Warning: SPOILERS for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 13.Aisha Hinds has been a staple of 9-1-1’s most gruesome injuries.
Still, there’s no denying that 9-1-1 season 9 needs to confront: the sidelined secondary characters.
Hen Has Her Worst Birthday Ever In 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 13
Sixteen Candles With A Hint Of Hostage Negotiation
I was thrilled as Hen set the tone for a celebratory storyline in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 13, opening with a feel-good montage of her finding the perfect outfit. Hen’s palpable excitement soon disappears when her wife, Karen (Tracie Thoms), forgets it’s her birthday. Any hope for an eventual surprise party reveal is quickly squashed after a quick chat with Athena (Angela Bassett)— who, blissfully, is the first to wish Hen a happy birthday. The reprieve is painfully temporary, as Hen’s own mother makes no indication that she re what day it is during an accidental butt-dial.
New episodes of 9-1-1 stream on Hulu the day after they air live on ABC.
To make it all exponentially worse, none of her colleagues - not even her alleged best friend - Hen's birthday, either. While the storyline is stirring, the prevalent emotions it inspires are anger, indignation, and disbelief that the most important people in Hen’s life don’t so much as have a reminder set on their phones. The day only gets worse from there after a repeat caller Hen identifies with ends up nearly getting her shot after a hostage situation goes wrong. In the end, Hen chooses forgiveness, and she and Karen remain one of 9-1-1’s best couples after a much-needed apology.
Hen Being Forgotten On Her Birthday Mirrors How 9-1-1 Season 8 Has Treated Her Character
For All Intents And Purposes, She's Invisible
What makes Hen’s storyline in “Invisible” so infuriating is that it extends beyond the confines of her narrative: she was outright forgotten by her friends and family, but it feels like 9-1-1 has forgotten Hen all the same. The only time Hen seems to be included in the plot is when she can be tormented. She faced racism/misogyny/homophobia as a probie, inadvertently caused a young girl’s death, had her foster daughter taken away, and, though Hen hasn’t had a near-death experience in 9-1-1, she nearly watched her son die - which is arguably even more traumatic.
9-1-1 Season 8's Rumored Main Character Death Would Be Insulting After The 9-1-1: Lone Star Finale's Cop Out
9-1-1 may finally be killing off a major character in the main cast, but the series finale of its spinoff set a much different precedent.
If Hen isn’t in emotional turmoil, she typically isn’t on-screen. Most ensemble get to enjoy a fair balance of diversified emotions in their character arcs, but Hen is grossly underutilized in 9-1-1, to the point that she no longer feels like a true main character. Now that 9-1-1 has ed the list of shows renewed by ABC for the 2025-26 season, I can only hope Hen (and, by extension, the talented Aisha Hinds) can enjoy some low-stakes fun in future storylines. While 9-1-1 did give her a moment in the sun, Hen deserves to never feel invisible again.
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9-1-1 continues Thursday on ABC.
- 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
- Creator(s)
- Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Tim Minear
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