The Big Picture

  • Maddie’s past traumas resurface when she encounters an abduction incident similar to her own previous abusive relationship.
  • The upcoming episode focuses on Maddie and Athena investigating the abduction, while Hen and Karen learn about a new family member.
  • 9-1-1 dramatizes real-life emergency calls, reflecting stories like a woman who faked ordering a pizza to escape an abusive relationship.

Life has a way of bringing back someone’s worst life experiences. In 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 6, the show brought back Maddie’s (Jennifer Love Hewitt) ex-husband, Doug (Brian Hallisay). Maddie came to Los Angeles while running away from her abusive ex and found refuge with her brother and the firehouse. While Chimney (Kenneth Choi) was the one who hallucinated Doug and Maddie and never saw him, a promo for Season 7, Episode 7 teases a blast from the past when she picks up an emergency call from a woman who’s stuck in a car with her child and an abductor. Maddie hears the situation unfold in real-time — and it doesn’t end well.

The video focuses on the case as Maddie picks up the call, but instead of someone explaining their emergency, the woman asks if the call is connected to a hotel. “Ma’am, you’ve dialed 911,” Maddie corrects her. “I would like to book a room,” the woman continues, and Maddie realizes something is amiss. A male voice booms and Maddie figures out an abduction is in progress. The man reaches for the phone, and a tussle ensues. He loses control of the car, which crashes; Maddie hears all this happening and is visibly shocked. The call video ends with the 118 rushing to the crash scene to help, only to find the car on fire while flipped upside down. They begin rescue efforts by putting out the fire.

9-1-1 often picks stories that make headlines and dramatizes them for the series. This call rings similar to one that happened in real life when a woman called 911 to order pizza. The operator figured out something was wrong and could get her help in time. 9-1-1: Lone Star did this emergency in Season 2, Episode 5 when Grace (Sierra McClain) received a pizza call. In both cases, the victim was stuck in an abusive relationship and had no way of communicating. While it is not confirmed what the nature of the relationship between the woman in the car and the abductor is, it is bound to trigger Maddie, who was also in a similar situation. After escaping Doug, he followed her to Los Angeles, abducted her, kept her locked up, and nearly killed her.

HenRen’s Family Grows

Hen crying over Karen's hospital bed in 9-1-1

The episode will focus on several arcs. Maddie and Athena (Angela Bassett) will team up to investigate the abduction while Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Karen (Tracie Thoms) learn more about the latest addition to their family. In Season 7, Episode 5, Mara arrived at the family’s residence, but the meeting was not smooth. She had sustained serious trauma, leading to odd behavior. In this episode, the couple dives deeper into the history of Mara’s family to try to understand her better. Elsewhere, Eddie does some introspection about feelings he holds for someone from his past.

9-1-1 Season 7 stars Basset, Hinds, Guzman, Love Hewitt, Oliver Stark, Peter Krause, and Kenneth Choi. Recurring guest stars include Lou Ferrigno Jr as Tommy Kinnard, Gavin McHugh as Christopher Diaz, Declan Pratt as Denny Wilson, Anirudh Pisharody as Ravi Panikkar, Askyler Bell as Mara, Edy Ganem as Marisol, and Debra Christofferson.