15 Heartbreaking 9-1-1 Episodes Too Hard to Rewatch

As one of television’s most-watched procedural shows, 9-1-1 is best known for its big catastrophes. The firefighters and paramedics at the 118, along with their LAPD and 9-1-1 dispatch colleagues, have seen a tsunami in Santa Monica, a mudslide in the Hollywood Hills, a citywide blackout, and a 7.1 earthquake, not to mention countless bizarre vehicle accidents, a train derailment, a bomber, and a sniper who targeted firefighters. No matter what they’re facing, the first responders serving Los Angeles work hard to save the people in their community while also being there for each other.

9-1-1 focuses on the lives of firefighters Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) and Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman), paramedics Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds) and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), and their captain, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause). LAPD Sergeant Athena Grant (Angela Bassett), who is married to Bobby, and Maddie Buckley Han (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Buck’s sister and Chimney’s wife, round out the main cast. Currently filming its 8th season, 9-1-1 is a procedural show that brings just as much comedy as it does drama, and the actors and writers seem to shine in the heart-wrenching moments that viewers never forget — even if they never want to relive them.

15 9-1-1 Deals with Big Emotions Early On

Just the second episode ever of 9-1-1, “Let Go,” sets the tone for 9-1-1’s future emotional moments. When the 118 is called to an amusement park to save someone hanging from a rollercoaster, Buck experiences his first loss while on the job, and it rattles him unexpectedly. Buck develops new fears around doing his job, which doesn’t get better when the sister of the man he lost blames Buck for the man’s death. On the bright side, seeing Buck and the rollercoaster accident on the news does lead Abby Clark (Connie Britton) to finally call Buck, setting up their relationship.

Elsewhere, Athena learns that her husband, Michael (Rockmund Dunbar), who came out in Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot,” has begun dating someone, and then arrives home to discover that her daughter, May (Corinne Massiah), has attempted suicide. Both Oliver Stark and Angela Bassett give great performances in this episode, and the running theme of suicide — from the man Buck lost to May — is part of what makes it so heartbreaking.

14 Hen Wilson Takes on More Than She Can Handle

After Athena’s father, Samuel Carter (Henry G. Sanders), crashes into the Florida room of Athena’s childhood home, Bobby and Athena postpone their belated honeymoon cruise to visit Athena’s parents. With Samuel in a medically induced coma, both Athena and her mother, Beatrice Carter (Beverly Todd), struggle, but it is Beatrice’s admission that she just wants to hear Samuel’s voice one more time that often sends viewers to tears.

Back in Los Angeles, Hen struggles to handle supporting her family, studying for her medical school exams, and being interim captain. When Hen and the team are called to a collapse at a Happiness Symposium, Hen has to choose which patient gets their attention first, and both she and Buck take it hard when the patient they couldn’t get to dies. Aisha Hinds gives a particularly stunning performance, just one of many in Season 6 when Hen breaks down after forgetting to pick up her son and learning she has failed her neurology exam. The entirety of “Crash & Learn” will make viewers think about their own mortality and the mortality of their loved ones, and while 9-1-1 handles the topic well, it makes the episode a tough one to watch.

13 Eddie Diaz Has a Breakdown

The 118 has to face some of their fears in “Fear-o-Phobia,” and while there are funny moments — like when Bobby runs from a room after discovering a patient is covered in tarantulas — most of the episode is a close look at how fear can change people. Eddie, Maddie, and even Buck are struggling to deal with fears that developed thanks to trauma from their pasts in the episode. Buck, who recently asked his girlfriend, Taylor Kelly (Megan West), to move in, finally reveals to her that he kissed another firefighter before asking her to move in, and they argue about his fear of people leaving him. Maddie, who recently returned to Los Angeles after six months away recovering from post-partum depression, struggles to overcome her fear of giving Jee-Yun a bath, given that the last time she did, Jee slipped under the water.

The 118 and Athena try to help a woman who has lost her sense of fear, leading her to threaten to jump off of a recycling center. It takes Hen, Buck, and Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody) working together to get the woman down and solve the medical issue that took her sense of fear away. The most heartbreaking moment in “Fear-o-phobia” comes near the end, though, with Eddie. After his therapist suggests reaching out to one of his old Army colleagues, Eddie discovers that everyone he saved is now dead. He has a breakdown, destroying most of the items in his room and scaring his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh). Buck comes to the rescue, and their conversation reveals that Eddie is struggling much more than anyone previously knew.

12 Jeffrey Hudson Gets His Revenge

Five days into a citywide blackout, thanks to ransomware attacks that have taken down the grid in Los Angeles, Athena and Michael’s son, Harry (Marcanthonee Reis), is kidnapped. Jeffery Hudson (Noah Bean), the serial rapist who attacked Athena in Season 3, Episode 17, “Powerless,” has escaped from custody and is dead set on getting back at Athena. In “Desperate Measures,” Hudson takes Harry to an unfinished development and seals him in a wall before getting Athena to chase him through downtown Los Angeles.

Watching Athena search for Harry and pursue Hudson is powerful and heart-wrenching, but it’s not the only mother-child relationship that changes in “Desperate Measures.” After dealing with post-partum depression since the end of season four, Maddie briefly drifts off while Jee-Yun is in the bath, and though ultimately Jee is okay, Maddie feels the baby is no longer safe around her. The video she leaves behind for Chimney when she drops Jee at the firehouse is one of the more devastating moments in 9-1-1‘s history and sets up a storyline for Chimney and Maddie that keeps viewers hooked for several seasons.

11 Eddie Diaz Suffers a Great Loss

In “Careful What You Wish For,” Bobby is out on suspension, leaving Chimney in charge, which proves to be tough for everyone. The 118 goes to a couple of calls, but everything changes when they’re called to the scene of a car accident. For much of the episode, Eddie and his wife, Shannon (Devin Kelley), are trying to figure out what they want their relationship to look like.

When Shannon thinks she might be pregnant, Eddie realizes he wants to be with her and make their marriage work, and tells her as much just as she tells him that she’s discovered she isn’t pregnant — and wants a divorce. Their conversation is the last one they have before the car accident, where Eddie finds Shannon dying in the street. Her death destroys Eddie, who must tell his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), that his mother is gone again, and even has Bobby reeling as the memories of losing his own wife come flooding back.

10 Hen Wilson’s Personal Life Makes Her Job More Difficult

In “Malfunction,” the 118 sees several bizarre calls, including when a figure skater’s skate stabs her partner in the chest and when a robot attacks a factory worker. Eddie spends the episode fighting for money as an outlet and then nearly kills someone, but it is Hen whose story makes this episode so heartbreaking.

After losing all of their embryos in an earlier episode, Hen and her wife, Karen (Tracie Thoms), are still struggling with their loss. Karen is distraught and is having trouble getting out of bed, and her behavior distracts Hen. Just when Hen finally feels like she’s getting her groove back, she hits another vehicle while driving the ambulance. The loss of Evelyn (Annie Thurman), a 17-year-old cello savant, destroys Hen. Aisha Hinds’s performance in “Malfunction” is powerful and disquieting and drives viewers to tears so guttural they’ll never want to experience them again.

9 Maddie Buckley’s Abusive Husband Puts Her in Danger

“Fight or Flight” ends where Season 2, Episode 11, “New Beginnings,” ends, with Chimney lying stabbed in the courtyard of Maddie’s apartment building and Maddie having been abducted by her abusive husband, Doug (Brian Hallisay). Doug takes Maddie all the way up to Big Bear, where Maddie is finally able to escape and, ultimately, kills Doug in self-defense. Elsewhere, Buck and Athena are chasing Doug and Maddie across California, determined to save her.

Part of what makes the episode so well done is that Brian Hallisay and Jennifer Love Hewitt are married in real life, which created a built-in trust that allowed for both actors to dive deep into their roles in the episode. There are several heartbreaking moments, but the one most viewers will never forget is seeing Maddie and Buck yelling for each other in the snow, Buck racing to Maddie’s aid. It’s a powerful, if distressing, visual and shows how close the characters are.

8 Athena Grant is Attacked

While searching for information about rapist Jeffery Hudson, Athena finds herself alone in a storage unit during a city-wide blackout. When Hudson attacks her from behind, the physical assault ends up broadcast over the radio for everyone to hear — including Bobby. As the 118 race to help, Bobby listens to the attack and, at one point, isn’t sure whether his wife is alive or dead.

Some of the saddest moments show up when Bobby joins Athena in the ambulance and when he sits at her bedside in the hospital. Krause’s performance is powerful and nails how devastating it would be to hear an attack on a loved one. He manages to deftly balance anger, fear, sadness, and, ultimately, gratitude that Athena makes it out alive, and while the end of the episode is positive, the most difficult parts will stay with audiences forever.

7 The 118 Nearly Loses Buck Forever

Buck, who is struck by lightning in Season 6, Episode 10, “In a Flash,” spends the majority of “In Another Life” in a coma dream that takes him to an alternate universe. He’s not a firefighter, he doesn’t know Eddie, Maddie is still with Doug, and, worst of all, Bobby is dead, but his older brother Daniel is still alive, and his parents are totally different, making Buck’s decision about whether to stay or go more difficult than he expected. While trying to figure out what to do, Buck finds Bobby at the hospital, and it is the coma dream version of Bobby that helps Buck understand what he needs to do in order to get back.

Coma Dream Bobby is a bit of a jerk, which gave Krause the opportunity to use some of his comedy skills, and Krause’s onscreen father-daughter chemistry with Corinne Massiah is particularly heartwarming. The moments where Buck is still in his coma are the most difficult, particularly when Eddie brings Christopher to talk to Buck and when Athena tells Buck that he needs to wake up because Bobby can’t lose another son.

6 Athena Grant Solves Her Fiancé’s Murder

“Athena Begins” is the strongest of 9-1-1’s “Begins” episodes and gives viewers a look at Athena’s backstory while she searches for the man who killed her fiancé, Emmett, in the present day. In February 1991, Emmett stopped by a convenience store to pick up something for Athena and walked into a robbery. His death is something Athena long blames herself for, and despite being told to stay off the case, she is adamant that she must solve his murder herself when the gun that killed him turns up in a routine traffic stop.

The flashbacks to Athena’s early days as a police officer feature Pepi Sonuga, recently seen on The CW’s Walker, as young Athena and the episode is one of Angela Bassett’s best performances in 9-1-1‘s seven seasons. Viewers learn about how Athena left law school to become a police officer and how her relationship with Emmett changed her as much as his death did. Any lover of Athena will find “Athena Begins” both powerful and heartbreaking, especially in the last moments of the episode when Athena comes home to Bobby after finally solving Emmett’s murder.

5 Buck and Athena Fight for the Lives of Their Partners

“Survivors” begins right where Season 4, Episode 13, “Suspicion,” ends — Bobby and Athena are arguing about the state of their marriage after she followed him to an AA meeting because she could tell he was lying, and Eddie Diaz has been shot and is lying on the pavement with Buck trying desperately to save him. Athena puts herself on the case just as another firefighter is shot, and she and Detective Danvers (Dawnn Lewis) must figure out who is targeting firefighters. Meanwhile, Buck must tell Christopher that Eddie has been hurt, and Buck and Carla (Cocoa Brown) care for Chris while Eddie is in the hospital.

Most heartbreaking to watch is Buck’s response to Eddie being shot, along with Buck’s shock afterward. Oliver Stark’s performance is palpable, and really shows how the relationship with Buck and Eddie has strengthened since Eddie first arrived at the 118 in Season 2, Episode 1, “Under Pressure.” Plus, Bobby and Athena finally talk about how he felt during her attack in Season 3, Episode 17, “Powerless,” and when Bobby becomes the hostage of the sniper, Athena makes Buck and Ravi help her dress up as a firefighter and walk through a raging fire to get him back.

4 Bobby Goes to His Team for Help

When 9-1-1 began, Bobby Nash carried around a small black notebook to record the names of the people he’s saved — one for every person who died in the fire Bobby started when he left a space heater on while drunk and high in Minnesota. In “Worst Day Ever,” Buck and Hen notice that Bobby’s reaction to Buck asking about the notebook is unexpectedly volatile, but neither can confront him about it because moments later, the 118 is called to a plane crash at the beach.

Bobby and Buck continue to butt heads, with Buck refusing to get off the sinking plane when Bobby tells him to, and though Buck does his best to save Bobby and the last living passenger, ultimately, Bobby and the mother he was trying to get out of her seat have to be pulled to safety by a rescue helicopter. The crash and the rescue send Bobby spiraling down a whiskey bottle, and when he doesn’t show up for work on his next shift, Hen and Buck go to his apartment, where they find him passed out. Krause’s performance in “Worst Day Ever” gives viewers a look at what Bobby might be struggling with, and the audience’s tears are most likely to come when Bobby finally asks Hen and Buck for help, his face crumpling as he breaks down.

3 Chimney is Distraught When Maddie Abandons Him and Their Baby

At the end of Season 5, Episode 3, “Desperate Measures,” Maddie dropped Jee-Yun off at the firehouse with a video for Chimney, telling him that Jee was no longer safe with her. When “Home and Away” begins, Chimney is frantically watching the video on repeat, trying to figure out what clues it might hold to Maddie’s whereabouts. He tries to convince himself that someone forced her to leave, but ultimately learns that Maddie took Jee to the hospital and follows her trail to the doctor, who tells him about Jee-Yun slipping under the water. Kenneth Choi is incredible in the episode and leaves many viewers weeping along with him as he tries to figure out what happened to Maddie.

Elsewhere, the 118 is dealing with the aftermath of a delivery van driving into the staging area for a Homecoming parade. Hen and Eddie must tell the parents of two best friends that one of their daughters lived while the other did not. After Eddie discovers that the living girl was misidentified, Hen must break the news to one set of parents that the girl whose bedside they are at isn’t their daughter. It’s a devastating mistake that affects both Hen and Eddie, and things only get worse for Hen when Chimney, her best friend and work partner, tells her that he is leaving Los Angeles to try and find Maddie.

2 The 118 Deals with a Pile-Up Caused by a Drunk Driver

Maddie, whose pregnancy is overdue, is the 9-1-1 dispatcher who answers when Jacob (Antonio Raul Garcia), just nine years old, calls from the backseat of his mother’s car. He can’t get her attention, and neither can Maddie, who remains on the phone with him as his mother, Rachel (Juliana Dever), drives the wrong way onto the freeway and causes a major car accident, killing several people. On scene, Athena makes disparaging remarks about Rachel, who turned out to be drunk, while in earshot of Bobby, and Hen, who is dealing with her foster daughter being returned to her birth mother, has trouble seeing Rachel’s humanity after learning her son was in the car. Then, just as things finally seem to settle, May calls over the radio to reveal that Albert Han (John Harlan Kim), Chimney’s younger brother, is still injured in his vehicle somewhere off the highway.

The birth of Maddie and Chimney’s daughter, Jee-Yun, and the reveal that she is named after Chimney’s mother are bright spots in a tough episode, one that has consequences that reverberate through the rest of the season. Albert, who almost doesn’t make it out of “Blindsided” alive, struggles to recover and Bobby, who tells Athena that he is just one bad day away from being just like the drunk driver, begins sponsoring Rachel — a decision he hides from Athena, leading to their fight in Season 4, Episode 13, “Suspicion.” “Blindsided” is an emotionally traumatic episode that will sit in the stomach of viewers who watch it long after the final moments have wrapped.

1 Bobby’s Demons Nearly Kill Him

The penultimate episode of 9-1-1‘s most recent season, “Ashes, Ashes,” is one of Peter Krause’s best episodes. After Hen, Chimney, Buck, Eddie, and Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno, Jr.) receive Medals of Valor for finding Bobby and Athena’s sinking cruise ship in Season 7, Episode 3, “Capsized,” and saving them and several others, Bobby becomes frustrated when the fire chief also awards him a Medal of Valor for his leadership of the 118. Still struggling with the events of Season 7, Episode 8, “Step Nine,” Bobby does not consider himself a hero and pulls the chief aside at the medal ceremony to resign. His resignation comes as a shock to Athena, who reaches out to Amir Casey (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), the man who lost his wife in the fire Bobby started in Minnesota and who showed up in “Step Nine” to try and reset Bobby’s equilibrium.

“Ashes, Ashes” also sees Hen learning that Councilwoman Olivia Ortiz (Veronica Falcón), whose son died earlier in Season 7 after driving drunk and then refusing care, still holds Hen responsible for her son’s death when she blocks Hen and Karen from adopting their foster daughter, Mara (Askyler Bell), and even has their foster license revoked, ripping Mara from their home. Eddie, who has secretly been seeing a woman who looks identical to his dead wife (both characters are played by the same actress, Devin Kelley), finally comes clean with Kim, who tries to help him move on from Shannon by pretending to be her, only for Christopher and Eddie’s girlfriend, Marisol (Edy Ganem), to walk in on them. For much of the episode, Bobby appears to be putting his affairs in order, and his argument with Athena near the end of the episode is a moving display of emotions from both actors, whose chemistry as onscreen partners is tangible throughout the episode. The final moments find Bobby and Athena narrowly escaping a fire at their home, only for Bobby to collapse from a heart attack brought on by smoke inhalation. It’s an emotional episode all around, and both “Ashes, Ashes” and the episode that follows — Season 7, Episode 10, “All Fall Down,” have consequences that will continue to plague the 118 when Season 8 returns on September 26, 2024.