The seventh season of 9-1-1 has really come in with a bang after switching to ABC. There was Bobby and Athena's cruise ship disaster honeymoon, Buck's touching bisexuality realization in the 100th episode, and Maddie and Chimney's wedding that got derailed due to encephalitis. Seven seasons in, the show continues to be as strong as ever, with many big moments that are both emotional and intense.

It is nothing new to say that 9-1-1 does the big moments well, with sudden disasters like the tsunami that took place while Buck and Christopher were at the pier. There are many fantastic episodes of the show that have gotten a lot of love and attention. However, there are also many episodes of the show that have been overlooked, either because they are subtler and without as many big disasters, or else because they get buried in between other major episodes. These are the 10 most underrated episodes of 9-1-1.

9-1-1-season-7-poster
9-1-1
TV-14
Drama

Release Date
January 3, 2018
Cast
Peter Krause , Angela Bassett , Kenneth Choi , Aisha Hinds , Jennifer Love Hewitt , Rockmond Dunbar
Main Genre
Drama
Seasons
7
Network
ABC

10 "Past is Prologue"

Season 5, Episode 9

Bobby and Athena in 9-1-1 at the casino together
Image via FOX

Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) and Sergeant Athena Grant-Nash (Angela Bassett) have been a fan-favorite couple since the Season 1 finale, and Season 5, Episode 9, "Past is Prologue" was a very fun and cute episode for that pairing. First, May hilariously walked in on Bobby and Athena acting out a fantasy scenario where Athena was dressed as a firefighter. Bobby and Athena then investigate a robbery at a casino that had happened about 30 years before. Athena and Bobby reenacted the robbery to try to find out what happened, and they learned that the woman who worked there was directly involved. Meanwhile, Hen Wilson (Aisha Hinds) bumped into her mother, Toni's, ex-boyfriend, Clive, and tries to reconnect them.

Evan "Buck" Buckley (Oliver Stark) and Taylor were a poorly-matched couple, but Taylor's storyline this episode was really powerful, and it was nice to see Buck support her. Before Buck knew about Taylor's family history, he was afraid that she was going to leave him. Buck tells the rest of the 118 that they have reached the point in the relationship where the woman flees, causing Ravi to ask, "Women flee you? Routinely?" Buck ended up taking a mature step towards communication, and Hen was able to get Clive and Toni back in touch.

9 "Future Tense"

Season 4, Episode 3

Buck and Eddie on the Hildy Cam in 9-1-1
Image via FOX

Season 4, Episode 3, "Future Tense," dealt with a series of technology-mishap calls. The 118 helped a man who was burned when his ex-girlfriend turned up the hot water in his smart home, and Eddie in turn freaked out about technology due to this. Maddie Buckley (Jennifer Love Hewitt) learned that Buck was in therapy, which led to some deep talks between the Buckley siblings. There was a really fun scene at Eddie Diaz's (Ryan Guzman) house, where Christopher Diaz (Gavin McHugh) and Buck played video games. Chris was cheating, but instead of dealing with the issue at hand, Eddie just unplugged the game because he was afraid of technology.

This was a really important episode, because it was the catalyst for "Buck Begins" later on, and for Maddie, working through a lot of tough and emotional history, particularly related to her family. Hen dealt with issues with her difficult med school classmate, Sydney. This was the first time that Maddie alluded to the secret of Daniel's death, when she said to her mother on the phone, "How do you tell someone that you've been lying to them for their entire life?" Additionally, Hen got through to Sydney with kindness. Buck and Christopher pull a prank on Eddie by sending him a smart coffee maker and writing that it was from Hildy, the AI tool that runs the smart home. Maddie finally told Chimney Han (Kenneth Choi) the truth about Daniel, although it was off-screen and not revealed to viewers yet.

8 "Stuck"

Season 2, Episode 4

Eddie and Christopher DĂ­az eating cereal in 9-1-1
Image via FOX

There were certainly some good things about 9-1-1 Season 1, but the show really began to hit its stride in its second season. In Season 2, Episode 4, "Stuck," the 118 attended to emergencies where people were stuck, all while dealing with feeling stuck in their own lives. Athena was offered the promotion of lieutenant that she had always wanted, but she was not sure if she wanted it anymore. Buck was still living in Abby's house and feeling stuck in his one-sided relationship, especially after Maddie announced that she was moving out. Chimney felt stuck after running into his ex-girlfriend, Tatiana, and learning that his traumatic experience with the rebar had changed her life but not his. There was also the elevator proposal that ended in tragedy.

Meanwhile, Eddie was struggling to care for Christopher on his own while working as a full-time firefighter after his Abuela got hurt while watching Chris. This episode was strong for many of the character arcs, but it was also really fun and sweet to see Christopher at the firehouse, and everyone at the 118 in turn taking care of him, spending time with him, and acting like an extension of Eddie's family. This was also the episode when Buck introduced Carla to Eddie and Christopher. By the end of the episode, each person started to move on from where they felt stuck.

7 '"Fallout"

Season 3, Episode 9

Buck, Eddie, and Christopher playing video games in 9-1-1
Image via FOX

In Season 3, Episode 9, "Fallout," Hen dealt with residual guilt after the ambulance killed Evelyn while she was driving it, even after it was ruled to be the circuit board's fault. Hen, Eddie, and Maddie were all seeing Frank for therapy due to their separate struggles. On a particularly unusual call, a woman got impaled by a space rock. Hen and Karen went on a retreat and bumped into Stacey, a life coach whose life Hen had saved before she ever became a firefighter. Bobby was exposed to toxic fumes during an intense call. Maddie helped Tara, which led Maddie to work through some unresolved feelings about her own past.

Through talking with Stacy and then Karen, Hen was able to get past her guilt and go back to work. Meanwhile, there was tension between May and Athena about May's college essay. Athena ultimately accepted that they would have different opinions, and she supported May. Buck went to see Eddie, where he apologized to Eddie for not being there for him when he was distracted with the lawsuit, and Buck blamed himself for Eddie's fighting. This led to a genuine and touching moment between Buck and Eddie, before Buck then switched to a lighter note, asking "You wanna go for the title?" This episode is another underrated one, because no major disasters occurred during it. However, it was able to expertly balance humor and heart in order to move the characters' story arcs further along.

6 "Powerless"

Season 3, Episode 17

Hen and Chimney helping a guy in a UPS truck in 9-1-1
Image via FOX

Season 3, Episode 17, "Powerless," is the episode before the season 3 finale, so it did a really great job of laying the groundwork for the season finale. Athena was still investigating the Jeffrey Hudson case, to very little success. The 118 took some odd calls, like a young girl going off in a hot air balloon alone, a woman stealing a bulldozing truck, and a chef getting stuck in the freezer. Meanwhile, Karen was concerned when she learned that Hen was lying to her about meeting with a woman named Imelda, and Michael got stuck in a hospital elevator. This episode did an excellent job of balancing more serious topics with some real fun.

There were goofy moments like the 118 getting the man out of the freezer to "Ice, Ice Baby." There was also the wonderful first meeting of Michael and David when they got trapped in an elevator together. The funniest scene in the episode was Karen got drunk with Chimney, and they both thought Hen was cheating, but really Hen had decided to go to medical school. On a much scarier note, Athena investigates Jeffrey's storage unit, which led to a horrifying and devastating encounter that became a significant part of Athena's story.

5 "Malfunction"

Season 3, Episode 8

Athena comforting a distraught Hen in 9-1-1
Image via FOX

In Season 3, Episode 8, "Malfunction," the episode started with a call where a bunch of skaters got injured and cut up during a performance. This led to the reveal that, as a child, Bobby was an ice skater, and he and his partner were Twin Cities Junior Pairs Champions for three years straight. After Bobby told the 118 about his past, Buck found Bobby's old skating partner, Heidi Schatsky, and Buck ended up making a cardboard cut out of Bobby as a childhood ice skating star. Additionally, Athena was still suspended after breaking the rules to solve her late fiancé, Emmett's, murder, so she tried to keep busy by cooking for the firehouse.

On the more serious side of things, this episode was really heavy and intense, with many members of the 118 family struggling. Eddie was underground fighting to deal with his anger, and he almost killed a man in a fight. Karen was grieving the loss of her embryos, leading Hen to become distracted with worry and stress. Bobby and Eddie ended up having a moving heart-to-heart, where Eddie opened up to Bobby and told him that Shannon was going to leave him and Christopher again before she died, and that he was still mad about it. Then, Hen was driving the ambulance when a traffic light malfunctioned, which led the ambulance to hit and kill a young woman named Evelyn. This episode did a phenomenal job of giving a deeper look into the characters' problems, and not shying away from the more difficult moments. Additionally, Aisha Hinds' acting at the end was amazing and heartbreaking.

4 "Tomorrow"

Season 6, Episode 6

Season 6, Episode 6, "Tomorrow," dealt with an explosion at Karen Wilson (Tracie Thoms)'s lab while Karen and Denny were inside. The previous episode ended with Karen calling 9-1-1 about the explosion, then this one started with her taking Denny to the lab that day, so viewers knew where this was going. The present day plot is interspersed with flashbacks of the start of Hen and Karen's relationship. It was really special to see Hen and Karen's backstory. Their first date started out rocky, but got really great really fast. It turned out that Chimney set Hen and Karen up, but he did not even tell Hen that she would be going on a date.

The flashbacks then showed Hen and Karen becoming a couple, despite the obstacle of Eva, as well as them ultimately choosing to adopt Denny together. This episode was incredible, both for the Hen and Karen flashbacks, as well as for the present day intensity. Hen was supposed to sign her resignation papers from the 118 in order to become a doctor, but she could not bring herself to do it, especially when she found out that Karen had decided to hold off on fostering kids while Hen started her third year of medical school.

3 "Buck, Actually'"

Season 2, Episode 8

Maddie and Chimney singing karaoke together on 9-1-1
Image via FOX

Season 2, Episode 8, "Buck, Actually" is a really great episode on its own, but it is even better in retrospect with the current knowledge of how so many seeds were planted in this episode, only to come to fruition later on. There are a lot of funny and heartfelt moments in this episode. It was the introduction of Norman and Lola, who came back much later for the cruise ship disaster in Season 7. Chimney and Maddie were revealed to be especially close, with them singing "Islands in the Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers together, which later played at their wedding in Season 7.

"You don't find it, son; you make it." The 118 dealt with a call where an elderly man, Mitchell, had been run over by his car. His husband, Thomas, was absolutely heartbroken while watching him die. Buck was very moved by their love story, which foreshadowed many parts of his eventual story arc, including his coming out, as well as the foundation of what Buck had seemingly been building with Eddie. Immediately after Mitchell died, Thomas died of a broken heart. It was one of the most devastating calls that the 118 has ever taken, and it stuck with both Buck and with viewers.

2 "Hero Complex"

Season 5, Episode 17

9-1-1's best plot twists have been when they introduced a character who seemed normal and who had relationships with the main characters, but who later turned out to be pure evil, such as with Doug (then disguised as "Jason Bailey") and Junior. In this case, Jonah Greenway started working at the 118 while Chimney was away searching for Maddie. Hen never liked Jonah, but everyone thought it was just because she missed Chimney. Then, after Claudette died after the fire when she was stable and left alone with Jonah, Hen did some investigating, aided by Chimney. Additionally, Eddie went home for his father, Ramon's, 40-year anniversary of his career.

The episode before this one, "May Day," gets a lot of praise and attention, and for good reason, due to the high stakes around the 9-1-1 call center catching fire. However, "Hero Complex" is also an incredibly strong episode, finally getting to the climax of the Jonah storyline. It started out with some investigation, and then it led to a truly terrifying scene of Jonah stopping and restarting Chimney's heart multiple times while Hen was forced to watch. Additionally, Taylor betrayed Buck by reporting on the story, which had been inevitable since her very first episode. After having a fraught relationship with Ramon for his entire life, Eddie was finally able to experience a breakthrough conversation with him.

1 "There Goes the Neighborhood"

Season 4, Episode 7

Bobby and Michael watching the neighbors with a telescope in 9-1-1
Image via FOX

There were not any particularly big disasters or tragedies that occurred in Season 4, Episode 7, "There Goes the Neighborhood." Instead, it is a more fun and subtle episode that focused on the theme of issues related to neighbors. "There Goes the Neighborhood" is genuinely one of the funniest episodes of 9-1-1 to date, and definitely its most underrated episode. The calls that the 118 received were from a band of people who took poisoned drugs and accidentally spread them to the neighbors, as well as two neighbors who were fighting when a Humvee fell on one of them, and a poorly-domesticated turkey that attacked its neighborhood. For the main characters' plot points in this episode, Buck went on a bad date with a woman who turned out to be his neighbor, and Hen's mother moved back into town.

The best part of the episode is what is arguably 9-1-1's funniest subplot, in which Michael Grant spies on his neighbors with a telescope. When Athena asked Bobby to help Michael, Bobby ended up getting involved in the spying, so they both started trying to figure out what was going on with the mysterious neighbor who Michael called "Slim". While spying on Slim, Michael and Bobby even pulled David into it, so that the three of them were investigating and searching through the dumpster. Michael even later broke into Slim's apartment and uncovered an illegal surgery business. 9-1-1 gets a lot of praise for its tragic storylines, but it also does comedy very well, and this subplot is the best example of that.

9-1-1 is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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KEEP READING: The 10 Best '9-1-1' Episodes, Ranked