u/MaxAdFan85

The news about the Hayden Panettiere has me absolutely wrecked so here's my version of a distraction. I can't wait to see your answers!

1. What line of dialogue or quote has stayed with you long after watching.
2. What is your absolute favorite episode of the entire series so far.
3. Which character you’d want on your team during a crisis.
4. What your favorite emergency of the series is.
5. What moment makes you cry every single time.
6. Which episode is a true masterpiece of acting or directing.
7. If you could erase your memory and watch one episode again for the first time, which it would be.
8. Which season finale disappointed you the most.
9. If someone in your life has never seen the show, which episode you’d show them to hook them.
10. Why you started watching 9‑1‑1.
11. What the best needle‑drop in the series is.
12. If you could change one plot decision the writers made, what it would be.
13. Aside from the other 9‑1‑1 shows, which TV universe would make the most sense for a crossover.
14. What popular fan theory you secretly wish were canon.

Do you ever think about how little change, one actor deciding to stay, one actor deciding to leave, could have changed the direction of our beloved Evan Buckley? Like what if Connie Britton stayed for season 2? Would we even have Maddie? Or Eddie? Would they have gone with a Buck/Abby/Bobby love triangle? Would Bathena exist?

Would Buck still have a sister?

If Abby stayed, would we have Taylor or Ali?

What if Eddie died at the end of season 4? Does Buck really end up with Christopher? Would there be a sperm donation storyline? Would there be Theo?

What if Natalia returned for season 7? Would there be bisexual Buck? Would he meet Tommy?

And if Tommy doesn't return, does Bobby still die in the lab?

These are the things I think of in my spare time.

What are your thoughts?

People don't write long fics like they use to. And I get it. Works under 5,000 words are more likely to get read in their entirety and more apt to get kudos and comments.

With that said, for those of you who do write long fics ... THANK YOU!

As someone who doesn't bother reading anything under 10,000 words, you are much appreciated. If you're thinking about abandoning that work you feel like has gotten out of hand or too long, keep going. I promise you, there are others like me who will curl up with your 500,000-word epic in bed after a long day and absolutely get their life.

If you haven't checked it out yet, there's a relatively new Are You Afraid of the Dark? podcast called Laughing in the Dark, hosted by four Gen X/older Millennial fans. I've really warmed up to it.

Their latest episode covers The Tale of Old Man Corcoran, one of my favorite episodes from Season 2, and they offered an interpretation I hadn't heard before. They suggest that Kiki's story is her way of processing what it feels like to be the only Black member of the Midnight Society.

The episode centers on two Black boys who move into a new neighborhood and try to fit in with a group of mostly white kids. The group's leader welcomes them, but the others seem reluctant to let them join. I'd always read those scenes as the kids subtly trying to warn the newcomers away from Marshall, but the podcast made me reconsider whether it's significant that the outsiders trying to assimilate are Black.

It also made me rethink Kiki as a character. She's often labeled as having a bad attitude, but maybe some of that comes from feeling like an outsider in a predominantly white group—a feeling a lot of us who grew up in those spaces can relate to. Whether or not that was the writers' intent, I thought it was a thoughtful reading of the episode.

The hosts have had other interesting takes, too. One of their running jokes is that Betty Ann "hates immigrants" because two of her stories involve suspicion toward Eastern Europeans and aliens. On a more serious note, they argue that The Tale of the Final Wish works as an allegory for abuse, and they were quick to point out just how terrible the adults are in The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle.

If you're looking for an AYAOTD podcast that goes beyond plot recaps and offers thoughtful discussion, I'd definitely recommend giving Laughing in the Dark a listen.

If Season 10 ends up being the final season of 9-1-1, what do you think Oliver Stark and Lou Ferrigno Jr.'s careers look like afterward?

For Lou, I think his career will continue pretty much as it has for the last decade. I don't see him becoming a major movie star, but I do see him working consistently. He seems like the kind of actor productions love to bring in for guest and recurring roles: reliable, professional, and able to fit seamlessly into an ensemble. His résumé already includes shows like Outer Banks, NCIS: Los Angeles, How I Met Your Mother, and S.W.A.T.. I think he'll keep steadily booking work for years.

Oliver is more difficult to predict. He's spent nearly a decade leading one of network TV's biggest shows, but his work outside 9-1-1 is relatively limited. That could simply be by choice—maybe he's happy focusing on one project instead of using hiatuses to build his résumé. Still, compared to some of his castmates, it stands out.

My guess is he'll be successful at whatever he chooses to do. I'm just not sure whether that means continuing to pursue leading acting roles or moving in a different direction. It'll be interesting to see whether 9-1-1 ends up being the launchpad for the next phase of his career or the role he's best remembered for.

Curious what everyone else thinks.