And then he ran into her knife. He ran into her knife ten times.

Close enough, welcome back Maddie Begins! This week Han, Cil, and Rachel do our best Cell Block Tango into Season 2 Episode 13 of 9-1-1, “Fight or Flight.” Maddie is back in her own personal horror movie: abducted by the abusive spouse she fled, all alone with no one and nothing to support or help her, and losing the hope she rekindled after her marriage snuffed it out.

Meanwhile, Buck and Athena dispatch themselves on the case, which is lucky because the detective in charge seems set on doing less than the bare minimum, assuming this will quickly turn into a murder investigation. We discuss how Buck and Athena wiggle through the loopholes of The System to advocate and facilitate for Maddie’s safe return.

Ultimately, Maddie does not know if help is coming, or if it will make it to her in time, so she devises multiple plans to save herself using the observational skills she’s honed in her time at Dispatch. We delve into her emotional and mental state and ascertain how she cycles through the stages of grief, going from from dissociative and resigned to actively fighting back.

If there’s one thing the Buckleys are good at it’s improvising! The Buddies admire Maddie’s quick-thinking under extreme duress and how she flips Doug’s pathetic attempts at manipulation back on him to buy her more time.

We talk about the potential for a dual Buckley near-death experience (NDE) in the upcoming latter half of Season 8 and how that could lead to a bittersweet Madney and Buddie parallel. Chimney recovers in the hospital and the 118 extended family rallies around him in the waiting room. The team reminisce and bond as Hen drops some new Chimney lore, but we are squinting suspiciously at the exchange between Michael and Eddie when they meet, setting off our impeccable gaydar.

If you’d have been there, if you’d have seen it, we betcha you would have done the same.

📔 Articles Mentioned:

📰 ‘9-1-1’: Jennifer Love Hewitt on That Bloody Snow Battle – and Its ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Joke, The Wrap

📰 ‘9-1-1’: Jennifer Love Hewitt on That Emotional Episode, What’s Next for Maddie & Chimney, TV Insider

📖 The Bravery Game by songbvrd, Archive of Our Own

📖 B L E E D F O R M E by Olympea, Archive of Our Own

We are @buddiesystempod everywhere:

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The Buddie System is a Nerdvergent Media production.

Music by DIV!NITY

Chapters

(00:00:00) Welcome to Dispatch - Intro

(00:02:48) General Thoughts

(00:10:18) Jaws of Life - Deep Dive

(00:15:24) Red String Corner

(00:19:44) Flashover - Themes

(00:25:57) Who’s Cookin’? - Character Arcs

(00:26:56) Buck’s Panic & Finding Loopholes in The System

(00:36:05) Buck & Athena Buddy Cop Team Up

(00:45:52) Maddie Flashbacks to Doug’s Abuse

(00:59:41) Maddie Experiencing the Stages of Grief

(01:06:43) Escape at the Gas Station

(01:16:34) Buckley Sibling NDEs in 8b?

(01:18:42) Help is Not Coming

(01:27:51) Where’s The Fire? - Scene Dissection: Maddie Fights Doug in the Woods

(01:36:12) Madney Giving Romeo + Juliet Parallels

(01:40:36) Buck & Maddie Reunite

(01:44:40) Chimney Recovering in the Hospital

(01:48:53) Christopher’s Perception of Hospitals

(01:53:02) 118 & Co. in the Waiting Room

(01:56:14) Slowburn - Bi Buck & Buddie Watch

(01:56:24) Gay Recognize Gay - Eddie Meets Michael

(02:00:40) Eddie & Shannon in the Waiting Room

(02:04:08) Buddie Hospital Jail Visitation

(02:15:26) Take a Buddie With You - Outro