9-1-1 ended Season 7, the first on ABC, with a lot of questions – and a lot of possibilities. It also ended the strike-interrupted season with the setup of a racist, misogynistic new Captain, Bobby and Athena homeless, Christopher in Texas away from his father, Hen, and Karen having lost their foster care license, and by extension, Mara and Buck trying to navigate a new relationship with Tommy. So, to say there’s a lot to tackle in Season 8 feels like an understatement.

How we do hope those things play out? There are a lot of tiny (and not so tiny) things we’re hoping and rooting for, but overall, here are 7 things we really want to see from 9-1-1 Season 8.

Bathena Focus

9-1-1 is the house that Peter and Angela built, and let no one forget it. And as much as we’re going to miss the set for the house they lived in together for all these years, Season 8 will give Bobby and Athena a chance to start anew someplace they can choose together. That house was, for better or worse, a remnant of another life for Athena. One she didn’t start out sharing with Bobby.

While they’re searching for a house, and beyond that, we hope the show remembers that we still want to see Bobby and Athena being, well …Bobby and Athena. Not just a competent Captain and Sergeant, but also a loving couple who gets to take a moment to be just that. So, more romance, please. More focus on the two being a couple, outside of the two just interacting on the field in 9-1-1 Season 8, please.

Core Four Scenes

The other staple of the show is the core four of Buck, Hen, Chimney, and Eddie. And we really need more scenes of the four of them not just working together, but hanging out. Whether it be at the station, having lunch, or hanging out outside of the station, it would be really good to see some moments of bonding that don’t just separate them into the Buck + Eddie and Hen + Chim units we’re used to seeing, but that allows them to exist in the same space the four of them together.

Especially early on in the season, when it will be all four of them against a common enemy: Gerrard. And sure, we always want to see more of the individual partnerships that have formed within the foursome, and even explore more (Hen and Eddie besteism, where are you?), but we especially want this foursome to get a chance to shine.

Some More Silly Moments

Yes, 9-1-1 is often a serious show, and how could it be otherwise? Tragic things are happening all around. This is a show about first responders. But these actors are also so good at silly, that it would be tragic if the show didn’t find a way to exploit that. Give us more of Hen and Buck having a drink at questionable hours! Give us the team vs. the curse that wasn’t (or was?). Or, better yet, invent some convoluted scenario that ends up with Eddie having to bust a move or two and give Ryan Guzman a chance to show his dance prowess. Just throwing ideas out there!

If not, we’ll at least take a holiday episode. Halloween? Thanksgiving? Christmas? There are plenty to pick, and many reasons why this family would come together for those celebrations. There are also a bunch of horrible things that could happen during those days, so perfect 9-1-1 fodder, just saying.

An Exploration of Eddie’s Catholic Guilt

There’s a lot to explore when it comes to Eddie, particularly when it comes to Eddie without Christopher. And we absolutely want and need Christopher reunited with his father, preferably soon. But it would be good to get to see some of that exploration of who Eddie is without Christopher because Eddie has never really had to grapple with that reality.

A lot of that goes back to Eddie’s religion, and catholic guilt as a concept. The things we do because we’ve been taught we should do them, because we’ve been raised a certain way, are such a heavy burden. They are a particularly heavy one for a Latino man raised like Eddie Diaz. And there’s no doubt catholic guilt has shaped Eddie’s life and his relationships – including his marriage to Shannon. So, it’s time for Eddie to start unraveling that so he can truly heal, and find a way to finally move forward.

A Storyline for Buck That’s Actually About Buck, Not His Relationships

Buck’s coming out was beautiful and rewarding and a culmination of things many felt were true about the character for so long. And yet a lot of his exploration of his sexuality has been tied up to his relationship with Tommy. In Season 8, it would be interesting to see Buck get a storyline that is about Buck figuring out …well, Buck. What it is that he wants, what void he’s trying to fill. What makes him happy, truly? Not who makes him happy, but how Buck can be that, by himself.

Whether that be about exploring queer communities more fully, finding a deeper connection with his parents, or deciding he doesn’t actually want that because the family he found at the 118 is all the family he needs, Buck has been defined by his relationships with others for a lot of the show. Season 8 would be the perfect time to let Buck stand on his own and figure out Buck. That will make all his relationships even more rewarding.

Maddie & Chim Romance

We’ve been sorely lacking Madney romance! Sure, we got their wedding, and that was beautiful, but it feels like even during that, there was so much going on that we didn’t really get to sit and celebrate the fact that Maddie and Chimney are actually pretty great for each other for more than a few minutes. And sure, they’re parents now, but all their storylines don’t have to revolve around their new baby or about their respective jobs.

A date night or two wouldn’t go amiss, even if an emergency happens to pop up in the middle of it. A steady relationship doesn’t mean the spark is gone, and marriage doesn’t either! Let us see some romance.

Something More For Hen Than The Same “Losing Her Kids” Storyline

As soon as this mess with Councilwoman Ortiz is fixed, it would be great to be done with this storyline where Hen’s family keeps being threatened. That, of course, doesn’t mean Hen needs to live happily ever after. A show like 9-1-1 will need some drama. But it doesn’t always need to be the same kind of drama happening to the same character.

It isn’t even the only way to keep Karen around, either. There are plenty of ways for the show to integrate Karen into the narrative without this same painful storyline. Does she want to run for office to oppose Councilwoman Ortiz? Support someone else who might? Is Hen the mastermind of whatever the team is planning to get rid of Gerrard? Either way, there’s so much more for Hen to do and to be and to explore and we can’t wait to see it.

Agree? Disagree? What else do you want to see in 9-1-1 Season 8? Share with us in the comments below!

9-1-1 returns to ABC on Thursday, September 26^th.