The fall finale of 9-1-1 season 8 feels like an episode that could have aired during

the show’s Fox era. If there is one observation about the show’s move to ABC, it’s

that there has been more focus on the lives of the main characters over the outlandish

emergencies that earned the franchise its reputation. The emergencies in the fall finale, titled “Wannabes”, aren’t too wild. But there are quite a few of them, which doesn’t leave room for any major developments. At least until a surprising scene in the closing minutes. The appoach makes sense. 9-1-1 season 8 has done a solid job of checking in on its protagonists, whether it’s Henrietta (Aisha Hinds) facing off against Councilwoman Ortiz (Verónica Falcón) to reunite her family or Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) revealing to Howard (Kenneth Choi) that she’s pregnant. Aside from a secondary storyline where Sergeant Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) bonds with a young busybody who was viciously attacked, which builds off of her reluctance to work with a partner in episode 7, the main focus of “Wannabes” might be a recurring guest star.

Brad Torrance Takes The Spotlight It Highlights A Common Problem For The Show After the events of the previous installment, in which actor Brad Torrance (Callum Blue) declares he is going to shadow Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) and the rest of the 118, Brad is front and center for most of the midseason finale. He’s there to soak up the credit when the team responds to a messy pipe explosion, and he’s also the one who ultimately convinces a stranger not to jump off a bridge by leaning on his TV stardom and what seems like a bit of reverse psychologyThis isn’t an issue in and of itself. One of the cool things about 9-1-1 is that it welcomes turning the attention over to a relatively minor or even one-off character if it might benefit the story. The problem with Brad, and this has been a recurring theme throughout season 8, is the lack of consistency and consequences. It was just one episode ago that Brad, after feeling rejected by Bobby, lashes out at a young waitress and reduces her to tears.

But in the fall finale, he’s back to being an anxious performer who’s eager to impress. it is a bit disappointing to see the series back away from any genuine tension between Bobby and Brad, especially after it backed away from contending with how horribly Gerrard treated Henrietta when he was in charge. The lack of consequences also applies to Gerrard (Brian Thompson), who is refashioned during his 9-1-1 season 8 appearances into a Hollywood hopeful with a bit of a temper. It’s an admittedly fun mini-arc, which allowed Gerrard to move on from the 118. It’s fun here, as well, with Blue having a blast in his portrayal of an over-the-top actor. Still, it is disappointing to see the series back away from any genuine tension between Bobby and Brad, especially after it backed away from reckoning with how horribly Gerrard treated Henrietta when he was in charge.