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

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

“I imply, I simply need some, like, warmth, you understand? I wish to go to Disneyland,” Thoms, 49, completely instructed Us Weekly on Thursday, October 17, whereas discussing season 8 of the hit ABC collection. “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 understand 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, because the collection 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 making an attempt to do IVF, making an attempt to have a toddler naturally and that [not working], how arduous 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 only have the ability to breathe and exist and be a loving household collectively.”

Warning: Spoilers beneath 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 demise 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 may return to his rightful publish as 118 captain — there may very well be a transparent path for Hen and Karen. As for the specifics of what they’d like that to seem 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 occasion episode.

“I really feel like we obtained robbed out of the karaoke moments that we have been purported to have,” Thoms mentioned with fun, recalling how the couple left the bash early. “So I believe that may be a variety of enjoyable. I simply find it irresistible at any time when Karen and Hen get to, like, let free a bit bit as a result of it’s so uncommon that they get to do it.”

When Us advised an evening partying with Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) for a doable “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 free on these belts on the present,” Hinds mentioned, 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 tune on this present?!’ I would like it to occur proper now.”

Thoms, for her half, quipped that it might 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’ll sing a bit bit!’” she mentioned with fun. “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 working 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 mentioned 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 looking forward to happier instances forward, Hinds instructed Us there have been loads of elements 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 mentioned. “She’s an unbelievable actress. And when she got here in, it was low-key tough 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 tough stepping 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 would have liked 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 ultimately.”

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

“Traci and I have been pals earlier than the present, and so once we discovered 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 now have been on being foster dad and mom and adopting [son] Denny and making an attempt all types of different methods to mainly construct our household, [plus] coping with the depths and of disappointments that we now have to undergo alongside that journey. So in that second, I believe 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 effectively conscious that viewers see themselves within the dynamics of 9-1-1, and he or she feels a accountability to ship.

“So many individuals discuss to me about how they watch this present as a household, and I believe that at all times sticks behind my thoughts that we now have households watching, multigenerations sitting collectively and watching tv, which is form of a misplaced artwork at the moment the place youngsters are on their telephones, on their tablets, with their pals,” she mentioned. “So figuring out that there are nonetheless households tuned in, I believe that at all times sticks with me.”

Very like the members of the 118, for Hinds and Thoms, the mantra is straightforward: “Household over all the pieces,” they mentioned.

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