**Potential Spoilers Ahead**

9-1-1 is back on Fox with a bang with their first episode “Panic”.

The season premiere of Fox’s flagship drama had everything that we love about 9-1-1, combining the fun and ridiculous with the sobering and realistic. The entertainment of seeing the 118 confront rogue zoo animals was paired perfectly with the commentary that our technology is incredibly vulnerable and prone to attack at any time that would have far-reaching, potentially devastating consequences. 

When we last left the 118, Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) was beginning to show signs of postpartum depression. From this episode, it seems like this will become a storyline for the rest of the season, which is commendable seeing as there is still so much taboo around the condition in the real world. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the season goes on, and how Chimney (Kenneth Choi) navigates this as a partner. 

It was also nice to see follow-up to where we left Eddie (Ryan Guzman) at the end of last season. Getting shot was an incredibly traumatic experience, made more overwhelming by all the changes in his personal life, so it’s really no wonder he has started experiencing panic attacks. It was also a testament to how much Buck (Oliver Stark) has grown and continues to grow as he was immediately able to tell something was not right with his best friend and offer support as only he could. 

9-1-1 has never shied away from having open and honest discussions about mental health and it’s good to see the trend continuing. It is admirable for a show of this caliber to continue to do so, and hopefully it does a small part in furthering these discussions in the real world. 

We also saw the return of Jeffery Hudson (Noah Bean), a serial rapist who brutally attacked Athena (Angela Bassett) at the end of Season 3. It was sobering to see this case finally going to court and having all the real-world trappings of having a man with privilege manipulate the situation to his advantage and be supported by a justice system that is designed to blame victims of these heinous crimes. 

That ending left us truly shocked and horrified, and it’s clear that this particular story isn’t over yet. We definitely don’t know if we’re ready for what comes next. 

What did you think of 9-1-1’s season premiere? Leave a comment and let us know!

9-1-1 airs Mondays 8/7c on Fox.