Henrietta "Hen" Wilson is a main character on 9-1-1 who works as a firefighter paramedic at Station 118 of the Los Angeles Fire Department. She is married to Karen Wilson, and together they have a son named Denny Wilson. She debuts in the first episode of the first season of 9-1-1 and is portrayed by Aisha Hinds.
History[]
Early Life[]
Hen is from Inglewood, California.
When Hen was 9, her father "abandoned her".[2] Her mother is still alive at least when she quits her pharma rep job and decides to become a paramedic.
When Hen was 16, she was accidentally shot. The bullet wasn't meant for her. The bullet ruptured her kidney and grazed her aorta. Luckily, the paramedics took great care of her and Hen survived. Hen tells Taylor Kelly in "Dosed" that following this, she decided that she wanted to be a paramedic like those who saved her so that she could save other people who were in her situation.[3]
In 2010, shortly after Hen quit her job as sales representative, she saved the life of her life coach, Stacey Mullins, after Stacey had a heart attack during one of their sessions. As the paramedics pull Stacey away, Hen realized she could join them to save the lives of people in need and applied for the LAFD.[4]
Previous jobs[]
Hen was a lifeguard one summer when she was a kid.
She has mentioned having multiple jobs, including a stint as a lifeguard during the summer holidays when she was a student.
Prior to joining the LAFD she worked for a pharmaceutical company as a sales representative. In "Hen Begins", in the client meeting directly preceding Hen quitting as a pharmaceutical rep, her boss refers to the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 as "the meltdown of '08", which means that she joined the LAFD after 2008.[4] In the episode "Future Tense", set in 2020, Hen tells Sydney that she joined the LAFD at 30 and started medical school at 40, meaning she joined the LAFD in late 2009 or in 2010.
First Responder[]
She introduces herself as Henrietta to Captain Gerrard when she first joins the 118, but is quickly nicknamed Hen. He gives her a terrible experience and threatened to fire her for fighting his orders. Most team members save for Chimney remain cold to her, though she has all their respect, and they disagreed with Gerrard's ways. As a result, Gerrard was removed from the 118 and temporarily replaced with Cooks.
In "Malfunction", while transporting a casualty to the hospital, Hen accidentally crashes the ambulance into the car of a cello player named Evelyn after a traffic light malfunction and kills her, wracking Hen with guilt. In "Fallout", Karen takes Hen to a retreat after Hen requests time off from the LAFD. While they are there, they run into Hen's old life coach Stacey, who thanked Hen for saving her life and invites them to dinner. Following this, Hen decides to return to the LAFD after she had considered quitting her job.
In "What's Next?", Hen decides to enter medical school in order to become a doctor. In Seasons 4, 5, and 6, she is shown attending classes and studying for tests in order to complete the school.
In Crash and Learn, Hen takes and fails her 2nd year Neurology exam, and her professor believes she should resit 2nd year. Hen had been stretched to the brink revising her for boards, Captain-ing and taking care of her family, to the degree that she fell asleep behind the wheel after a long day. While no accident happened, after she failed neurology, Hen questioned her ability to do it all, Doctor, Paramedic and Parent.
She takes a practical exam in Home Invasion, and passes. Athena and Bobby host a party to celebrate, and to commiserate at it would mean Hen leaving the 118. She has her resignation papers ready to go, but is afraid as handing them in makes leaving the 118, and her life as a paramedic firefighter, real. In Tomorrow, however, she decides against resignation and chooses to stay at the 118. Doing so, however, means she won't be taking her 3rd year of medical school.
Personal Life[]
Hen is currently married to Karen Wilson. Her ex, Eva is in prison at the start of season 1 and asks Hen for help for her parole, which Hen refuses. She was Hen's first great love, and they lived together, as seen in "Hen Begins." Eva eventually got out of prison without Hen's help and began working in a tax firm until her overdose in "Awful People".
Hen saved a dog named Paisley in the episode "7.1" and is seen giving the dog to her son in the episode "Help Is Not Coming."
Hen cheated on on her wife with Eva in "Full Moon (Creepy AF)". Eva tried to regain custody of Denny on the grounds that she is his biological mother and claimed that Hen cheating on Karen made their household unsuitable for Denny to live in. Karen learned about Hen infidelity when receiving the papers from Eva, and decided to take Denny to live with her parents, leaving Hen.
Eva signed away all rights when Denny was born, but we learn in "Awful People" that his biological father, Nathaniel Greene, did not. Although Eva claimed that Nathan was going to petition for parental rights, Hen managed to set Eva up after the overdose, sending her back to prison. Nathaniel was delighted to learn of Denny's current life, giving his full support to Hen and Karen which allows them to retain Denny's custody.
In "This Life We Choose" (S02E18), it is shown that Karen and Hen were already a couple before welcoming Denny into their life, and they hoped to have additional children. Season three starts with the couple using IVF to have another child. Unfortunately, the treatment was unsuccessful.
However, they do go on to become Foster Parents to Nia and later intermittently when they're needed, until Mara Driskell is placed with them.
Personality[]
Hen is shown as caring, kind, and loyal. She has a big heart and is always ready to make sacrifices for others. Her cool and calm demeanor comes in handy, especially when the crew has to deal with agitated victims.
Relationships[]
Chimney Han[]
Hen has a close relationship with "Chimney" Han. They call each other their "best friend" on multiple occasions and often come to each other's aid. When Hen first joined the 118, Chimney was the first to show her compassion and friendship. They later bonded over becoming paramedics and discrimination at work. Their friendship extended beyond work, as shown with Chimney's health issues and through Hen's relationship issues.
Athena Grant-Nash[]
- Main article: Hen-Athena (relationship)
Athena met Hen during a mudslide incident while redirecting traffic, and the two quickly bonded, as they were both minority women in white, male dominated fields. Athena (known as 'Thena to Hen) introduced Hen to other "misfits", a gay firefighter from 115 and a female policewoman. They became a support group of sorts, regularly meeting to commiserate their sometimes difficult occupations. Athena and Hen eventually become close friends, disclosing private details of their personal lives and often asking each other for advice.
Karen Wilson[]
- Main article: Hen-Karen (relationship)
They met due to Chimney setting them up. Hen absolutely adores her wife Karen and their children. She momentarily doubts their relationship when she cheats on her wife with her ex (and Denny's mother), Eva, but immediately regrets her actions. After that lapse in judgement, Hen learns to fully appreciate her wife and family, and dedicates herself to supporting them.
Eva Mathis[]
- Main article: Hen-Eva (relationship)
Trivia[]
- Hen played the bassoon and was first chair in band when she was at school.[5]
- Hen has only been absent in four episodes ("Chimney Begins", "The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1", "The Devil You Know", and "Step Nine"). She appears in archive footage in "Boston".
Appearances[]
| Season One | ||||
| "Pilot" | "Let Go" | "Next of Kin" | "Worst Day Ever" | "Point of Origin" |
| "Heartbreaker" | "Full Moon (Creepy AF)" | "Karma's a Bitch" | "Trapped" | "A Whole New You" |
| Season Two | |||||
| "Under Pressure" | "7.1" | "Help Is Not Coming" | "Stuck" | "Awful People" | "Dosed" |
| "Haunted" | "Buck, Actually" | "Hen Begins" | "Merry Ex-Mas" | "New Beginnings" | "Chimney Begins" |
| "Fight or Flight" | "Broken" | "Ocean's 9-1-1" | "Bobby Begins Again" | "Careful What You Wish For" | "This Life We Choose" |
| Season Three | |||||
| "Kids Today" | "Sink or Swim" | "The Searchers" | "Triggers" | "Rage" | "Monsters" |
| "Athena Begins" | "Malfunction" | "Fallout" | "Christmas Spirit" | "Seize the Day" | "Fools" |
| "Pinned" | "The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1" | "Eddie Begins" | "The One That Got Away" | "Powerless" | "What's Next?" |
| Season Four | |||||
| "The New Abnormal" | "Alone Together" | "Future Tense" | "9-1-1, What's Your Grievance?" | "Buck Begins" | |
| "Jinx" | "There Goes the Neighborhood" | "Breaking Point" | "Blindsided" | "Parenthood" | |
| "First Responders" | "Treasure Hunt" | "Suspicion" | "Survivors" |
Note:
* denotes archive footage only appearance.
| Season Six | |||||
| "Let the Games Begin" | "Crash & Learn" | "The Devil You Know" | "Animal Instincts" | "Home Invasion" | "Tomorrow" |
| "Cursed" | "What's Your Fantasy?" | "Red Flag" | "In a Flash" | "In Another Life" | "Recovery" |
| "Mixed Feelings" | "Performance Anxiety" | "Death and Taxes" | "Lost & Found" | "Love Is in the Air" | "Pay It Forward" |
| Season Eight | |||||
| "Buzzkill" | "When the Boeing Gets Tough..." | "Final Approach" | "No Place Like Home" | "Masks" | "TBA" |
| "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" |
| "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" | "TBA" |
| Season Two | |||||
| "Back in the Saddle" | "2100°" | "Hold the Line" | "Friends With Benefits" | "Difficult Conversations" | |
| "Everyone and Their Brother" | "Displaced" | "Bad Call" | "Saving Grace" | "A Little Help From My Friends" | |
| "Slow Burn" | "The Big Heat" | "One Day" | "Dust to Dust" |
Gallery[]
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References[]
- ↑ "Past is Prologue"
- ↑ "Haunted"
- ↑ "Dosed"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Hen Begins"
- ↑ "Seize the Day"