Harry and Eddie practice boxing in 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11Image via ABC
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Jennie Richardson
Published Feb 26, 2026, 9:00 PM EST
Jennie Richardson is a TV Features and Lists Writer for Collider, and a graduate student pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing. In other words, she really loves stories.
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Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 9-1-1 Season 9, Episode 11.I was hoping that 9-1-1 would take advantage of its month-long hiatus and course-correct after its most recent episode, but while this week is certainly an improvement from last episode, it still doubles down on its previous mistakes. Abigail (Fallon Heaslip) is still portrayed as a villain for most of the episode, 9-1-1 downplays Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie's (Ryan Guzman) closeness to seemingly push him towards Alex (Aimee Teegarden) even more, and pretty much every character is just generally acting a little off.
There was so much potential in the concept of a 118 charity bachelor auction, especially for Season 9, Episode 11 of a show called 9-1-1, but the execution of this storyline is much less fun than promised – and this episode doesn't go nearly big enough. Chimney (Kenneth Choi) is particularly harsh towards Buck for not wanting to participate, while the two subplots in this episode just feel like repeats of storylines that this season has already done. 9-1-1 could easily have made this into a fun, silly episode that reminds us that the 118 are all a family, but the auction itself is the only genuinely fun part of the episode.
'9-1-1' Season 9, Episode 11 Doesn't Do Enough With Eddie's Storyline
Ryan Guzman as Eddie Diaz in 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11Image via ABC
As it turns out, Abigail kidnapping Christopher (Gavin McHugh) was just a suspenseful cliffhanger to leave fans on during the month-long hiatus. At the start of this week's episode, Eddie is initially terrified when Chris isn't at the bus stop. He even calls Buck to talk him through it. But when Eddie goes home, he finds Chris waiting there with Abigail, who was just giving him a ride home from school. Eddie snaps at Abigail, which is fair given the circumstances, but his harsh words here feel out of character for Eddie. Eddie feels guilty and later meets with Alex for help. The interaction feels entirely professional, even when both of them acknowledge that Abigail sees the two of them as romantic.
Alex suggests that Abigail has been following Eddie, and sure enough, she later goes to his house and vandalizes his car out of jealousy. Eddie takes this to Athena (Angela Bassett), and he brings Alex with him. Athena asks if Eddie and Alex are romantic, making this the third time 9-1-1 has suggested this. Every time, Eddie reacts neutrally, but I still think that this is 9-1-1's way of trying to keep planting the seeds for this pairing. Abigail's case is in the right hands with Athena, and instead of arresting her, she goes to talk to her like Eddie asked. Abigail has gotten a job and an apartment on her own, but she's still really struggling.
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Posts By Erin KonradAbigail later calls Eddie to say goodbye, and he's alarmed by how upset she sounds, so he calls Athena and then goes to check on her. Abigail's father (Michael Peebler) attacks Eddie, and Athena shows up in time with Alex to save him. It turns out that Abigail's father has been stalking her and keeping tabs on her and Eddie this whole time, and Abigail gave him her location to protect Eddie. They take Eddie to the hospital, where Buck shows up to check on him. It's exactly what I would've wanted to see, and Buck even ignores Alex in this scene, which can't really be explained away platonically. Eddie, however, doesn't act very excited to see him, and this is just one example of how distant Eddie acts towards Buck throughout this whole episode.
At the end of the episode, Abigail gets ready to leave for a fresh start on her own, and Eddie sees her off. It's a sweet goodbye, but for a storyline that took two episodes to resolve, there's not enough payoff for Eddie. There's no big moment of realization, the way that the other storylines end this episode. Instead, the conclusion here seems to just be that Eddie is kind, which we already knew. Abigail's storyline would've been such an interesting way to explore Eddie's complex upbringing and his relationship with religion, but yet again, Eddie doesn't get to have a proper story arc this season.
'9-1-1' Season 9, Episode 11 Sidelines Its Best Storyline Until the Very End
At the start of this episode, Chimney declares that everyone at the 118 will have to participate in a charity bachelor auction (although we only see the main characters doing it). Buck was previously the star of the auction during the last one, which seems to have occurred sometime between Seasons 1 and 2 in the timeline of the show. Now, though, Buck is suffering from back pain and is insecure about how much he's changed with age, so he doesn't want to participate. It's always fun to see everyone rib Buck, but Chimney and Eddie are unusually unkind towards him this episode. Chimney continuously punishes Buck for not wanting to do the auction, while Eddie expresses too much disbelief that someone ever would've paid $8,001 to go on a date with Buck – which feels like an odd and kind of cruel line to give to him, especially as the showrunners know that there are a large group of fans rooting for an eventual romance between Buck and Eddie.
Hen (Aisha Hinds) isn't back with the 118 yet, but her health is doing better, and she can return to work if she wants to. She's initially hesitant even after Chimney gives her the go-ahead, but after saving a stranger's life while in a car accident with Karen (Tracie Thoms), she decides that she's ready to become a paramedic again. Buck, too, has a change of heart after talking to Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt). She relates to his insecurities about aging, but then she points out how much better both of their lives are now than they used to be. This inspires Buck to go into the auction as his new and true self, where he talks about his love for baking and his niece and nephew (and where he ends up being quite a hit with the audience, including an elderly group of friends who bid on him).
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Posts By Jennie RichardsonChimney brings May (Corrinne Massiah) in to train the 118 for the auction, and it's fun to see her involved, but 9-1-1 once again fails to give May a proper storyline. She hilariously trains the 118, and later shows up to monitor the auction, but she's barely in the episode. The auction is, of course, the best part of the episode. Athena bids on Harry (Elijah M. Cooper) because she naturally doesn't want her teenage son to go on an auctioned-off date with a stranger. Eddie hilariously pays Maddie to bid on him, although sadly, the two don't spend any time together this episode beyond that. May bids on Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody), initially claiming that she's just getting the bidding started. She then becomes determined to win, and Athena realizes that she likes him. May wins, and the two later go on a date, starting off a romance for May and Ravi. While they're very cute together, they don't get nearly enough screen time this episode, and I wish they had gotten even one scene alone together before the auction.
Subscribe for sharper 9-1-1 recaps and TV insights
Dig deeper into 9-1-1 storylines by subscribing to the newsletter for thoughtful episode analysis, character breakdowns, and broader TV coverage that adds context and sharpens your take on each episode. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.The episode ends with Buck teaching his auction winners how to knit, Ravi and May going on a date, Athena and Harry sharing a meal, Hen returning to the 118, and Eddie sending Abigail off. It's too soon to determine what the rest of the season is going to look like, and 9-1-1 can absolutely turn things around from here, especially now that the Abigail storyline has been resolved. Still, though, the season has a major pacing problem, and none of the storylines feel cohesive. Hen's chronic illness recovery was rushed through way too quickly, and the characters' dynamics continue to get sidelined in favor of big calls. Moving forward, 9-1-1 needs to go back to centering its characters and their relationships, because that's always been the best part of the show.
9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 9:00 P.M. EST on ABC.
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9-1-1
'9-1-1' commemorates its 9.11 episode with a hilarious bachelor auction, but it unfortunately spends the bulk of the episode repeating past storylines, at the expense of its characters' arcs.
Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Crime Action Release Date January 3, 2018 Network ABC, FOX Showrunner Tim Minear Directors Bradley Buecker, David Grossman, Brenna Malloy, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jann Turner, Jennifer Lynch, Marita Grabiak, Sarah Boyd, John J. Gray, Barbara Brown, Robert M. Williams Jr., Kristen Reidel, Marcus Stokes, Tasha Smith, Millicent Shelton, Juan Carlos Coto, John Gray, Greg Sirota, Alonso Alvarez, James Wong, Kevin Hooks, Varda Bar-Kar, Shauna Duggins, Sharat Raju Writers Tim Minear, Andrew Meyers, Brad Falchuk, David Fury, Ryan Murphy, Christopher Monfette, Nadia Abass-Madden, Nicole Barraza Keim, Erica L. Anderson, Matthew Hodgson, Stacey R. Rose, Taylor Wong, Tonya Kong, Adam Penn
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Angela Bassett
Athena Grant
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Peter Krause
Robert 'Bobby' Nash
'9-1-1' commemorates its 9.11 episode with a hilarious bachelor auction, but it unfortunately spends the bulk of the episode repeating past storylines, at the expense of its characters' arcs.
Expand Collapse Pros & Cons- The bachelor auction is very fun and silly, and each "bachelor"s bidding ends the perfect way.
- Eddie and Hen's storylines this episodes feel rushed and repetitive.
- This episode drags out the Abigail storyline, taking the focus away from its characters during what should've been a lighter and sillier epoisode.
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9-1-1
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Angela Bassett
Subscribe for sharper 9-1-1 recaps and TV insights
Dig deeper into 9-1-1 storylines by subscribing to the newsletter for thoughtful episode analysis, character breakdowns, and broader TV coverage that adds context and sharpens your take on each episode. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.What To Watch
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