9-1-1 Season 7, Episode 8 Promos Lied & We’re Puzzled
If you thought those promos that saw Bobby (Peter Krause) confront Amir (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) were setting up a heartbreaking cataclysm between the two men, then “Step Nine” likely shocked — and disappointed you — in multiple ways. Amir, who is one of the few survivors of an apartment fire accidentally caused by Bobby, does go to the same AA meeting Bobby’s attending and speaks before the audience, staring him down the entire time. However, the two men are all too willing to forget and forgive once they share words.
Their second meeting isn’t even intentional — Bobby happens to encounter Amir while trying to report another accident on the roadway. Bobby comes upon a trail of blood and a smoking truck, and the two men take shelter in an abandoned diner while Bobby patches Amir up. The scary confrontation from the promo comes when the two men confront each other but tapers off once they’re aware of who they’re dealing with.
Further conflict comes from outside sources – the desert heat, unfriendly locals, the rigors of nature, and the process of sepsis. The two men bond, and though they both make it out okay, Bobby doesn’t quite get to complete his ninth step and attain forgiveness. Still, he gets his apology in. While the deaths happened before the show began, it’s hard to argue against them being some of the saddest in “9-1-1” history. But the ad telegraphs none of this.
Fans watching at home enjoyed themselves with the episode — but definitely noticed that the commercials for “9-1-1” have misdirected them all season.
Fans liked Step Nine, but noticed the deceptive commercial
A few fans posting on r/911Fox noticed how misleading the show’s promos are — and have been — all season. “Damn the promos have been something else this season. Lots of misdirection with them,” said u/DemonPirate726, in a comment upvoted 25 times as of this writing. But others thought that was a positive. “This season has honestly been really good at misdirects with previews. Like it does keep it interesting,” u/HauntedReader, who got 14 upvotes, pointed out.
While they may be split on their feelings about ads related to the show, audiences also definitely landed on Amir’s side of the conflict. “Honestly, I can’t be mad at Amir’s reaction. What Bobby did WAS bad. Drunk or not, unintentionally or not, he DID scar a lot of lives. He was the reason why 148 people died and why dozens more were affected,” wrote u/jdessy. “Bobby, maybe respect boundaries, once, please. I love you but forcing your amends isn’t [recommended] either,” opined u/Medium-Cake7205.
With the series set to finish its first ABC finale in two weeks, audiences will have a lot of time to process Bobby’s choices soon enough, but until then, they can watch every episode of “9-1-1” on Hulu or ABC to get caught up if needed.
If you’d like to learn more about how “9-1-1” was created, check out TheShockNews’s article on the untold truth of “9-1-1.”