9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 15 Review: Death and Taxes

Well, 9-1-1 managed to turn an hour almost solely devoted to death into a somewhat lighthearted affair, which is not easy to pull off.

9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 15 was also splitting off time to deal with literal taxes as well, but the theme of death was in heavy rotation, especially for Buck, who has spent the bulk of his time post-lightning strike struggling to come to terms with who he is as a person now that he’s “cheated” death.

Enter Natalia, a death doula, who makes quite the first impression on Buck. 9-1-1 is nothing, if not a little too on the nose sometimes.

Buck died and has had a rough time since then. So, what should he do next? Ah, let him meet a death doula who will help him understand death and what it means and help him move forward. That’s the ticket!

Buck has been in this weird headspace since the events of 9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 11, for a good reason. Unless you’ve died and come back to life, you don’t know what it’s like to grapple with the feeling something like that brings.

But sans that moving moment in the kitchen with Eddie when he admitted to not knowing exactly how he felt and his brush with heightened math skills, the actual ramifications from the accidents haven’t been touched upon much until now.

A living funeral is essentially just a touching way to honor the memory of someone who can still hear it. It was a time for Marie to gather the people she loved into a space and enjoy them as she came to grips with her mortality.

It’s not for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be, but it did spark something in Buck when the 118 assisted on the car crash call, leading him to Natalia.

Natalia is a literal death stan. It’s her job to help people accept death and help with that end-of-life transition, but even more than that, she seemed utterly engrossed and engaged with all things death.

Buck: You know, you might say death, and I are old acquaintances. Maybe even friends for a moment.
Natalia: Lucky you. How’d you pull that off?
Buck: I died. Just for a few minutes. Struck by lightning.

When Buck started chatting her up after the 118 secured the scene, my first thought was that Buck was being his flirty self. She’s a beautiful woman, and he was shooting his shot, but more than that, he seemed to want to pick her brain.

And Natalia, well, the minute she heard that he’d died, it was like she’d found the key to happiness or something.

The two have a straightaway bond based solely on the one thing they have in common right now. Death for Buck is this enigma, and he desperately wants to crack this equation. And to Natalia, Buck could answer so many questions she’s undoubtedly had throughout her life.

She could help prepare people to pass over and get herself completely right with death and what it all means, but she never got to speak to anyone who’d died.

Until now.

Buck and Natalia’s coffee date was about one thing and one thing only: death. They decided not to show us any of the getting-to-you-know chats or cute flirting if that even happened.

The date felt like watching someone meet their favorite athlete or musician. Natalia was giddy over the prospect of hearing Buck’s tale. And Buck, well, that kind of eager validation will get him every single time.

If the series would like this to turn into something deeper and expand Natalia beyond her purpose of helping Buck on his death journey, they’ll need to evolve beyond the one thing they currently have in common.

It does Natalia a disservice if things were to progress and the audience only knows one thing about her, as is the case during this hour.

And it’s why it was a little head-scratching to hear Buck speak about Natalia seeing him more than anyone. I can understand him feeling understood because her relationship with death is unlike anyone else’s in your life. Still, it was also a little presumptuous of him because she only saw one part of him.

And it’s a big part, but it’s still just one aspect of Buck.

He’s changed and may never be who he once was, but he will also not continuously be defined by this one thing. And to know Buck, to see, appreciate, and love him, is to know more than three minutes and seventeen seconds.

In the least surprising news ever, the most impactful moment for Buck and the most we actually heard about his feelings was when he and Eddie visited Marie’s grave.

When you hear Buck talk about almost anything, it’s in his conversations with Eddie where it feels like he allows himself to be at his most vulnerable. And that goes for Eddie as well.

They know how to question and dance with one another in conversation perfectly. And Buck’s admission that he’d felt like he had to put on a front since the accident was as real as it gets.

Naturally, Buck shouldn’t have to feel that way, and no one expects him to feel like he should be anything other than himself, but it’s easier said than done when everything feels so disjointed internally.

And everything is still so fresh and raw for Buck. He needs continued time to process and figure out what life is like for him now and what it looks like.

The idea of treating life like a gift is something everyone should embrace, but only some do once they’re faced with losing it.

Whatever this means for Buck, let it lead him to a place of peace by the end of the season.

The key to Buck’s happiness may be getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

That Buck and Eddie talk was helpful for both Buck and Eddie, who were reminded throughout this hour of what’s important in this life.

Eddie and Christopher’s trip to Shannon’s graves was a solemn moment for both of them but also a friendly reminder of how love for those who are no longer with us stays forever.

And the sadness you feel, the hole in your heart that forms when they leave, is still there, but it gets a little less painful, especially when you continue to always keep their memory alive.

While Eddie was dating in 9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 14 and figuring out that he maybe didn’t want to be alone forever, he also slowly realized here that there isn’t a tomorrow or next week to count on. You may need to take a breath and visit your parents.

And maybe you need to keep doing things for yourself, Eddie.

Closing out the death arc for this installment, poor Athena had a suspect collapse in her backseat and seemingly die later, leaving her perplexed as all hell.

It was cute of Bobby to think Athena wouldn’t search for an explanation! This is Athena Nash-Grant we’re talking about. She would never rest until there was a reason for how those events unfolded.

Dominic was a whole con man. Not only did he do what he was accused of, but he also tried to fake his death in the most outlandish way. Seriously, how did he even get away with it for as long as he did?

And what would his plan be when his face was plastered all over the internet and television when the cops realized he pulled the old switcheroo?

The strangest part about this case was when Dominic died because it was a genuine gasp moment. On the one hand, it was a ‘mess around and find out’ scenario, but on the other, he was actually going to be brought to justice for various crimes, and then he just…died.

Well, Bobby ended up being right in the end, then. Sometimes people die, and that’s all there is to it.

The taxes part of this hour was solely centered on Maddie and Chimney, who apparently do not communicate with one another in their newly renovated house.

Maybe I’m being naïve, but how do you live in a home with someone and not discuss how you filed your taxes with them?

Chimney and Maddie had some talks at some point, but they both pressed send online without consulting the other, and it ended up with them seated at the IRS office looking a little foolish.

Maddie and Chimney are such a wonderful couple, but their communication has been a work in progress. When they got back together, it wouldn’t have been the worst idea for them to talk to someone about that aspect of their relationship and make sure they were much more transparent.

This didn’t end up being something they couldn’t fix, but it also could have easily been avoided if they didn’t make assumptions and just talked.

But the tax debacle was just a cover for the topic of marriage, and I hate that we had to get them thinking about it because of freaking tax returns.

Maddie and Chimney are in love and happy and are a family. They’ve never really even talked about marriage before because they’re already committed to one another in all the ways that matter.

For Maddie, she’s been married before, and I don’t blame her for thinking that marriage wasn’t something she wanted to do again. And it’s not about comparing Doug to Chimney because that’s not even a contest, but it’s about understanding what marriage meant to you and choosing not to do that again.

I can appreciate where Maddie was coming from when she talked to Josh because, in her mind, Chimney is so much more than a husband to her.

But on the flip side, how could your heart not break when we switched from Maddie basically saying ‘hell no!’ to marriage and Chimney eating his half-priced ice cream and looking at engagement rings?

Even though the M word was only introduced because of the tax issue, Chimney wouldn’t propose, and Maddie wouldn’t say yes just because they could save some money annually.

Chimney was looking at those rings because he heard the word marriage, and it fit for him. He was meant to meet Maddie, love and cherish and protect her and their family. So, since he’s already doing all that, why not make it official?

I harken back to what I said earlier about the need for these two to communicate more effectively because what absolutely should not happen is a proposal without a conversation about what marriage means to them and if it’s what they want for their relationship.

Even if their communication skills leave something to be desired, once they talk, they listen to one another. I’m all for a Madney wedding, perhaps in a potential 9-1-1 Season 7, but I want a nice long chat about their hopes, fears, and desires before Chimney gets down on one knee.

Loose Ends

• 
  Eddie immediately clocking why it’s a bad idea for Buck to date Natalia because dating women from calls never works out. And Eddie would know after Ana!

• 
  When are Kameron and Connor having that baby? For as much emphasis was placed on the sperm donor storyline earlier in the season, it’s taken a major backseat lately. But with so much emphasis on death lately, the season ending with the birth of this baby would be poetic.

• 
  Maybe it’s because my dad is an accountant, but the accountant emergency was very relatable. Those last few days leading to the end of tax season are no joke. A wannabe arsonist won’t stop those returns from needing filing!

• 
  How no one died straight away from that car crashing directly into the chapel was truly a miracle.

• 
  Christopher is growing up so fast, and it’s making me feel incredibly old. Like where did the little guy Buck and Eddie took to sit on Santa’s lap go? He’s such a sweet young man now!

Three episodes left, people! Sound the alarm!

And we could have an upcoming Madney proposal, Buck dating (?), Bathena doing Bathena things, and Eddie living his life for himself! Oh, this could be good for us!

Though, it’s 9-1-1, so I’ll also expect the shoe to drop at any moment.

But while we wait, head to the comment section and let me know what you thought about “Death and Taxes” and where you think the story is heading next!

As always, you can watch 9-1-1 online via TV Fanatic right now!

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