When it comes to being lucky, she’s cursed! When it comes to loving her, Doug’s the worst.

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel wade into the shark infested waters of 9-1-1’s Season 2 Episode 11, “New Beginnings.” Athena and Maddie are following their instincts in critical situations, proving they can trust their gut feelings, unlike Chimney who now has a lot of them—the stabby stabby variety.

We discuss how Maddie's storyline illustrates the journey to reclaim her narrative in order to overcome past trauma and embrace new beginnings. In other words, she’s thirty, flirty, and thriving! 

Digging deep into Athena and her mom Beatrice’s relationship and their big confrontation where they ultimately cannot see eye-to-eye, we broach what will become the perpetual “9-1-1 Bio-Parents Have No Rights” conversation in which none of them deserve redemption. Meanwhile Bobby flexes his gentle-parenting muscles with Harry and steps up as ring-master to try and tame Beatrice’s tiger mom ways.

We bemoan Chimney’s inability to see through the smoke-screen of his misguided friendship to Doug’s flashing neon red flags. His trusting nature and desire to see everyone as friend-shaped really puts a hamper in his survival instincts.

Last, but not least, we have Buckaroo hypocritically throwing punches (advice) he won’t take himself. We’re still waiting for the “at least when I date someone I date them” to be in the room with us. Find out how we create the “Have Your Back-O-Meter” and why it’s always used in a romantic context.

Follow your gut and join us as we explore the eye of Hurricane Doug before the storm hits the shore of Maddie and Chimney’s new beginning.

📔 Articles Mentioned:

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Chief on Why That Gutting Maddie-Chimney-Doug Cliffhanger Won’t Be Resolved Right Away, The Wrap

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Showrunner Tim Minear Teases Spring Return, Origin Stories & More Season 2 Details, TV Line

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Welcome to Dispatch (Intro)

(00:02:15) Comparing Seasons 2 & 8 Mid-Season Finale & Premiere

(00:06:25) Overall Episode Thoughts

(00:12:13) Jaws of Life (Deep Dive)

(00:15:37) Red String Corner

(00:19:15) Season 2 “Grew the Beard”

(00:20:49) 9-1-1 “Jumped the Shark” from Day 1

(00:25:27) Flashover (Themes)

(00:29:43) Who’s Cookin’ (Character Arcs)

(00:30:39) Athena

(00:38:37) Where’s the Fire (Scene Dissection: Athena & Mom Confrontations)

(00:51:09) Athena & the Kidnapping

(00:53:48) Maddie

(01:00:06) Madney Pre-Date Disaster

(01:02:14) Chimney

(01:13:20) Slow Burn (Bi-Buck and Buddie Watch)

(01:18:36) Having Their Backs: Analyzing Romantic Partnerships

(01:21:51) What’s Coming Up Next (Outro)

Follow us on social media for updates and more from your Buddies!

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The Buddie System is a Nerdvergent Media production.

Music by DIV!NITY 

Have you ever watched something that completely rewired your brain chemistry?

A procedural network drama might not be your usual pick, but it's ours.

This is the Buddy System, a 911 deep dive podcast hosted by three friends who have DMed each other enough character dissertations to earn a PhD in media literacy.

I'm Han, coming to you straight from the characters heads.

I'm Syl, bringing you to the observation deck.

And I'm Rachel, connecting the dots with my red string.

With our powers combined, no stone is.

Left unturned and no buddy is left behind.

This episode brought to you by Jeff the Land Shark.

Welcome to Dispatch.

What's on call this week?

This week we're discussing season two, episode 11, titled New Beginnings.

Written by Tim Minear and Kristen Rydell, directed by John J.

We had four calls of the week.

The first is 3, 2, 1.

Facelift off.

Good, because that's the funniest one you're gonna get today.

And in this call, a woman preparing for a facelift goes under anesthesia only to wake up mid surgery to find everyone else rendered unconscious due to a pipe leak.

The second one is jumping the shark, where a truck carrying a rehabilitated shark en route to release gets into a crash on the freeway.

And the man who was trying to keep the shark wet and being able to breathe gets his arm trapped in its jaw.

And then the 118 help deliver the shark back into the ocean.

The next two are kind of connected.

So we have false alarm, question mark where a young boy Stevie calls 911 about something bad that his dad did, but his dad get hold of the call and assures that it was innocuous and everything was fine.

Relatedly later, we hear back from Stevie with I called it Boy who cried wolf in sheep's clothing.

Stevie contacts 911 again, this time running away from his dad and trying to return his brother, not brother, to his proper family.

So this is kind of a fitting episode for like a mid season premiere because this is.

This would have been, you know, after that three month hiatus that we are currently going through now.

Oh my God, you guys.

I was gonna save this for later, but I just thought, you know how season eight, it's directly paralleling season two.

So I was gonna bring up the abduction of it all, but.

Oh, I didn't realize this was the mid season for me.

Yeah, no, that's so interesting because I was thinking about it earlier too and I was like, you know, I think there was some like, discussion, discourse, but it wasn't really, like, discourse on, like, on Twitter, you know, right before the season eight mid season finale, and people were wondering, like, if we were going to get a true, like, cliffhanger sort of thing.

And I think we were talking about it and, you know, kind of realized that 911 doesn't really do, like, mid season cliffhangers in a traditional sense.

Yeah.

Like, they did.

They kind of do it on, like, the mid season premiere.

And I think with what you said, like, season eight mirroring season two, I think we're going to get something kind of similar because in season two, with the last episode, the Merry Xmas, we end with the kind of cliffhanger.

It's more of, like a shocking reveal that Doug or Chimney's new best friend Jason Bailey or whatever is actually Doug.

And then it leaves you for three months.

And then the true cliffhanger happens at the end of this episode.

And I kind of think we're gonna get that with season eight.

The same thing we got, like, the reveal of Eddie's going to Texas.

And because we have all these abduction theories not to get too much into season eight stuff.

This is not a season eight episode, so.

But you can listen to our.

Our season eight episode seven and eight episode.

It's titled it's the damn season.

Thank you.

I think Rachel forgot, and we talk a lot about that there.

But I think.

I think there is.

There is something to be said if we're.

If we're looking at possible abductions.

I have a feeling that would come back with.

With episode nine.

Yeah.

And that.

That's the true cliffhanger.

Well, now that you said all that, I'm just gonna add my little tidbit.

Yeah.

If it truly is paralleling season two, like, now I'm thinking, like, what?

So, okay, Eddie goes to Texas.

It ends with him finding out Buck gets abducted.

Abducted.

Wow.

Can't speak today.

That's why we all want to say kidnapping, because abducted is a stupid word to say out loud.

I like what we came up with.

Abduct.

Abduction.

Yeah.

Abucted.

I don't even know what I said.

I just know I said it wrong.

It's hard to say abducted.

Abduction.

I know.

That was a movie.

Kidnapping the tiktoker who, like, has, like, like, has been going really strong with the abduction theory.

Half of the time he's like, kidnapped.

Adult napped.

Sorry.

Continue Sill.

Yes, I think that's it.

Just that maybe.

Maybe that's what we're gonna get.

Because I could parallel, like, the whole.

Oh yeah.

Chimney.

And Maddie as well.

Because Buck and Eddie also just loves to parallel like our actual canon relationships on the show.

So.

That would be so delicious.

That would be delicious.

Tim.

I mean, Tim said that this whole.

I don't know is already shot.

I know what book is doing.

Like, he's like, oh, it's not gonna last long.

So he's just gonna spiral immediately.

Spiral right into a windowless van.

Anyway, they told them there are baked goods in there.

That's what I was thinking.

The facade of the van is just.

Is just like a bakery, like food truck.

Yeah.

Okay.

Anyways, back to this episode, guys.

So what'd you guys think about the episode?

I think it's a really good episode.

This is a hard one to rewatch multiple times in this short amount of time that we had to do it for.

For this because it's like it's so serious.

Like it's not serious because we have jumping the shark.

But like the rest of it.

Well, that is the.

The levity of it all.

Of the entire.

Yes.

But yeah, I think it's really great stuff getting to meet Athena's parents.

Oh boy.

There are no like bio parents of the adult cast members who have rights on this show.

Actually.

No.

Hen's mom.

Hen's mom.

Hen's mom I think is the only one that truly gets like redemption because she's actually.

And we see it for it and earned it.

Everyone else is just like, no, redeem me.

And we're like, no, no.

And then, well, they show up and like the stuff we do get of is them just continuing to be terrible.

So.

But yeah, I think this showed us was a really good window into Athena.

Really good window into like Bobby's current workings of like where they stand now after deciding to you know, plunge.

Yeah.

So I think that's all really good.

The chimney stuff drives me fucking bonkers because he's just too trusting.

Yeah, we talk about that a lot in our last episode for 210.

Like kind of about like all the differences between how like Maddie and chimney and a little bit of Buck in there as well, like develop their trust in others and how trusting they are.

And I thought I really enjoyed this episode.

I think it was a like strong one to have for a mid season premiere especially because there's so much connective tissue between where we left off in 210 and kind of like picking that right up.

Which I think is kind of important for like when you get mid season breaks, especially ones so long as.

As These.

Because it.

The last episode, it was like November 20, like, late November.

So we're.

We're feeling it right now.

Right.

Like, what, what this was.

And yeah, I think there's a lot in here that works very well together.

Like, everything seemed, like, really, really cohesive with all of the calls and kind of like these, these new beginning themes, even.

Even though jumping the, Jumping the shark seemed so, like, what are we doing?

But, like, it still was connected in that way.

Yeah.

I really liked seeing.

I don't know what else to say.

What answered.

I don't know.

I like the episode.

I do like the themes about New Beginnings.

I love that we got to meet Athena's parents and get, you know, a little bit more insight of, of her backstory as well, because we do get that little nugget at the end.

I don't know.

I like seeing that complicated, like.

Yeah.

Dynamic.

Dynamic on screen and, like, how they, I guess, try to move forward or address that conflict.

And, you know, the levity of it all, like, you know, the little nuggets of levity that we did get, like, I think they were really funny.

Even though that first one is just nasty.

I'm sorry.

It's.

It's great.

It gives me jeebies every time.

Every time.

Her.

Yeah, it's the forehead.

Yeah.

Like, the neck part is like, okay, we can deal with it.

But the.

Oh, my gosh.

Like, like, what a gag.

It's so funny.

Like, comedic.

And I mean, yeah, the makeup department does a great job, but.

Oh, my God, I can't imagine waking up like that.

And.

And it's right there on screen.

I, I, I can't.

I.

No, that's a, that's a big no.

Mid surgery, you wake up, someone's operating in your stomach.

Holy sh.

No.

This is nightmare fuel.

Yeah.

This show is nightmare.

Every emergency is nightmare.

Oh, yeah.

It's like every, like, like every new fear.

Unlocked.

Unlocked.

Yes.

Nothing is normal ever again.

Nope.

But, yeah, anyway, great episode and great cliffhanger because I swear to God, I fuck you, dog.

Sil's little, like, subtitle on her.

On her video, it just says, fuck.

You, dog you, Doug.

Nice.

I keep on sentiment.

I think we all.

I almost put that same thing, and then I just was blurg.

I couldn't think of anything.

Maddie doesn't deserve this.

No.

No.

Especially Chimney getting stiff.

First he could.

He gets rebarred on the head, and now he gets fucking stabbed.

When can Chimney catch a break?

Never.

Anyway, Gosh, like when, when chimney becomes the, the narrative's favorite.

Like they go hard on him.

They do.

I mean is he 91 1?

Jesus.

They're.

They all kind of are.

Most of them are hens.

Not really.

I don't think she's had a.

I don't think she's had one of those experiences.

Good.

She shouldn't.

She's done.

Tim, my near, if you're listening to this, we never said that hen has never had a near death experience.

We never said leave her alone.

Everything's normal.

Fine here.

Thanks.

Everything is.

Everything's.

Continue on.

Yep, absolutely.

Should we get into a deep dive Jaws of life.

We're gonna need the Jaws of life over here.

Let's dive into the Jaws of life.

Dan.

Wow.

That's how you can tell it was right there.

I know.

Not those jaws, which I love that they.

Of course.

Of course they had to.

Imagine him in the writer's room like, okay, I have a great idea.

I'm.

What if we like literally just jump the shark?

It's only season two.

I'm going to talk about that in a second.

Yeah.

So I found a couple articles.

Both of them were interviews with Tim I near which I think tends to happen a lot with you know, like a season premiere or a mid season finale or premiere and season finale.

You know, like, like those four big episodes that they're trying to drum up a lot of, a lot of press to like get people in the door or on the couch.

Couch theory teaser.

So teaser trailer.

Everything is couch theory if you just believe Rachel.

Anyways, so, so there are two.

The two articles with Tim my near and they kind of talk about, you know, picking up from where they left off in the mid season finale.

And Tim says, sorry, I didn't, I didn't write any of this down.

I just have the articles pulled up.

Tim says, you know, we want, we want everybody to worry a little bit.

So there.

So in addressing the.

The cliffhanger of this episode where you know, spoiler, chimney gets stabbed and Maddie gets kidnapped, he said, he said, yeah, we want you to be worried for a little bit.

So we're not going to come back to it right away.

Right.

Which is kind of hard to do, like a hard break when you're just like stewing in that a little bit.

So he talks about a couple of the episodes that are going to be coming up.

So he mentions stuff about Chimney Begins, which would be the next episode.

And he also kind of previews in both articles some things about the ocean's 911 episode that he was kind of excited about, like a heist episode.

And there's a mention about the Bobby Begins Again, which they kind of created this, like, hybrid of what they've already established from Hen Begins and Chimney Begins and made like Bobby's own little Begin Again episode.

And he also mentions stuff about broken, which is when the, like, all of the power goes out at Dispatch, so they have to do everything, like very analog.

And how he wanted that concept to translate to the characters as well.

I think in one of them he says, like, the characters are broken, so they have to deal with that.

And I'm like, oh, God.

So it's just a lot of, like, previewing what's.

What's coming up, kind of drumming up some excitement for that.

So that's kind of what those were about.

So I think that's it for, like, press.

That's all I kind of found at the moment.

And then we can get into a little, like, Red String Corner, which is one of my favorite things.

So this episode was directed by John J.

Gray.

And Keen Eyes will know that John J.

Gray started out as a writer with 911 in season one and he wrote Next of Kin, which was episode three, which kind of makes a little bit of sense because that was, of course, the.

The chimney rebar episode.

He also wrote stuck 204 in season two with, you know, every.

Everyone getting stuck.

There was the elevator scene.

And I think with that there was a lot of stuff about, oh, that was the.

Is it weird that I still live at Abby's place?

Yeah, me too.

Don't tell anyone though.

It was that episode.

So I think there are some interesting themes here in.

In his writing.

So we get a lot of, like, chimney focus.

We get a lot of, like, feeling stuck and wanting to move forward sort of sort of thing.

He obviously didn't write this one.

I think it's the first one that he's directed for 911.

And I looked at his IMDb and it might have been.

I don't know for sure.

It might have been his.

His directorial debut because he also went on and did some directing for 911 Lone Star and I think he directed a Dr.

Odyssey episode.

I was gonna say in the Ryan Murphy extended universe.

I'm assuming he also was a writer on American Horror Story.

So.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Everyone is connected in that way.

But I thought it was kind of funny because he directed in Dr.

Odyssey, the wellness episode, which was the one where, like, we've all watched it and it's the one where, like, everyone is, like, recovering from their surgeries and stuff like that.

And I'm just like, that's a weir through thread.

Yeah, it is, but noticeable, I guess.

So he's gone on to do a lot of other directing also with Ryan Murphy stuff.

So we're talking a lot about jumping the shark.

Right?

So it was kind of about like, like it kind of took off as a phrase saying like, oh, are, are all of the storylines done that we really have to, you know, do something wild and crazy?

And essentially became known in TV as jumping the shark.

And there are a couple other related idioms that are kind of similar.

There's.

There's one that's like nuking the fridge, which is kind of modeled after jump the shark.

Where he survives the atomic bomb detonation by like closing himself in a lead.

Lead lined refrigerator.

Yeah, that's hilarious.

And people criticize that.

Like, it's absolutely scientifically implausible.

So that's kind of like, you know.

Like that's where we're drawing the line with realism.

And Indiana Jones.

I know, right?

Like, and not like the crystal skulls being aliens and stuff.

Okay, that's fine.

That's fine.

So kind of similarly.

And then there's another one which is kind of the opposite of jumping the shark, which is colloquially known as growing the beard, which was about which I know, I thought it was.

I thought it was pertinent, but that, that relates to Star Trek the Next Generation, where in the first.

Oh, my God.

The first season of Star Trek the Next Generation had the character William Riker.

He was clean shaven.

But in the second season he had like a full beard and mustache.

So people kind of equate that to a show getting better after, like a first season sort of thing, which I kind of feel like we talk about happened with 911 a little bit.

I mean, are you really gonna say that 911 grew a beard in season two?

Because I feel like we have to write an apology letter to Shannon.

I know.

Shit we give her.

Because there's just too many jokes.

I'm so sorry.

So I thought it was kind of a Little.

A little perfect because, like, we talk about, or a lot of people talk about how, you know, sometimes you just kind of.

I don't think so.

But I know, Han, your experience was a little different because you started with season two and you didn't know if, like, you had started with season.

If you had started at season one, if you'd gone on.

So I think there's an element of 911 growing a beard in season two.

And also I just wanted to, you know, talk about the fact that I kind of think 911 has inherently jumped the shark from the first episode.

Yes.

With, like, the pipe baby.

Like, it's on purpose.

That's why it's.

It's only jumping the shark if it's not.

If it's not intentional.

Exactly.

But, like, so there's almost.

It's kind of genius because there's almost nothing that they could do.

Almost.

They still managed to surprise us.

Right.

But there's almost nothing that they could do that would, like, feel so.

Jump the sharky Bees.

Yeah, I could see that happening.

Yeah.

No, that did happen.

It did happen.

That was based in reality.

Okay.

So, like, the most jumped the sharky was the Vertigo.

I think the definition I'm familiar with of jump the shark is specifically, it's like the show has outlived its intended purpose.

Right.

Cause I think you put it, like, do we have nothing else to write about?

And that is another way of saying it.

But it's to be like, okay, the story started to talk about these characters going through these things, and if there's nothing more to talk about there to the point where the show is about something spinning your wheels, completely different, then we've jumped the shark now.

Yeah, but it's.

It's interesting because that phrase has kind of taken on a life of its own because, like, Happy Days had multiple more like, successful seasons.

So in.

I love that show in the definition of, like, what that's come to mean.

Like, that isn't even actually true.

I know.

In, like, the definitive sense for Happy Days, but it's just like one of those.

One of those things.

Someone was taking Happy Days entirely too seriously.

That's all I know about that.

But, yeah, I think it would be kind of impossible for this show to truly jump the shark because it has been serving the same thesis statement since it began, which is to show the lives of first responders and serious good found family.

Right.

And then just nonsense.

Just can't be fucking nonsense.

That's it.

That's the show.

A little bow that's what it is.

That's the show.

Yeah.

So I think it's.

I think it would be very hard for them to.

To jump the shark, I think, if.

We didn't do it with the doppelganger.

Yeah.

That's probably the closest I think they've truly come because it was just, like, so out there.

But, like, at the same time, it makes sense for the characters.

So can we really even call that jumping the shark in.

I don't think so.

And then there were a couple.

Just.

Just another thing, the idea of tiger parents.

It was originally called, like, tiger mother, but tiger parenting is a form of strict parenting where the parents are, like, very and highly invested in ensuring their children's success.

And I think we see a lot of that in this episode, specifically with Athena's mom.

We also see it very briefly with the mom and the daughter in the car that.

The shark almost.

The.

Like, right before the shark car crash and everything.

I apologize if I did not pronounce that correctly.

So I think that is another one of those themes that we see kind of throughout with all the parents, because we see a lot of parents.

And also the shark was a tiger shark.

So that.

Just another way to, like, get that in there, you know, like, it wasn't just any shark.

It was a tiger shark, which I think has no other bearing other than, like, you know, it happened right after we saw that mom and the.

The daughter in the car talking about.

Yeah, the girl wanted, you know, the typical college experience with the tailgates and everything.

And the mom's like, no, want you to have an education.

Yeah.

And then, boom.

Tiger.

I think they name drop.

Like the University of Miami.

It's a party school.

Which is true.

Yeah.

So, like, that's fair.

None of us are affiliated with the University of Miami.

No.

Different Florida school.

Cool.

Anyways, so that's kind of what I pulled the string for in this episode.

Just kind of interesting stuff.

I think it's interesting.

Agreed.

See.

Flashover.

Shall we swim into themes?

Do you have a pun written for every segment?

Intro.

I don't.

That was right off the top of my head.

Thank you very much.

You know, she's.

Come on.

She's a professional.

Sometimes she writes them down, though.

Punish.

I don't know.

That's if I have enough time to think about it beforehand, which I do.

Just call her a natural punisher.

I didn't have.

I didn't have anything.

I was.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I think, anyway, themes, swimming into themes.

So the big theme that I noticed in this episode was having faith in your instincts.

Yes.

Yes.

Listening to your gut feeling.

Something's weird, you know, that like, see something, say something, but, like do that with your own self.

Like your own feelings.

Yeah.

There's so much emphasis on these characters, like having really good intuition.

And not even just intuition, like they've also just built the skills to have good instincts.

But I think a lot of that is, you know, you have to have a foundation of like, you know, having faith in your gut.

But like Athena, Maddie, the little boy.

Stevie.

Not Stevie.

I'm trying to.

Stevie.

Not Stevie.

Yeah.

Like they.

They all had a gut feeling and it all.

It turned out to be correct.

So stick with your gut, but don't.

Don't stick it in your gut.

It's important to make that differentiation.

I kind of wonder if that was like a purposeful thing.

That's evil.

That would be evil, right?

Well, wait, no.

Tim Minier is evil and he wrote this episode.

So I may be giving more credit where credit, but credit where credit is due.

But like, no, I think that actually kind of makes sense because in the last episode we talked so much about how Chimney is so trusting.

He didn't have a gut feeling about Doug, AKA Jason Bailey, and was just like, yeah, nothing's wrong here.

Da, da, da, da, da.

And ends up getting stabbed in his gut as a punishment for not.

He's got lots of feelings there now.

Oof.

At least it wasn't the head again.

Yeah.

So the obvious one, New Beginnings.

You've got Maddie who's talking about like that.

She's, you know, basically she's kind of like reinventing herself.

Like she's got, you know, lots of things going on for her.

Then we have like Athena's like New Beginnings where at least we're trying to.

She's not rediscovering.

She is.

It's kind of more like a look back as to like how many new.

Not how many, but like her going to LA being like a new beginning.

So we've got some of those obvious.

But also she's starting a new beginning with Bobby.

Bobby.

Yeah.

So it's a little bit of like full circle.

Then we have overbearing parents, which, yeah.

Kind of self explanatory.

Kind of goes with like that tiger parenting thing.

We already touched on this a couple times already.

We'll touch on it more and Then this idea of running, whether it's away or it's towards something.

So we.

Like you said with Athena, her mom says, you keep running away from me, but Athena sees it more as running towards something, which I think can also be connected to Maddie as well, because at the very beginning of this season, she was running away from Doug, but she was running towards this new life for herself.

And.

And then also the.

The little boys, they're.

They're running away from the guy that abducted them, but running towards their real families and abductions, which we already know.

Abductions, there's lots of those.

Even just in mentioning, like, bringing back the.

Is it Tanya Kingston?

Like, bringing that back.

There's just a.

I'm sorry I was like this.

I don't.

I don't want to do season eight speculation.

Let's move on.

Oh, no.

Who's Cooking?

Anyone want some fish and chips?

I'm sorry.

That was really bad.

I'm sorry.

I was gonna say let's squash cook to who's Cooking.

Oh, my God.

Well, now I have to do it for all of them.

Everything is over in my head tonight.

I'm too tired.

Oh, I get it now.

Wait, what?

It took Rachel that long to get it?

What?

I thought she got it.

I thought she did too.

I just thought it was cute.

I mean, it was cute, but I was trying to understand the three way.

Then I got it.

All right.

Very clever.

Anyway, Rachel, do yours.

Mine was so bad.

Anyway, let's splash into who's Cooking.

Oh, it's sizzling.

That's for sure.

Let's see who's serving up some fish and chips with who's Cooking.

Well, it's.

That's.

That's not on the menu at the Grant's house tonight.

What's on the menu is overbearing parents.

Oh, yeah.

Which we.

We get, like, such a.

A heads up about this, right?

With Michael coming in and just being like, hey, bye, good luck, I'm out of here.

And Bobby's just kind of like, what?

This is the meeting the parents?

Yeah, this is the meeting of parents.

So it's already, like, kind of high stakes.

And then Michael's just like, yeah, I'm gonna go before they.

They leave.

I don't have to be here anymore.

See ya.

He's also.

He's like, beatrice never liked me, actually.

And now he's the better, like, the better option in her eyes.

Oh, my God.

This is great for me.

Oh, my gosh.

It's.

It's kind of a.

A mess of a.

Of A first meeting of the parents.

And even Athena's like, just remember they'll be gone by Saturday.

And that's the like, most heads up I think she's given him about them at all.

Yeah.

Because like Michael's comments, Bobby looks like, what are you talking about?

What do you mean?

What do you mean?

So her just running in, like, just remember, whatever happens, they're leaving in a couple days.

It'll be fine.

Like, what?

What do you mean?

Yeah, I feel, I feel like you gotta, you gotta give a little more than that.

But.

But this is Athena more preparation for this.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So what.

What a first meeting.

And, and you really do see when Athena's mom and dad, so Beatrice and Samuel come in and they're just like, Samuel's a little like, easier to, to warm up to, to people, but I think it's because he is the buffer for his wife because she, because he knows that she can be like, very brash, very harsh.

And Beatrice says to Bobby, well, you're tall.

It's just like not even like a nice to meet you.

You're very, very tall.

Yeah.

Like the most thinly veiled, kind of.

Like the pregnant paws.

Like everyone knows what she was actually saying.

Yeah.

So it's kind of, it kind of proves to right off the bat for.

To be an uphill battle for Bobby.

And you kind of see, like, even Athena doesn't super get along with her family, especially at the, the family dinner gone wrong.

I think this is another night.

But when they're preparing for dinner and Athena asks Bobby to, you know, go ask Harry to do something or other, and we get, we get this, this quote, like, you have to, you have to learn at some point to go from being best friend Bobby to stepdad Bobby.

So you have Athena giving Bobby the authority essentially to be a parent figure to her kids.

Like, she is the one setting those boundaries.

And Bobby's just like, yeah, I'm game.

I'm up for it.

So he goes to Harry and in front of the grandparents and everything.

And Beatrice is just like, so put off from this being like, you're not these kids fathers.

She's just looking for any excuse.

I think so.

Yeah.

Because this is actually a completely normal thing for any adult.

Right.

To do.

Yeah.

And it's not like Bobby didn't do it with like the most gentle parenting, like, way possible.

Yeah.

Like, he got down on, on his knee and like, he was like at eye level with Harry and like, he was like, hey, put this away.

And you know, Harry's like, oh, you know, I'll do it later.

And he's like, no, you really need to do it right now.

Please.

Like, please.

Like, it's like a gentle and a nice way.

It's proper parenting.

I would say Bobby's a good dad.

I don't know.

This lady was just like, any.

Any.

Like, anything.

Like, she was looking for any reason to just be like, there's no way.

He was getting out of this unscathed, no matter what he did.

No, no, it could have.

And it really could have probably been anything.

Whatever.

Whatever step he would have taken next, she would have called it a misstep.

And she does the same thing with her own daughter.

So.

Yeah.

Yep.

And it's just like.

Just like, the.

The bristliness is so hard to.

To try to, like, combat with kindness, I think, which, like, Bobby does, because then it kind of.

The whole thing turns into a whole kind of kerfuffle where Athena, you know, stands up to her mom being like, no, like, she kind of stands up for.

For Bobby and for herself being like, this is my house.

This is.

These are my kids.

You know, I can tell them to do whatever I want.

Basically, her mom just does not respect.

She doesn't respect Athena and doesn't respect her choices and doesn't respect, therefore, her.

That she's in Athena's home.

And, like, Athena's, like, partner choices, her parenting choices, like, name it, whatever it.

Is, nothing is good enough.

So nothing's good enough.

And you get the feeling and the strong impression even before, like, find out more about their relationship that, like, this is how it's always been.

So, yeah, it's, like, escalating.

And she says some even more rude things to Athena.

And Bobby steps in, like, with all due respect.

And I'm like, which is none and.

Undeserving because you earn respect and you.

Earn the respect that you show.

So with all due respect, you know, she's an amazing woman.

She's a great mother, and she doesn't deserve to be talked to this way, like, especially in her own home.

And her dad is immediately like, you're right.

Why don't we apologize?

And she's like, we'll be gone in the morning.

Cold.

That was just cold.

It's so cold.

She apologizes.

Not for what she said.

She says, I apologize that I said that.

Said it in front of the child.

In front of the kids.

Yeah.

And it's just like.

So, I mean, you kind of do see where diabolical Athena.

You see.

You see where Athena gets her like, strength from.

However, like, Athena is so much warmer than her mom.

Like, that.

That is stone cold.

Like, can't even, like, acknowledge that you upset your daughter and your grandkids, that they had to go in the other room.

And.

And at least, like, Athena's dad does say, you know, like, your mom stepped.

Stepped over the line.

Like, he is aware of that, but there's only so much that he could do.

And it seems like this is.

This is the dynamic that Athena really grew up with.

And I think we see later on, like, she is, like, like, typically a little closer to her dad because her mom was such a harsh critic in her growing up.

So he has to, like, be the mediator, like, the middleman.

And between two very strong women, that's a hard place to be.

But she's like, Athena's mom is, like, unyielding.

So she'd rather leave early than apologize and spend the time with the family, which is really disappointing.

But.

But she does bring into, like, bring into question Athena's instincts, which, again, we know are so good always personally and professionally.

He.

Where's the fire?

So, for our scene dissection today, we are going to talk about this talk with Athena and her mother at the end of the episode.

At the end, where her mother follows her into her bedroom as she's, like, putting her gun in her safe.

And it starts out kind of, you think it's gonna go one way.

Cause she's like, you know, I'm just trying to figure out, like, what we're doing.

Cause, like, it seems like the way we're going, it's either gonna be, you cut me out of my life or I die before that happens.

Like, that's kind of where we're going, the way we're going.

So I'm like, oh, communication.

Are we going to listen to each other?

Oh, no, no, no, no.

It's like, if anything, it really does kind of, like, lead you to think that we're going to get a breakthrough with them because her mom comes in and is like, you know, I never understood why you wanted to.

To become a police officer, but maybe I understand it a little more now after she sees, you know, Athena's heroics kind of with.

With the two boys.

Because that also brings up for Beatrice the Tanya Kingston whole thing, which we have already heard about from Athena.

So it's like, it's interesting that they bring this up again through kind of like, Beatrice's eyes.

And then we're also realizing at that same time as she brings it up that of course Athena was going to go miles above and beyond for these boys, because this is the reason that she became a police officer in the first place.

Like, to.

To help.

That kind of redemption of.

Of her.

Her being not able to help.

And it's just one of those things that's, like, still haunting Athena's narrative.

So you think all that to say you think we're gonna get, like, some breakthrough, Right?

Like, they're going to see some common ground with each other, and it falls short.

Mm.

She's like, well, I understand this a little more, but, like, I don't understand anything else about your life.

And it's like, I don't think you understand that as a parent, you don't have to understand the choices that your kids make.

You just have to support them and love them no matter what.

Like, that's literally your job.

You just have to love them anyway.

Yeah.

That's literally your job.

Like, you.

I don't.

I don't understand your choices, and you're ruining your life.

Okay, well, that's my own choice to make then, isn't it?

Because I'm not a child.

Also, the implication of that being like, you're ruining your life.

Yeah.

When it's like, okay, so the last mistake I made where I married a gay man and had a family with him, like, that was a mistake.

Well, she's.

She says that earlier when she's, like, having the big confrontation with each other.

You marry a gay man, you marry a white man.

I know, but the implication of being like.

And when you, like, basically when you ruin your life again, like, I don't know that I.

That you're gonna be able to, like, put it back on track this time or something.

And it's like, she's just.

I don't know.

She just seems like one of those typical parents that's, like, I have structured out exactly what you should be doing with your life, and if you veer from this path, then you're a failure.

You're a failure.

With no consideration for their child's autonomy.

And I think this also, in saying that, it just occurred to me that this probably, like, refers back to a lot of what we saw at the beginning of this season, too, especially when we were talking about, like, Eddie and Christopher, and Eddie wanting to give Christopher the independence that he was seeking.

That would be a crazy comparison to make between, like, Eddie and, like, Bobby's version of parenting versus, like, Athena's and Eddie's parents, all that stuff.

But it seems so strange to me that, like, you have a parent and their child who is a full grown adult and has built, like, a beautiful life for themselves with kids who love them and they love them back.

And even though it's not, like, the most traditional, in a sense.

And of course, there were missteps along the way, but, like, became beautiful opportunities.

Like, you know, Athena finally moving on from Michael and finding a new beginning with Bobby.

Like, how can you look at all of that and.

And that's just personal.

So, like, also, your child is a sergeant and, like, yeah, does amazing police work.

How can you consider that a failure?

That's bizarre to me.

Well, so she starts that convo where she's like, I know our lives are really different because, like, you've done all of this.

And, like, I just had, like, I married one person and had one kid, and they were perfect until one day they just left for no reason.

And I'm like, no reason?

Hmm.

Sure.

Had nothing to do with anything about the way you are.

There's not a lot of, like, taking accountability for the fact that, like, Beatrice was probably a lot of the reason why Athena felt like she had to seek out her own life because Beatrice was putting all of this, like, pressure and expectation.

Here we have pressure again on Athena that Athena never wanted nor embraced.

It's also the running away and running towards something where her mom thinks that she was running away.

And, like, in a way she was, but she says, like, I was running towards something.

I was running towards the life that I wanted to make.

And you could tell that it was implied that that life was going to be far away from her mother.

And I kind of get the sense that Beatrice was putting a lot of this kind of pressure on Athena because I think, like, a generational thing, like the.

Oh, definitely, you know, how maybe Beatrice probably had aspirations that she never got to achieve.

That's.

That's kind of what I'm getting.

So she was, like, almost living vicariously through Athena and being like, okay, this is what you're gonna do.

Like, you're gonna go to law school and be a lawyer and be high powered.

And, you know, I think Hen says to Bobby that it was less, you know, like, raising a daughter and more like training a warrior.

And we really see that, but it's like, where does that stem from?

And I think that's something, like, inside Beatrice that maybe she never got to achieve some of her big dreams and in doing so, didn't leave enough room for Athena's.

Yeah, I mean, I think the way that Hen talked about it is like she was implying, like, part of it is reasonable in the way that like, she had to raise her daughter to be strong and work hard because of being a woman and a woman of color.

Yeah.

So like, that part makes sense.

But like the, like, anything you do that's outside the path that I have laid before you is just you ruining your life is insane because therefore it's, it's like, well, anything she's done since she left Florida is a failure.

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I mean, and if she's saying that, it's kind of like saying even the grandkids, like, you know, if you really want to reach.

No, I mean, I don't think that is that much of a reach because like, if it was such a mistake of, for like Athena to marry Michael, which she does mention, like, then kind of by association, Harry and May are also mistakes because otherwise they wouldn't exist.

And like, I think you do see that Beatrice does love her grandkids, but we also, and I don't know if it's because we don't get a lot of opportunity to see her interact with the kids as much because it's not as important to the story of the episode.

But like, I think she does love them and she, she treats them like, sweetly.

But how, what does her, you know, unconditional love look like for Beatrice?

And she doesn't have unconditional love.

I don't think it's interesting because like.

She would say, you know, during that first confrontation after the dinner, Beatrice was confronting Athena, or they were just having their own confrontation and they were talking about how like, you know, May was, you know, she committed, did that.

Uh huh.

And that Athena didn't reach out or tell her or anything.

And then Athena's like, well, you would have.

It wasn't.

She didn't see the need to tell her, especially because she felt like she was just going to make it about herself.

I think.

Yeah.

She said, I think she said that her and Michael needed to focus all of their energy on May and not on Beatrice.

Yeah.

And Beatrice was like, but I would have wanted to help.

And Athena said, like, you never just want to help.

So Athena was doing what she was supposed to by essentially protecting May and Athena and Michael from her mom, which is an unfortunate thing that she had to do.

But if she felt like she had to do it, we understand now.

Oh yeah, yeah.

I was just gonna say, like, I feel like she would have just been.

It would just be a critique, a lot of criticism all around when they're going Through a serious time.

So it makes a hundred, you know, it's a hundred percent.

Like, it makes sense, like why she's already blaming herself.

So, like, she didn't need to add her mother.

Yeah, yeah.

On top of that.

And then like, that kind of makes you wonder how, like, obviously Beatrice plays a big role into the kind of self doubt or guilt that we see Athena experience sometimes.

Like, that's a great example or the beginning of this season, you know, with Bobby and Athena and the like, not wanting to and her whole him being like, are you ashamed of me?

And her being like, no.

Well, yes.

And like, I just feel like you could like, beat for beat, look at everything she said was an issue and draw that back to her mother.

That's exactly it.

Yeah.

Because it's so ingrained in her.

Even though Athena, as we see, has done so much work to like, move past that.

And I think she generally healthily has.

But it's always harder when you know, they're right in front of you and you always revert a little back to it.

Right.

A little back to like, who you would have been like, as a younger self.

And like the blocking and the framing of that scene at the end when they're in the bedroom is really lovely.

And I feel like, kind of poignant because you have like Athena putting away her gun in the safe.

So she's like, technically more vulnerable.

Right.

Not that she would ever use it in the house, but she puts it away.

So she's doing that compartmentalization where she's putting the job away.

And now it's all personal stuff.

But you do see, like, there is some overlap there.

And, you know, so Beatrice comes into the room, but doesn't quite enter it yet.

And Athena is turned away from her just because that's how she's sitting on the bed.

And I think at the beginning of this hand, you said that, you know, they were talking about, they were rushing towards something.

And I think Beatrice says something about like, will you just like, turn away from me again?

And then we see Athena kind of like turn away, but like, not.

Not out of like, spite, just kind of like turning in on herself and like, like protecting her.

Herself and her peace.

So even though she, her.

Her weapon is put away and she's more vulnerable, she is vulnerable to like, receive this kind of conversation, it.

It still doesn't get them anywhere.

And it's just like a really lovely scene where Athena never really turns towards her mom and her mom is the one to leave also.

So it's like it's kind of all on her mom's terms with that.

So I just think, like, the framing and the blocking of that was really well done because it shows, like, this unspoken language, this unspoken conversation that they're having, like, underneath what they're actually talking about, too.

Do you want to talk a little bit about the abduction?

Yeah.

So during that conversation that Athena and her mom have, they do mention.

What is her name, the kids?

Tanya Kingston.

They do mention Tanya Kingston.

We don't know who Tanya Kingston is.

But it.

Well, sorry, hold on.

We do now.

We do.

We do now.

But we also know.

But we also know.

We've heard the story of it from a.

Athena's point of view.

And I forget which episode, but she's talking to hen.

So, like, they bring it back up again.

They bring it back up again.

Thank you.

But now we really know.

But I was it.

Maybe I forget.

I was gonna look it up earlier.

I didn't have.

It's fine.

It's.

It's been a minute.

It's been a minute since we've done regular episodes.

So they bring up Tanya Kingston.

And, you know, that's kind of like we get.

I feel like we get a little bit more information about Tanya Kingston.

Just a little bit.

But it does.

The way Athena's mom brings that up, it makes you, I guess, go back to the case that Athena just solved in this episode, you know, with the abduction of these kids and with Tanya Kingston, like, it was a case.

They couldn't find her except for a little barrette.

But, like, in this case, like, Athena was able to bring those kids back home to their real families.

And so, like, it makes you think if we'll get more information down the line, which we technically do.

Spoiler alert.

Yeah.

I just don't.

I don't want to go.

I don't want to go, like, all the way down.

Yeah.

She helps save the day for these kids by trusting her gut.

And even when she talks to Stevie after that first call and they do the little welfare check and they have this, like, really lovely heart to heart where you can obviously expect.

See, like, Athena is kind of putting herself in.

In this kid's shoes as well.

And.

And she talks about, like, you know, parent.

Parent approval is something we all crave, but it can't let us stop us from doing the right thing.

And I think that is, like the thesis statement for Athena.

And.

And what a lovely thing to kind of bestow upon this kid who seems like he's second guessing his instincts.

Right.

And she Kind of, again, catches onto that because she's smart detective lady.

She's like, you know, trust, essentially.

Like, trust your gut.

If you know something's right, you can't let other people stop you from doing it.

Mm.

I think this is a good transition into Maddie.

Mm.

Because if it wasn't for Athena's gut, but also for Maddie's gut initially, because, you know, it was a call that, like, could have been innocuous, could have just been a kid calling 911 because they were.

Their parents were mad and they were grounding them.

Yeah.

But she felt like something was off, and instead of just, like, brushing it off and being like, everything's probably okay, you know, she listened to her instincts, and she's like, learning.

Relearning how to do that.

And sue even says that too.

Like, mm.

Sue's like, stop questioning your instincts.

You're coming into your own, and you don't even know it.

And I think that's especially true because there's a line dropped when Maddie is boxing with Buck, and she's like, yeah, I got dispatcher of the month.

So, like, Maddie, just, like, Athena, is really good at her job because she trusts her instincts, but she.

She, unlike Athena, who has kind of always gone with her instinct.

Mattie is trying to re.

Yeah.

Trying to rebuild hers after kind of doing the same thing that Athena did, which was running, but she's running towards a life that she wants.

Yeah.

So, like, without Matti, like, this could have been just another one of those cases that haunts either of them.

Kind of like the Tanya Kingston case.

Yeah.

It is really lovely seeing Maddie, like, take control of her life, maybe more actively.

So, of course, this is, you know, when it's gonna all go to.

Right.

Yeah.

I mean, she's thriving.

Yeah.

You know, so she says that she fully believes that she's thriving, which she is.

I mean, was it dispatcher of the month that she got?

And I think further down the episode, she.

After her converse, after her conversation with Buck, like, I think something like, you know, he.

He basically convinced her, like, why not actually date Chimney?

Because he's like.

He's like, yeah.

He's like, so if you're doing so well, what are you waiting for?

Yeah.

So, like, the other shooter drop.

I guess she is, because.

Because at that point, she does show up at the fire station, and she.

She presents chimney with divorce paper.

I think that's so cute.

It's like, look what I'm doing.

I'm doing.

It feels kind of sudden.

Oh, my God.

Chimney's so great.

I love that in this whole scene.

Like, classic Chimney, man.

We'll get to it.

But how Chimney is like, she laughs at my jokes.

I'm like, yeah.

Cause you're funny.

And anyone who tells Chimney that he's not funny has to go through me.

Exactly.

Because that is my.

That is my.

The Punisher.

You don't want to mess with her.

No.

But, yeah.

So Maddie, her kind of whole journey in this episode is just her showing us and reminding us that she is really coming into her own and she's taking control of her life.

She's worked so hard to do it.

And I love this scene with her and Buck.

It's so cute.

I don't think we ever get to see them doing anything kind of like active like this again.

I want them to, but it's so cute.

They might after, I don't know.

Yeah.

Maybe ages, usually.

I don't know.

But yeah, I think it's really important to note that, you know, she's like, I'm not doing any of this for Doug.

I'm not doing anything because of Doug anymore.

Like, I'm doing it for me.

And I think that shows, like, the amount of growth that she has really made.

Yes.

Because she was doing everything, like, out of fear.

Yeah.

The choices that she's making now are not fear based, but they're confidence in herself.

Right.

And her situation and also and going.

After what she wants.

What she wants.

And this feeling of safety and comfortability that revolves so much around her and Chimney's relationship just in general.

Buck played a part in it too, of course.

But yeah, so, like, I think that's.

I think that's why she's like a little cat presenting, you know, look what I got for you.

With the.

With the divorce, like, the, like, showing.

She.

She comes, like, presenting, like, not even a little hey, like, text or phone call.

Like, hey, I'm gonna do it.

No, she.

She goes with a purpose over to the station.

She's like, here, I'm gonna do it.

I'm gonna, you know, serve.

Serve Doug with divorce papers.

And Chimney is obviously, like, so proud of her.

But he's also like, are you sure?

Not.

Not in a way of, like, questioning her judgment or her choices, but in kind of like a checking in.

Are you sure?

It could mean that he knows where you are.

It will mean that he knows where she is.

And so much of her purpose so far has been, you know, carving out this safe space for herself.

But Chimney is also her safe space.

And he's still very supportive of that.

And she gets the confidence to ask him out on the date finally.

And it's so cute.

It's so dumb, honestly.

It's so like, everyone's watching them and.

Then you get the peanut gallery over there just like, watching on, like, from.

From the loft, like.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Good.

Yeah.

Well played.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And it's so cute.

And everyone's just so supportive.

Just lovely.

And I love how much progress Maddie makes.

And then I hate how much she has to, like, take a step back in the next couple episodes, especially with her and Chimney.

Like, that hurts my heart because they're so obviously, like, meant to be so perfect for each other.

They MFEO Made for each other.

Oh, okay.

I'm sorry.

I'm too old.

I need to go.

What is that from?

You guys know otp, right?

Yeah.

Okay, great.

I can stay.

I guess you've never seen Made for each other abbreviated to mfeo Maybe a.

Few times, but not enough to like.

Okay.

Oh, no.

Anyway, continue.

I know FBO is Facebook official, so how's that for old?

Anyway, as we're talking about the pre.

Date disaster, and boy, what a disaster it is.

It's.

Well, yeah, I mean, she gets.

She gets the phone call from her lawyer saying that they couldn't find Doug to serve him the papers and that they did find her boss, and her boss is alive, but not well.

Not well.

She is unwell because of Doug.

So it just goes to show, like, how comfortable she feels about chimney and with chimney that she literally and metaphorically leaves the door open for him to.

To come in to her life.

Right?

And unfortunately, that is when things take a turn for the worse.

And especially because with Doug, he takes advantage of the fact that Chimney just got buzzed in, so he, like, forces the door to stay open.

So he's really, like, inserting himself in a place where he's not supposed to be.

Like, very literally, of course.

I.

I just think it's interesting how, like, the whole security system, you know, was set up by Chimney.

Yeah.

She knows that they can't find him when she buzzes him in and leaves the door open.

Okay.

I'm just saying I would have kept some healthy fear of, like, not just leaving the door open, like, maybe opening it when he gets right to the door.

Not just your gate.

I don't know.

Anyway, continue.

It's a metaphor, you know, and I.

Get it, but I'm just saying logically, that didn't fully make sense to me.

I think.

I think it also takes Would take her longer to, like, truly process that.

And what that would mean for her if.

If she had had the time to really process it before, you know, she gets abducted.

Like, if it was like, if it was just Jimmy.

Well, no, because the whole reason she hadn't filed was because, like, she was scared that this would happen.

And rightfully so, because this happens to a lot of women who do try to leave abusive situations.

So that's why I'm saying the logic is a little.

Yeah.

Squinty to me.

I mean, talk about false sense of security, right?

So poor Chimney is really caught in the crossfire here because he's out here trusting this new person who, ah, he doesn't know much about, but it seems like a fine guy.

He showed up at your house with your wallet that went missing the last time you saw him.

Yeah, it was.

And then continues to hang out like they're playing pool.

And it's like they.

I think Doug says in there, like, they've met up multiple times, so they're really, like, developing a friendship.

And.

And he even talks about, like, a misguided friendship.

Like, the.

The play on the words.

Like, especially on his dialogue when he's just like.

I'm just like, oh, my God, Chimney.

There's.

There's so many signs.

So many signs.

And, like, Chimney himself says that he is bad with hints.

And it's like, yeah, yeah, I want.

To know if the 20 bill thing is actually true.

Well, because if it is, even more of a reason.

Yeah, I don't know.

Just headcanon here.

I'm willing to bet.

Yes.

And he played it off as a joke, right?

Because we see this happen again when Maddie goes to ask him out and he jokes.

He's like, oh, no, I can't.

I'm busy Friday.

He plays it like a joke, but then he makes the call to Doug and is like, yeah, I have to cancel on Friday.

And it's like, it wasn't actually a joke.

So in classic, like, Chimney fashion, he does play a lot of things off as a joke.

And I think generally he's a little better at.

A little better.

No, he's not.

He's not a little better.

Someone shows up at my house with my wallet, and they thought that was the thing to do instead of taking it to the police or the manager of the place where they found it.

No, I just gotta know.

Well, it's not that I gotta know because, I mean, obviously.

Well, Rachel and I were born in the 90s, man.

Here we're in the 80s.

But like, I just.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, let me rephrase that.

Yes, yes.

So nowadays, if somebody comes knocking at my door, and this is pre.

Having a camera outside my.

My door, I would not answer it.

If I.

If you didn't call me beforehand or, you know, any of that, I would not be answering the door.

I don't care who you are.

I'm still living in that day and age.

No.

Anytime someone rings the doorbell and I'm not expecting anyone, I'm like, hiding behind the window to see, like, if I know who it is.

Right.

Most of the time I don't.

So then I like, slink away and I'm like, I'm not getting that.

Exactly.

I'm just like, who is it?

But like, I'm not going to reveal myself because otherwise they'll think that nobody's home.

Why was I thinking about animated the Grinch slithering with, like, their behind up.

Like, across the floor me.

Except it's a little more like.

I feel like part of that is, I mean, society today, but also.

Or like the world today.

But like, I also.

I just remember, like, back when I was.

I was a kid and like, I would have to stay home alone because, well, my mom was a working mom, single mom.

She would be like, do not answer the door for anyone.

For anyone.

I'd be like, you got it, Mom.

My parents.

Parents drilled that into me so good.

That I still don't exactly.

When I have delivered, I'm like, you leave that at the door.

Do not ring my door doorbell.

I do not want to interact with you.

I don't know you.

Unless you have food for me.

No.

Not getting the door.

No, I'm still not getting the door.

You need to leave it and walk away.

Okay.

So, like, that's that part, though.

Even if I had to open the door to get my pizza or something, I'd just be like, here's door, right?

I'd be like, yes.

Oh, cool.

Give me the glory.

Slide it through the.

The open slot in the door with the, like the, the latch lock still on it.

Yeah, it's just.

Yeah, it's like, it's kind of the same thing as, like, you know, when our parents were like, don't talk to people on the Internet.

Don't talk to strangers on the Internet.

It's like, well, that went out the window.

It's the only place I want to talk to people.

Right, Sorry.

No, but actual people.

No.

I'm sorry, no.

But I guess what I'm trying to say is like, y'all just answer like older other generations would just enter the door for anyone.

Why?

What kind of.

Because day and time is that?

Like, I don't understand, like, what should be a millennial.

Yeah.

Wait, no, no, no.

He's Gen X for sure.

How old is he supposed to be?

How old are any of them?

Not how old is the actor.

How old is he supposed to be?

I'm pretty sure not that old.

Kenny's 53.

That's a millennial.

I'm 99% positive.

81 to 96.

81.

He is gen X by a.

Oh my God.

Okay, whatever.

Okay, so that makes sense.

That makes sense why he's so trusting.

Well, I mean, also, like, you do have to think like, he has met this guy in person twice now in.

In Chimney's mind.

It's not a stranger, I guess, but Chimney.

Stranger danger.

But three times is not a coincidence.

The third time that you saw him at your door, that should have been the red flag.

Chimney, please.

Anyway, it wasn't even like they were friends.

They were just, you know, chimney sees.

Friendly friend shaped person.

I know we talked about this last night.

Yeah.

I can't.

I just can't deal.

I know.

I'm not saying it's good.

This is like the only I think piece in the episode where like, someone's.

Someone goes with their gut and it turns out to not behoove them in the end.

It also just seems so strange because, like, it seemed like from the little interactions we saw that like, Doug was very much like trying to talk him out of the Maddie thing.

Yeah, that's a weird part too.

And I'm like.

And he was just cool with that.

Like, haha.

I can't be deterred.

Like, maybe he thinks it's like a.

Yeah, maybe he thought it was kind of like a, you know, like, joke.

I don't know.

Well, kind of like, you know, he's just looking out for his new buddy.

Right?

Like, that's kind of.

That's kind of what he thinks.

I think it also, Chimney was probably leaning on that because it was like a completely outside perspective.

So probably thought that he would be getting like a.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because everyone else knows Maddie.

So the friends are his boss, his future brother in law, and his other future brother in law.

Yeah.

And his bestie who will give him like hen will give him.

Yeah, that's Kind of the weird thing, too.

Like, why wasn't he talking to Hen about all of this?

Because, like, they're the best friends.

I don't know.

And Hen always kind of like, shoots it straight for him for anyone except for her wife.

Yes, I was waiting for that.

Thank you.

So I guess, like, Chimney was really like, okay, here's an opportunity for a completely third party outsider with absolutely no personal interest in the matter.

However, it turned out to not be that at all.

Yeah, it definitely had ulterior motive here.

And I think this is one of the reasons that.

That Doug really, like, glommed on to Chimney, too, because he.