9-1-1 – Point of Origin

By starrymag | February 7, 2018

By: Danielle de la Torre

 

 

The episode starts with an Indian wedding where the bride and groom ready themselves for their special day. Their best man and maid of honor question each other’s decision to marry the other in a cut scene. The bride and groom go through with the wedding. As they celebrate among the guests the dancing from the party breaks the floor as almost the entire wedding falls from the floor caving in. Bobby (Peter Krause) and his team arrive on scene and Evan (Oliver Stark) gives Bobby the run down of the injured including an impaled man. Bobby tares away the distraught husband as he tries to peel away fallen concrete to find his wife. Evan helps Bobby remove fallen concrete to find and free the wife from being trapped. When the dust settles Bobby lashes out at the owner for illegally putting in a third floor above the roof and failing to reinforce the concrete. This was the cause of the collapse. Henrietta (Aisha Hinds) must pull Bobby off the owner of the building and tell him to chill out.  Bobby directs his anger at Henrietta who reminds him of his drinking binge and how he asked for help. Bobby storms off. A few remarks from Evan on an arranged marriage leave Henrietta wondering if she really knows who Bobby is.

 

Henrietta and Athena (Angela Bassett) have a couple of drinks together while they both unload the drama happening in their lives. Henrietta tells Athena that she is unsure about Bobby and doesn’t know what is going on with him. Henrietta explains what she saw at Bobby’s house wasn’t normal with nothing on the walls. Athena asks Henrietta what is happening in her personal life. Henrietta fesses up that her ex has contacted her from prison asking to see her. Athena tells her that she doesn’t owe her ex anything.

 

Evan comes home to his messy house with roommates only to receive a text that Abby’s (Connie Britton) mother is missing. He calls Abby immediately who breaks down over the phone about the situation. Evan tells her that he is coming over to help her find her mother and then they can go back to never seeing each other. Abby agrees.

 

Meanwhile, Henrietta visits her ex in jail that tries to make small talk with her. Henrietta asks her what she really wants. Her ex tells her that she needs Henrietta to vouch for her at her parole hearing. Her ex goes on to tell her that she is a changed woman and begs her to consider.

 

Back at Abby’s Evan shows up to be debriefed about the whereabouts of her mother. Evan tells Abby by taking one mile at a time they will find her mother. Bobby ends up back at his church where he speaks to a priest about how guilty he feels about not leading his crew properly after falling off the wagon. He tells the priest that he can’t tell his crew that he was the one who murdered his family.

 

We are taken back five years in Bobby’s life where he is still heavily drinking before he gets home. When he arrives his two kids and his wife greets him. He puts his kids to sleep and tells his wife that he is going to go for a walk. Bobby descends the elevator a few levels and gets off at another floor in the same building where he  arrives in a room his seemingly rents. He lights a lantern and furnace in the cold dark room where he sits and drinks more while popping some pills. He looses track of time and wakes back and stumbles out of the room.  When he returns back home his wife wakes from the couch. She begins to questions him about his problems and addiction. He confesses to relapsing again and she kicks him out. On his way out of the house he forgets his keys to his other apartment. When he realizes that he doesn’t have his keys he heads outside where he pops a few more pills and drinks before he falls asleep. When he sleeps the furnace he left on sparks and lights a fire.

 

Bobby soon wakes up to sirens and a blazing fire below him. He runs back into the building that is now on fire. He makes his way to his family’s room. As he breaks down the door of his home he falls through the floor to the floor below him. As he tries to get back up to where his family is fireman rush him out of the building kicking and screaming. We flash back to present day where the priest asks Bobby how something like that happens. Bobby tells the priest nothing in the building was up to code and the sprinkler systems did not work.  Bobby confesses he didn’t notice because he wasn’t sober.  Bobby confesses he killed his family altogether 148 people had perished in the fire.  The priest tells Bobby he made a mistake and to give his friends and crew a chance to know his burden. Broken with self-doubt Bobby continues to break down.

 

Henrietta tells her wife that her ex called and wants her to speak on behalf at her hearing. Her wife is not pleased that Henrietta went to go see her. Henrietta assures her wife that nothing bad is going to happen.

 

Evan and Abby search for Abby’s mother in Evan’s car. Evan tells them with their police scanner they will be able to hear any calls that come in about her mother.  A call comes in about a trapped 3 year old in a pool with a power line down. Abby tells Evan that they are close to the scene. Evan tells her someone else will get the call. She tells him as a 911 operator she knows that it will take longer for a dispatched team to arrive. Evan complies and they drive to the scene. They both arrive and spring into actions saving the little girl from the pool. Abby enjoys the adrenaline from the rescue but soon realizes she stills needs to find her mother. Evan understands the looks Abby wears on her face and replies he knows they will go find her.

 

Later in the day Evan and Abby still drive around looking for Abby’s mother. Evan tells her that he is impressed that she is not shaking after experiencing that kind of adrenaline. Athena calls telling them that a woman matching the description of her Mother was brought to the hospital. Evan and Abby race to the hospital where Athena is there to meet them. Athena explains her mother made it all the way to south Los Angeles where some rough looking men brought her in. Abby and her mother reunite and Abby brings her home.

 

Back at Abby’s, Evan waits as Abby settles her mom into bed. She walks Evan out she tells him that they should probably go back to being phone buddies. Evan asks why and Abby replies that mistakes might be made. She thanks him for giving a piece of her back and helping her find her mother. They share a sweet embrace and Abby warns him not to sleep with a random on tinder. Evan tells her he will call her. The exchange goodbyes and Evan leaves.

 

The next day Evan walks into work with a revamped attitude pronouncing to Henrietta and Bobby he met a woman. A call disrupts the moment and they head out.

 

They arrive on scene where a car wash attendant has accidently trapped himself on one of the spinning brush machines used to wash the cars. The team frees him as a tension rises again between Henrietta and Bobby. They end up sending the car wash employee on his way to the hospital in the ambulance. Inside Evan re-watches the video of how the employee got caught in the brush. Henrietta and Bobby join him and all they all eventually bust into laughter from the video. This lightens the mood enough to allow Bobby to open up somewhat Henrietta. He tells her he will cook and re introduce himself to the crew.

 

Abby cares for his mother at home before answering a call from Evan as she gets into bed. They casually flirt over the phone until the episode ends.