‘9-1-1’: Aisha Hinds Explains Why She Felt ‘Fabric’ of Hen & Athena’s Friendship in Space Arc Conclusion

After Karen (Tracie Thoms) sent them to the International Space Station, they learned that it had been hammered with debris to the point that it was dangerous to stay there in Episode 3. Now, in Episode 4, they find a way back down to Earth, thanks to an escape pod. But to get it operational, one of them has to do a spacewalk – Hen volunteers, but Athena just puts on the suit — and empty out the pod so they can all fit. As Athena sees it, she has nothing left for her on Earth and “more in heaven.” But as Hen reminds her, “heaven” is just space and empty. “He’s not out there, Athena. You know I lost him, too,” she points out. Athena argues, “But not like I did. I’m not doing this because I’m altruistic. I’m doing this because I’m selfish. I can’t lose anybody else, Hen. All I have left is me.”

In the end, Hen lets Athena go, and though Athena runs into trouble, they all eventually make it home. (Geoff Pierson’s Lewis stays behind to operate the robotic arm to launch the pod, but he’s still alive for a check-in at the end of the episode.) Also in the episode, flashbacks as Athena grapples with Bobby’s death and what she feels she doesn’t have waiting for her back home reveal how, years after Emmett’s murder, she met none other than Michael Grant! Then, Harry (Elijah M. Cooper) tells Athena he applied for the LAFD. Uh-oh.

Below, Aisha Hinds discusses the space arc, Hen and Athena’s wonderful friendship, and what’s ahead.

This space arc has been incredible, and tonight’s episode is so good.

Aisha Hinds: Yeah, it is. The episodes have literally been increasing in intensity and heart and adventure, and suspense. It’s been amazing. They kind of rolled it out to us a little bit at a time, and I kind of liked it that way. It just fed for the uncertainty. It helped us, helped me to live in the uncertainty of what’s happening and what’s going to happen, which I think was a nice little piece to add to the world that our amazing production designers created for us. It took up a beautiful footprint in our studio, like a large footprint, and so we would literally drive onto the lot and feel like we were in space. So it was nice.

Hen says she’s going to go out to fix the robotic arm. What went into that decision? Was it just because she knew Athena would volunteer, and she had a sense of where Athena’s head was at that point?

I didn’t get the sense that she knew where Athena’s head was. I think at that point now, Hen is like, “I brought Athena up here. I better get her out of here.” I think there’s that phone call where they’re literally like, you guys, you got to come back, where she asks Karen to call her kids. And so I don’t think that I was aware of what her intentions were, but I think we had two different kind of perspectives on it. I think for Hen, she has young children. She kind of spearheaded getting both of them into space and so I think there was this sense of responsibility to get her out of there, but also it’s like I think Hen felt like we have so much to live for, we got to get out of here and keep living.

Whereas Athena might’ve been the opposite. I don’t really have anything left to live for Bobby’s gone. My kids are grown. And so here you have these two best friends looking eye to eye and facing off with this decision about the sacrifice that it’s going to take. It’s like who’s going to take the lead with that, but then think Athena ultimately wasn’t going to be — her mind was not going to be changed. But I also love the moment where Hen is like, “Do not make me come out there.” She’s convinced, but she also, I think, sympathized with the fact that Athena is grappling still with the grief of the loss of Bobby and probably needs to do something with those thoughts, those feelings and that energy. And she wants to trust that her friend is going to be able to pull through, which is what made tonight’s episode so intense because it’s like you let her go out there and now it’s like, is she even going to come back from out there? Is she freezing up? I think the intensity and the grief and the guilt for Hen continues to grow, like, “Get back in this ship!” It was beautifully written, I think, by Tim Minear and our writers’ room, these episodes, and to just walk through those questions.

Speaking of, talk about working with Angela on all this because I love the Hen and Athena friendship, and we really get that, but especially that really emotional scene where it’s like you better be coming back and seeing how Athena’s feeling in that moment.

Yeah, when I first started the series, one of the conversations that we had foundationally was that that particular relationship, that Hen’s character and Athena’s character are best friends. And this was before I had even gotten the full script for the first episode of Season 1. And so of course it’s Angela Bassett and that’s all you need to say. I get the opportunity to play best friends with the Angela Bassett, sign me up.

But in this particular episode, I felt the fabric of that friendship. I felt the decades, the years. I felt sort of that sacred bond that they share and that responsibility that they have for one another. And then I felt also sort of the triumph that happens when they were able to actually hit the ground together, and Athena is laughing hysterically, and that laughter becomes contagious. But it was and continues to be a tremendous blessing, a gift, and I have to pinch myself often that I get to kind of sit at the foot of the Angela Bassett and take her in and watch her process and share jokes together and explore our scripts together and ask questions and create answers.

We had such a fun time, even with all of the harness work, we went in on the weekends and we’re literally upside down. It’s just so much fun. It’s an experience that will live with me for the rest of my life.

I feel like so much has been about the space arc and understandably, but now it’s like, what’s next for these characters? What is next for Hen now that she’s back on solid ground? Does she get a break and the dramas with the other characters?

What’s next is always the question, right? It’s like, every season we’re in this place and something happens and we’re like, whoa, well, what’s next now? And it’s like if you have been with us this long, the foot is on the gas and it’s never letting up, and at any moment the foot might come off the gas just a little bit, but then it’s more right back down. And so we will continue to travel this journey and battle it out one breath at a time, one episode at a time, and one catastrophe at a time. But I think that Hen is always kind of keeping her focus on being purposeful, being helpful, and helping to heal as many folks as she can in the work that she’s doing, and to love her family. And ever so often, there’s some obstacle in the way of that.

Are we going to be seeing a lot more of Hen and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) as partners? Because I liked the introduction of that in the premiere.

They’re like, you have a new bond and a friendship. We have been together on emergencies, and it’s been nice to kind of have him back with us, back from Texas, both him and Christopher [Gavin McHugh]. And so there is some more Hen and Eddie, both in their professional world as well as their personal worl,d that’s coming up.

And what about Hen’s family? Is Hen’s family going to get a break? They’ve been through a lot in recent seasons.

They have been through a lot, and they got the right ones, though. Hen and Karen are the mothers of all mothers, and they are going to watch out for their family like a hawk. I love that the kids have so much agency this season, right? Mara [Askyler Bell] and Denny [Declan Pratt] were helping May [Corinne Massiah] last episode and helping to take care of people. It’s like you hear generational wealth, it’s like generational health. All the kids now are all hands on deck involved. I love that Harry, Athena’s son, is now applying for the fire department. But yes, we are watching over our family like a hawk and doing everything we can to just make sure that they feel protected and provided for. But as you know, this is 9-1-1. [Laughs] So we are fighting for our lives.

I have to say how much I loved how much Karen was involved in this arc because I mean, Hen and Karen, one of the best relationships on TV. And we see why. These two women get things done.

Isn’t it amazing? The episode probably should have been called, “These Women Get Things Done.” Hen brings us into space, Athena literally walks out into space and then Karen gets us out of space. I mean, we got it done. We got it done. And I love that for us.

Are we going to see Hen worried about Athena now that they’re back home or is Athena now really focused on the whole Harry of it? And then Hen might be a voice of reason or a sounding board there?

I think there was an episode where she tried to provide her just some insight to keep her calm and quell her fears about the fact that Harry wants to pursue this line of work. And ultimately, it’s like if he does, Harry would literally be around his aunts and uncles and cousins, people who have watched him grow and would be taking care of him. And I think that it would also sort of give her just the ability to see legacy. If he should do that, then it’s like that will kind of warm her heart a little bit. And I think that Hen is always kind of watching to kind of watch out for her and everyone else. I think Hen is always in this mode of trying to protect everyone, but she’s keeping an eye on everyone as everyone continues to grapple with their grief.

Also because I feel like if Harry’s going to learn from anyone, it needs to be from Hen because she’s amazing at her job.

Hen is efficient, and I love that for us. I love, love, love playing her and you get the complexity of the emotions, but then she is a bounce back queen. She just has such a strong head on her shoulders.

9-1-1, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC

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