As a seasoned gamer who’s survived countless virtual apocalypses and saved the universe more times than I can count, I approach every new crisis with a healthy dose of skepticism and a keen eye for plot holes. The 8th season premiere of 9-1-1, titled “Buzzkill,” was no exception.
Warning: spoilers are ahead for the Season 8 premiere of 9-1-1, called “Buzzkill.”
In the 2024 TV lineup, the second season on ABC for the series 9-1-1 (previously aired on Fox) has commenced. The previews for the debut have teased an upcoming event: a bee-nado set to strike Los Angeles. In today’s post-Sharknado pop culture landscape, a bee-nado might sound familiar, but it surpassed my expectations in terms of excitement. However, there’s one aspect from the episode that has dampened my enthusiasm.
How “Buzzkill” Beat My Expectations
Initially, let me clarify that I didn’t anticipate a small-scale event in the premiere, specifically like the catastrophic situations of Seasons 3 and 7, which were on par with the real-life tsunami and the Poseidon Adventure-like crisis respectively. While I thought the bee invasion in LA and the downing of a plane would be amusing, I didn’t expect it to compete with the drama’s most epic openers. (You can rewatch both the cruise ship crisis and tsunami disaster with a Hulu subscription.)
Turns out, I significantly underestimated the magnitude of “9-1-1”. The series has proven yet again that it can conjure up premieres worthy of awe, even with a swarm of tens of millions of bees! Kudos to the creators for consistently coming up with unforeseen calamities after delivering some crowd-pleasing disasters in previous seasons. Who would have thought a plane could be brought down by bees? Or an allergic pair being trapped in their car due to bees? Or a garden party being invaded by bees? The unexpected plot twist of another plane – carrying characters Athena and Dennis Jenkins – potentially crashing too, was truly nerve-wracking. I have to hand it to the show for skillfully incorporating such an array of insects in the premiere.
But one part of the premiere really stuck out to me as making no sense, even with my usual willingness to suspend disbelief for action-packed shows like 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star.
What I Can’t Buy
My issues with suspending disbelief began during the episode, particularly after the initial bee predicament on the bridge that Buck handled using smoke and subsequently faced punishment from Captain Gerrard. The scene then transitioned to a news broadcast within the show, where the anchor announced:
Stores throughout the Southland are rapidly running out of epinephrine and calamine lotion due to high demand, following an accident involving a truck carrying approximately 22 million deadly bees. It’s reported that these bee hives have combined into what experts refer to as a massive swarm, containing around 15 million bees.
The on-site reporter chimed in to say that the super swarm dropped off radar just before sunset, but that experts warn “these killer bees don’t fly after dark so with temps dropping, it’s likely that they’ve just bedded down for the night.” Pretty scary, right? The scene then flipped to Maddie and Chimney‘s house, where the news broadcast was literally on as Hen and Karen dropped by with Denny and a bunch of pizzas.
It seemed logical to me that Hen and Karen would opt to seek refuge with Maddie and Chimney, in order to secure a single house against the bees, instead of two. This way, they could ensure the maximum safety for all children involved. Of course, I’m guessing they were bringing more than just pizzas, right? Given that Chim and Hen had braved the bees earlier in the day to assess the situation, and Maddie would have a better idea after her 9-1-1 call with the young girl and her mother.
Instead, they opted for an ordinary evening of pizza, seemingly unaware or unfazed by the impending swarm of aggressive bees waiting for dawn to resume their stinging spree. Remarkably, not only these two families but also others appeared to ignore the massive swarm of bees and carry on with their usual activities. Buck and Tommy, in particular, showed no signs of preparing for danger at Eddie‘s place. It seemed as though everyone was content to disregard the opportunity to secure a bee-free night by taking precautions.
It was particularly surprising given that the news report had highlighted people in Los Angeles clearing out calamine lotion and epinephrine from stores citywide. (Yes, it’s possible to purchase over-the-counter epinephrine in LA.) While I could imagine a civilian woman investing her divorce settlement into a perfume business and risking bees for a garden party, it’s hard to believe that first responders would do the same.
Is it possible that I’m being overly critical? Just a little, but the events in “Buzzkill” didn’t quite resonate with me, and I found myself drawn more towards Athena’s storyline that didn’t revolve around bees. It’s unclear how long the honeybee subplot from the three-part premiere of 9-1-1 will continue, given that there’s now a plane crash situation to address as well.
Find out what transpires next in the upcoming episodes of “9-1-1” every Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. This is followed by the debut of ABC’s fresh medical drama, “Doctor Odyssey“, at 9 p.m. ET and the Season 21 premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy” in its new time slot at 10 p.m. ET. I’ll undoubtedly continue to tune in for “9-1-1” on Thursdays this fall, and I can’t wait to see if what happens next will outshine the intrigue that captivated me during the premiere.
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2024-09-27 04:07