“You said you love me, and that's a fact

And then you left me, said you felt trapped

Well, some things you can explain away

But the heartache's in me 'til this day”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel go off the rails while we explore Season 3 Episode 18, the Season Finale of 9-1-1, “What’s Next?” where everyone but Buck gets a happy ending.

Josh confronts his attacker, Michael gets his cancer-free(ish) meet-cute redo, Maddie and Chimney are expecting, and Buck is getting the most unsatisfactory closure Amtrak could deliver.

We discuss how Athena is not raring to get back out in the field, but her family assumes she is. Athena tries to find normalcy in the aftermath of the attack, but struggles when she comes home to find a den that reflects her psyche: a deconstructed zone.

Buck is jump-scared by the ghoster of girlfriends past: Abby, and spends most of the episode grappling with his unresolved feelings, thinking she was the one that got away. We dissect his interactions with Abby and uncover the anger lurking beneath the surface from being abandoned in such a thoughtless way.

Meanwhile, number one Abby hater Eddie Diaz is watching his bff like a hawk, waiting to see how he can have Buck’s back in the face of the person who left Buck the hurt and closed off version of himself Eddie first met in 2x01. 

Things are cooking in our Slow Burn section as we look into the co-parenting kerfuffle Buck and Eddie have at the station over sending Christopher to summer camp. No one but Eddie seems surprised that Buck is balking at the idea. We unpack Eddie’s judgmental looks at Abby, of which there are many, and his exasperation with Buck for taking unnecessary risks to save Abby’s FiAnCé.

Buck and Abby meet for the last time by the train in vain because neither of them reach their intended destination: closure.

“You must explain why this must be

Did you lie when you spoke to me?

Did you stand by me? No, not at all”

Episode Title inspired by “Train in Vain” by The Clash

📔 Articles Quoted

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Boss on Buck & Abby, Maddie’s Happy News, Athena’s Struggle & More, TV Insider

📰 9-1-1 Boss on Connie Britton's Return, Season 4 Plans, and More, TV Guide

📰 Inside the Epic Disaster & Emotional Reunion in the ‘9-1-1’ Season 3 Finale, TV Insider

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Season Finale: Showrunner Tim Minear Plans ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Crossover Eps, Talks The End Of Connie Britton’s Journey & Bringing Back Brooke Shields For S4, Deadline

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Chief on Maddie and Chimney’s Finale Surprise, Abby’s Return and Athena’s Choice, The Wrap

📰 9-1-1 EP on Buck and Abby’s ‘Mature’ Reunion, Other Major Finale Events — Plus 1 Secret He Refuses to Reveal,

📰 9-1-1‘s Oliver Stark on Buck and Abby’s ‘Fulfilling’ Reunion: Working With Connie Britton ‘Felt Like Old Times’, TV Line

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Music by DIV!NITY 

Chapters 

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:00:52) Welcome to Dispatch

(00:03:32) General Thoughts

(00:10:53) Jaws of Life - Deep Dive

(00:23:22) Needle Drop - Music Analysis

(00:33:06) Flashover - Themes

(00:39:58) Who’s Cookin’? - Josh

(00:44:10) Hen & Chimney

(00:50:52) Maddie

(00:55:35) Michael

(01:00:23) Athena

(01:11:47) Buck

(01:28:35) Buck & Abby’s “Closure”

(01:40:04) The Last Abby Rant!

(01:44:17) Where’s the Fire? - Party at Bathena’s - Scene Dissection

(02:05:40) Slow Burn - Bi Buck & Buddie Watch

(02:11:37) Eddie Diaz, #1 Abby Hater

(02:20:49) Buck & Abby Finding Their Significant Others 

(02:28:00) Eddie’s Judgement of Buck’s Partners

(02:34:43) Outro & Take a Buddie With You