This Thursday’s episode of 9-1-1 has some of our favorite first responders feeling a bit unseen. As Eddie’s journey to mend his relationship with his son continues, Hen finds herself frustrated when an important day is forgotten by those closest to her– connecting with an unlikely individual along the way.
Here’s a recap of everything that goes down in “Invisible”.
Archie’s No Good, Very Bad Day
A good chunk of this episode centers around a character named Archie. It opens with him getting laid off from his fast-food job, then returning to his apartment (which he shares with his cousin, more on that in a moment), and cleaning. He manages to get stuck in the compartment built into his bed, accidentally trapping himself underneath the mattress in the bed frame. After a moment, his fiancee comes home, but before she can hear him yelling for help, it’s clear she is… not alone. In fact, she is cheating on him with his cousin, and Archie is forced to bear witness as he’s stuck inside the bed.
After managing to call 9-1-1, the 118 shows up to the rescue. They force their way into the apartment after their knocks go unanswered due to the loud music playing inside. They promptly interrupt the confused couple on the bed, saying they got a call from the address, when they hear Archie’s muffled pleas for help. This makes for an awkward interaction, but the 118 manages to get Archie out with minimal damage– physically, at least.
A bit later in the episode, we meet Archie yet again. This time, as he’s changing a flat tire on his car, a small part rolls underneath a semi-truck (yes, this is probably going exactly where you expect). The truck begins to move, and he is stuck between the wheel and the bottom of the truck in a position that is sure to make you cringe.
In true 9-1-1 fashion, the 118 is miraculously called to his aid again. Hen (Aisha Hinds) immediately realizes it’s the same guy from the last call, but she’s (somehow) the only one on the team to make the connection. After they successfully pull him out from under the truck, she checks him out to make sure he isn’t injured, and he confides in her that he feels invisible in every aspect of his life. She gives him advice, telling him not to let himself go unseen. “It’s okay to take up space in this world,” she tells him, serving as a much-needed reminder for many.
Our final encounter with Archie comes in the form of the biggest emergency of the hour. After waking up to his car being towed– while he’s inside– he opens the door and falls out as the tow truck leaves him in the middle of the road. Holding onto everything he has left, he’s bumped into by three guys running to try and catch up with a passing bus. This triggers his anger as he reflects on every other experience that has made him feel invisible, and he impulsively pulls out a knife and brings it onto the bus, threatening the passengers and driver.
As Athena (Angela Bassett) and her colleagues pursue the bus, Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) tells her everything she knows at dispatch. On the bus, Archie can’t bring himself to hurt anyone, only keeping the suspense with loose threats and a weapon in hand. He monologues to his hostages, clearly echoing what Hen told him previously. This is his way of making himself seen.
When the bus hits an LAPD-placed spike strip, it lurches, causing Archie’s knife to penetrate right into the stomach of one of the passengers by accident. Not long after the bus is stopped, the 118 shows up to help with that and any other potential injuries on board. As the situation is described to the team, Hen slowly begins to realize that the suspect is Archie. She asks that she be allowed onto the bus to try and talk him down, insisting that he isn’t a danger, and she’s strapped into a protective vest before announcing her presence to Archie, who lets her onto the vehicle.
He’s clearly terrified of the repercussions of his actions, thinking that he will immediately be taken down by the officers outside if he leaves. Hen assures him that as long as he lets the hostages free he will be safe, convincing him to let them all off so it’s just the two of them left.
Attempting to talk him into getting off the bus with her, Hen admits that her speech to him before was actually meant for herself. Despite this admission, Archie still insists that she has been the one to save him every time, inherently making him feel seen. Eventually, she persuades him to put the knife down, and they slowly exit the bus together.
As they make their exit, Archie reaches into his pocket to pull out what appears to be a gift for Hen. Thinking he’s making a move to pull a weapon the officers begin firing at them, and Hen quickly moves to protect herself and Archie from the bullets, saving him one last time. The “gift” turns out to be a keychain from his old job, and he is promptly arrested by Athena, putting a period on his streak of bad luck.
Happy Birthday, Hen! (Or… Not?)
Early on in the episode, we learn that it’s Hen’s birthday (that makes her an Aries if anyone was wondering). Pretty quickly, we also learn that her wife, Karen (Tracie Thoms) and their two kids have seemingly… forgotten? They leave the house without an acknowledgment of the special day, but soon after, Athena calls to wish her friend a happy birthday. Even Hen’s mother gives her a call… but only to ask if she can borrow her car.
Hen arrives at her shift at the 118, and surely her friends have remembered what day it is, right? Wrong. Even when Bobby (Peter Krause) steps up to make a big announcement, she’s sure it’s about her, with him exclaiming, “It’s H.E.N. Day!” Not Hen as in Hen Wilson, but H.E.N. as in High-Efficiency Nozzles that need testing at the station. Needless to say, she’s disappointed yet again.
During her speech at their second call with Archie, she lets slip that it’s her birthday and that she’s upset nobody remembered. The team quickly realizes their mistake, scrambling to make it up to her, but the damage has already been done.
Hen comes home to a guilt-ridden Karen, and a bunch of gifts showing up at their door from her teammates. Karen nervously tries to make light of the situation, but Hen is still (understandably) upset that nobody remembered her birthday (besides Athena, of course). Her mom even shows up at the house with the kids in tow and a cake, which still doesn’t make her feel any better. Then, to make matters worse, her mom makes a comment about how “silly” she is for being upset about the situation. This only hurts her more, and she decides to spend the rest of the night alone.
It’s after this that Hen gets caught up in the bus hostage situation, saving the day and putting her in a better mood despite the high stakes of the event. She was able to be a hero, not just for the people on the bus but for Archie as well.
Following that call, Bobby and Athena come to the Wilson house for a birthday dinner. She declares it the “best birthday” ever and forgives them for their poor memory. As Bobby brings the food out, Buck (Oliver Stark) comes inside the house covered in dirt. We learn he’s agreed to do all of the Wilsons’ yard work out of guilt, and he doesn’t stay for dinner, wishing Hen a happy birthday and leaving the two couples to their meal.
The episode ends with the four sharing a toast to Hen, making her feel loved all around.
Eddie Dads-Up
Meanwhile, Eddie (Ryan Guzman) is still in Texas dealing with his own set of problems. Although last week, we saw a sweet reconciliation between him and his son Christopher (Gavin McHugh), he’s still struggling to find his place as his father again.
While on FaceTime with Buck (of course), he admits that he hasn’t yet brought up the idea of Chris, who’s been living with his parents, moving back in with him. He’s been waiting for his son to ask, even going as far as buying tickets to a basketball game for that weekend to try and win him over. His parents and Chris show up at his house for dinner, bringing takeout despite the fact that he’s been cooking (for almost eight hours, mind you). As they eat, his parents brag about Christopher’s accomplishments at school, and although he’s proud of his son, it’s clear Eddie feels on the outside of his life still. Right when he’s about to bring up the basketball game, his parents inform him that Chris has a big chess tournament that weekend instead. Eddie wants to be there to support him, but according to his mother only one parent is allowed to be there and his father is already planning on attending. This disappoints Eddie, who is feeling replaced in Christopher’s life by his mom and dad.
A bit later, Eddie runs into his mother at the grocery store while shopping for a delivery order. Eddie brings up the chess tournament, asking if there’s a chance he can go instead of his father. She guilt trips him into changing his mind, basically saying chess is Chris and his grandfather’s special thing. Again, Eddie is disappointed, not only for letting his mom get to his head but because it seems as though she and his dad have taken over the parental roles in Christopher’s life.
While on a call with Buck (again), his best friend asks about the basketball game, unaware of the chess tournament. When Eddie explains the situation, Buck tells him to show up anyway, because he is his father. These past couple of episodes have shown Eddie coming to Buck with his problems, and Buck offering sincere advice that helps Eddie and Christopher build their bond back up. He states that Eddie needs to “Dad-Up”, and says nobody can stop him from being there to support his son.
Taking Buck’s advice, Eddie shows up at Christopher’s chess tournament. When he checks in, he’s informed that Chris’s father is already there, referring to Eddie’s dad. This doesn’t sit well with him, but he watches Chris play from afar. During an intense sequence of Chris playing chess, he grows nervous, with his grandfather watching and pressure building, until he throws up all over the board. Eddie quickly jumps to his aid, wanting nothing more than to be a comfort to his son. He waves off his own father as he tries to help, bringing Christopher to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Christopher explains that he got nervous, admitting to Eddie that he hates chess and only plays because he wants to please his grandparents. During this conversation, Eddie realizes he is the most important adult in Chris’s life, taking the reins again as his father. Instead of asking his son to move back in with him, he tells Christopher that he’s going to be living with him again. In a touching moment, Chris asks, “You’ll be my dad again?” to which Eddie hugs him and says, “I’ve always been your dad, and I’m gonna start acting like it.”
Eddie shows up at his parents’ house with Christopher in the car, leaving his dad at the chess tournament. He declares, much to his mother’s dismay, that Chris is coming to live with him again. As he gathers Christopher’s belongings, he states his role as the father, telling his mother that she and his dad are not his son’s parents and he gets the final say in every decision that is made. We’ve been waiting for Eddie to stand his ground, and he does it with confidence and grace. He says Christopher hates chess, and that he’s been so concerned with pleasing them that they haven’t even noticed, echoing his experience as a kid. We also learn that Eddie was a ballroom dancer in his youth, only disliking the hobby when his parents turned it into something unenjoyable.
The Eddie and Chris storyline in this episode ends with him thanking his mother for being there when Chris needed him, but stating, “Now, he needs me.” Eddie takes Christopher home, starting a new chapter in both of their lives.
This episode sees Hen and Eddie dealing with their own struggles of seeming invisible in the lives of those they love but ends with them feeling more seen than ever.
Catch new episodes of 9-1-1 on Thursday nights at 8/7c and stream the next day on Hulu.
