9-1-1‘s Jennifer Love Hewitt Explains Why She Appreciated the Outcome of Maddie’s Latest Hostage Crisis
Monday’s 9-1-1 found Maddie Buckley once again fighting for her life, this time against a group of thieving terrorists that seized control of the call center and took its dispatchers hostage.
Though Maddie is the one who ultimately stabbed the ringleader with an EpiPen, it was really a group effort, with everyone from Josh to Sue stepping up to take down the baddies and tip off the authorities. Thanks to their heroic contributions, the situation deescalated before any of the hostages were lost. Heck, they even managed to rescue the guy Maddie stabbed, which means the official Fox account can continue thirst-tweeting about him:
Yea, but he's mad cute. Don't @ me. #911onFOX https://t.co/byV8wGFKUO
— FOX (@FOXTV) April 14, 2020
We checked in with Jennifer Love Hewitt to see how her character is holding up after surviving yet another living nightmare:
TVLINE | My first thought at the end of last week’s episode was, ‘Great, this is exactly what Maddie needs — another traumatic event.’
You and me both. This girl has really gone through it. It’s insane.
TVLINE | Is it bad that I’m glad the main bad guy survived? I know it was in self-defense, but I don’t think Maddie needed another death on her conscience.
We were actually joking off-camera that if the episode had continued, Maddie would have had to kill another person. I think she does have a trigger. Like, if you threaten her life and push her too far, you’re going to have to go out. So I was also very happy that it didn’t end that way this time, and that she isn’t just stacking up bodies.
TVLINE | Her last crisis was a domestic issue, then comes this one at work. She must be feeling like she isn’t safe anywhere anymore.
I like that you said that, and I also feel that way. In a two-year period, this is now the second time Maddie has found herself in a hostage situation where she ultimately has to ask herself, ‘Do they die or do we?’ I feel like where she is safe is with Chimney. The joy that they create for each other when they’re together, and the tribe of people she’s putting together, is where she’s starting to find her safety.
TVLINE | I appreciate that Maddie didn’t immediately return the L-bomb when Chimney said it. The show does a great job of honoring her past.
Me too, and I think that’s important. Early on, I told [showrunner Tim Minear] that I wanted Maddie to end up in a good relationship once all the Doug stuff was over. I wanted to show that you can be with the wrong person and all the wrong things can happen, but when you find the right person, all the right things can happen. I said I wanted Maddie to be with Chimney, and even though I think Tim was a little surprised, he made this beautiful relationship. I feel indebted to him forever, not only for really hearing me, but for being on the same wavelength about this story needing a great love. What I respect most about [Maddie and Chimney’s] relationship is that the show is giving it time to grow. It feels like a relationship that should be happening between two people in their forties who have been through everything they’ve been through. Their love feels well-earned, and I like that. I think it’s different from other things we’ve seen on TV. I do think that they rush relationships a lot.
TVLINE | And now that Albert is around, it’s like they have a full-grown son.
[Laughs] Well, yes. And Buck! We’re officially raising those people on the show. And now I have Josh, too.
TVLINE | Not that she isn’t helpful on the phone, but as we saw this week, Maddie continually proves herself to be valuable in the field. Do you think she’d ever want to get back in on the action?
Maddie was in the field as a nurse, so she already had that moment. Now, because of her past traumas, she finds safety in that chair. It allows her to emotionally connect with people, and as someone who has been through so many traumatic situations in her own life, she really can be there for people. She speaks from a place of truth.
Your thoughts on this week’s 9-1-1? Drop ’em in a comment below.
It was a mostly good episode. But I thought it strange that Bobby was barely in this, not at all in his role as leader of an emergency response team. You would think the 118 would still be on duty, nothing mentioned about them being on vacation… Also, wouldn’t a city as large as Los Angeles have more than one 9-1-1 call center in case something like this hostage situation happened to disable Maddie’s location?
Didn’t the bad guys say some other location was picking up the slack?
Maybe they said that, but it’s not like anything they said could be trusted.
He absolutely said that and remember they were only down 7 minutes before they started taking calls again.
I think we also forget that the whole hostage situation would’ve taken just over an hour, since that had been the terrorists’ plan. With despatch down for just 7 minutes, “glitching” all over the place, not every emergency response team would’ve been in the loop. Also, there wasn’t much room story-wise for a fire/EMT team – rightly, the focus was more on the police. Since Buck and Chim were the only ones with close personal ties to Maddie, it made sense that they were the only 118-ers involved.
That said, I DID miss Hen, Bobby and Eddie!! Looking forward to the band back together again next week!
I think it’s also because the whole ordeal at the dispatch center would’ve taken a bit more than an hour, since that had been the terrorists’ timeframe. With calls “glitching” all over the place, I think it makes sense that not every emergency response team would’ve been in the loop. Also, storywise there wasn’t much room for a fire/EMT unit, so the focus was rightly on the police. Given that only Chim and Buck have close personal ties to Maddie, it makes sense that they were the only 118-ers involved.
Having said that, I missed Hen, Eddie and Bobby dearly (glad we saw him in the final scene though!). Looking forward to having the band back together again hopefully next week!
Bobby was still on the camping trip for most of the episode.
I missed the very end…did Tiffany and Jake get away????
SPOILER ALERT:
NOPE.
Great, that’s what I was hoping! Thanks!
They got busted at the train station due to Jake’s phone still being active and transmitting his location.
Very exciting episode full of suspense. I really liked the explanation at the end. One of my top eps of the series. Well done.
I thought they did well with the storyline. I wonder if they dealt with josh realistically though. I say realistically when talking about escapism tv.
I enjoyed the episode but they need to add another cop to the mix. It’s ridiculous that Athena is always the cop that responds. We have multiple EMT, multiple 9-11 operators with names and personalities, but only
One officer.
This episode was so good! Been a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt since Kids Incorporated…lol
Me, too! I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one who remembers Kids Incorporated.
I loved Kids Incorporated too!
I thought this was a great ep. The opening and closing felt like “Ocean’s 11,” on purpose. The middle sections were harrowing (typical 9-1-1), but I’m so glad they had the dispatchers fight for themselves. Amazing that they all knew how to get the word out about their situation, but still make moves among themselves to help themselves. Once I realized what was happening, I just said, “It’s a heist?” Then to watch the thrives turn on each other was great. It was an usual episode, but it was great to watch. Love this show!
I loved the episode especially the Maddie/Chim romance, but my husband and I both felt the lack of traffic in downtown Los Angles at 8:00 a.m. – the height of rush hour – to be completely unrealistic. And as a bit of trivia – the museum they showed looked like the Guggenheim in New York, and they one of the paintings was Van Gogh’s Irises, which is actually in the Getty Museum in far west Los Angeles, a long way from downtown.
It might sound silly for some, but I was relieved that the art was not lost… every piece was recovered. Art theft is a robbery from our collective cultural history.
This episode had me having to remember to breathe several times. Well done! I just want to rock Josh to sleep, poor guy.
Love it, but the weather condition meant I lost the last part of the hostage situation! 😔😔😔😔