Is [Spoiler] in Danger After the ‘9-1-1’ Season 3 Premiere? (POLL)
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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for 9-1-1 Season 3, Episode 1, “Kids Today”]
Fox’s 9-1-1 returned and it was business as usual for the first responders at the center of the medical dram… at first.
The characters are in a relatively good place when things kick off in the premiere — especially Buck (Oliver Stark), who appears to have been cleared for duty after a medical absence. But not all is as it appears, and by the end of the episode, we’re left worrying more about Buck than ever before.
In a quick sequence that appears to be a real fire call, Buck rescues an unconscious body that we soon learn is a dummy. “Baby doll factory… new record,” the proctor of Buck’s test exclaims. “Most guys take the stairs. Welcome back, Buck,” he adds before shaking his hand.
Thinking he’s in the clear, Buck arrives at Bobby (Peter Krause) and Athena’s (Angela Bassett) house, only to learn that they’ve set up a surprise party for his return to work. Celebrating with some cake and conversation, the joy quickly disappears when Buck starts coughing uncontrollably before spitting up blood and passing out.
The next scene reveals he’s suffered a pulmonary embolism due to a clot in his lungs and two more in his legs. Just as he’s awaiting discharge from the hospital, he speaks with Bobby about returning to work and his hopes are dashed.
(Credit: Jack Zeman / FOX)
Since Buck is on blood thinners, Bobby explains it’s a liability to have him return to work without knowing the cause of his blood clots. “Bobby, you know how hard I’ve worked for this. They can’t do this to me. You can’t let them take away my job,” Buck pleads.
Bobby promises he can come back in a few weeks for “light duty” if he does well on the meds, but Buck is heartbroken, realizing Bobby means desk duty. “Out there, in the world helping people, that is where I belong. That is where I have spent five months fighting to get back to. And now you’re gonna tell me I can’t?”
Needless to say, the revelation leads Buck on a downward spiral, and he decides to quit rather than face potential desk duty. In an effort to change his attitude, Eddie (Ryan Guzman) asks Buck to take his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), out for a day on the pier.
And for a little while, we feel like it may be all OK for Buck — until the final moments of the episode when he’s faced with a tsunami-level wave. Left in this scary predicament, we can’t help but worry that he may be in serious trouble — either with the natural disaster or with his health issues.
Prior to the premiere, 9-1-1‘s EP Tim Minear said to TV Insider of the impending wave, “Some will live; some will not.” Could that someone be Buck? Tune into 9-1-1 to find out, but until then, let us know what you think about Buck’s Season 3 fate in the poll below.
9-1-1, Mondays, 8/7c, Fox
