911 may have thrown us for a loop when we finally learned Hen’s diagnosis for her mystery illness, but 911 season 9, episode 9 reminded us that when the show wants to, it can deliver some powerful performances. While focusing on Hen’s attempts to manage her new way of life, Harry was in the final stages of training at the Fire Academy when an accident led to new worries.
The episode started with Hen’s friends and family providing her support as she took steps to try and help manage the symptoms of her dermatomyositis. Everyone was in agreement and we saw a montage of people helping her. Buck brought good food that would help her strengthen her body while Ravi came up with exercises he got from Tiktok.
Everything seemed to be helping her at first, but eventually, Hen’s body became too worn down for her to continue these exercises. By the time two months passed, she was depressed and unwilling to see her friends. Athena did try to visit as well, but it was a bad time for Hen, who stayed in bed while Karen struggled with knowing how to help her.
Hen struggles in the wake of her diagnosis
Eventually, Karen came up with the idea to hire a physical therapist to help Hen. He seemed to be helping her quiet a bit. However, when he came by for a session, he suffered a heart attack. Hen was barely able to call for help or to provide CPR. Thankfully, he did survive, but it shook Hen to her core. She pondered if she would be unable to go back to work in a conversation with her mother soon afterward.
Hen’s mom, Toni, was a constant source of support for her daughter, as well. She helped Hen see that she has always been a fighter, even when things looked bleak. Toni had found an old diary of Hen’s, where she wrote about her feelings after she was shot as a teenager. Hen realized that there was still a chance for her to keep fighting even when things seemed impossible.
It was truly incredible to see how Hen dealt with the highs and lows of what was happening with her body. Realizing how this could impact her future, especially with work, was hard for her, but she showed resilience in finding a way to fight even when things looked bleak.
Harry's journey to become a firefighter faces a setback
The episode also paralleled Hen’s journey with Harry’s, who fell off an aerial ladder during training at the academy. While he had a mild concussion, he was ready to get back to it. However, the incident scared Athena and she urged her son to get some rest.
However, when Harry tried to go back to his course, he became scared to try the ladder again. He later went to Buck for advice. It kept running through his mind what would happen to his family if something happened to him. He even had a brief flashback to saying goodbye to Bobby when they took him back to Minnesota to be buried.
Harry’s hesitation to go back to the Academy was mainly stemmed from the worry about his mom, so Buck went to see Athena to talk to her. It was brave enough of him to even talk to Athena about this, but he helped her see what Harry was going through in his mind.
Athena took Harry back to the Academy to talk him through his fears. She told him that she had those same worries in her mind, but she set them aside so she could help other families and focus. These scenes between Elijah M. Cooper and Angela Bassett were incredible to watch. This was a major episode for Harry and Cooper really nailed it.
We’ve seen Harry grow since the very first episode of the show and his journey to where he is today has been so great to witness. The entire 118 crew went on to show their support by going to Harry’s graduation from the Academy, including Hen and Karen. When Harry began checking on his assignment, the team had a surprise for him. Buck handed Harry a helmet with the 118 written on it, affirming he would become the newest probie at the 118.
After the last episode had some misses, this one felt more like an episode of 911 that fans love to watch. It’s been so exciting to watch Harry come into his own, not just as his own person, but as a core member of the 118 family.
We have one more episode to go before the show goes on hiatus during the upcoming Winter Olympics but we will keep you updated on the schedule for the rest of season 9.
911 airs Thursdays on ABC at 8/7c.