans feared the same fate for Athena and Eddie.
The good news is that both Athena and Eddie survived the episode, and their stories will continue when '9-1-1' returns. Athena was critically injured due to the police corruption case she was investigating. An assassin tried to finish the job while she was in the hospital, but Eddie stepped in; he was stabbed while trying to apprehend the attacker. While unconscious, Athena witnessed a dream in which she had a heart-to-heart with her deceased partner, Officer Brogan McCluskey. This encounter helped the field sergeant accept a new role as a detective. Eddie was eventually found and saved as well, but the incident highlighted the danger posed by the season's primary villain, as co-creator and showrunner Tim Minear told Variety.
Another interesting moment came in the final minutes of the episode when Evan Buckley took in preschooler Theo after his parents passed away in a tragic car accident. Technically, Theo is Buck's biological son, as he was the sperm donor for Theo's parents. Although he initially did not want to be a part of Theo's life, given the new circumstances, he decided to step up. In the upcoming season, fans will see their favorite character tackle parental emergencies.
Oliver Stark discussed his character's surprising decision with the same outlet. "Like most decisions, it’s a little bit of both, right? Everything all at the same time. I think he probably feels some kind of duty and obligation, not necessarily because of the sperm donor aspect, but because it was his friends. And maybe even an element of not being able to save them—not that it was ever his fault," he said. "But, I could imagine him to be a character that would shoulder some kind of blame like that, regardless." The finale also unveiled a new chapter in May Grant's life, as she is officially heading to nursing school.
