Wow. Talk about a wild hour.

9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 2 took you on a ride, as each storyline this week was a bit gut-wrenching and made for a rather emotional hour. From Hen’s struggles to Athena and Bobby’s trip and Buck’s awakening, my emotions were all over the place.

It may be too early to say this, but it feels like 9-1-1 is back.

Now, you may be thinking, but 9-1-1 never left? And you would be correct because we’ve gotten episodes, emergencies, character arcs, and the like. But 9-1-1 Season 5, in many ways, didn’t feel like the series we fell in love with.

It had some highs, but there were also a lot of lows. Thus far, 9-1-1 Season 6 feels like a fresh start.

They’re back to focusing on the core characters and their stories. And that’s always been when this series was at its absolute best.

This is a heavy Hen hour, and when you give Aisha Hinds the room to do what she does, she will always knock it out of the park.

Hen’s desire to be captain made sense because she knew she was qualified. Bobby knew she was qualified. And she knew that she could do the job. But she underestimated just how difficult it would be to juggle all her responsibilities.

It was hard to watch Hen struggle as the hour went on because you could see the toll it took on her to be so many different things simultaneously. She was on her game at work, ever the professional, but she wasn’t taking care of herself. She was neglecting self-care in favor of index cards, which will eventually catch up to you.

The writing seemed to be on the wall as far as her finals were concerned when we saw how much she struggled leading up to taking them. And while it’s upsetting to see what ultimately happens, it did feel realistic in many ways.

We all know Hen is a fantastic person and smart as hell. But she’s also human.

She has flaws just like everyone else, and she doesn’t always have every single answer at her disposal. But failing her final wasn’t from lack of effort. People fail sometimes, but what you do in the aftermath and how you pick yourself back up to move forward ultimately matters the most.

You can’t blame Karen for telling Hen she has to choose because she’s currently in a very unhealthy place. Even once Bobby returns, and she’s back to being a paramedic, she will be too busy to commit firmly to her job, medical school, and family.

Sometimes things work until they don’t any longer. And it’s important to recognize that and make the necessary changes.

I hate that the story has taken us here because I’ve always thought Hen would be such an amazing doctor, but they’ve been building to this in subtle ways, and I can’t hate that this is where the story took us. And it’s not over!

I would never count Hen out or doubt her ability to go after the life she wants.

Speaking of going after life, let’s talk about Buck.

This will clearly be the season of Buck trying to discover what he wants out of life. Bobby’s words in 9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 1 stuck with him enough that he’s still trying to figure out how to be at ease and escape all his fears.

Everyone at some point probably has those questions about life and what it all means. Why are we here? What is our purpose?

The collapse at the Happiness Convention was an intelligent way to continue invoking those questions in Buck as he spoke with Lev in his final moments.

Anytime someone passes on a call, it’s heartbreaking, and this was no different. Three best friends attending a convention about happiness and achieving it suddenly being trapped underneath rubble and on the verge of death is depressing. You start to transition to the next phase of your life, and now suddenly, you’re gone.

But Lev seems to take those final moments as a time to make peace and gain clarity. He wanted the team to save Frankie, and even though he may have ultimately passed, he was able to see that moment and decision for what it was; a way to help someone else in this insane life.

Lev: You saved the kid?
Buck: Yeah.
Hen: You’re next. You’re next, Lev.
Lev: It’s okay. I got what I came for. I think I get it now.

Buck’s had this incredible journey throughout the series, and it’s nice that we’re getting to this place where Buck is acknowledging that there is still room for continued exploration. He’s not content to stay stagnant right now, which is essential to being your best version. You can always continue to grow.

This storyline moving forward could mean many things for Buck as he tries to figure out his purpose beyond his identity as a firefighter, what he has to offer others, and what he ultimately wants for himself.

I love him doing this while single because I hope this will open his eyes to ultimately figuring out who the right person is for him. As he works to understand himself better, it should become increasingly clear who understands him in return.

Bobby left the 118 in good hands as he and Athena traveled to Florida to be with Beatrice and Samuel. And a parent’s illness will never be an easy thing to navigate.

Athena and Beatrice have a complicated dynamic at times, which can manifest in misunderstandings. Parents will forever think they know best, and sometimes they do, but it’s often hard for them to relinquish control to their children.

You raised them, and then suddenly they want to tell you what’s right? It can be a hard pill to swallow.

I felt for Beatrice because it’s naturally difficult to wrap your head around your significant other being ill and things changing, especially when it happens so unexpectedly. One second Samuel was smiling, and the next, he was in a coma, with no timetable on if he’ll wake up.

Beatrice is understandably afraid, and change of any kind is scary. Athena isn’t there to swoop in and take over; she’s trying to help and make things easier. But it’s hard to see things clearly amid unimaginable grief.

Athena had Bobby with her every step of the way to listen when necessary, step in when needed, and lend a hand when called upon. Chaos can consume these two, but their love and respect for one another will always be resent.

The ending of the hour is a shock, if only because it feels so out of left field. They introduced us to the Tanya tragedy so long ago, and it takes a second for your brain to remember all the details. But once you do, your jaw drops.

Why would her body be under Athena’s parent’s house? What happened to her? Was Samuel involved? Maybe Junior’s dad?

My brain is running wild, but it looks like we’ll soon be tagging along as Athena and Bobby look into a cold case that’s VERY personal to Athena.

Loose Ends

• The underground love tunnel is BONKERS. Imagine crawling underground daily to have an affair, and then, instead of confronting your cheating spouse, you blow up your backyard instead.

• Hen not wanting the team to call her Cap, probably because it’s temporary and they already have a Cap, was one of those little things I love about the series. They add these little details that help you appreciate the characters even more.

• We may already have a top 118 moment of the season, with the boys lovingly showering Hen with popcorn. I’ve missed them so much!

• Mentor Maddie is great, and Noah is just a cute bean who wants to be the best dispatcher. I hope he keeps that positive attitude!

• Eddie doesn’t have a storyline yet, but the lightness surrounding him is so lovely to see whenever he pops up onscreen.

This was a powerful installment, and I’m curious how you guys feel about the season thus far. So do jump into the comments and let me know what’s working for you and what’s not.

If you need to catch up, you can always watch 9-1-1 online on TV Fanatic to get your fill!

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Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

Uh oh. Chad’s sworn revenge against Abigail’s killer, and he’s got a gun.

The fiery Dimera widower has almost choked several wrongly accused people; at least this time, he’s got the right man.

Still, spoilers for Days of Our Lives during the week of 9-26-22 suggest this latest stunt will not go well — Chad might be the one who ends up in the hospital, or worse.

At least Chad, and viewers, will get the closure we’re hoping for.

After holding Clyde at gunpoint, Chad’ll get the story of the night Abigail died. Hopefully, that’ll include an explanation that makes sense for why Clyde stabbed two people, one of them fatally.

Right now, it seems like the writers decided at the last minute that Clyde was the culprit after exonerating him shortly after Abigail’s death. That’s so unsatisfying that many viewers are expecting a second twist.

It doesn’t look like anyone donned a Clyde mask, and if they had, Clyde would have had no reason to doctor security footage to give himself an alibi.

And after all is said and done, Abigail’s ghost is supposed to appear to Chad and thank him for finding her killer. Sorry, diehard Clyde fans.

Maybe it’ll turn out that Clyde was working for someone, but it’s more likely that he has some explanation for the attacks that makes sense in his mind.

A clip in the spoiler video suggests that Clyde will get the upper hand and try to choke Chad.

Someone will undoubtedly thwart this karmic attack (what did Chad do to several other suspects, including Clyde, the first time he was arrested for this, after all?); spoilers say EJ comes to the rescue at the last minute. Will EJ’s actions finally heal the rift between the brothers?

Elsewhere, Jack finds out that Jennifer is using painkillers again. If Gwen spills the beans despite Jennifer’s threats, that could be the beginning of a redemption arc for her. Either way, the pill drama comes to a head this week, as a clip in the spoiler video suggests this when Jennifer gets into a serious car accident!

Check out all eight of our Days of Our Lives spoilers below for more information about what happens.

Chloe tries to enlist Craig to help stop Nancy’s wedding.

The worst part of Clyde having killed Abigail is the fallout for the Wesleys, especially since Chloe is again rooting for one of her parents’ relationships to fail.

Clyde may be evil,  but Nancy loved him. She will be devastated to learn the truth.

Does Chloe care? No. She just wants to be smug about the fact that she knew this person was no good.

Hopefully, the reveal will happen without Craig’s help — he doesn’t need to look to Nancy like a jealous ex who wanted this to happen.

Chad is out for blood.

After learning that Clyde smells like vanilla, Chad is convinced he has the right man and goes on the warpath!

While it appears he’s right, the problem is that this evidence is extremely circumstantial, and Chad has made similar mistakes at least four times before.

While his credibility with Rafe may be shot (sorry for the bad pun!), I wish Chad would at least try to get ahold of him before confronting Clyde with a gun.

Rafe and Jada attempt to track down Abigail’s killer.

The race is on!

The Salem PD is always slow and incompetent, giving ordinary citizens a chance to confront murderers on their own before the authorities arrive.

So far, Jada seems to be the exception to that rule, but we know Chad will confront Clyde, so it’s obvious who wins this race.

Chad learns what happened the night Abigail was murdered.

We’ll get flashbacks of the event; hopefully, they won’t be especially graphic.

They’d better contain a reasonable explanation, too. I want to know, as badly as Chad does, why on Earth Clyde did this.

And let’s leave supernatural demons and other magical devices out of it, please. Let’s hope that either Clyde had a grudge against Abigail or someone paid him off to kill her.

Gwen exposes Jennifer’s secret to Jack.

As discussed above, this could be Gwen’s beginning of a redemption arc. It makes sense, too, because Gwen’s mother died of opioid abuse.

It’s too bad she didn’t stand up to Snyder’s blackmail the same way. Viewers lost interest in Gwen’s redemption two or three awful storylines ago.

Either way, Jack is finally going to get Julie and Doug involved. Maybe the family will do an intervention, which could explain why Mike returns to town soon.

Chad has a heartbreaking goodbye with a vision of Abigail.

Abigail’s ghost will appear to Chad to thank him and say goodbye.

She could have saved a lot of time by appearing to Chad earlier and telling him who killed her, but that wouldn’t have been as fun. Besides, as we learned on Beyond Salem 2, there’s a lot of red tape involved in ghostly appearances!

These scenes will be devastating for Chad, but maybe they will give him the closure he needs to move on.

Allie tells Johnny he’s overstayed his welcome.

Who’s surprised by this? Me neither.

Even though Johnny has moved on with Ava, Allie’s probably jealous of any time he spends with Chanel, and Allie doesn’t like his new choice of girlfriend either.

She’s never happy unless she’s sniping at her brother. If Johnny moves out, she’ll have to track him down to yell at him, so there’s that.

Rex has a surprising realization about Kate’s illness.

Apparently, Rex is back in town. He’s the only one of Kate’s sons who isn’t in trouble for stalkerish behavior, which is ironic considering his obsession with Sarah.

Fortunately, this time around, he’s getting involved in finding a cure for the toxin affecting his mother, Marlena, and Kayla.

I’m curious as to what he realizes. He did work with Rolf before, after all.

Your turn, Days of Our Lives fanatics! Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know your thoughts and theories about these Days of Our Lives spoilers!

Eager to chat about already-aired episodes? Check out the latest Days of Our Lives reviews and Days of Our Lives Round Table discussions.

Days of Our Lives streams exclusively on Peacock. New episodes drop on weekdays at 6 AM EST/3 AM PST.

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Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.