9-1-1 season 3, episode 17 recap: Powerless

9-1-1 focuses on the idea of being powerless–literally and figuratively.

9-1-1 is doing it big for their Season 3 finale, with a two-part event. This week kicks off Part 1, and after seeing how things played out, I’m reluctant about what next week has in store for us. The most significant appeal to the season’s penultimate episode was Abby’s return, of course, which didn’t take place until the final moments of the episode.

But don’t worry, because next week’s finale has a whole lot of Abby in store for us–and she’s ENGAGED. Ugh, when I saw that her telling him that in the promo, my heart broke for him, mainly because he’s been bringing her up so much.

Last week’s episode ends with the big reveal that there is a serial rapist on the loose, and Athena has been busy with the case throughout “Powerless.” The entire case takes a decidedly dark turn when Athena comes face to face with the guy while following up on a lead.

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The worse part of it all? The entire scuffle is heard over the radio, and it’s so incredibly devastating. Everyone from the 9-1-1 call center to Bobby’s team are forced to listen to the awful man hurting Athena, and they can’t do anything about it until they get there.

The entire scene is not only a testament to the importance of Athena’s character but also Angela Basset’s incredible talent. It is such a gut-wrenching moment to witness, and I was pulled into every emotion of it.

But don’t worry, 9-1-1 fans, Athena is doing okay. She’s quite bruised and beaten up, but she lives to tell her story, and she is not one to back down from a fight.

Side note: Did anyone else cry when May showed up to take pre-prom pictures at the hospital and made Athena be in them? I love their family so much, and I love that Bobby is a part of it.

Speaking of Athena’s family, we get a tangent with Michael’s storyline in this week’s episode of 9-1-1. Earlier in the episode, a car accident causes the power to go out across the city, and it just so happens while Michael is at the hospital. He gets trapped in the elevator with a handsome looking fella, and there was definitely something going on between them.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see if it would lead anywhere because, as soon as Michael got service, he learned of Athena’s incident and had to rush to the hospital. Stay tuned for updates on Michael’s love life.

Hen was accused of cheating this week, but it turns out it was just a misunderstanding.

But I don’t blame Karen for being suspicious as it has happened before, and those texts didn’t exactly seem innocent at first glance. But nothing to worry about here, Hen was just trying to get help because she’s thinking about applying to medical school! Yay, Hen!

I’m looking forward to next week’s 9-1-1 season 3 finale, mainly because we’ll see what Abby has been up to since she left back in Season 1. I miss Connie Britton on the show, and I loved her relationship with Buck even more. Unfortunately, her life has pulled her away from Buck, but let’s see how the events of the finale turn out.

All I know is I’m ready for some Abby and Buck scenes–finally!

Did you enjoy this week’s episode of 9-1-1? Share your thoughts in the comments below!