9-1-1’s Aisha Hinds and Tracie Thoms Want to Have Some Fun in Season 8

9-1-1 stars Aisha Hinds and Tracie Thoms love the life their characters, Hen and Karen, have constructed collectively — and now they’re able to let unfastened and have a little bit enjoyable.

“I imply, I simply need some, like, warmth, you already know? I need to go to Disneyland,” Thoms, 49, solely instructed Us Weekly on Thursday, October 17, whereas discussing season 8 of the hit ABC sequence. “Let’s simply have a while with these youngsters the place we simply get to do regular household stuff. With out always combating for simply the suitable to be collectively, you already know what I imply? We overcame a lot, to attempt to have this household. We’ve been on each step of the journey.”

Thoms and Hinds, 48, have portrayed Karen and Hen, respectively, for the reason that sequence started in 2018. The twosome have confronted infertility, infidelity, household tragedy and some harmful exes. The wrestle, in some ways, has felt relentless for the onscreen couple — and they’re each prepared for brighter days.

“Each second of attempting to do IVF, attempting to have a toddler naturally and that [not working], how onerous that was, and even we had our one little daughter [Nia] that we needed to advocate for her going again to her mom, as painful as that was,” Thoms defined. “Each step of the best way [it’s been hard]. I’d simply love for them to simply have the ability to breathe and exist and be a loving household collectively.”

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Warning: Spoilers under for episode 4 of 9-1-1 season 8. 

Thoms, it appears, may truly get her want. On the most recent installment of 9-1-1, which aired on Thursday, Hen and Karen fought to regain their foster license and custody of their foster daughter, Mara (Askyler Bell), as Councilwoman Olivia Ortiz (Veronica Falcón) — who blamed Hen for the dying of her son — continued her plan to destroy their lives. Whereas Veronica thought she had bested the duo (and damaged Station 118 within the course of), a final minute twist uncovered her true intentions and put Mara again in Hen and Karen’s care.

With Ortiz gone — and Gerrard (Brian Thompson) taking a job at Hotshots so Bobby might return to his rightful publish as 118 captain — there might be a transparent path for Hen and Karen. As for the specifics of what they’d like that to appear like, Thoms referenced the season 6 episode “Tomorrow,” which highlighted Hen and Karen’s love story earlier than they’d kids, for instance. The duo additionally had a bone to choose with the well-known karaoke scene from season 7’s bachelor celebration episode.

“I really feel like we bought robbed out of the karaoke moments that we have been purported to have,” Thoms stated with amusing, recalling how the couple left the bash early. “So I feel that may be plenty of enjoyable. I simply like it at any time when Karen and Hen get to, like, let unfastened a little bit bit as a result of it’s so uncommon that they get to do it.”

When Us prompt an evening partying with Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) for a attainable “Henren” story line, Hinds and Thoms each agreed they’d “love” to see the trio out in town collectively — particularly if there’s singing concerned.

“I’ve been behind the scenes advocating for Traci to let unfastened on these belts on the present,” Hinds stated, referencing Thoms’ well-known vocal chops. “It’s such a missed alternative and it’s so not refined. I’m like, ‘Why has Traci not been written to sing a track on this present?!’ I would like it to occur proper now.”

Thoms, for her half, quipped that it will be enjoyable to find Karen had “hidden skills” the viewers by no means knew about.

“Like, ‘Oh, wait, you’re a rocket scientist, and you may sing a little bit bit!’” she stated with amusing. “I imply, I’m down for no matter. However, yeah, Aisha’s completely not refined in her advocacy for me singing on the present. She simply yells it out.”

Hen operating for metropolis council to interchange Ortiz — and a really a lot desired “Karen Begins” episode — have been additionally concepts thrown on the desk. “I really like that. I really like that. convey it,” Hinds stated earlier than including a well mannered name to motion for showrunner Tim Minear: “Are you able to hear us, Tim? Are you listening?”

Whereas the actresses are eager for happier occasions forward, Hinds instructed Us there have been loads of facets about Hen’s scenes with Councilwoman Ortiz that have been fulfilling to play out, notably attending to go head-to-head reverse Falcón, 58.

“Veronica Falcón was positively a formidable nemesis for us,” she stated. “She’s an unimaginable actress. And when she got here in, it was low-key troublesome to hate her due to the lady that she is, however then the evil that she operated with and led with in punishing us, and punishing Mara for one thing that wasn’t wholly Hen’s fault when it comes to her son passing away, [changed things].”

“It was actually, actually troublesome moving into there and begging for her mercy and simply seeing her not even have the ability to entry a portion of her humanity to satisfy us the place we wanted to be met to convey our household again collectively,” Hinds continued. “And fortunately we had a neighborhood that was prepared to face behind us and make it occur, and [that] felt wonderful in the long run.”

Hinds famous that when it got here to delivering Hen’s a number of speeches and pleas throughout episode 4, she targeted on tapping into the “actual feelings of the character” and remembering the onscreen household she and Thoms had constructed.

“Traci and I have been associates earlier than the present, and so once we realized that we had the chance to play companions and fogeys to those kids, we jumped at each layer of emotion that that concerned,” she defined. “And for the individuals who have been watching from the start, they’ve seen the journey that we’ve got been on being foster mother and father and adopting [son] Denny and attempting every kind of different methods to principally construct our household, [plus] coping with the depths and of disappointments that we’ve got to undergo alongside that journey. So in that second, I feel the entire journey simply swelled up inside me.”

Hinds added that there’s a “sense of desperation” to Hen’s pleas each out and in of the courtroom, as she is nicely conscious that viewers see themselves within the dynamics of 9-1-1, and he or she feels a duty to ship.

“So many individuals speak to me about how they watch this present as a household, and I feel that all the time sticks at the back of my thoughts that we’ve got households watching, multigenerations sitting collectively and watching tv, which is type of a misplaced artwork at the moment the place youngsters are on their telephones, on their tablets, with their associates,” she stated. “So understanding that there are nonetheless households tuned in, I feel that all the time sticks with me.”

Very similar to the members of the 118, for Hinds and Thoms, the mantra is straightforward: “Household over every part,” they stated.

9-1-1 airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.