There was something about 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 9 that both felt like the old 9-1-1 and nothing like it at the same time.
It’s an odd feeling to watch a show for so long and feel as if you know it so well, yet still be surprised by its unpredictability and how different it feels.
Perhaps this is all a symptom of the post-Bobby Nash world, and certain hours will inherently feel different. Or it could be something else entirely.
After Hen’s diagnosis at the end of 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 8, much of this hour, aptly titled “Fighting Back,” was about, you guessed it, Hen fighting back against her autoimmune disease.
And some of the best moments of the hour were in the beginning sequence, which honed in on the family dynamics that will always be at the center of the series.
Hen, Karen, and Toni sitting down to explain everything to Mara and Denny intercut with scenes of her family within the 118, and the Grants’ was a nice way of showcasing the togetherness between everyone, and reinforcing the idea that Hen wasn’t going to be fighting this battle alone.
After Hen spoke about no one checking on her during the intervention gone wrong, I lamented a bit about the unfairness, since everyone has been handling their grief the best way they could.
There’s no handbook for how to deal with loss, and Hen not telling her family about her illness can’t just be chalked up to them not checking on her enough.
But finally putting a voice to everything she was feeling, whether you agree with it or not, at least allowed everyone to understand Hen’s feelings and move forward.
The 118 has never been an ordinary or typical work environment, by the very nature of being firefighters.
There’s a level of trust that comes with running into danger together, not away from it, that the co-workers at your favorite coffee shop probably don’t have.
It was sweet and comforting to see everyone rally around Hen, not that there was ever any doubt that they would, but it’s a friendly reminder of what really matters at the end of the day. And the opening montage was simply put, beautiful.
Of course, because everything was going so well, it was bound to come back down.
And that transition from Hen smiling, hugging her family, and feeling so confident about her ability to fight to sitting alone in her wheelchair was both jarring and soul-crushing. And knowing another two months have passed? Time is just flying by this half of the season.
The reality of illnesses is that sometimes you fight and fight, but it just won’t stop. It’s hard, frustrating, sad, and a host of other emotions. And for Hen, the disease’s progression had her shrinking away from her loved ones.
It was wholly relatable in the sense that even with support all around, you can still feel incredibly alone, especially when it feels like you’re climbing this uphill battle that keeps stretching further and further away.
Seeing Hen so withdrawn was hard, and when Karen opened up to Athena, you could tell that she genuinely didn’t know what to do for Hen. But even if you’re stuck and devoid of answers in the moment, it doesn’t mean that you give up entirely.
There was a really nice thread throughout the hour about not being able to do everything alone. And Hen wasn’t trying to do that per se, but she was isolating and struggling.
Bringing in Adam may have been meant to give Hen something to get mad at, but it proved to be a blessing, helping her push herself in new ways and start to get some of her spirit back.
At her core, Hen’s a beacon of positivity and goodness.
Seeing her get some of her shine back with Adam was nice, but when he went down, and she couldn’t help him in the way she’s accustomed to, all her frustrations and pain came swirling back with a vengeance.
Many people may not remember that Hen was shot as a teenager because it’s not brought up all that often.
The series will pick and choose when to bring back these deeply traumatic moments from characters’ pasts when it suits the story, and clearly, giving Hen an incurable autoimmune disease was the perfect time to remind us all that she’d almost died once when she was a teenager.
Toni is one of those recurring characters that people have a lot of feelings about, but when I saw that she was there to help tell the kids about Hen’s sickness, I knew she’d also be the one to help her in the end.
And it was sweet, as well as being extremely heavy-handed, especially the diary part. However, it felt very much like 9-1-1.
This storyline hasn’t been a favorite, especially the beginning.
There are about fifty other avenues to travel down to tell a story about never giving up, and believing in yourself, if that was the main objective.
This storyline has been frustrating more than anything else, pushing Hen far from the person we know, and while it seems to be circling back to her return to work, I’m just not a fan of the approach to this entire story.
If anything, it was just this big headscratcher, even if some good scenes came from it, including her walking into Harry’s graduation at the end.
Hopefully, the show will continue to show what it will be like for Hen to live with an autoimmune disease, though, and not forget all about it.
While it’s safe to assume she’ll be back at the 118 fairly soon, she will have this disease for the rest of her life, and there may be complications or flare-ups, or any number of things, and the show would do well to show the realities of that.
While Hen was fighting her own battle, Harry had a different sort of fight ahead of him after he got injured at the academy.
And this Harry spotlight was not only special, but an excellent showcase for Elijah M. Cooper, who has been killing it as Harry since his introduction.
When I think of Harry, I still often think of the little kid who loved his parents and picked on May the way little brothers do.
It’s sometimes strange wrapping my head around the fact that Harry’s still a teenager, but he’s stepping into this brand new world of firefighting.
Much has been made about Harry’s decision to take up firefighting, with no one more outspoken about it than Athena. And, obviously, she would have a lot of apprehension about her son entering such a dangerous profession.
Yes, she’s a first responder herself, so there’s a level of understanding of Harry’s decision and the fact that he’s old enough to make his own choices, but he’s still her baby at the end of the day.
There’s no switch you can turn on or off, no matter your child’s age, that stops you from overthinking and flying into protective mode at every turn.
Harry’s injury scared Athena, of course, but what I didn’t necessarily see coming was how much her fear then turned into Harry actually taking a much deeper look at his choice and its potential ripple effect.
Often, we make decisions without fully considering the effects they may have on others. And that’s not something I would categorize as selfish all the time, but rather a human tendency that can take on many different meanings.
In many cases, people are just doing the best they can with the circumstances at hand.
Harry’s decision to become a firefighter shouldn’t have been shocking, considering the household he grew up in, but at times, it has felt like he hasn’t fully thought about every single thing that comes with it.
His accident, so close to the end of his time at the academy, forced him to pause. And it forced him to think beyond himself, and that scared him.
I’m genuinely loving that Buck has taken the knowledge he learned not just from Bobby but from all his peers over the years at the 118 and turned it into teachable moments for Harry, even when he doesn’t always have all the answers.
It’s a testament to Buck’s nature as well that Harry feels so comfortable showing up on his doorstep with a problem and knowing wholeheartedly that not only can he be vulnerable with Buck, but he’ll do his best to help in any way he’s capable of.
Their brotherly bond has been such a nice addition to the show, and Buck even daring to show up at Athena’s station to talk to her on Harry’s behalf, knowing how lowkey terrified of her he is, was a fitting way to reinforce that closeness.
Do I think Athena was in her own head? Absolutely. But it’s also hard to blame her for how she felt.
Even though it feels like we’ve had a series of in-depth Athena and Harry talks, the one in the car was the one they really needed to reach a different level of understanding on both sides.
Athena was talking to him as a mother, sure, but she was also talking to him as a fellow first responder.
As a fellow first responder who knows how important it is to stay out of your head and remain focused on the task at hand when you’re in the field, so that you can come home to your loved ones every day.
This one talk won’t magically make Athena stop worrying, and I’m sure there will be a lot more mother-and-son conversations as Harry moves further into his career, but it was a lovely thing for Harry to feel that support when he needed it the most.
He would have most certainly regretted it if he hadn’t fully committed himself to firefighting, something that he was good at and something he felt such a connection with at this stage of his life.
And now he gets to do it alongside his family 118.
Did anyone actually think he wasn’t going to end up at the 118?
It was cute how they had Harry fretting about his house assignment for all of five seconds, when he knew, I knew, and every single person watching knew that he was going to end up at the 118.
I’m here for it, and I’m very interested to see how things continue to evolve under Chimney’s tutelage and how Harry’s inclusion enhances the dynamics that are already established.
This is really the start of a brand-new 118 in many ways, even if the faces are all familiar.
The show would do well not to act like things aren’t different now, given the changing roles. The 118 is not the same, and should not be treated the same as the team it was before.
Loose Ends
- We need more Hen and Eddie dancing! Can we get the 118 taking a fun dance class together or something in the future?
- The emergency at the fast-food place was so wild, and even though it was just an excuse for Chimney to drop that line about Hen, I’m always amazed at the medical craziness they conjure up on this show.
- I’ve missed May. Can we get a May-centric episode soon?
- Probie Harry is going to be funny because I have no doubt he’ll be treated like any other probie, but I know the other firefighters in there will be side-eyeing him when he gets to eat the big meals no one else is allowed.
- Hen and Christopher doing Superman exercises together. MY HEART.
We’re halfway through this season if you can believe it, and when you think about what’s happened so far, it’s pretty depressing.
How are you guys feeling about the season thus far?
Are you looking forward to Harry joining the 118?
Have your thoughts about Hen’s storyline changed at all?
As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
You can watch 9-1-1 on Thursday at 8/7c on ABC.
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