9-1-1’s Aisha Hinds Unpacks Hen And Athena’s Rocky Return To Earth, Including That [Spoiler] Flashback – TVLine

Thursday’s episode of “9-1-1” marked the end of Hen and Athena’s space odyssey (for real this time!) in a decades-spanning hour that set multiple characters on new paths. The episode also concluded with an end card reading “For Dad,” which TVLine has learned was a tribute to Tim Minear’s late father Charles Minear, Sr.

TVLine spoke with Aisha Hinds about her experience filming the out-of-this-world arc, including a peek at what the future holds for the 118, as well as that blink-and-you-missed-it shot of the late, great Captain Bobby Nash. But first, a recap of Episode 4:

On the space station, we learn that there’s a vessel big enough to bring at least five of the astronauts home, but it requires one of them to go outside and repair a key piece of machinery. (FYI, the last guy who tried to fix it is now a zero-gravity corpse, so it’s not exactly a dream job.) Hen and Athena both volunteer, but Athena pushes her way to the front, claiming that she has nothing left to live for on Earth. “I’m not doing this because I’m altruistic,” Athena says. “I’m doing it because I’m selfish. All I have left is me!”

While all of this is unfolding, Athena flashes back to her earlier days on the force, which means we’re blessed with another A+ performance by Pepi Sonuga as Young Athena. Specifically, she remembers not being able to move on after Emmett’s death, even resisting the advances of a handsome young gentleman named — wait for it — Michael! (Oh, Athena, if only you knew.) Unfortunately, it takes the tragic death of her then-partner for Athena to reopen her heart to new possibilities.

Throughout the episode, Athena is seen doing an “interview” about what it means to be a hero, but it’s eventually revealed that it’s not actually a real interview. She’s having a direct conversation with her younger self, who encourages Athena to “let go.” After experiencing so much pain and loss, she suggests it would be nice to be free of it all. “What it’s all been for anyway?” she asks.

But present-day Athena isn’t about to listen to her less-experienced self. She says life is worth living “for all the moments in between [the struggle], no matter how far apart they may be.” She then goes into a whole metaphor about stars and light, but what really matters is her conclusion: “Pain is the price we pay for joy.” She knows she needs to reach out, and that’s just what she does, successfully returning to the space station after repairing the damaged piece of machinery.

(Side note: During Athena’s “interview,” we’re treated to a very brief shot of Bobby. But even a short return, which appeared to be a flashback from his first on-screen date with Athena in the Season 1 finale, made us feel things.)

Thanks to Lewis remaining behind to operate the machinery, the other astronauts successfully return to Earth and reunite with their families. Speaking of which, Harry drops a bombshell on Athena at the end of the hour: he applied to join the LAFD!

Below, read TVLine’s full Q&A with Hinds in which she breaks down the episode’s biggest moments, from Bobby’s “return” to Hen’s emotional clash with Athena: