9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 2 Review: Rock the Boat

If there’s someone you want to be on a potentially deadly cruise with, it’s Athena Grant-Nash.

While the cruise from hell kept getting decidedly worse, Athena and Bobby found themselves in a terrifying position during 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 2, which had them prepared to say goodbye to one another for the last time.

If that sounds terribly dramatic, it absolutely was. But it’s also 9-1-1 at its very best.

When the credits rolled on 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 1, pirates had come aboard the ship, and it looked like things were about to get real. And they did, but not necessarily in the way expected.

From the exceptionally effective and invigorating media blitz leading up to the premiere, we’ve always known there would be an explosion on the ship. But once those pirates entered the equation, it wasn’t clear how the two connected, if at all.

Well, now we know.

The pirates and their hostage situation were extremely short-lived, as they really did just want that dongle, and then they were ready to bounce.

Poor Norman was the biggest loser in this situation, and nothing was his fault.

He thought he and Lola were living the dream, living the mundane everyday life and setting out to sea where they could be on a different beach with a different cocktail every day.

But little did he know, Lola was seemingly as bored as ever. And that’s saying something.

There was something shady about the short interaction we saw between Julian and Lola previously, and nothing on 9-1-1 is ever done by mistake. Athena picked up on the shadiness, and Athena, being Athena, was not about to let any guilty parties get away scot-free.

Athena may have left the uniform at home, but she will always do her job.

Julian truly was a snake, and he was content to let someone get shot rather than give over the damn money until Athena forced his hand.

Everything happening on the cruise ship was shrouded with chaotic energy, but they did try to give some insight into Julian’s motives, though I’m still not sure what exactly they were.

He branded himself a white-collar criminal, and maybe he technically was, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a bad guy. He was still committing a crime, and mostly everything that transpired on that boat from the moment the pirates hopped aboard could be directly traced back to his actions.

Everything except the weather, of course. He’s not that powerful.

Everything moved quickly from the second the pirates hopped off the boat with their riches, and the bomb went off.

Athena and Bobby jumping right into their natural roles as leaders is what we’ve come to expect from the pair, and there was a tender moment between Bobby and Norman juxtaposed with Athena, who was laying into Lola and Julian.

Ochoa: Captain Nash. If it wasn’t for your wife, I never would have made it out of there.
Bobby: Where is she?
Julian: Saving the ship.
Bobby: Of course she is.

This was the Angela Bassett hour, and she delivered in every single way as she took it upon herself to help save so many lives on the ship.

As scared as he was when he couldn’t find Athena, you could see how prideful Bobby was, knowing that his wife was stepping up to be the hero she’d always been destined to be.

Even though we knew that a near-drowning scene was on the horizon, it was still gut-wrenching in all the best ways.

9-1-1 has perfected the art of tugging on your heartstrings until the dam bursts.

Bobby and Athena haven’t had a perfect marriage, but it’s been close. They found one another at a time when they were both open to something, and they decided to leap together.

Taking those kinds of leaps can be incredibly scary, but also exactly what you need. And Bobby and Athena have always needed each other.

It’s interesting to see the two different fears Bobby and Athena had heading into the cruise. Their talking to each other about things ahead of time probably could have saved them an incredible amount of emotional stress but would have robbed us of our near-death confessions.

Bobby not thinking he was worthy of Athena, their love, and his second chance may be a battle he continually grapples with. But I so love how Athena is always there to remind him that he’s deserving of this life he’s built for himself.

There’s a boulder on Bobby’s shoulder at all times, weighing him down and reminding him of his perceived failures, and it’s a pain that he’ll probably always live with. Being with Athena, building this family, and working at the 118 with his found family may have lessened the weight, but they never took it away.

Athena’s assurance that she and Bobby were both more than deserving of this second act together was such a beautiful moment between the pair, especially knowing how things were at times during 9-1-1 Season 2.

Athena had a lot of fear about letting herself be happy and how it looked for her to be divorced and moving on, and Bobby never had those struggles, but as evidenced here, he still had fear about feeling like he’d somehow pressured Athena into both the marriage and their current predicament.

There’s nothing like the fear of knowing you’re potentially minutes away from dying to bring a lot of things full circle, and even though they were both scared of different things, they both also realized at that moment how much love was there.

I LOVE a sad but poetic and cathartic love declaration! And that’s precisely what 9-1-1 gave us as they wrapped around each other, shared a little kiss, and waited for the water to take them.

So dramatic and so perfect all at the time.

The bottom line is that their lives are messy, and I don’t foresee the mess stopping any time soon, but now that they’re both aware of what the other feels, there’s no reason they can’t get beyond this by firing up that communication.

Perhaps they should even book a little joint session with Frank, who may miss the extra money from separate sessions but would be helpful to them in the long run.

Thinking that escaping that death trap meant the terror ended meant underestimating the craziness this show loves to unleash. Now, we’ll get everyone upside down with the ship sinking some more, people injured, and time running out.

I’d say good luck in the most sarcastic of tones if I didn’t know Bobby and Athena were still on that boat, and Hen was on land about to gather the troops.

Bless Henrietta Wilson for trusting her gut.

It was overall a depressing hour for Hen, who found her temporary captaincy in jeopardy over a situation in which it appeared she didn’t do anything wrong.

I won’t pretend to know what all the rules are in certain situations, but it seemed that she was following the correct protocol throughout the entire emergency. Once medical care was refused, the right thing to do was respect that refusal, right?

Things obviously went tragically wrong and threw everything into turmoil, but while Hen was in the thick of the emergency, she made the right calls.

Unfortunately, Hen has undoubtedly seen a scene like that play out before during her lengthy career, and she was steadfast in her convictions. But being questioned by her friends understandably put her on edge.

I understand where Chimney, Buck, and Eddie were coming from, especially since none of them were as sure as Hen was about what happened. They did have her back, but they also wanted to reassure her that if there were some wrongdoing on her part, they would still have her back.

But to Hen, it felt like a betrayal for them to doubt her, and an insinuation that she would want anyone to lie for her had to feel incredibly overwhelming.

NONE of them would want the others to lie for them if they did something wrong, least of all Hen. She’s a big girl who can accept her mistakes and face the consequences of her actions.

Hen wasn’t even off duty more than maybe an hour before she quit sulking and immediately dove into investigation mode in a way Athena would be proud of.

I have long been on the ‘give me more scenes with Maddie and Hen’ train, and Hen going to Maddie and using her resources at the dispatch center was smart. It’s not exactly them hanging out for fun, but I’ll take the win!

Maybe it’s because I’d just watch Athena and Bobby get taken hostage and almost die together on said cruise ship, but it was incredibly frustrating to see no one take anything Hen had to say seriously.

First of all, this is Hen. She’s always right, and that’s just how it will always be. Secondly, the boat was suddenly nowhere on the sea, and a massive hurricane was coming. Why was no one taking Hen more seriously?

I’m mostly looking at that rude Chief, but also anyone who doesn’t immediately believe Hen Wilson will forever get a stank look from me.

The cruise has been separate from things at the 118, which was a nice departure from how these opening-season disasters usually play out. Typically, everyone is directly affected by the disaster in some way, either being caught in it or helping in the aftermath.

This time, it’s just been Bobby and Athena, but now that Hen’s on the case, the 118 will be getting involved in no time. And they are not in the business of leaving anyone behind.

Loose Ends

Even though it was obvious Bobby and Athena were not going to die on that ship in that manner, that was still a tense scene because it did not feel like there was a way out for them.

9-1-1 LOVES a redemption arc, and they gave it to Julian as he turned into the Bathena savior. But I have a strong feeling he will somehow escape when this is all said and done like he originally planned.

If Norman makes it off that ship alive, he needs to leave Lola ASAP, and I hope that’s where this storyline heads. Lola needs to go back to jail, and Norman needs to get his second chance at love and a life without that woman.

Norman not wanting to leave the boat without Bobby was lowkey the sweetest little moment. So stupid for his health, but so sweet.

Those boys were DEVASTATED when Hen walked out on them. Their hearts were in the right place, but Hen wasn’t wrong to feel how she felt. I need BIG hugs the next time they see her!

I already said this was Angela Bassett’s hour, but it must be repeated. The comedic timing, the emotional beats, and the action! What can’t she do? The answer is nothing.

Is there only one therapist in Los Angeles? I just know Frank keeps immaculate notes, so he makes sure he doesn’t mix anything up while seeing all these people who know each other.