The following article includes mentions of domestic abuse, postpartum depression, and near-death experiences. It also contains spoilers for9-1-1 season 8, episode 8
The highly anticipated second half of9-1-1season 8 may spell trouble for Jennifer Love Hewitt’s iconic Maddie Buckley. Viewers have been looking forward to9-1-1season 8, episode 9since the midseason finale aired in November, but newly released details paint a cryptic yet concerning picture of Maddie’s future. The dispatcher has had her fair share of emergencies since her arrival in season 2, but season 8 let her fade into the background with her family for the first eight episodes. Viewers should have known it was merely the calm before the storm.
The first half of the season has been eventful for almost the entire main cast, from Bobby Nash being reinstated as the 118’s captain toEddie Diaz potentially leaving9-1-1season 8when the show returns. Maddie has been more of a supplemental role thus far, so it makes sense for her to come into the forefront in the second half. With no definitive plans for a9-1-1season 9in place,the March return of ABC’s first responderscan’t come quick enough for anxiously awaiting viewers. However, an upcoming storyline seems like it will certainly be worth the wait.
Jennifer Love Hewitt Teases An Intense Scene In 9-1-1 Season 8, Part 2
The Actress Claims She Even Lost Her Voice While Filming
With onlyglimpses of9-1-1season 8 part 2to go off, fans have been flocking to any update regarding their favorite Tim Minear procedural. Whether it’s speculating on the future of their favorite character’s love life or their favorite character’s mortality,9-1-1fans are using the hiatus to theorize about anything under the sun. Luckily, Jennifer Love Hewitt recently gave a major– and majorly alarming– clue regarding what the midseason premiere holds for her character.
“It’s the craziest stuff I’ll ever do as a dispatcher, and it’sthe craziest thing, maybe, that Maddie’s ever been throughbesides Doug” (viaVariety).
Love Hewitt goes on to say that filming scenes for the midseason premiere left her voice hoarse, and insists thatviewers“are not ready”for what’s to come. These claims are somewhat unnerving, considering Maddie’s season 2, episode 13 (“Fight or Flight”) plot of escaping her abusive husband Doug (Brian Hallisay) is largely regarded as one of the best andmost emotional episodes in9-1-1history. Whatever9-1-1season 8, episode 9 has in store for Maddie has to be extreme.
What Maddie’s Worrying 9-1-1 Season 8, Part 2 Scene May Be About
Maddie’s Work May Bleed Into Her Personal Life Again
Maddie has been a staple of the main cast since her arrival, seamlessly taking over the main dispatcher role afterConnie Britton left9-1-1. While the firefighters get most of the glory (and most of the screen time),Maddie is an invaluable part of the9-1-1processand puts her all into her job– for better or for worse. Maddie’s helped navigate some ofthe most intense disasters in9-1-1, and that kind of emotional strain takes a toll. Love Hewitt specifying that Maddie’s upcoming storyline impacts her as a dispatcher suggests an especially intense call will follow her home.
Season 8, episode 9’s promo takes the sentiment a little too literally, teasing thata serial killer will abduct Maddie in9-1-1. This can relate to Love Hewitt’s“dispatcher”comment in multiple ways. The killer could target Maddie and call to taunt her, Maddie could respond to a call from one of the criminal’s victims, or Maddie might need to rely on her dispatcher skills to send out signals that lead to her eventual rescue. While she was single-handedly able to overpower Doug in season 2, Maddie’s recent pregnancy announcement in9-1-1makes her more vulnerable and potentially more cautious.
Does Maddie Really Need More Drama In 9-1-1?
9-1-1 Has Already Put Her Through The Wringer
9-1-1season 8’s pregnancy revealcalls into question their plans for Maddie’s character. Maddie and husband Chimney Han (Kenneth Choi) have by far gone through the most turmoil as a couple. Chimney is nearly fatally wounded when Doug attacks him and abducts Maddie, Maddie experiences postpartum depression following the birth of their daughter Jee-Yun, and a case of viral encephalitis requires their wedding be held in a hospital room (season 7, episode 6,“There Goes the Groom”). A second child is a wonderful opportunity to build on her previous experience starting from season 3, episode 18 (“What’s Next?”).
9-1-1 Is Failing One Key Aspect Of Buck’s Character
Although Buck is one of 9-1-1’s most recognizable characters, the show is neglecting an important aspect of his character that deserves exploration.
After overcoming so many obstacles,the couple deserves to be rewardedwith a bit of serenity. While navigating a second pregnancy storyline, the characters’ focus should be on understanding the impact Maddie leaving had on Chimney while maintaining, in her own words, that Maddie can’t be treated like a“flight risk.”Maddie and Chimney’s break in9-1-1season 5is one of the most devastatingly realistic storylines the show has ever attempted, but they don’t have to always be fighting the odds.9-1-1is one ofJennifer Love Hewitt’s best shows, but she and Maddie both deserve a break soon.
Sources: Variety.
9-1-1
9-1-1 is a television series that explores the intense experiences of police officers, paramedics, and firefighters. Premiered in 2018, it follows these emergency responders as they navigate high-pressure situations and attempt to balance their demanding work with personal challenges in their own lives.
