In Their Own Words

In Their Own Words

These are the people that we portray on Third Watch, and this is the reason we portray them.

Aired: Monday, October 15, 2001

Rating: 7.0/10

Credits

Narration written by John Wells
Directed by John Wells & Julie Hébert

From TV Guide Online: How does a third-year series that dramatizes the stories of New York firefighters, paramedics and police officers begin a new season after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11?

As it turns out, with rare sensitivity and poignancy.

"We were on the last day of [shooting] the sixth episode when it happened," said executive producer John Wells.

A decision was made to postpone the season premiere of Third Watch and shoot three new episodes focusing on the World Trade Center collapse. The first show in the arc, "In Their Own Words," was a non-scripted, two-hour documentary-style oral history that Wells described as "a tribute to the real firefighters, paramedics and police officers we work with every day. We thought there could be nothing more appropriate."

The "real people" associated with the series helped give it authenticity, and many of them, Wells says, "participated in the rescue operation, and were there at the time of the evacuation and the collapse [of the towers]. We had people who worked for us who are no longer alive."

For this first show, Wells says he was inspired by an episode he wrote some years ago titled "Vets" — interviews with real veterans — for the China Beach series. "In Their Own Words" was a wrenching, profoundly moving account of the real-life heroism in (and away from) the rubble of Lower Manhattan in which some of those who were there recalled their fallen comrades and family members remembered loved ones. Each of the series's nine regulars briefly introduced the various segments — Molly Price, who plays policewoman Faith Yokas, is married to a firefighter who participated in, and survived, the rescue operation — and the interviews were simple, painful, heartfelt and unforgettable.

A unifying theme was the indomitable spirit of these heroes, many of whom returned several times to the WTC site. "We all wanted to come back," says an Emergency Services police officer. "We had friends in there." At the end, the names of both those missing and known dead among emergency personnel were listed — an honor roll of sacrifice. This was remarkable television.

The second episode, "September 10," was telecast last week and followed its characters during the 12 hours preceding the disaster. It was a conventionally scripted hour, but it was effective in capsulizing ordinary, day-to-day lives. Some of the characters' concerns were significant, some petty. Ultimately, none of it seemed to matter much. In the episode's closing moments, each reacted to news of the disaster and many raced to the site to help.

Tonight's episode, called "After Time" (for which only a script was available), begins on Sept. 21. A mother and her little boy stop by the firehouse and give Doherty (Eddie Cibrian) some photos of their last visit. Not until he's with his colleagues do we learn that the firefighter pictured has not been found. Neither has Taylor's (Amy Carlson) father, a fire chief. Yokas has overslept; the phone's off the hook. Her husband's come home during his lunch hour to awaken her. "How long are these 12-hour shifts gonna last?" he asks. "The kids miss you."

Doc (Michael Beach) gets a visit at the brownstone he's bought — from his new neighbors, who want to help him as a token of thanks for his rescue efforts. Kim (Kim Raver) is back at work, but her mother asks, "How long are you going to keep going [to the disaster site]?" As a sort of comic relief, Sully (Skipp Sudduth) is beside himself because his apartment's filled with his bride-to-be's eccentric relatives, all waiting for the postponed wedding day to arrive. "They got four teeth between the lot of them," complains Sully, "and they floss with vodka." After listening to Sully's complaints, Davis (Coby Bell) remarks that his mother wants him to quit the force. He says, "She's got 6000 more reasons I should."

The episode, co-written by Wells, depicts the various reactions to Sept.11 — ranging from people expressing their gratitude to the numbing effect and anger that so many feel and the effort to go on with life in a very tense and uncertain climate.

The cast and producers undertook a difficult, highly personal challenge and succeeded admirably. For three weeks, Third Watch has been must-watch television. — Michael Buckley

This episode won a Peabody Award.

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