Happy Friday, I only have this one 9-1-1 fandom thought:
- I'm happy that last night's episode of 9-1-1 wasn't another dumpster fire but I'm disappointed with how quickly and randomly they can put May Grant and Ravi Panikkar together. What I find so interesting is that the 9-1-1 Showrunner and writers showed just how easy it is to put a random straight couple (May and Ravi) together without them having any prior scenes together or any real build up. Meanwhile, fans have been asking and hoping for Evan "Buck" Buckley and Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz for years. And instead of that happening, the Showrunner and writers do nothing more than twiddle their thumbs and make up excuses and bait fans instead of letting Buck and Eddie be together.
May and Ravi feel like when they don't know what to do with characters so they just put them together. It reminds me of what they did with Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen on Smallville and Malia Tate and Jordan Parrish in the Teen Wolf Movie. They were each single characters, so they just put them together, despite each couple having zero chemistry. It made absolutely no sense. And for 9-1-1, May who is a main character, has barely had a storyline in this ninth season and now she's being reduced to nothing more than a love interest. That's so disappointing. I would really like to know why it's so easy for two characters (May and Ravi) who have never had any interaction, can be put together so quickly? While two characters (Buck and Eddie) who have had years of bonding, a deep connection and chemistry, however can't be together?
In the 9-1-1 fifth season fifth episode Peer Pressure, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson was trying to enjoy some down time by reading a book. Reading during your lunch break or break is a good way to get in extra reading time. Too bad for Hen, it didn't last long. Her relaxation was interrupted by her friend and co-worker Evan "Buck" Buckley being annoying and loud. He was looking for Probationary Firefighter Ravi Panikkar so he could show Ravi how to disassemble a chainsaw.
Thankfully, Hen found Ravi (who was hiding out in their Captain's office) and had a very reassuring talk with him. Because Buck was being an overbearing terror in his attempt to train Ravi. So, Ravi was a little nervous and overwhelmed but Hen talked to him and gave him some good advice. I like to think that after helping Ravi she went back to reading her book. But most likely the alarm went off and she had to rush off to an emergency.
I will continue with my final couple Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz and Evan "Buck" Buckley next Monday. Although, they may not be canon, they are one of the most popular ships from the series. And no surprise considering Buck and Eddie have way more chemistry and better connection with each other. Especially compared to all the various romantic relationships they have been forced into with lackluster love interests throughout the series.
So until next Monday, here is this amazing artwork of Ravi Panikkar by Linda (SkyHighRollins). He is a fun little character that despite only being a recurring one, Ravi has quickly become one of my favorite characters. Hopefully, in the seventh season he'll get more screen time and have more than a one episode storyline.
I'm not sure I'm watching tonight's episode of 9-1-1 maybe I'll watch it sometime later this week. But I'm posting the information below if anyone is interested. My reason for not watching is I'm really not thrilled about seeing Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz going on dates. And if not in tonight's episode then I'm sure at some point before the season ends he'll get a new love interest. And the same goes for Evan "Buck" Buckley who is supposed to meet his new love interest as well in these last five episodes of the season. I'm really tired of the Showrunner and writers constantly baiting Buck and Eddie then pull the same old trick of giving them new love interests after being single and having too many scenes and moments alone together. I guess they don't want the general audience to start getting ideas that these two should just be together especially after the last two weeks' episodes: #12 Recovery and #13 Mixed Feelings.
In the series, the Showrunner and writers have done this twice already. In season 2, they introduced Eddie's estranged wife Shannon in the 7th episode Haunted. This is also the same episode Buck eventually ended things with his girlfriend former 9-1-1 Dispatcher Abigail "Abby" Clark who had been gone for months traveling throughout Europe and communication had become nonexistent from her. Then the next episode Buck, Actually had Buck not only hook up twice with TV Reporter Taylor Kelly (who was introduced in Dosed, season 2 episode 6) but the episode ended with him on a date with Interior Designer Ali Martin (who was introduced in 7.1, season 2 episode 2) who would become his girlfriend.
By the third season, Eddie and Buck were both single, Eddie's wife died in Careful What You Wish For (season 2 episode 17) and Ali broke up with Buck in This Life We Choose (season 2 episode 18). But then in the fourth season 6th episode Jinx, Eddie reconnected with his son's former Teacher and now Vice Principal Dr. Ana Flores (who was introduced in Fools, season 3 episode 12) and the episode ended with him going on a date with her. The next episode Buck started dating but it didn't go well. But the 8th episode Breaking Point, he reconnected with Taylor and would spend most of his time with her until they eventually started dating in the season finale Survivors.
They both broke up with their girlfriends in the fifth season, the third episode Desperate Measure (for Eddie) and 18th episode Starting Over (for Buck). So I guess it's back to the stale and predictable pattern of finding them more love interests after they've been single and spending too much time together and with Eddie's son Christopher. Anyway, not sure I'm going to tune in tonight or watch the remainder of the season when each episode airs. I'm not going to stop shipping Buck and Eddie but I'm not holding my breath on this Showrunner actually putting them together. If by some very slim chance that the Showrunner and writers are setting up a surprise with Buck and Eddie being together at the end of the season, then I will happily post an apology and say I was wrong.
As for now, the only thing I'm interested in seeing in tonight's episode (when I eventually watch it) is Ravi Panikkar, who is finally back after a long absence. He will be having scenes with Howard "Chimney" Han at the firefighter academy. Ravi's last episode was the fifth season finale Starting Over. I've mentioned this before how the Showrunner and writers didn't bother to include in any of the sixth season episodes that aired prior to his return where Ravi was. Not one character was written mentioning Ravi or where he was, however, they had no problem including a video call from Lucy Donato having her say why she wasn't going to be back to work for a while in the sixth season premiere Let The Games Begin. I do wonder if the constant comments online from fans and viewers factored in to Ravi's return? So for anyone interested here's the desciption and trailer for tonight's episode.
9-1-1 season 6 episode 14: Performance Anxiety 8:00 PM EST FOX
Description:
The 118 race to emergencies at a commercial bakery and a bodybuilding competition. Bobby's annual performance reviews send Chimney to the firefighter academy, where he runs into a familiar face. Eddie's aunt gets involved in his personal life.
Why does it feel like the showrunners and writers of 9-1-1 are trying to erase Ravi Panikkar from the show? So far, in all of the episodes that have aired for the sixth season, they have not had one character mention Ravi or question where he is? In last night's episode Tomorrow, there was a scene where Henrietta "Hen" Wilson was looking at the collage on her wall and the camera zoomed in on a picture of the characters and surprise, surprise there was no Ravi. In the picture, he was cut out (and also Karen was covered up by another picture). It's disappointing especially since actors Anirudh Pisharody and Traci Thoms were in that behind the scenes picture of the cast from the fifth season 18th episode Starting Over. There really was no point in cutting either of them out of that picture.
(9-1-1 season 6 episode 6: Tomorrow 9-1-1 season 5 episode 18: Starting Over behind the scenes)
It's really starting to feel like the showrunners and writers are trying to make viewers forget about Ravi by erasing him this season. Despite being a recurring character (who was introduced in the fourth season), Ravi is a very well loved and fan favorite character by viewers and it's becoming glaringly obvious that they have been not so subtly trying to push fan despised recurring character Lucy Donanto (who was introduced in the second half of the fifth season) this season while erasing Ravi. Unlike Ravi, Lucy got a scene in the first episode of the sixth season Let the Games Begin explaining why she wasn't going to be at work for a while. Meanwhile Ravi's disappearance was given no explanation, she was also mentioned a few times throughout that same episode while he has yet to be mentioned. In last night's episode Tomorrow, not only was a flashback scene included of her with the other firefighters from the fifth season 16th episode May Day but also in the picture I mentioned above. Why are they so set on erasing Ravi to continue to push Lucy?
It can't be because Anirudh Pisharody is busy with other acting jobs because so is Arielle Kebbel who plays Lucy. But the showrunners and writers continue to make time to push her character even if she's not even there. If this is what the showrunners and writers are doing it's infuriating and I hope that Anirudh will get offered countless more even better roles than the recurring role he has on 9-1-1.
For some reason, I was thinking about firefighter Ravi Panikkar from the show 9-1-1. Since his first appearance in the episode Jinx, he has quickly become one of my favorite (albeit recurring) characters. He's just such a delightful person who is simply happy being himself. I just love that. But what I was thinking about is, I was wondering if whenever he hangs out with his non-firefighter friends does his ever just talk about how weird his co-workers are on A-shift? Sometimes Ravi makes me think of Alice from Alice in Wonderland because when he went from B-shift to A-shift, he found himself in a strange world filled with weird and interesting people. I doubt his friends would even believe him about all the things his co-workers somehow get themselves into. As nice and wonderful as his A-shift co-workers are they are indeed a group of beloved weirdos.
Last Monday's 9-1-1 episode Hero Complex was really good. From Firefighters/Paramedics Henrietta "Hen" Wilson and Howard "Chimney" Han investigating Paramedic Jonah Greenway to Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz visiting his family in El Paso, Texas there were so many interesting scenes in this episode. As a mystery fan, I really enjoyed all the scenes of Hen and Chim trying to find as much information as they could about Jonah. They were trying to determine if he was intentionally harming people on emergency calls in order to be a "hero" to save them.
I love the scene below of Hen and Chim sneaking into the firehouse to go into Captain Robert "Bobby" Nash's office to see what information they could find out about Jonah. I can't believe Bobby just left the password to his computer on a Post-it Note that was super easy to find. And not to mention, his office door wasn't even locked. That's not good, Bobby you have a lot important and personal information in your office.
Anyway, I think Hen is really good at picking up on clues and throughout the episode she noticed a lot of them. I also love that when the firefighters returned from an emergency call, Chim was nervous that they would be caught. I thought it was hilarious that Chim wiped down the desk to get rid of his finger prints, even though he missed the keyboard. However, once Hen and Chim were out of the office, they both were quick to think of a reason when they were asked about all the files that Hen was holding.
As a fan of actor Anirudh Pisharody, I think it's wonderful that he got cast in a recurring role in the Netflix TV series Never Have I Ever. But it's bittersweet as a 9-1-1 fan, because I really wish his character Ravi Panikkar was a main character on the show instead of being a recurring character.
I do wonder if he accepted the other job because he already knew his character was being pushed out in favor of the new "female Buck" recurring character. The showrunners already had a really fun and interesting character which is why I don't understand why they would introduce a new character when Ravi is right there. And they could have made him an offer to be a main actor on the show. Anyway, I hope to still continue seeing Ravi on the show even if he not in every episode.
I am absolutely loving this fifth season of 9-1-1 and this week's sixth episode Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1, was really good. It had the fire fighters called to a fire at a prison and then ended up with some of the team (Captain Robert "Bobby" Nash, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson and Ravi Panikkar) trapped and unable to leave with the riot becoming out of control. While Evan "Buck" Buckley and Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz in the ambulance were taken hostage by two prison escapees. This episode had plenty of drama from beginning to end but it also had some nice quiet moments too like the scene near the end with Eddie and his son Christopher.
I loved seeing Hen helping Dr. Cochran, the doctor at the prison and that she got to help perform surgery on a patient. Although, Hen's in medical school, I think helping the doctor gave her a chance to decide which area of medicine she wanted to specialize in. I thought it was so cool and motivating that even after being trapped in a prison for I don't know how many hours along with probably additional hours waiting at the hospital, that Hen was still planning on going to class. I guess nothing is going to stop her from achieving her goal of becoming a doctor. If that's not inspiration, then I don't know what is.
