We’re no numerology experts, but getting to direct Season 9, Episode 11 of “9-1-1” feels like a pretty big deal, and Aisha Hinds doesn’t disagree, telling TVLine, “I did feel kind of like sentimental about that.”
And what an episode it was. Despite her doctor approving a return to the 118, Hen needed to decide for herself whether she was ready to risk something going wrong again, which could put herself and others in danger. Her sign from the universe came when she and Karen were t-boned by another vehicle; they were fine, allowing her to leap back into first-responder mode to rescue the other victims. It’s who she is, and it’s who she’s decided to remain for the foreseeable future. (Phew!)
Meanwhile, Eddie spent most of the hour convinced that Abigail was stalking him, complete with writing “Stay away from her!” on his truck, presumably about his blossoming relationship with Alex. As it turns out, the message was about Abigail from her father, who was finally taken down after a tussle with Eddie at the end of the episode. That said, the verdict is still out on Eddie and Alex; they were awfully cagey when Athena questioned them about their feelings.
And then there was the “Sizzle and Spark” firefighters’ bachelor auction, which triggered a wave of insecurity in Buck, who’s starting to feel his age. Fortunately, a pep talk from Maddie (“Get out there and shake your a**, old man!”) encouraged him to give it his all on the runway, complete with a savage shirt-rip. As for his fellow bachelors, Eddie cooked up a plan for Maddie to make a fake bid on him to game the system, and a pity bid from May earned her a first “date” (of many to come?) with Ravi.
Read on for TVLine’s full Q&A with Hinds about directing the February 26 episode of “9-1-1,” including her thoughts on Hen’s future with the 118, Oliver Stark’s unexpected runway moves, and the show’s potential new couple.
Aisha Hinds looks back on directing one of Peter Krause’s final 9-1-1 episodes
TVLINE | Before we talk about this week, this is the second episode you directed. Your first was “Holy Mother of God,” which was a pivotal Bobby episode. When you were directing that episode, did you know that it was going to be one of Peter Krause’s last?
No, I did not. And I’m actually very grateful, because it didn’t in any way color the experience that we had shooting that episode. To your point, it was one of those very personal story points for Bobby’s character, revisiting his childhood and his relationship with his mother and his brother. When I look back at it now, I’m just grateful that we got to have that moment for his character and that I got to be the one to explore that storyline.
TVLINE | And now that Peter Krause has been cast in a new pilot, it’s time for the Bobby Truthers to accept that he isn’t coming back, yes?
[Laughs] Right. Oh my gosh, I’m so happy for him.
Don’t assume Hen is safe just yet!
TVLINE | I have to say, I was genuinely worried that Hen would decide not to come back to the 118 and she’d have to find a new avenue or something.
Um, you and me both! I was like, “What’s on this page? Where does this go?!”
TVLINE | The episode ended on a hopeful note, but is it too safe to assume that Hen is out of the woods?
It’s always too safe to assume that anyone’s out of the woods on “9-1-1,” but I will say, for today and for this episode, she has triumphed in a beautiful way. I love that she had the support of the 118 and her family to bolster her through that illness, and I love that she took a moment to process [what returning to work really means], because it’s important for us to remember that these first responders are also human beings. They’re fragile human beings, and life could change for them at any given moment, so they have to make hard choices about whether or not they continue to wear the cape of being a hero for the community or a hero for oneself. I’m grateful that she got to take that journey on screen. Once she was in the midst of a crisis, because there’s nothing like crisis to reveal character, muscle memory kicked in and she returned to the person that she is, which is, you know, that girl.
Aisha Hinds would love to see Eddie ‘grounded in love at some point’
TVLINE | It must have been wild to direct an episode with so many storylines with such different tones. Let’s start with the Eddie and Abigail ordeal: I love Ryan Guzman in “The Boy Next Door,” so I appreciated that this was sort of the reverse of that, with him as the one being stalked.
[Laughs] Exactly. And it’s interesting that you say that about the different tones, because one of the blessings of getting to direct our show is that it exposes me to multiple genres in one episode. You walk away with a little bit of a crash course in the stalker drama, the comedy and the horror of that, and then I have to tip my hat to our DPs and editors who ultimately weave it all together and make it feel cohesive.
TVLINE | And even in the Eddie storyline, we had scenes with him and Alex that were a little more intimate. Do you think Eddie has finally found somebody who going to stick?
We’ll see! I think it was Athena who asked the question, like, “Is something is going on here?” I loved that, and how they both squeamishly addressed it but didn’t address it at the same time. We’ll see if Eddie is able to settle his mind and his life down enough to invite someone to be a part of it in that way. That could be a really nice exploration. I’d love to see Eddie grounded in love at some point in the trajectory of our show.
Oliver Stark pulled some surprising tricks out of his ‘little goodie bag’
TVLINE | Maybe I’m being presumptuous, but I have to imagine you had a lot of fun filming the bachelor auction part of the episode.
All the fun! It was one of those things that you just look forward to shooting, and it took a full day to get it shot. It’s always great to have almost the entire cast in one space, because it’s like a family reunion. There’s lots of energy buzzing, and everyone was malleable and agreeable to all of the asks that I had of them, so I’m grateful for that.
TVLINE | Was Buck’s little striptease one of those asks? Did you have to coach Oliver Stark through that as a director, or was that all him?
[Laughs] I did not. He reached for that in his little goodie bag and I said, “Thank you.”
TVLINE | I feel like you discovered new tricks that everybody was working with.
You know, I did discover a lot. I was like, “You guys seem to love this runway. What do I need to know here?” But it was really nice also to see each person infuse the nuances of their characters as they came down the runway and the story that each character was dealing with.
‘Sparks are flying’ between May and Ravi
TVLINE | You also directed what will be remembered as the first May/Ravi moment. I hadn’t even thought of pairing them, but after their couple of moments this week, I can’t believe I didn’t consider it. How did it feel getting to bring us all that moment?
I felt really nice directing it because the actors are so beautifully generous. They’re so caring as human beings, and I think as characters, so I would love to see how that plays itself out on screen. To your point, it can literally be the smallest montage, but then you wrap around and you see them eye-to-eye and it’s like, “Wow, sparks are flying!” It’s really beautiful.
What did you think of this week’s “9-1-1”? Were you also concerned that Hen might not return to the 118? How are you feeling about a possible Eddie/Alex romance? And while we’re at it, how do you feel about May and Ravi? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.