9-1-1Season 8, Episode 7, “Hotshots,” found Detective Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) grappling with the pitfalls of aging in a physically demanding job. Throughout the episode, the character struggles with accepting that she’s not as young as she used to be and might need to reevaluate her future in the LAPD. The storyline was concerning for longtime viewers of the show since it is one of those storylines that signal an impending exit from an actor.
Meanwhile, Bassett has a busy life as her career shows no signs of slowing down, with the latest confirmation that she will be in the upcomingMission: Impossible — The Final Reckoningand several other projects she’s taken on in different capacities.TV Linetalked to showrunnerTim Minear, and when asked if Athena was considering retiring, he said there had been no conversations between Bassett and himabout Athena retiring. Bassett expressed enthusiasm (viaTV Guide) over continuing to play the character, saying,
“I’m still excited about Athena and playing her because of the family that we have built, the stories that we tell, the way in which we connect with the community, with the public, with our fans. They see themselves in these people, and they see themselves as a part of our family, so I love that. I think that’s just a very special thing, an incredible thing that we’ve been able to accomplish in the television landscape of things.
The ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Mid-Season Finale Will Be a Mixed Bag
The upcoming Fall finale wraps up some arcs that have been building throughout the season. Per Minear, there will be aconclusion of some arcs and a cliffhanger. However, the cliffhanger will not be a typical9-1-1cliffhanger, leaving viewers concerned about some characters. “Episode eight this year is more kind of tying up some story threads that have been set up in the first eight episodes. Nobody’s hanging off a cliff at the end of the episode except for possibly one character,” the showrunner toldTV Fanatic. He teased (viaTV Line) something exciting in the episode, saying,
“There’s a thing embedded in Episode 8 that’s going to make the fans go, ‘Wait, what now? What did you say?'”
Minear did not reveal what the “thing” is, but tune in to “Wannabes” on Thursday, November 21, to find out. Catch up with past episodes of9-1-1Season 8 on Hulu in the US.
Watch on Hulu
