9-1-1 season 2, episode 5 recap: Awful People

This week’s episode of 9-1-1 teaches us that some people truly can be awful but karma, good or bad, is always waiting around the corner.

9-1-1 reminds us that people can be horrible, awful, selfish people, and while that’s not breaking news, it’s still an abrupt reminder. And while we’re talking about horrible people, it’s worth mentioning that the Porch Pirate makes her return in this week’s episode, and she’s more ruthless than we remember her.

She may have left her stealing packages days behind her, but now she’s found herself a new gig–placing herself in situations in which she can pretend she’s been hurt in order to get a check from insurance companies. But karma is a bitch and she ends up getting run over as she stands behind an elderly woman’s van in hopes of tricking her.

This week on 9-1-1, Maddie joins Athena on a ridealong to understand what happens in between a 9-1-1 call and when the dispatchers arrive on the scene. The motivation to do this comes from a day of horrible calls at the center when she realizes she is having a hard time connecting with callers because she can’t actually see them.

She’s given advice from a colleague named Gloria who is revered as the Celine Dion of the center and a boss at her job. But this image of her shatters, as Maddie learns that Gloria isn’t exactly the angel everyone thinks, in fact, she’s pretty awful.

Credit: Fox

While taking a break for lunch, Athena and Maddie come across a robbery gone bad and learn that the man that was shot called 9-1-1 but he was hung up on. Upon further investigation, Maddie finds out that Gloria has hung up on many, many calls over the years and is in serious trouble as a result.

Gloria is infuriated with Maddie and harasses her via text and phone calls until she ends up in an accident while talking to Maddie on the phone. And because Maddie is not as awful as Gloria has been, she triangulates her location and sends paramedics over toe rescue her.

During their ridealong, Maddie and Athena arrive at a protest during a military funeral where they encounter a racist man who refuses to let anyone of color treat him when he passes out. Let’s just say, Maddie has quite the day.

Hen and Karen are put through the wringer because of another awful person this episode, aka Hen’s ex, Eva, who returns to say that she has found Denny’s biological father.

Considering she gave up her parental rights, she’s banking on the fact that the real father can be a means to torture Hen and Karen.

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Hen and Karen immediately hear from their lawyer who is now saying they are facing some challenges since the DNA test proved that Denny’s father is who he says he is.

Hen’s rage gets the best of her as she follows Eva to her hotel room where she finds Eva passed out on the floor with a needle hanging out of her arm.

For a moment, Hen contemplates letting Eva choke and die on her own vomit but she snaps out of it and calls 9-1-1. And because Eva violated her parole, it’s off to prison for her! Luckily, Denny’s biological father is not an awful person either and is willing to work with Hen and Karen because they are Denny’s parents through and through.

The theme of awful people is also a reminder that not everyone is truly awful, and there is good in the world. Not everyone is out to get you and if you’re a good person, that good karma will come back to you ten-fold.

Thank you, 9-1-1 for keeping it real, always.

9-1-1 airs on Fox every Monday at 9 PM EST!