HOLLYWOOD—I got hooked on this series last season and it has been a must-see for me since then. The Fox series “911” is invigorating and intense and really sheds light on the plight that paramedics and firefighters endure on a daily basis. While fictional, it still has a powerful punch that it delivers to the audience. Season three kicked off with a lot of chaos, some rescues gripping, others laughable.

First, our paramedics and firefighters were forced to battle an unstoppable car that led to a police pursuit. There was a twist to the story: the driver was not intentionally trying to flee police, the car lost control. So Maddie jumped into action to make things happen, as the teen was afraid of angering his father by damaging such a classic car. A clever, but very dangerous maneuver was implemented to stop the vehicle which involved striking a massive fire truck. The car was damaged, but the kid was okay.

A big focal point of the new season was the recovery of Buck who sustained serious injuries at the hands of a serial bomber. A celebration was held to welcome Buck back to the workforce, but it ended in tragedy, as Buck sustained a coughing attack where blood gushed from his mouth. It was later revealed that he was suffering from numerous blood clots.

Buck was not happy to be back in the hospital, but after learning from Bobby that he might not be cleared to get back out on the streets he was livid. How so? Instead of taking Bobby up on his request to perform desk work, Buck quit. I really did not see that one coming people. Howie and Maddie are getting much closer, and I’m happy to see it.

It was apparent as soon as Maddie was introduced into the foray in season two there was a spark between these two characters. They discussed the possibility of children, and it didn’t seem like it was something either wanted, at least not at the time being. Keeping up with the relationship trend, Bobby and Athena were adjusting to married life, and so far, not too many hiccups in their relationship. The audience was really delivered a laugh after helping rescue an elderly man who locked himself in a room at a nursing home. It was soon discovered he had a flesh-eating STD and it may have infected almost all of the people in the nursing home. Extremely funny people!

Perhaps the most intense rescue of the premiere episode involved a pregnant woman who had been stabbed and left for dead. Maddie was on edge trying to pinpoint the victim’s location, just as Athena stumbled upon a woman who was on edge, with a newborn that was in dire straits. Athena questioned the woman and discovered that the baby in the back seat was not hers, but the woman who called 911 noting she was stabbed.

Athena and the gang were able to locate the victim who was in the trunk of a vehicle near a dumpster in Griffith Park. The episode culminated with Eddie doing his best to get Buck out of his funk about not being able to dive right back into his firefighting duties. So who would cheer Buck up, Christopher, Eddie’s son! It was heartwarming to see Buck and Christopher bond, and as Eddie noted, Christopher never complains about his predicament, so it forced Buck to open his eyes that his plight was not as bad as he thought.

While having fun on the pier, a ton of patrons were left aghast realizing that a tsunami was descending upon them and the wave at hand was about to deliver massive destruction. Now, that is what you call a cliffhanger people. Fun, interesting start to the season. “9-1-1” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX.