"Broken" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of 9-1-1, and the twenty-fourth episode overall. It aired on April 15, 2019.
Synopsis[]
When Metro LA's 9-1-1 system is hit with a massive system-wide power outage, the call center must go old school in responding to emergencies. The first responders must deal with explosions in multiple homes and a difficult child birth. Meanwhile, Michael confronts Bobby about parenting his kids.[1]
Full Synopsis[]
David Cohen takes his children Jamie and Alex to their new home, where an exited Alex is allowed into the house by David. When Jamie follows Alex, David opens the trailer and reminisces about his dead wife who is assumed to have died from cancer. Jamie soon comes over and they discuss about how difficult they had to move while leaving someone behind, as David's wife had always wanted to see the house. Alex peeks out of the window, and while Jamie assures David they will overcome these hardships. Immediately after they embrace, however, numerous gas explosions shock the neighborhood, causing multiple fires, including where Alex currently is. A spooked driver has rammed a fire hydrant. Instinctively, he dials emergency services, only to realize he cannot reach them.
Five hours before the incident, Buck is discussing with Maddie as to where could he live, since he's still occupying her dining room and she doesn't want to stay out. Chimney, who is currently off-duty due to his wounds, is currently trying to sort through his clothing, confusing Hen, especially when he starts smelling it. Maddie dismisses Buck's claim of taking her time to recover, as she still has to move on with life immediately, insisting this is merely how it works, even after the traumatizing abduction and the murder of Doug. Hen doubts if Maddie is ready, but Chimney tells her Maddie will retrieve him, adding the authorities aren't wiping his blood off that tile just yet. Hen's response prompts him to remark how Maddie still enlightens him. Maddie amuses Buck when she admits she didn't really figure where could she and Chimney have their date.
Bobby, with the help of his crew, is lecturing a group of Meadobrook schoolchildren at 118, Harry included. He starts off claiming panic can exacerbate every situation and should be avoided whenever possible, before ordering Eddie and Buck to display a virtual presentation. Buck informs a curious Eddie of Bobby's devotion when it comes to these opportunities. After getting a collective and satisfactory answer regarding emergency numbers, Bobby sees Harry trying to answer, who claims it would summon a fire vehicle. Athena and Michael commend behind the children, with Athena specifying Harry didn't want envy from others just for knowing Bobby. Michael corrects her, as the beans were spilled long before, and they laugh. Bobby introduces Computer Aided Dispatch, and Harry gives an amusing example of a library fire incinerating all their homework. Bobby adds onto this regarding how a dispatcher would find the specific address, while Hen couples this with a fake alert and a megaphone, causing the audience to laugh right after another firefighter slides down a pole. Bobby then announces a fleet tour, assigning Eddie and Buck to lead the children. As they flock away, Michael commends Bobby's lecture, although Bobby claims it's just him in the right act. Bobby then turns to Athena, curious as to why is she present, to which she counters the relative scarcity of fire safety promotions. He assures they'll meet again soon, and they kiss. Kyle Anderson is amazed at Bobby's career and Harry boasts further, claiming Bobby had saved hundreds during the earthquake with the fire team, while Harry himself was restricted to supplying water, much to Michael's dismay.
At the dispatch center, Maddie takes a call of a suspected fever on a baby, but determines the symptoms and provides some additional instructions, noting they may seek medical assistance if the fever remains. Maddie then helps another caller to successfully extract a shrimp tail stuck in her choking husband. Josh wheels himself around when Maddie begins texting Chimney, and is informed they're both fine. He assures he'll come up with more suggestions for her before returning to work. As Maddie takes a third call regarding a road incident of malfunctioning brakes, the entire dispatch center is suddenly brought offline.
Sue informs them while the whole place still has power, Computer Aided Dispatch is currently defunct, and so would anything associated with normal calls, leaving only radios in action to mobilize emergency resources. Josh also brings out some cards for incident types. For now, dispatchers must read maps, obtain specific addresses and then mark the call's location, if possible, or search otherwise.
With the alarms blaring at 118, Bobby informs the crew they are in Tactical Emergency Mode, and instead of awaiting orders at their depot, their units must drive around to catch emergencies and resolve them. Hen jokes on how everyone knew it as part of their training, and Bobby briefly apologizes for the confusion.
Josh brings up a Los Angeles street atlas and instructs dispatchers on its use. Bobby tells Eddie he encountered one such outage in St. Paul during a blizzard where the call center was hit and lost power. Hen adds she wouldn't be surprised if more appear due to poor government funding, as she ran into them three times already. Buck disagrees with their functional vehicles, and Eddie adds they're good as long as they're running. Josh and Sue advise the dispatchers to assist each other, as this was how it worked before CAD, and it will still work. Josh, after getting 118's location, directs them to a traffic incident. Chimney, who is initially annoyed when the outage makes a headline, becomes intrigued as to how it would turn out for his friends.
The dispatch center becomes busy again, and Bobby's crew barely avoid another speeding fire vehicle. Athena is already at the scene alongside station 122, and Bobby reports back, with Josh advising him to resume patrol. Maddie apologizes to Josh for she sent the 122 prematurely, but Josh assures these mixups are frequent, before requesting some staff members to process and remove duplicated calls. As he walks away, Maddie insists she would not spend anymore time away from her job. Sue is surprised by the arrival of Devon Wright, Nina Sutton and Anders Park, three cybersecurity experts. They recall to Sue, Terry and Josh how in 2016 a scam link on Twitters hacked phones to to clog and overstress emergency dispatch systems, as well as another Russian-sponsored attack in Atlanta where the government spend $2,600,000 to dislodge the enemy instead of paying the $50,000 equivalent ransom. Devon in fact was expecting this to be yet another attack, as they then would be able to swiftly neutralize the threat.
Roger Moss, who's just walking out of an elevator with his wife Sonia, finds her experiencing sudden contractions and in agony before collapsing. Roger is then prompted to dial for emergency services instead of hailing Uber, eventually reaching the dispatch center via an alternative. Linda Bates, who took their call, directs the 118 crew to the specified address. While the building staff bring pillows, Roger complains on the absence of emergency units, whereas the 118 reveal they arrived beneath an overpass. Maddie recognizes they've went to one of the three eponymous locations before giving 118 correct directions and a shortcut.
The 118 crew arrive and Bobby apologizes to Roger, explaining expected delays due to a disabled CAD. He then orders Eddie and Hen to begin work. Even though Roger opposes, Sonia informs him the childbirth will have to occur here. The team learn Sonia was pregnant for 39 weeks, and are amused by her reactions as well. However, Sonia suddenly claims some anomaly with the baby and ceases cooperating with Hen's instructions to push, despite being assured by Hen. She starts panicking and mentions how Roger opposed to having this child, but Hen convinces her to simply work with them, and they safely extract the baby, to the onlookers' applause, as well as Roger and the crew's relief. Hen leaves the baby in a towel with Buck when they realize Sonia is passing out. Buck stops Roger from interfering with the crew and hands over the baby, while Eddie reports a sudden blood pressure decline. Roger is told by Buck that Sonia is currently suffering from shock, and Eddie can no longer detect a pulse. Hen begins compressions, and Bobby announces immediate transport to L.A. General Hospital. Buck reminds him they need an extra ambulance, but Bobby, after talking with dispatch, rules it out. Roger ends up with the baby on the fire engine , in company of Buck and Eddie. Bobby suggests taking over from Hen as she has spent 12 minutes trying to resuscitate Sonia to no avail, but is turned down. They both comment how it was all going well but turned awry unexpectedly. Hen gets Bobby to alert the hospital for preparations in fear of hemorrhaging. By the time the ambulance arrives, Bobby informs the staff Sonia was out for 15 minutes, and repeatedly attempts for Hen to cease compressions as there are no vital signs. Despondent, Hen completely loses her composure eventually withdraws. Bobby breaks the news of Sonia's presumed death to Roger, who is devastated and breaks down, muttering to Sonia of his apology to his oppositions and concerns. He then puts the newborn on Sonia to say goodbye before continuing to wail, only to be startled by the cardiometer, and Eddie does a quick check to announce a pulse recovery. The hospital staff and paramedics take over rushing Sonia inside, while a relieved Roger thanks the crew for their efforts. Both Eddie and Buck discuss their confusion and surprise on the outcome, before the whole crew turn their attention to Hen, who is still failing to process the events prior.
Josh gives Maddie several suggestions, but all are turned down, to his confusion. Meanwhile, Terry disagrees with the cybersecurity crew of a subtle attack, as he can't find any traces after numerous searches. Eventually, Nina convinces Terry to simply not intervene with their work. Meanwhile, Linda marks a minor electrical fire which draws Maddie's attention.
Bobby orders the crew to resupply their vehicles in five minutes but was confused to find Harry and his bag somewhere in the station. Though Harry claims he and Michael had an argument, Bobby still insists alerting Michael, who turns up soon after, claiming Harry's Twitter spilled the beans. Bobby stops Michael from leaving and is told of the exact circumstances - While playing at Kyle's place, Harry committed arson, assuming it would be an easy task to eliminate the blaze much like how professional firefighters do, only for the entire lawn to be torched. Michael then argues with Bobby on how he misguided Harry by omitting the hardships of being a firefighter, much to Bobby's dissent, as he was merely educating people on fire safety, not encouraging crime. Bobby reminds Michael a firefighter's duties are often underestimated, but Michael accuses Bobby for trying to outmatch himself as a father, leaving Bobby bewildered.
Meanwhile, a woman was complaining on the phone regarding the emergency outage in Doheny Park and its unforeseen consequences when an explosion knocks a trash bin into her vehicle, which in turn hits a fire hydrant. Meanwhile, David is seen yelling at their new home struck by another explosion. Chimney, who oversaw the incident on news, dials Buck. With Bobby's permission, the crew immediately respond to the scene. On arrival, Bobby dials for reinforcements but is told by Josh they will have to hold the line for around 15-20 minutes before any will arrive. David begs Bobby to rescue Alex, and as soon as Eddie spots him, an additional explosion causes the family to rush ahead, though Eddie stops them. Bobby gets Buck to perform the rescue via their ladder truck. Hen goes off to check any other casualties in the open, while Bobby instructs more firefighters to evacuate civilians, before telling David to withdraw as the ladder truck approaches. Eddie reports the odds piled against them due to lacking suppressive force against the fire, and Bobby tells him to continue requesting reinforcements, as well as getting the gas company to shut off lines within a 2-mile radius. Chimney, who observes the crew in distress, dials Tommy.
Buck ascends the ladder as Alex is getting cut off by the fire, only for it to break with Alex almost in reach. Bobby runs to Buck, who makes it safely to the ground. Eddie decides to scale the pipes, Buck comments how Bobby may potentially chastise him if Buck himself tried that. As Alex begins to suffocate, Eddie breaks himself inside the house by swinging on a harness. Crawling through the house, Eddie finds Alex unconscious and reports to Bobby, who is also briefed by Hen about two more vehicles reinforcing them, the ful evacuation and the gas company's compliance, adding these resources will still not eliminate their current threat. Eddie finds the fire cornering them inside after an explosion, then gets himself and Alex some oxygen. Buck overhears Eddie's cries of help and prepares to rush in, but Bobby stops him when he senses a C-130 air tanker approaching. He orders everyone to hide themselves beneath vehicles. Eddie, in the meantime, covers Alex with himself in the bathtub. The aircraft deploys its payload of retardant, completely extinguishing all fires present before returning to base. Bobby emerges from a truck and calls for Eddie while everyone else leave the confines. Eddie escapes with Alex and sets him down on a board, Before Hen could start compressions, Alex becomes conscious, much to everyone's relief. Buck is curious as to why Eddie pulled off the rescue, to which Eddie responds he just went ahead without a second thought, while Bobby stares into the distance, knowing their support didn't appear from nowhere. Chimney celebrates their victory at home, until he overstresses his wound and sits down in pain, turning off the TV.
The cybersecurity experts and Sue were still mystified by the obvious absence of a deliberate attack when Maddie, Josh and Terry return with good news - Maddie took the minor electrical fire's address to Terry, who presumes it as the dispatch center's communication nexus. When a backup generator overheated, the ensuing fire paralyzed the entire CAD network. Nina comments on the ironic outcome as they never even bothered to ask, while the CAD comes online.
At home, Athena learns from May that Kyle's front porch was scorched. When asked about the outage, she claims she's too exhausted to cook, although May tells her Harry is cooking. When Athena finds out he's making Waffles, she becomes inquisitive on the earlier arson incident.
Maddie is still pondering where would they have a first date with Chimney when Josh walks in, who speculates either Maddie's too busy or is rushing away from her abduction. He is aware that Maddie is trying to ignore it, despite her claims of attempting to address it. He reminds her if she simply gets over it isn't psychologically healthy.
Bobby informs a technician, Marty, that their ladder gave in the moment it's needed the most. Marty isn't surprised as the budget cuts are putting strains on emergency services, and promises a backup will be avaliable in a few days, though of inferior quality than the original, destroyed one. Marty nevertheless praises Bobby's crew for still succeeding even without the ladder, and Bobby claims they function even without their equipment, just in case if they can't use any. Michael comes around, and Bobby accepts his demands to talk upstairs as he isn't needed anywhere immediately. Bobby offers Michael some coffee and pie, although Michael instead begins with an apology for losing his composure in the fire station earlier today. Bobby also apologizes for Michael's grievances, as he never wished to interfere with Michael and the children. When Michael mentions how he is nervous at Harry for bragging at others about Bobby instead of him, Bobby clarifies that Harry's too young to understand the career of a firefighter, merely impressed by the equipment - Michael perhaps could make an even bigger one, befitting his status as an architect. Michael then tells of how Harry ran to station 118 in a fit of rage. Bobby explains that contrary to what Michael may think, Harry does so because Bobby is not his father - Whereas Michael still does everything a parent does, Bobby is merely a family friend and has no say in such matters. Michael is amused by the statement, though Bobby quotes Athena as to him trying to conquer the children as a friend, admitting he tried to assimilate Michael's properties. Michael is surprised, as he lacks Bobby's humor, also mentioning he broke up with Glenn. Eventually, he does demand some pie and ice cream from Bobby, who does so and offers his condolences, as Athena never brought it up. Michael adds he never even told Athena, as he doesn't want to spark an argument with her again. Bobby begins to sympathize with Michael, and reveals he fears Michael's children accusing him for not being their father if he ever tries to chastise them, as he obviously isn't a father anyway. The two men decide to reconcile on the matter, regardless.
Maddie and Chimney have their first date at the latter's place, although Chimney doesn't mind since the day was plagued with chaos anyway, adding they just needed some sleep. Soon, they reveal to each other they're still trying to cope with Doug's intervention - Chimney gets terrified trying to pick up mail, and Maddie can no longer witness that bloodied tile. Eventually Maddie concludes their life will never be the same, and leaves soon after. Chimney stops her, knowing they aren't parting ways for now. Maddie acknowledges they just needed a bit more time, then walks away.
Cast[]
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Guest Starring[]
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Trivia[]
- Chimney and Maddie break up at the end of this episode. They later start dating each other again in the episode "This Life We Choose".
- Michael breaks up with Glenn sometime before this episode.
- Chimney calls Tommy Kinard for a firefighting aircraft to eliminate fires on the burning neighborhood. He brings this up once again in The One That Got Away that he asked Tommy for a favor.
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