After a mini-break, 9-1-1 stormed back with an hour that was every bit as chaotic, emotional, and endearing as we’ve come to expect from the long-running procedural drama.
It was an hour that brought Eddie through a harrowing, dangerous ordeal, while Buck wrestled with an existential crisis, and Hen continued her hard-fought road to recovery, all while grappling with concerns about her future at the 118.
And because it’s 9-1-1, there was also a bachelor auction!
9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 11 had a little bit of everything, including another turn for Aisha Hinds behind the camera.
Hinds made her directing debut with 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 11, and the eleventh episode of each season may just have to always be her hour.
For her second time directing, Hinds managed multiple interwoven storylines and emergencies, as well as a major moment for her character, Hen, who has endured a long recovery after being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease earlier in the season.
Speaking with the mega-talented, kind, and sincere Hinds is a genuine privilege each and every time, and it was such a delight to touch base with her after this special episode.
We chatted with her about stepping behind the lens again, what we’ll see from Hen going forward, all about shooting that BIG auction, plus a little tease about what’s ahead.
Now that this is your second time behind the camera, what’s the most important thing you learned from your first directing experience that you carried over into this episode?
That they’re not going to let me fail. The first time I did it, I didn’t have all the information; I knew they were saying that, but I hadn’t yet gotten to the other side to actually see it manifest. I was just believing in the theory of “They’re not going to let me fail.”
But they didn’t; they supported me, encouraged me, bolstered me, and had my back the whole time.
So I was able to walk into my second experience confidently knowing that we’re going to get to the other side, and they have made so much room and created space for me to impact this story and impact this script and impact the way that we tell the story and have kind of allowed me to grow as a director.
I went in confidently, knowing they wouldn’t let me fail. It gave me the opportunity to just have more answers with confidence, because there are one million questions at all times.
Was there anything you approached differently, whether it be from prep to shooting days? Is there anything you wanted to do differently this time?
Yeah. I think, breaking down my script, I approached it a little differently, choosing locations and really building a connection with some of them. For me, the first episode, it’s usually those big set pieces that create a little bit of anxiety for me. It’s like, “There’s so much space, what are we going to do here?”
So, in my first time directing the church, the church was the big set piece, and a lot of storytelling needed to happen within that space, inside and outside.
And there were the effects, and there were a lot of moving parts. And so I think what I took away was to prepare myself for all of the moving parts, even that much more.
For this episode, the auction was going to be the big set piece.
So it was kind of going into the space, visiting the space a few times to really hone in on how many moving parts do we have and how to make each moving part very specific and singular in its own way, but then how to bring them all cohesively together so that it feels like one big moving scene?
That felt like a fun challenge, and I felt more equipped in that space.
I was going to say the date auction was a lot of fun, and it was one of those times where most of the cast was all together filming.
Yeah.
How was that filming for you, but being behind the camera for it?
I love it. I love it so much. I always love when we’re all together because it feels like we’re on a class trip, because many times we’re all broken up. It’s like we have three different shows. We have the 118 show, we have the show with the call center, and then we have personal lives.
And on any given day, we could be on anyone’s set in anyone’s home in our personal lives.
So this was one of those moments where we’re not at work, and we’re not in anyone’s personal life, so we’re all in one space, and it feels like we’re here on this one big adventure. It’s always nice because everyone is so excited, the energy is buzzing, and everyone’s so supportive.
They were just game for whatever, and I was like, “Okay, let’s do this.” And they were game for whatever within the story. So, the energy was good.
We played music, and they were really getting down. It was nice. And we did it twice because we kind of had the rehearsal in the firehouse before the auction, and we carried that energy over.
Nice. Yeah, it was definitely a vibe. It came across really well on screen.
Thank you.
And the episode really runs the gamut. You’ve got the auction, but you also have these really emotional, intense scenes with Eddie and Abigail. Then you’ve got Buck attempting to do a back flip in another, so there’s a lot of tonal shifts.
When an episode moves from those heavy beats to those comedy beats, what’s the key to keeping it all cohesive and ensuring the pacing feels right?
I think in true 9-1-1 form, we have the blessing of a show that is kind of that multi-genre. And it is knowing where there is a funny beat and lining up the timing, the cameras, and the pace of something to be in alignment with it. Then there are moments when it is a little more grounded, intense, and serious.
So it’s like maybe loosening up the scene by bringing our cameras a little further out.
I remember there’s one scene where Abigail is calling Eddie on the phone, and I kind of wanted her deep in the bathroom, giving the sense that she feels alone and desperate.
It’s like this frame within a frame, and she’s framed by darkness. It’s just making those kinds of simple, intentional choices to distinguish the feel of one scene from the next.
And it’s really great to have the opportunity to work with ADs and DPs who are invested in the script, who read the stories and are invested in telling the story alongside you, and not just waiting around to be told what to do.
They’re as invested, so we’re collaborating to build the texture for each scene, which is nice.
Hen, obviously, has a big moment in the episode when she returns to the 118 at the end. In the wake of her health emergency, what kind of Hen are we going to see moving forward this season?
I think Hen has returned to herself, and she is letting it be known that she’s still that girl. She’s exactly who she thinks she is.
And there was a moment, but I think that she is able to get out of her head and move from her heart. And her heart is in helping people and saving lives, and that is where she comes alive.
Chimney asks her the question, “Who are you if not a paramedic?” And initially in the conversation, her response was that she didn’t know. But in the moment of crisis, during that car crash, the crisis revealed her character, and it showed that she is a paramedic.
So, she reenters her relationship with the 118, and she’s back in the trenches now.
Back where she belongs with her people.
Right.
We’re beyond halfway through at this point, so what can you tease for us about what’s coming up? What can fans be excited to see from 9-1-1 the rest of the season?
[Laughing] I can’t even get you beyond my episode. But I think that we continue to see the show that we have all grown to love, which is just taking the journey with the 118. We now have an expanded 118. We have Harry and Ravi out there in the trenches with us.
We’re probably going to figure out what’s going on with May and what’s happening in her life, and we’ll just see where everything goes.
I’ll take it. I’ll take it.
[Laughing] Yay!
I think there’s something behind that laugh, but I’ll take it!
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9-1-1 Season 9 continues, Thursdays at 8/7c, only on ABC.
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