9-1-1 EP Breaks Down Season 5 Finale Surprises: Is [Spoiler] Gone for Good?
Spoiler alert: We’re about to discuss the Season 5 finale of Fox’s 9-1-1. Haven’t watched? You’ve been warned.
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A wedding! A breakup! A death-defying stunt! As far as finales go, Monday’s episode of 9-1-1 pretty much checked off all the boxes.
TVLine spoke with executive producer Kristen Reidel about the finale’s biggest surprises, including how some of them will affect the show’s just-ordered sixth season. But first, a quick recap:
Bobby spent most of the hour bottling up his Jonah-related guilt, until a surprise encounter with Eddie helped him reach an important breakthrough; Buck and Taylor faced the hard truth about their relationship, ultimately agreeing to split before anyone gets (more) hurt; Maddie returned to work, while continuing to navigate her undefined relationship with Chimney; May decided to attend college in the fall, effectively putting her days at the call center behind her; and the 118 gathered to celebrate Hen and Karen’s marriage at a beautiful vow-renewal ceremony, one which doubled as an opportunity for healing.
Grade the finale and season below, then read on for our full interview with Reidel. Will Taylor remain in the 118’s orbit? Have we seen the last of May and Albert? Are Maddie and Chimney on the road to a reconciliation? All those (and more!) questions are answered. As always, be sure to drop a comment with your thoughts.
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How Hen and Karen ‘Earned’ Their Happy Ending
Hen and Karen were blindsided (in a good way for once!) when Toni decided to turn her and Clive’s wedding into a vow renewal ceremony for her daughter. Even though Toni has a good relationship with her daughter now, it was established in the finale that she didn’t attend Hen and Karen’s wedding; Toni considered this the perfect opportunity to make things right.
“They’ve been through a lot in their time on the show,” Reidel says of the couple. “In five seasons, they’ve been through a lot of turmoil. It felt like they had earned this moment of being able to recommit to each other and celebrate their love for each other, and have a healing moment with Toni that really brings the whole family back together. To give them this sweet, happy ending at the end of the season just felt right. I adore the two of them.”
‘The End of the Line’ for Buck and Taylor
Consider this ‘ship sunk, folks. After spending most of the episode avoiding one another, Buck and Taylor had a serious discussion about their future — or lack thereof.
She insisted that she did nothing wrong by reporting about Jonah before the LAPD released a statement because she’s Taylor Kelly, damn it, and she’ll do whatever it takes to expose the truth. It was an obstacle she felt they could overcome, but Buck disagreed, ending the relationship now before anything else could go wrong.
“We’ve always liked Taylor,” Reidel says. “I think she could be a fun foil at times, so it’s entirely possible that we could see her again. But for Buck, it’s the end of the line.”
Eddie Gave Bobby ‘Exactly What He Needed’
An unexpected visit to Bobby in the finale meant more than Eddie will ever know. Sensing that Bobby still blamed himself for letting Jonah into the 118, Eddie made a surprise stop at Bobby and Athena’s place, where he made sure his captain knew that it wasn’t his fault. He reminds Bobby that a lot of people missed the signs, and that Bobby is still a good man.
“Eddie and Bobby’s relationship has always been about Eddie leaning on Bobby,” Reidel says. “We’ve seen that ever since he joined the 118, and Bobby has been great about that. To me, this was the perfect grace note to Eddie’s story. He was finally in a good place, in a healthy place, so that he could be there for someone else. When Ryan Guzman and I were talking about this Eddie story, he referenced that thing people say on airplanes about making sure your mask is secure before you help with anyone else’s. That’s what this was. Eddie had to get to a place where he could recognize that Bobby might need someone right now. As it turned out, it was exactly what he needed.”
When Eddie left, Bobby walked over to the sink, where we discovered that he had purchased a bottle of alcohol… which he then poured directly down the sink. It was a moment.
“When Peter [Krause] did it on the first take, I just felt it,” Reidel adds. “You could just feel it as he poured it out — that relief of everything Bobby has been holding in all season.”
Maddie and Chimney Will ‘Always Find Their Way Back to Each Other’
Ever since Maddie returned to L.A., she and Chimney have basically reverted to will-they-won’t-they-status, but this finale definitely gave fans hope for a reconciliation. Not only was Chimney the first person Maddie texted about her return to the call center, but you can’t overlook their little run-in at the end of the episode.
“That moment where they find themselves at the same food truck is a sign that they’re always going to find their way back to each other, even if they need to take some time apart to process everything they’ve been through,” Reidel says. “Since they’ve been back in L.A., they’ve been taking baby steps of forgiving each other and themselves. At the end of the day, they will always find their way back to each other.”
Where ‘May’s Journey’ Will Take Her Next
After much deliberation, May decided to leave her job at the call center and enroll in college. So, how will Athena’s daughter remain in the show’s orbit if she isn’t part of the overall operation?
“May is still a part of the family,” Reidel reminds TVLine, adding, “This is also 9-1-1. You can’t go to the grocery store without having an emergency, unfortunately. One of the things I find interesting about May’s journey is that, unlike her fellow freshmen, she spent two years dealing with life-or-death emergencies. Being a college student and being different from everybody else, how do you navigate that? And does she stay away forever? I don’t have an answer for that.”
How Albert’s Future Connects to His Past (Credits)
Desperate to figure out his next steps, Albert filled out a career aptitude test, the results of which were loaded with inside jokes about actor John Harlan Kim’s career. (Make some noise, Librarians fans!)
Lawyer was another top result, which Reidel confirms is a nod to Kim being cast in ABC’s L.A. Law revival.
“We knew at the time that he had gotten that pilot, so we thought we’d have a little fun with it,” she says. “He took it in the spirit in which it was intended, which was a loving ribbing.”
So, have we seen the last of Chimney’s brother?
“We would love to have him back if the opportunity is there,” Reidel says. “If L.A. Law gets picked up to series, we probably won’t see him. We love John Harlan Kim, and we wish we could have had him more. But as you know, other people love him, too. The hope is to see him again.”
(UPDATE: Shortly after this interview was conducted, TVLine reported that the L.A. Law revival is not moving forward. So the odds of seeing more of Albert in Season 6 just got significantly better.)
And What of the 118’s Newest Recruit?
“The hope is that, depending on what happens with next season, that we’ll have an opportunity to explore more with Lucy at the 118,” Reidel says of Arielle Kebbel’s character. “There are some opportunities we didn’t get a chance to mine there. Lucy is great and I hope we can do more with her in future episodes.”
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