9-1-1 Recap: Mister Cellophane

by

This tale centers around a character named Archie, who plays a significant role in this episode despite not being its main focus. It’s quite unusual for an episode, feeling somewhat like filler content on the road to the upcoming two-parter. However, it’s worth noting that Kevin L. Johnson from Ozark delivers a satisfactory performance in his role – this observation is more about the peculiarities of this episode than any criticism of Johnson himself. On the bright side, there’s some narrative progress, making it more engaging than last week’s lengthy car journey.

In “Invisible,” the central idea revolves around being unseen, a concept that’s quite apparent. The narrative begins with our protagonist, Archie, losing his job at Cluck ’n’ Pluck, a seemingly unpleasant workplace but intriguingly named fast-food joint specializing in chicken. Upon returning home, Archie finds himself confined to a storage space beneath his bed – an oddity that requires no explanation, as it’s typical of Archie’s life – just as his girlfriend, Vicky, arrives for an infidelity. Archie’s watch dials 9-1-1 as Vicky expresses her pleasure, hinting at a situation requiring help. The emergency responders from the 118 arrive, halting the affair and saving Archie, who miraculously escapes physical harm. It’s puzzling how Vicky and her lover didn’t hear Archie yelling before engaging in their activities, but as he puts it, “I’m the kind of guy who just merges with the furniture.” (His name should have been Cellophane, you understand.)

Hen isn’t having a great time with recognition: Today’s her birthday, but it seems everyone has forgotten. At first, I thought this was a scheme cooked up by Karen and the kids – pretending to forget a birthday is quite common in TV shows – but once Hen mentioned she hates surprises, I realized it wasn’t a plan. It turns out even her mom accidentally called while rummaging through something (a butt-dial). At the firehouse, Hen was initially delighted when Bobby announced “Hen Day,” but he actually meant “HEN Day,” where HEN stands for the newly arrived “high-efficiency nozzles.” Despite the humorous tone, I found it amusing to see how excited the firefighters were about testing their new equipment. (Just to clarify, they weren’t thinking about anything inappropriate.)

In the ongoing sequence of events, Archibald finds himself in yet another precarious situation. This particular predicament unfolds as he’s attempting to change a tire, only to drop a nut (let’s keep our minds clean here!), and then struggles to retrieve it from under the truck. Unbelievably, the driver fails to notice him and drives off, leaving Archibald pinned by a wheel beneath the vehicle. When the 118 arrives on the scene, Hen is the one who recognizes Archibald, and she promptly starts expressing her feelings. The two of them share a moment as Archibald is rescued. In conversation, Archibald admits that he feels unseen, and though we’re emphasizing the recurring themes here, it’s questionable whether the truck driver could have spotted Archibald even if they had looked in the mirror. When Archibald discloses that his name was never called at the hospital after the bed incident, Hen becomes agitated. “Archibald,” she says, “you’re not invisible – you’re choosing to disappear, and that’s your responsibility.” She continues, encouraging him to occupy space in the world instead of shrinking himself. It’s a powerful speech, until rather abruptly it shifts focus to Hen’s birthday (her projection at work again), though this does provide some indication to the 118 that they’ve made a significant error. Additionally, Ravi manages to find Archibald’s lost nut.

When Buck contacts Eddie to inquire about Hen’s preferred pie type, Eddie discerns that Buck had overlooked her birthday. Since they are Facebook friends, Eddie was aware of this fact and is astonished that no one else remembered. Similarly, neither Hen nor others involved can believe the oversight. After returning home, Karen, who has received an urgent call from Chimney, offers numerous apologies but her last-minute gift fails to compensate for forgetting her own spouse’s birthday. (I find it delightful that Tracie Thoms portrays a character reminiscent of Joanne from Rent.) Hen’s children arrive with their own expressions of regret, as does her mother. “I’m old,” Toni explains, and indeed, that seems valid. I can empathize with Hen’s pain here; although birthdays may seem insignificant in a broader sense, it is disheartening to realize they have slipped from the minds of those you care about. “It’s quite embarrassing when something as trivial causes such profound hurt,” she laments before retreating to her room with the extravagant gift basket Bobby sent.

Kudos to Eddie for attempting to resolve the situation remotely, even when he’s grappling with his own issues. Although Christopher hasn’t moved in yet, and the bridge Eddie sought by relocating to El Paso remains unclosed, he continues to excel as a rideshare driver. Despite his efforts to prepare barbacoa for his family, Eddie’s parents and Chris arrive bearing Chinese food. (One would think that the barbacoa in El Paso wouldn’t be outshone, right?) Before Eddie could surprise Christopher with the Mavericks tickets for a weekend trip, he finds out that Chris has a chess tournament, for which his grandfather will accompany him – only one family member is allowed. The tension of the situation seems somewhat artificial given Eddie’s generally amicable relationship with his parents, but we’re exploring a theme here, and yes, Eddie’s paternal role towards Christopher is rather elusive. Now it falls on Buck to step up and resolve the situation, suggesting that Eddie should attend Chris’ chess tournament regardless.

When Eddie shows up, Chris is deeply engrossed in a stressful chess match – couldn’t Eddie have picked a more convenient moment? – and it appears he’s under immense pressure. Unfortunate as it may be, stress often escalates, and for Chris, it manifests quite literally as he vomits on the chessboard. (I wonder if there are rules about this.) Eddie rushes to assist his son, guiding him to the bathroom for a private talk and some cleanup. It turns out that Christopher dislikes chess; he was merely playing it to please his grandparents. Although Chris’ words may not be as moving as Hen’s speech to Archie, they are enough for Eddie to understand that assertiveness is needed. He had planned on asking Christopher if he could move in with him, but instead, he decides to exercise his parental authority and instruct Chris to do so. “Will I be your dad again?” Chris queries, and while I can empathize with his sentiment, it’s not as though Eddie has been warmly welcomed thus far.

Returning to the crucial character we’re focusing on: me, the cinema enthusiast. I’ve been making my home in my car, which becomes quite an issue when said car gets towed, with me still inside. I’m tossed from the vehicle, miraculously holding onto some of my possessions as I fall. A group of sport fanatics, painted head to toe and engrossed in their own world, knock me over because they fail to notice me. At this point, I’m on the brink of a complete emotional collapse. The voice of Hen echoes in my mind, urging me to stop blending into the background and start demanding my place. In response, I do the most logical thing I can think of — I seize a carving knife and commandeer a bus. The situation unfolds as well as a hostage scenario usually does until a burst tire strip derails us, leading to an unfortunate incident where I end up accidentally stabbing Jerry, one of those who had knocked me down. While their actions were impolite, I doubt they deserved such a severe retaliation.

In the scene that unfolds once again, the 118 arrives, and Hen swiftly identifies Archie as the kidnapper. She successfully persuades Bobby to allow her to intervene, despite the risks of boarding a bus with an agitated man brandishing a knife. Hen manages to attend to Jerry’s injury and convinces Archie to release him for medical care – then she negotiates the same for all other passengers. Archie is not inherently violent, and Hen understands this. He was merely seeking attention, but he followed misguided advice. (I find it problematic that Hen’s words seem to have incited this violent act. “What led you to this point?” “A firefighter told me to stop being unnoticed and then began talking about her birthday.”) Hen empathizes with Archie, expressing “I see you,” which was all he truly yearned for. Ultimately, she succeeds in getting him off the bus, even though she knows he’ll be apprehended. When Archie reaches into his pocket to present her a birthday gift (a cute Cluck ‘n’ Pluck keychain), he nearly gets shot by the SWAT team, but Hen manages to push him to safety. It may be in his best interest for this individual to undergo confinement.

By the close of the day, Hen partook in a birthday meal prepared by Bobby. (One might wonder where Bobby managed to squeeze in the time for this.) At this juncture, she’s largely forgiven everyone because they’ve all been striving diligently to make amends – Buck is taking care of chores that Hen and Karen typically shy away from. Moreover, her courageous and empathetic efforts in resolving the hostage crisis have been acknowledged. With her loved ones by her side, Hen muses that this birthday could very well be the best one she’s ever had. If so, I suspect she might need to set a higher standard for future celebrations.

Call Log

I particularly enjoy instances where Buck shows an exuberant child-like enthusiasm, and I found it delightful to see him so thrilled when given the chance to employ the battering ram.”

This version maintains the original meaning while using slightly different words to express the sentiment.

Following the frequent mentions of the Mavericks, the tickets for them, and the game between Eddie and Christopher that they planned to attend last week – all in connection with Amazon Prime and PS5 product placements – it’s hard not to feel a bit curious or skeptical about this frequency. It does make you wonder!

I too found Eddie’s relationship with his parents intriguing in the episode, as it seemed so tense that I was afraid we might be venturing into a custody battle storyline, and frankly, I don’t think I could handle that after the turmoil of Big Little Lies season two. As for parents, it’s always delightful to see Marsha Warfield portray Hen’s mom, Toni, even though her role in this instance was just to forget Hen’s birthday.

• Rucking refers to the act of walking with a loaded backpack on your back. Just imagining it makes my back ache, but clearly I’m not as fit as a woman in her seventies!

Read More

2025-04-04 18:57