‘9-1-1’ Season Eight Delivers an Even More Unforgettable Bee-Nado Moment

With an estimated 14.8 million bees flooding Los Angeles, first responders are getting creative when faced with situations they’ve never been trained for. Along with this unique premise, the Season 8 premiere also sees Police Sergeant Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) assigned by the FBI to transport a prisoner back to Los Angeles to testify in a sex trafficking case. Things seem pretty straightforward for her until it’s revealed that the prisoner she’s escorting is Dennis Jenkins (Glenn Plummer), the man who killed her fiancé, Emmett Washington (Jeff Pierre). Making matters worse is that in exchange for his cooperation, Dennis is granted early release.

Athena reluctantly accepts the job because Dennis won’t testify if she doesn’t go with him. Despite Athena’s obvious stress, she protects Dennis from a group of assassins who want him dead because of some information she has about his former cellmate who resembles Jeffrey Epstein. As they change flights to avoid these assassins, a large swarm of bees causes their plane to collide with a small plane, setting up the events of Season 8, Episode 2, “When the Boeing Goes Full Power…” Although 1-9-1 Season 8 starts on a lighter note, writers Tim Minear and Ted Griffin subvert expectations and deliver a tense yet inspiring story in the second episode.

Athena Grant Prepares for One of ‘9-1-1”s Best Episodes

The Big Emergency of 9-1-1 Season 7 sees Athena and her husband, Robert “Bobby” Nash (Peter Krause), trapped on a sinking cruise ship. Although they’ve had marital problems before, the disaster brings them closer together than ever. But in Season 8, Episode 2, they’re thousands of miles apart as Athena fears for her life. A collision with a small plane leaves the pilot and co-pilot of the plane Athena is traveling on unconscious, leaving her the only one capable of landing the plane. However, just because you’re a rescue worker doesn’t mean you suddenly become a pilot. Realizing he might not be able to make it, he tries to call Bobby, but his new job as a TV technical consultant keeps him busy. Even with a brief voicemail, Bassett’s lines are enough to convey how much Athena loves Bobby.

A flight instructor, Jimmy ( Antonio Azizi ), lines up with Athena to guide her through landing the plane. Okay, but you’ve done this many times… with students in flight simulators. Luckily, a young man, Gem ( Carter Young ), is a huge airplane fan and helps Athena figure out the right knobs to stabilize the Boeing, even with the holes open. The tender moments between Gem and Athena provide much-needed balance through the episode’s many wild events. After finally hearing Athena’s voicemail, Bobby becomes a knight in shining armor and takes the fire truck with Evan “Buck” Buckley ( Oliver Stark ) to the airport. It’s unclear what Bobby plans to do, but his heroic drive is ready to do whatever it takes to help Athena. While Athena and Bobby’s relationship has its ups and downs, 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 2 is a good reminder of how much they care for each other.

‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Episode 2 Shows Anyone Can Be a Hero

Before attempting to fly the plane, Athena admits to the passengers that she’s scared and tells them not to panic and to help in any way they can. With the help of Maddie Buckley (Jennifer Love Hewitt), she connects Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz (Ryan Guzmán), Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi) to the passengers over the phone and guides them through triage. Even with limited resources, the 118 paramedics rely on their quick thinking to find temporary solutions for the injured victims. Even in the face of danger, passengers can step up and be trained to be first responders. Who would have thought that a silly concept like a bee-nado would be the reason for one of the best episodes of 1-9-1?

“When the Boeing Goes into Trouble…” continues the series’ trend of using multi-episode emergencies to test characters in particularly dire situations and show what makes each of them special. Even though most of the characters don’t physically interact with each other, the power of communication is still on display. This episode proves that with the right guidance, even the impossible can become possible.