Warning: SPOILERS for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 10, "Voices."Season 8, episode 10 of 9-1-1 puts Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) in her most life-threatening position ever, but a worse event in the series' history ruins the suspense. Maddie has some of the worst luck out of 9-1-1's cast of characters, having already been abducted once in the past by her ex-husband Doug (Brian Hallisay). The episode "Voices," in the grand tradition of Ryan Murphy's TV shows upping the drama to absurd proportions, now puts Maddie in the hands of an even more twisted kidnapper and serial killer whose dual identities argue constantly about whether to let their captive survive.
"Voices" is one of the most harrowing episodes of the season, forgoing the inclusion of a B-plot almost entirely. Aside from moving ahead with Ryan Guzman's Eddie's 9-1-1 departure at the very end, the entire episode centers on the 9-1-1 cast as they remain laser-focused on finding and rescuing Maddie after her abduction in episode 9. And for a brief moment, it truly does become worrisome that they might not succeed in saving her.
Amber Slitting Maddie's Throat Was 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10's Major Shocker
Jennifer Love Hewitt Survived 2 Slasher Movies Just For This To Happen
Abigail Spencer's Amber Braeburn was only revealed as a threat at the very end of the previous episode, so not much was known about her motivations. "Voices" then reveals that she's been fighting with an alter ego named Peter ever since she violently escaped a torturous kidnapper as a little girl. Maddie does her best to talk both Amber and Peter down, but Chimney's (Kenneth Choi) appearance at the door causes Maddie to attack her captor out of fear. Amber only fights her off for a few seconds before ending the struggle by viciously slitting Maddie's throat.
Maddie's Throat Getting Slit Was Gory, But Chimney Having A Rod Through His Head Was Worse
The Fact That He Has Full Brain Function Is A Miracle
In season 1, episode 3, Chimney gets angry after Bobby (Peter Krause) says (rightfully) that Chimney’s relationship with his girlfriend Tatiana (Rachel Breitag) is based on lies. This leads to a car accident in which a piece of rebar lodges itself all the way through Chimney's skull. Chimney doesn't immediately realize why he's pinned to his seat, but his first question when Bobby tells him what's going on is how he's even alive. Yet that's not even the least of what makes this one of 9-1-1's worst near-death experiences
9-1-1's Injuries Are So Unrealistic Sometimes, But That's Why It's Fun
Their Outrageous Circumstances Are Gruesomely Entertaining
Just a year after his rebar incident, Chimney nearly dies again when Maddie's ex Doug stabs him in the belly and leaves him to bleed out. And while it really seems like the show has it out for the Madney family, 9-1-1's characters constantly surviving impossible circumstances is part of what makes the series entertaining. If Maddie or Chimney ever do die, their past brushes will make that moment even more impactful. In the meantime, it's fun to see how the series will raise its stakes next. It's something the upcoming 9-1-1 Nashville spinoff would do well to remember.
It's not just fun for the audience, either. As a dispatcher, Maddie's most dramatic scenes outside interpersonal storylines involve sitting in a chair and looking worried. By constantly putting its characters in life-threatening situations, 9-1-1 allows the actors to do a little more than their characters' job descriptions might typically allow. And if that gives the actors a greater sense of job fulfillment, then threatening to kill off their characters might ironically be the show's best method of keeping them around a little longer.
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