Oh The Irony! Hen's Birthday Tragedy Is A Meta Commentary About Her Abysmal Arc In 9-1-1 Season 8

Aisha Hinds has been a staple of 9-1-1 since the very beginning, but season 8, episode 13 proves her character, Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, has been on the backburner for far too long. Although Hen has been at the center of many of 9-1-1’s most heartwarming moments alongside her coworkers at LAFD station 118, the long-running procedural rarely affords her character independent storylines— which proves to be a double-edged sword. While Hen doesn’t get as many lighthearted flashes of joy as Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), she also evades 9-1-1’s most gruesome injuries.

Still, there’s no denying that 9-1-1’s best episodes are those that hone in on a member of the main cast as a character study. Whether it’s the highly speculated will they/won’t they bond of Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) and Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) or the complicated grief and guilt of Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), 9-1-1 shines when it lets its characters be seen. Hen was entangled in the overarching plot of “Invisible”— even finding herself kindred to a repeat caller— but her conflict highlights the biggest issue 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 remembers what day it is during an accidental butt-dial.

To make it all exponentially worse, none of her colleagues - not even her alleged best friend - remember 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.

If Hen isn’t in emotional turmoil, she typically isn’t on-screen. Most ensemble members 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 joined 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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