RECAP: ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Episode 13 — “Invisible”

After the past quality episodes, 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 13, titled “Invisible,” settles for hastily written conflicts and less-than-engaging rescues. Which is disappointing, considering it’s a Hen-centric (Aisha Hinds) episode. Eddie carries the other part of this episode to better standards, but in some ways, his story is lacking as well.

It’s television, so all conflicts and resolutions are technically manufactured. But they shouldn’t feel manufactured. With eight seasons of history between these characters, conflict should arise organically and based on some level of believability. Everyone, including the 118, Hen’s mom, Hen’s kids, and her wife Karen (Tracie Thoms), all forget her birthday? Best friend Chimney (Kenneth Choi), too? Come on.

The most head-scratching part of this is that the episode sets it up like they’re all going to surprise Hen for her birthday, and their supposed forgetfulness is a ruse. But when it turns out that everyone actually forgot, it’s an incredibly disappointing turn of events. And one not worthy of a Hen storyline. At least Athena (Angela Bassett) remembered, the show, for once, remembering that Hen and Athena are friends.

Hen’s birthday coincides with Archie’s terrible day of bad luck. First, he gets fired, then he gets squashed by his own bed when his fiancée cheats on him with his cousin, followed by an unfortunate meeting with a semi truck tire, which all culminates in his car being towed. The 118 rescues him in every situation, but seems to forget who he is each time, playing into the episode’s title “Invisible.” The one person who doesn’t forget him is Hen, who’s going through her own “feeling invisible” moment.

9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 13 falls incredibly flat.

While the show is strongest when it can thematically tie together the firefighters’ personal storylines with their rescues, this episode makes a half-hearted attempt. As the episode unfolds, it feels like multiple days pass, yet it’s Hen’s birthday the entire episode. It being only one day makes it even more unbelievable that the 118 would not remember Archie either, considering he was probably the only calls they got all day. Paired with the unbelievability that everyone in Hen’s life except Athena and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) would forget her birthday, 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 13 falls incredibly flat.

Hen and Archie have some great moments, including Hen giving multiple moving speeches about taking up space in the world. And despite Archie taking a bus hostage, he’s a pretty enjoyable one-off character. But none of Hen’s story feels grounded in the current status of the characters. Hen’s speech in this episode is a little reminiscent of her speech in “Hen Begins” from 9-1-1 Season 2.

There, confronted with the bigotry of a white and male-dominated firehouse, Hen proudly stands her ground, taking up space in the firehouse that’s her home away from home. In “Hen Begins,” it’s narratively grounded in telling the story of Hen’s journey to becoming a firefighter at the 118.

In 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 13, everything is all predicated on the fact that everyone forgets her birthday, a conflict introduced in the same episode, and not wholly believable. This stems from a larger issue in 9-1-1 Season 8’s writing, where the show does not seem to be relying on the well-established character dynamics as much, or even exploring new dynamics. Everyone feels boxed in.

Eddie finally reconciles with Chris.

Out in Texas, Eddie’s story to reconcile with Chris (Gavin McHugh) seemingly concludes. This was the more dynamic part of this episode, but while the scenes themselves were engaging—Guzman displaying a good mix of comedy, sincerity, and love for Chris in this performance — the crux of the issue that led him to Texas has seemingly been ignored. Shannon’s (Devin Kelley) death in 9-1-1 Season 2 has been haunting Eddie ever since, leading to a bizarre storyline in 9-1-1 Season 7 that brings back Kelley as a new character named Kim, in a homage to Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

Eddie, confronted with the mirror image of his dead wife, engages in an emotional affair with her, caught up in the fantasy that his wife is still alive. When Kim realizes why Eddie keeps seeing her, she shows up at his house dressed like Shannon. It’s here that Eddie has what appears to be an emotional breakthrough regarding Shannon’s death. And then Chris walks in.

Chris, upset at seeing someone who looks exactly like his mother, calls his grandparents. They take him to Texas, where he’s stayed for all of 9-1-1 Season 8. Considering the catalyst for Chris going to Texas was the Kim situation, and the catalyst for Eddie finally going to Texas is Chris being there, it’s wild that neither Shannon nor Kim is brought up in these reconciliation moments.

Instead, the Diaz parents are made out to be the villains here. And while they certainly have their moments of not respecting Eddie’s wishes or treating him like a kid, it feels like the show has sidestepped the real issue and gone with an easy route for reconciliation.

9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 12 is not narratively satisfying at all.

Chris revealing that he doesn’t like chess and was only playing it to appease his grandparents is actually a compelling situation and definitely a universal experience. Eddie taking his son’s side and standing up to his mother about this was also a wonderful moment. It reveals a bit more about Eddie’s childhood as well. But again, something is missing here. Eddie declares that Chris is moving back in with him.

In response, Chris asks Eddie if he’s ready to be his dad again, a very emotionally sweet moment between the two that provides a bit more insight into how Chris has felt about the situation the whole time. But because the causation for this situation has not been brought up, it feels too easy. Eddie and Chris drive off together, a tidy little bow on the whole thing.

It’s not narratively satisfying at all. Both main plots in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 13 come off like little thought was given to either of them. Which is unfortunate, considering both Hen and Eddie have felt short-changed this season in their respective story-focused episodes.

Next up, a rare mid-to-late season two-part emergency titled 9-1-1: Contagion starts next week, which looks promising. Hopefully, those character dynamics and stakes that were missing in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 13 return to form.

9-1-1 airs new episodes every Thursday on ABC and Hulu.

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