So, September 11th, 2001 came by, it was not just any old day, it was something so awful, and we all know how it went.
Sesame Workshop realised this was nothing they ever seen before, and had to find a way to try and get children to know that it's okay to feel scared in very scary/serious events like the attacks, so for the Season 33 premiere (and the first to feature the "Blocks" format), we have this premiere episode. I will only be focusing on the main story, so the other segments and Street scenes won't be talked about in this review.
So, Elmo has invited Maria to be her guest for Lunch, because in the former's words, his parents do the same thing, so he wants to do it like them with a good pal like Maria. Alan then arrives, and asks the two what they want, and look through a menu. After they decide on their lunch, the smoke detector goes off and while Alan fights the fire, Maria and Elmo escape the building.
The NYPD fire department arrive, and are glad everybody is fine. Alan reveals to Maria and Elmo that he left grease on the fryer, which burned up and thankfully didn't burn up anything else. Elmo however, is hugging Maria really tightly, who is completely traumatised out of his mind. He yells out to the two "Elmo doesn't want to go back into Hooper's Store!" and cries. Eventually, Elmo is introduced to Firefighter Bill Walsh (a real NYPD Firefighter), and he shows the still-scared Elmo about what is job is like, including how his uniform is like and how a fire extinguisher works. He invites Elmo to come along to a Firehouse, and he accepts.
Elmo and Maria then arrive at the Firehouse, to which they meet up with Bill. He shows the two what it's like to live in a place like it, with places like a Gym and a Kitchen, just like what a real house is like. They also try out the pole, and Elmo finds it fun. Maria doesn't seem concerned about it, though. Elmo also gets to sit inside a truck, and learns about how firefighters like Bill put out fires. Elmo admits that it would great to fight fires, and he's allowed to wear Bill's helmet. He then gives out a secret to Bill - he is not scared anymore about the whole experiences. The Firehouse experience ends with the firefighters and Elmo eating lunch - which was what was originally was supposed to happened at Hooper's Store to begin with!
The story ends with Maria talking to Alan talking about Elmo's experience, while a very happy Elmo is playing with some toys, pretending to be a firefighter.
Overall this episode was really good, it definitely showed what to do when you're in a real situation, and gives out a good moral in that we can always get scared in problematic situations. The music also gives out some character, especially on how Elmo is feeling. It's also really cool to see a real life place in New York make an appearance rather than in Sesame Street itself. The only problem I see with this episode is that it has the typical Sesame Street-styled Retconning's. Elmo previously visited a Firehouse in the VHS special "Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Firehouse", but with that... I wouldn't really say it is canon to the series, although... at times, they may make them canon to the show (eg, the events of "Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Hospital" were brought up in a TV series episode). But still, something minor doesn't make it bad, it's just a little mistake.
Anyways, this episode is a good recommendation for children. It's on the DVD "Elmo Visits the Firehouse", so it's not a tricky find, either. I think it is also on HBO Max as well, but I don't know.
Sesame Workshop realised this was nothing they ever seen before, and had to find a way to try and get children to know that it's okay to feel scared in very scary/serious events like the attacks, so for the Season 33 premiere (and the first to feature the "Blocks" format), we have this premiere episode. I will only be focusing on the main story, so the other segments and Street scenes won't be talked about in this review.
So, Elmo has invited Maria to be her guest for Lunch, because in the former's words, his parents do the same thing, so he wants to do it like them with a good pal like Maria. Alan then arrives, and asks the two what they want, and look through a menu. After they decide on their lunch, the smoke detector goes off and while Alan fights the fire, Maria and Elmo escape the building.
The NYPD fire department arrive, and are glad everybody is fine. Alan reveals to Maria and Elmo that he left grease on the fryer, which burned up and thankfully didn't burn up anything else. Elmo however, is hugging Maria really tightly, who is completely traumatised out of his mind. He yells out to the two "Elmo doesn't want to go back into Hooper's Store!" and cries. Eventually, Elmo is introduced to Firefighter Bill Walsh (a real NYPD Firefighter), and he shows the still-scared Elmo about what is job is like, including how his uniform is like and how a fire extinguisher works. He invites Elmo to come along to a Firehouse, and he accepts.
Elmo and Maria then arrive at the Firehouse, to which they meet up with Bill. He shows the two what it's like to live in a place like it, with places like a Gym and a Kitchen, just like what a real house is like. They also try out the pole, and Elmo finds it fun. Maria doesn't seem concerned about it, though. Elmo also gets to sit inside a truck, and learns about how firefighters like Bill put out fires. Elmo admits that it would great to fight fires, and he's allowed to wear Bill's helmet. He then gives out a secret to Bill - he is not scared anymore about the whole experiences. The Firehouse experience ends with the firefighters and Elmo eating lunch - which was what was originally was supposed to happened at Hooper's Store to begin with!
The story ends with Maria talking to Alan talking about Elmo's experience, while a very happy Elmo is playing with some toys, pretending to be a firefighter.
Overall this episode was really good, it definitely showed what to do when you're in a real situation, and gives out a good moral in that we can always get scared in problematic situations. The music also gives out some character, especially on how Elmo is feeling. It's also really cool to see a real life place in New York make an appearance rather than in Sesame Street itself. The only problem I see with this episode is that it has the typical Sesame Street-styled Retconning's. Elmo previously visited a Firehouse in the VHS special "Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Firehouse", but with that... I wouldn't really say it is canon to the series, although... at times, they may make them canon to the show (eg, the events of "Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Hospital" were brought up in a TV series episode). But still, something minor doesn't make it bad, it's just a little mistake.
Anyways, this episode is a good recommendation for children. It's on the DVD "Elmo Visits the Firehouse", so it's not a tricky find, either. I think it is also on HBO Max as well, but I don't know.