Hen Wilson checking the pulse of Adam, her unconscious physical therapist, in 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 9Image via ABC
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9-1-1 just delivered two strong and tonally-9-1-1 episodes after returning for the back half of its ninth season, but this week's episode, "Fighting Back," takes a dip in quality, even if it ultimately ends on a promising note. 9-1-1's biggest problem these last couple of seasons has been taking big swings and then rushing through the aftermath instead of committing to the fallout. 9-1-1 did this with Bobby's (Peter Krause) death and the grief that followed, and now, it seems to be doing the same thing with Hen's (Aisha Hinds) autoimmune disease.
I was really looking forward to seeing 9-1-1 commit to showcasing a main character with a chronic illness and taking the care to show how this affects her life. And it does at first, a little, with a touching and silly montage that opens the episode. In it, everyone in Hen's 118 family finds little ways to help her treat her condition with diet and exercise (in addition to the medications she's taking), as she tells Denny (Declan Pratt) and Mara (Askyler Bell) about her Dermatomyositis diagnosis. But then, 9-1-1 once again skips over the important in-between moments with a two-month time jump, and the entire episode suffers because of this rushed pacing.
'9-1-1' Season 9, Episode 9 Mistakenly Frames Hen's Illness as a Battle To Be Fought and Won
Hen watching from a wheelchair as her physical therapist, Adam, clutches his heart in pain, in 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 9Image via ABC
Hen's storyline in this episode starts strong, even with the frustrating time jump. She has to make some major lifestyle changes because of her autoimmune disease, but she's committed to getting better. After two months, though, Hen falls into a depression. She is frustrated that she's not getting better, and she has been isolating herself from all her loved ones and refusing to see them when they come to visit. After some advice from Athena (Angela Bassett), Karen (Tracie Thoms) gets Hen a physical therapist named Adam (Brennan R. Elliott). Adam is great, and Hen really starts to see results with him. One day, though, Adam passes out due to a heart condition, and Hen is physically unable to perform CPR on him. He survives, but she's upset that her disability prevents her from being able to do something she's been doing for 15 years, and she is worried that she will never be able to return to the 118.
I loved this part of Hen's storyline so much. Aside from the actual suffering and symptoms that come with having a chronic illness – and in Hen's case, the added issue that her condition is life-threatening – a really difficult part of developing a chronic illness is coming to terms with the limitations of your condition. Hen is left feeling frustrated, infuriated, and even ashamed, because she feels like she's failing if she can't function the way she used to be able to. I loved the portrayal of Hen's struggle to come to terms with this. This scene was so well-acted by Hinds, and it was a very relatable and authentic depiction of the experience of becoming chronically ill. The problem for me was what followed this scene. Hen then talks to her mom, Toni (Marsha Warfield), about what she's going through, and Toni gives her a well-meaning but misguided pep talk.
Toni reads from Hen's diary that she kept after getting shot in high school, and she reminds her that her recovery was hard back then, but that she will be able to fight and get through it again. This motivates Hen, and by the end of the episode, she's walking with a walker instead of using a wheelchair, and it's implied that she will be back at the 118 soon enough. It is true that living with a chronic illness takes maintenance, and that maintenance can require hard work, especially in a career like Hen's. Where the episode takes a misstep, though, is in the fact that Hen's condition improves after she comes to the realization that she "can do anything she sets her mind to." The narrative that working hard enough can get you back to normal (and that not being able to return to normalcy means you're not working hard enough) after a diagnosis like this is a harmful one. Hen's condition is a lifelong one, and even when she learns to live with it, it will always consistently impact her life.
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Posts 1 By Britta DeVoreIf 9-1-1 wanted to give Hen a physical difficulty to overcome in a few episodes, then it should have been an injury. Chronic illness can be managed with different therapies, exercises, and lifestyle changes, but it is not a battle to be conquered. Hen's life will never fully go back to normal, even after a decent amount of time has passed, and no matter how hard she fights. The episode parallels Hen's condition with Harry's (Elijah M. Cooper) doubts as he gets close to completing his firefighting training, and the episode is themed around fighting hard and bouncing back after a setback. That's by no means a bad message on its own, but where this goes wrong is in how the episode paints Hen's illness as something for her to defeat in an inspirational way, instead of actually committing to showing what it's like to live with it on a day-to-day basis. And this type of storyline can absolutely be done, even in a fast-paced procedural like 9-1-1 – in fact, Will Trent pulled it off just this week. Ultimately, I still have hope going forward that 9-1-1 will be diligent about showing what Hen's new normal looks like instead of just giving her a speedy recovery, but after this episode, I'm not optimistic.
'9-1-1' Season 9, Episode 9 Conveniently Rushes to Get Harry to the 118
The 118 tends to some unique calls this episode, like a group of people having pseudo-seizures when they witness one person with epilepsy having one. Later, an injured pedestrian runs in front of the car and tries to insist that it hit him, when he really got hurt trying to steal a woman's purse. All the while, Harry is nearing the end of his firefighting training. He is doing well, loves the work, and even has a new close friend and playful rival (Jenn Santos). When Harry falls off a ladder and gets a mild concussion, though, Athena is really worried. She hovers in a way that annoys Harry, until May (Corinne Massiah) tells him that Athena is just scared of losing him like she lost Bobby.
When Harry returns to training, he panics instead of climbing the ladder, and even has a flashback of Bobby's funeral. Harry goes to see Buck (Oliver Stark) for advice, where he tells Buck that he's worried that it's selfish to risk his life when it could mean putting Athena through grief again. In a move that shows how much Buck has grown (and that would have made Bobby very proud), Buck goes to see Athena. He tells Athena about his conversation with Harry, and then he cautions her against letting Harry quit his calling because he's worried about her. This leads to a sweet heart-to-heart between Athena and Harry where she gets serious with him about the job and tells him that it's necessary to compartmentalize and leave fear behind at work in order to save lives. My only issue with this conversation is when Harry worries about following in Bobby's footsteps of dying on the job, and Athena dismissively says, "That was his path," about her late husband and the love of her life. It feels like 9-1-1 is just reducing Bobby's entire character to the way he died, which does a disservice to both him and his relationships.
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Looking for sharper, nuance-rich takes on TV portrayals like Hen's storyline? Subscribing to the newsletter delivers thoughtful analysis and context about how shows handle chronic illness, character arcs, and storytelling choices. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Later, Harry climbs the ladder successfully, and then he graduates from training alongside his fellow recruits. This is probably why 9-1-1 had multiple large, mid-season time jumps this season, and as a result, it feels rushed for Harry to graduate from training so quickly. Even more, Chimney (Kenneth Choi) and the rest of the 118 make sure that Harry is assigned to their station. I always knew that he would wind up there eventually, but this does feel a little too convenient right now, especially because Albert (John Harlan Kim), on the other hand, couldn't get assigned to the 118 back when he completed his training. Ultimately, the episode ends with the 118 together and hopeful for their future, which will include both Hen and Harry alongside Chimney, Buck, Eddie (Ryan Guzman), and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody). This isn't a bad episode, but 9-1-1 can do better and has recently, so it's a little worrying to see the show backtrack this week.
9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8:00 P.M. EST on ABC.
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9-1-1
This episode rushes through Hen's illness storyline in a way that feels surface-level.
Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Crime Action Release Date January 3, 2018 Network ABC, FOX Showrunner Tim Minear Directors Bradley Buecker, David Grossman, Brenna Malloy, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jann Turner, Jennifer Lynch, Marita Grabiak, Sarah Boyd, John J. Gray, Barbara Brown, Robert M. Williams Jr., Kristen Reidel, Marcus Stokes, Tasha Smith, Millicent Shelton, Juan Carlos Coto, John Gray, Greg Sirota, Alonso Alvarez, James Wong, Kevin Hooks, Varda Bar-Kar, Shauna Duggins, Sharat Raju Writers Tim Minear, Andrew Meyers, Brad Falchuk, David Fury, Ryan Murphy, Christopher Monfette, Nadia Abass-Madden, Nicole Barraza Keim, Erica L. Anderson, Matthew Hodgson, Stacey R. Rose, Taylor Wong, Tonya Kong, Adam Penn
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Angela Bassett
Athena Grant
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Peter Krause
Robert 'Bobby' Nash
Explores the high-pressure experiences of the first responders who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking, and heart-stopping situations.
Creator(s) Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Tim Minear Expand Collapse Pros & Cons- Buck is a wonderful mentor to Harry this episode, showing his growth, especially during that conversation with Athena.
- The montage of the 118 family helping Hen with her new lifestyle changes was lovely and really touching.
- The episode treats Hen's autoimmune disease like a battle to be conquered, prioritizing inspiration over authenticity.
- The episode suffers from a major pacing issue due to the two-month time jump at the beginning.
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9-1-1
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