A bee-nado is coming to 9-1-1, and if you need clarification on what that means, I implore you to jump onto Freevee and check out the OG Sharknado so you can get a sense of what you might be in for.
The Syfy cult classic was a mixture of about four genres that followed people plagued by tornados filled with sharks across Los Angeles. In other words, it was ridiculous and nonsensical and shouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was, yet it was a spectacle that launched a series of spinoffs.
If we take things literally, a bee-nado sounds like a tornado filled with bees, which is a bit different from the opening emergencies 9-1-1 is known for.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, and cruise ship disasters are what we’re used to. Large-scale catastrophes with massive set pieces make sense. But bees? BEES?
How will a bee tornado give us three hours of entertainment?
Not to take anything away from the winged insects, which are both ecologically important and dangerous in their own right (everyone knows someone allergic).
But if bees are what’s cooking, then it’s time to speculate about how they can turn the bees into a three-part opening that rivals some of their best.
Bees On A Plane!
The bee-nado will most likely lead to one big emergency that will take over everything.
Sharknado had a complicated premise for getting those sharks into the sky, but here it could be as simple as a freak windstorm interacting with a truckload of bees, and suddenly, downtown Los Angeles will look like that scene in The Day After Tomorrow.
The thing about 9-1-1, though, is they’ve done everything, but bees infiltrating the skies and causing an incoming plane to crash into LAX? That would certainly be something.
A plane crash would be large enough to take over a few hours, especially considering the three-episode premieres are more like two episodes and a scene because the primary emergency doesn’t usually set in until the premiere’s end.
So, don’t be surprised if you don’t see a single bee before the final frame of the opening hour.
But what if instead of just a plane crash, we get something that looks more like the Samuel L. Jackson masterpiece that is Snakes on a Plane first?
Much like Sharnado, if you haven’t seen the film, look at the title. And know that it involves Samuel L. Jackson’s FBI agent character escorting a witness on a plane.
The bad guy, who needs that witness dead, then gets a bunch of snakes into the plane’s cargo.
Chaos ensues. Snakes go crazy. Kenan Thompson is there.
What if bees invade the plane, windows get smashed, and the pilot makes an emergency landing? The 118 is called in to assist because there is mass hysteria with injuries and bees, and maybe Kenan Thompson is there for this as well.
There are many possibilities here, and 9-1-1 loves paying homage to classic movies, right?
Maybe Snake on a Plane isn’t a classic in YOUR household, but it is in MINE. And sometimes, it’s okay to make things about yourself.
Bee-nado Leads to a Series of Emergencies that Shuts Down the City
If we can’t get 9-1-1’s version of Snake on a Plane, which boo, then we could see a series of emergencies, some larger than others, that will have Los Angeles on lockdown and first responders donning bee suits all around the city.
A swarm of bees in the wrong place can cause a significant disruption, and a tornado could cause absolute havoc.
If they sweep through a park, stinging could cause various injuries, and if they flow through a highway and disrupt people’s line of vision, accidents could occur everywhere.
And who’s to say what a bunch of bees could do to power grids or anything else they may come into contact with?
The bottom line is that a bunch of emergencies will keep the dispatchers, officers, and firefighters plenty busy, even if they’re just bouncing from place to place putting out fires, figuratively.
Not as exciting as the possibility of bees on a plane, but not much is.
Bees Put a Main Character in Jeopardy
Every main character on 9-1-1 has been in mortal danger at least once throughout the show’s history. That’s just the way things are on this show.
Most recently, Bobby was briefly on death’s door during 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 10, so he can’t have back-to-back bedside vigils.
Save some for everyone else.
But in all semi-seriousness, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the series to break our hearts yet again by having one of our favorite first responders stricken with numerous bee stings that leave them in a bad way.
Dealing with the usual calamities that every hour brings, on top of having one of their own sick, could quickly fill up three episodes.
There’s a reason the first official teaser mentioned that the average person can not survive 500 bee stings. Right?
Bee Sting Induces Hallucinations
In keeping with one of the mains getting up close and personal with a bee family, what if said main gets stung and starts hallucinating?
Think a mixture of Buck’s coma dream and Chimney’s encephalitis journey, but let’s make it fun this time.
Maybe Hen gets stung, and she dreams of a different time and place while recovering in the hospital.
Everyone likes a little alternate reality hour or two when things are a little lighter, and you can play with things you may never touch at any other time.
In the alternate universe, Hen is finding clues to help stop the spread of the bee-nados, which are at risk of getting out of hand in the real Los Angeles.
Eddie is a beekeeper at 1-1-8 Hives, which Bobby and Athena own. Mara is back home, so Hen takes Mara and Denny to learn about bees during a hive tour, which Chimney and Buck are also on, for no reason at all.
Hen eventually gets the goods on how to save the bees and stop the bee-nados, wakes up, and we pretend like bee-ado was never a thing when episode 4 rolls around.
Buzzworthy Crossover Possibilities
Somehow, the idea of 9-1-1 crossing over with another ABC show is probably less likely than my dream Snakes on a Plane parallel.
But imagine if other ABC shows, namely The Rookie because it takes place in Los Angeles, were to come to assist in any way they could because it’s all hands on deck for the bee-nado!
We could get Lucy and Buck teaming up to help triage those who’ve gotten stung while Eddie and Tim work together and Bailey helps Hen and Chimney.
This would be a fantastic way to mix the two shows, crack some inside shows, and give something back to the two passionate fanbases.
And hell, maybe when the dust settles, the 118 will get a call from a curious class at Abbott Elementary wanting to learn more about the phenomenon!
Would it make a ton of sense? Who cares! A bee-nado doesn’t exactly scream realism, and yet here we are.
It’s all fun. While 9-1-1 can be a bit heavy-handed, at its core, it truly is a fun show, and something as fantastical as a bee-nado doesn’t need to be treated with total seriousness at all times.
I’m self-aware to know the chances of these things happening aren’t very high, but maybe you’ve got some fun ideas about how this disaster will play out over the first three hours of 9-1-1’s 8th season!
Drop all your thoughts in the comments below!
9-1-1 Season 8 premieres on September 26 at 8/7c on ABC.