‘9-1-1’: Maddie Makes a Decision About Chimney, Plus Is Buck’s New Romance Already Over? (RECAP)

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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for 9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 17, “Love Is in the Air.”]

To propose or not to propose, that is the question … still for Chimney (Kenneth Choi) on 9-1-1. But little does he know, as the 118 deals with calls that have him continuing to flip flop on what to do — a man jumps off the building to propose, and his girlfriend feels she has to say yes … for a few months, at least, and an older woman determined to marry the love of her life before being taken to the hospital — that Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) has found the ring where their daughter put it in her dollhouse.

Chimney has taken the ring being “missing” as a sign it’s time to move on, and he even files an insurance claim (during which he tries to ask the agent for her advice). But he doesn’t know that by this point, the ring is actually already on Maddie’s finger!

When she finds it, she first panics and puts it back where it was. Then, she moves it to the kitchen counter and can’t stop staring at it. (It’s adorable, as we’d expect from this couple.) She even calls and leaves him a voicemail … saying she thinks she butt-dialed him. (Oh, Maddie.) Then she puts the ring on her finger, smiles — and it gets stuck.

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Maddie turns to her brother Buck (Oliver Stark) for help. His first suggestion is a ring cutter; she refuses. Why hasn’t Chimney asked, she worries. That’s when Buck drops the news that Hen (Aisha Hinds) wasn’t exactly entirely on board with her bestie proposing to her. And so Maddie goes to see Hen for an explanation. Hen tries to explain she was trying to protect Chimney — from himself because he was so stressed about proposing. She assures Maddie she doesn’t have to be embarrassed about what she went through because they all have their scars.

So why hasn’t Maddie told Chimney she found the ring? For her, “It’s more than just words and a piece of paper, Maddie explains to Hen. “There’s a power that we give away. I just didn’t know that the first time around, until after. But he’s Chim. He’s not that guy.” And as Hen reminds her, “You aren’t that same person that you were back then.” So does she want Hen to help her get the ring off?

No, because it’s still on her finger when she and Chimney are about to sit down for breakfast, and she makes sure he sees it when she lifts her mug. And then Maddie proposes!  “Howard Han, from the moment that we met, I knew that I had found someone who would always be there for me. I knew it. I couldn’t believe it. And there are so many people who would never survive what I’ve been through because they’re alone, but I had you. You’re my lifeline. And it is really funny you losing this ring and me finding it. It turned out to be a total blessing because it just reminded us why we’re so perfect together, and it brought us right back to where we’re supposed to be.”

Maddie calls Jee over, asking, “Howard Han, will you marry us?” They even have a ring for him! His answer is, of course, yes. Later, however, he realizes he better call the insurance company so he doesn’t go to jail for insurance fraud.

Meanwhile, Buck is trying to spend time with Natalia (Annelise Cepero), the death doula he met on a call, but something keeps getting in the way. First, while out at a bar, Lucy (Arielle Kebbel) — now with Air Support — comes over, offering to share stories and teasing him about how he gets after tequila. Buck is flustered as he tries to explain after Lucy leaves, that that was “one thing” then “nothing.” Then, Buck has Natalia over, only for Taylor Kelly (Megan West) to pop up on the news talking about the book she wrote about her time with the LAFD and the one firefighter from the 118 she was exceptionally close to.

And so Buck gives Natalia the rundown on his romantic history. She’s never met anyone like him, she remarks. He’s all in on everything. Just as they’re about to kiss, there’s a knock at the door, and it’s Kameron (Chelsea Kane). She and Connor had another fight, and she needs a place to stay. She feels like he’s not present for their marriage or impending family, and she’s doing everything by herself. With that, it’s time for Buck to tell Natalia about being his friends’ sperm donor. While Natalia’s not judging him for his decision and saying it’s an amazing thing to do for someone, she needs a minute to take it in. She tells Buck to take care of himself as she leaves. But is that it? Are they over before they really started? And what about Kameron, now staying at Buck’s?

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Elsewhere, Eddie’s (Ryan Guzman) aunt is still trying to set him up on dates, and Buck suggests he try a dating app. Eddie’s downloaded one but can’t bring himself to open it. Instead, he wants to find his own dates and tries to do just that — at the coffee shop, golfing, hiking — and fails every time. (A dog does bite him, leading to him showing up at work with his hand bandaged.) As he explains to the rest of the 118, he wants what he had when he met Shannon; it just happened and was magic. He doesn’t believe in magic, but he does believe in chemistry. But they met in the eighth grade and reconnected in the 12th, so the others determine he sucks at dating because he’s never really done it.

What he can’t do is compare what he had with what he thinks he’s going to have, Bobby (Peter Krause) tells Eddie. He has to be open to whatever comes. Then, as the episode ends, Eddie’s at Anawalt Lumber Co., trying to find something his son Christopher (Gavin McHugh) needs for a project when Marisol (Edy Ganem), from a call earlier this season in “Home Invasion,” approaches him and offers help. As he walks away, he turns back to look at her; then it’s her turn to watch him leave. But we can’t help but remember what he told Buck — “Dating somebody you rescued, you know that never ends well” — so while this is more adjacent (the 118 rescued her brother, not her), does this stand a chance of working out?

9-1-1, Mondays, 8/7c, Fox