‘9-1-1’: Aisha Hinds Teases ‘UnBEElievable’ Chaos, Hen’s Trick for Gerrard & More

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Have you heard the buzz? A swarm of bees is making a mess for the heroes of LAFD’s Station 118 in their Season 8 premiere!

Here, 9-1-1‘s Aisha Hinds explains how her kick-ass firefighter-paramedic Hen handles the threat, as well as the sting of having her nasty old foe Gerrard (Brian Thompson) as the new captain.

Uggh, Gerrard. How does his return impact the 118 and Hen, in particular?

Aisha Hinds: Hen has a very storied history with Gerrard, as he was her first point of contact in the capacity of Captain when she decided to become a firefighter paramedic. His welcome then was far from warm, and his shocking return subsequently sends chills up her spine. Gerrard’s return is an experience that keeps us on our toes.

Where does that leave former captain, Bobby (Peter Krause)?

Bobby has been placed on a special “assignment.”

Hen is the best when it comes to giving grace to people who stumble, but this guy has shown his true colors. How will she navigate having someone most of the team has a problem with?

Hen has a singular focus and puts her energy into doing whatever she needs to do in order to preserve and protect her firefighter family and her family at home. Her trick to transcend Gerrard is to lay low until she can rise up.

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Millions of Killer Bees Attack LA in '9-1-1' Season 8 Trailer

Last season ended with Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chimney (Kenneth Choi) taking in Mara (Askyler Bell) after Hen and wife Karen (Tracie Thoms) were denied approval to become her foster parents. How is that working out?

This was such a beautiful idea, until it wasn’t. Hen and Karen being lucky enough to have their friends Chimney and Maddie step up for them and for Mara was clutch. It afforded Hen and Karen the opportunity to still see Mara, care for her and love on her, instead of her being sent back to the group home. As mentioned, the plan seemed sound and sensible but it proved detrimental.

I hear we’re dealing with bees in the season premiere. How bad are these things and what sort of fresh hell are they causing? 

MILLIONS of bees. It’s unBEElievable the chaos that ensues from the city BEEIng under siege essentially. The bees find themselves wreaking havoc at the highest levels right down to the depths. We’ve learned some secrets for quelling and quieting bees, as well as what exasperates their anger.

What was it like filming a bee attack? Hopefully it was all CGI?

There were moments of wide imagination—because who’s doing a scene with millions of live bees? No thanks!—and moments of unfiltered reality where dead bees were our scene partners. I’m excited to see how our amazing VFX team bolsters the story and brings it to life from BEEginning to end.

9-1-1, Season 8 Premiere, Thursday, September 26, 8/7c, ABC