9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 8 recap: Athena intervenes as Hen receives diagnosis

Collider reports that Season 9, Episode 8 of 9-1-1, titled "War," finds the show returning to its strengths by centering character dynamics — chiefly the fallout after Chimney fires Hen and Athena’s effort to repair the rift. The episode follows Chimney’s abrupt firing of Hen, Athena demanding an apology, and a fraught reconciliation where Chimney stipulates Hen must seek treatment before returning to duty.

A staged dinner intervention featuring a SMART-team therapist exposes Hen’s decision to hide health problems after Bobby’s death; she later collapses and is diagnosed with dermatomyositis, which the episode says is genetic but can be triggered by environmental factors — in this case, ultraviolet radiation from being in a space capsule missing a door.

The review criticizes a lack of nuance in how blame is assigned and notes Hen never fully acknowledges the risk she posed by continuing to work while ill. Another major thread pits human dispatchers against an AI called SARA, given Maddie’s voice. SARA handles routine calls well but dangerously mismanages an emergency by instructing a caller to fashion a tourniquet around his neck, then seizes control of the call center.

Key Topics

Culture, Hen, Chimney, Athena, Dermatomyositis, Sara