9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 6 Gives Us Captain Chimney Rising and Hen Suffering… Again

Critic’s Rating: 4.2 / 5.0

4.2

Somehow, we’re already at the fall finale of 9-1-1, and it feels like we just started.

We spent about a month in space, and the past two hours, while solid and satisfying, feel like odd choices to head into a break, even if it’s not a super long one.

There’s not a whole lot to ponder over these next couple of weeks, outside of the cliffhanger, which annoyed me more than anything because they can NEVER let Henrietta Wilson REST.

If you want to call me Hen Wilson’s number one fan, that’s perfectly fine with me. It’s a title I would wear gladly.

Not only is Hen a badass paramedic, rockstar wife and mother, but she’s a wonderful friend, and just a good human being.

She’s not perfect, and she’s made her fair share of mistakes, but that makes her all the more relatable.

When Hen turned down the captaincy, I was willing to accept it because it was what she wanted, and she had her own reasons for not taking on that responsibility at that particular time in my life.

Will she ultimately ascend to a higher position within the department? I absolutely think she will. I’ve always hoped that time isn’t too far off and that we’ll get to experience it on-screen.

But of course, I should have known better than to get my hopes too high that she’d have some fun in her life because Hen Wilson can never, ever, ever catch a break.

The previews for 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 6 gave away Hen fainting, so it felt like I was biding my time waiting for that moment to happen. But when Hen mentioned getting a rash while she and the boys were talking in the locker room (please, more of that!), it seemed like she might have caught something.

What she caught wasn’t exactly clear, and as the hour went on, it became even clearer that this wasn’t going to be like Chimney getting viral encephalitis on his wedding day and solved in an hour.

Especially, not after she collapsed, was out for hours, and didn’t tell anyone.

If the series is giving Hen some grave illness, we’re going to have words this winter because hasn’t she suffered enough, and hasn’t the audience been through enough lately?

9-1-1 has always been a grand show that looked to entertain first and foremost, but also didn’t shy away from showing what it means to be a first responder, and even more than that, what it means just to be human.

As humans, we encounter loss and pain, and we see that reflected in the series as well, which is fine and how it should be. But lately, it’s hard to even get too excited about the small wins and comforting moments because it feels like the shoe is about to drop at any moment.

Having Hen’s new sudden illness coincide with a seemingly healthy woman’s death, while trying to do something positive and healthy for herself, just made me incredibly sad all around.

And look, this show has never been all rainbows and butterflies, but it’s been so devoid of joy lately that even during these categorically good episodes of television, you’re left feeling so hollow when it’s all over.

I had a feeling that Hen and Dr. Brett would meet again, though I’m not sure I could ever step back into that place knowing a woman had recently died there, but Hen’s not me.

This storyline feels like it’s headed somewhere not good, and I hate that no part of me can even conjure up any hopeful thoughts, because that’s not the way the show is operating these days.

Hopefully, when Hen gets answers, she confides in someone because I hated that she was keeping everyone in the dark, even if I know that feeling of not wanting to burden people.

Maybe she’ll talk to Chimney about everything. We haven’t gotten a ton of the best friends this season.

Chimney’s going to continue to have his hands full as captain, but I’m glad that we’ve finally wrapped up this storyline as it pertains to whether or not it’s what he really wanted.

Chimney’s fears have always centered around trying to take Bobby’s place and his own guilt about Bobby’s death, but no one has ever seen it that way.

The 118 sees Chimney as family and as someone who more than earned the spot offered to him. No one will ever take Bobby’s place because he’s cemented a place within everyone and within that firehouse.

But someone can build upon the legacy he established and make it stronger.

Chimney is the perfect person to do that, and even though it took him a long time to come to that decision, I love that he took his time and let himself process all of the emotions before making a rash decision.

Chimney is an outstanding leader and inspires his peers. And the gift 118 got him was the perfect encapsulation of how they feel about Chimney, how proud they are, and how lucky they feel to have him as their captain.

Will it be smooth sailing from here on out as it relates to Captain Chimney? I doubt it.

Like any job, there will be growing pains and highs and lows, as we saw over many years with Bobby. But it’s a new dawn at the 118, and Chimney can be that bright light for them as they continue to transition.

Speaking of transitions, Harry was in full firefighter mode, and I’m very much enjoying what they’re doing here with Harry. However, I do fear that when the show returns, we’re going to somehow have Harry at the 118, and I’d much rather they dive into him at the academy for the rest of the season as opposed to that.

Harry wanting to achieve this one thing on his own made a lot of sense, even if some of his feelings were rooted in fear. He has dealt with a lot of losses in his life, and it must be terrifying to imagine losing something else.

Especially something you really want.

Enlisting Buck to help him was sweet, and I love that Buck is stepping into this big brother and mentor role for Harry. He’s come such a long way, and I know that’s a tired tale at this point to compare 9-1-1 Season 1 Buck to the man we see now, but it’s still nice to see him grow and step into these new roles.

He’s always had a big heart and has been willing to help, but he’s now a seasoned veteran at the 118. He’s someone who can be a guiding light for a young firefighter, and Harry being that someone feels so fitting.

Bobby was always there for Buck and helped him in many ways over the years, both personally and professionally, and Buck being that for Harry feels like a full-circle moment.

There’s no better person to have on your side than Buck because he’s going to pour his all into making you see the best in yourself, just like Bobby did for him.

These two are a duo I didn’t foresee before this season, but now I completely get it, and I love that there’s an inherent trust and respect between them. It warms my heart, and I know it would warm Bobby’s as well.

Something else that warmed my heart was Athena and May having a much-needed talk about May’s former suicide attempt. It was a cathartic moment for them to reiterate their love for one another and how important they are to each other.

We know the mother and daughter love each other, and they know that, but sometimes you do need to talk about the hard things and the challenging moments. You need to check in with each other — whether that’s your parents or your kids — and have those moments to reassure one another.

The case Athena worked was another ripped-from-the-headlines ordeal about a mother cyberbullying her own daughter, and it was pretty obvious right from the start that that was what was happening. Still, it didn’t make it any less terrifying.

Cynthia was hiding behind the notion that she was trying to teach Alicia about the horrors of the real world, but it felt more like wanting to be the only person Alicia could turn to. It was about that whole ‘you and me against the world’ attitude she had, and if Alicia was so popular and social, then she may have felt like she was losing her.

In a sick and twisted way, alienating her daughter from her peers must have brought her some comfort, and my heart broke for Alicia, knowing that the person she was meant to trust most in the world was slowly breaking her down because of her own insecurities.

It teaches us all a valuable lesson about the betrayal of trust, even at the hands of the people who are supposed to protect us.

Loose Ends

• We love Ben Levin in this house, so it was good to see him as Dr. Brett! Even if Dr. Brett was the worst.

• How did Buck know where the Chief was going to be for dinner?

• It was so real of Buck to be scared as hell that Athena was mad at him. He’s been there before, and it’s a place he never wants to go to again.

• Harry and Athena’s dynamic is so REAL. He wants her approval so badly and wants to make her proud, but he doesn’t realize how proud she will always be of him for seeking his own path. She’s just a mama bear at heart who wants to protect him at all costs.

• All those people losing their fingers was insane. I will never look at a tug-of-war competition the same way ever again.

• I said it earlier, but we really need those little moments of the 118 just having fun. Please give me more of Eddie talking about protein shakes or whatever he was saying!

We’re sort of halfway through the season, so it’s time for a check-in about how you’re feeling about the season thus far.

Drop all your thoughts below so we can chat! I’d love to hear from you.

You can watch 9-1-1 on Thursday at 8/7c on ABC.