Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) has been a force of nature since 9-1-1 first aired, but a new development points to her age dictating a new direction for her development. 9-1-1 season 8, episode 7, “Hotshots,” opens with Athena taking down a ring of thieves under the control of an anonymous leader dubbed “Flash Rob.” When the police sergeant spots him, she engages in a well-matched foot chase until she pulls her hamstring and the perp gets away. Following her injury, Captain Elaine Maynard (Claudia Christian) saddles Athena with a bright-eyed rookie named Officer Sparks. After Sparks accidentally pulls a gun on a civilian while reaching for his taser, Athena tells Elaine she’s ready for another recruit, since the new generation of hotshots clearly need guidance. With the fate of 9-1-1 season 9 still up in the air, this appears to be the foundation for Athena’s next – and potentially last – major character arc. While Angela Bassett has hope for Athena’s future, “Hotshots” sets her up for a unique transition.
9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 7 Highlights How Age Is Factoring In Athena’s Story
While Her Physicality Is Degrading, Her Mental Acuity Is On The Rise. From the first scene, viewers can tell that Athena is insecure about her physical ability and, by extension, her age. She vents to Hen (Aisha Hinds) about Sparks and her injury at large, admitting that pride may be clouding her judgment. Athena turns prickly when Hen implies she’s getting old, but in true best friend fashion, Hen tells her “Get over yourself” before urging Athena to use her wisdom. As Hen explains to Athena, age steals people’s agility but rewards them with something much more valuable: instinct.
This simple change, along with her new recruit request, clearly shows that though hesitant, Athena will start to accept her aging. Even after Hen’s advice and dramatic displays of strength by Sparks, Athena initially refuses to confront her fear of growing old. She confides in Hen that her husband urged her to use crutches while her leg heals, but her ego got in the way. After witnessing Sparks make a career-ending mistake firsthand, Athena seems to have an epiphany, walking out of the rookie’s deposition hearing with one crutch under her arm. This simple change, along with her new recruit request, clearly shows that though hesitant, Athena will start to accept her aging.
Athena Doesn’t Need A Mentee, She Needs To Be Promoted In 9-1-1
Giving Her A Passion Project Won’t Fix The Real Problem Most of the cast are beginning new arcs, like Buck’s recent breakup or Eddie’s self-love storyline in 9-1-1. The midseason finale presents the perfect opportunity for Athena to aim higher than tutelage: Athena should shoot for a promotion with a new title entirely. As pointed out by multiple characters, Athena has served on patrol for decades. After run-ins with high school students in the Halloween episode and sparks flying with Officer Sparks, Athena should realize that her experience is now better suited to a management role. Instead of becoming a mentor who sits sidesaddle and watches her proteges run after criminals, Athena should move up a rung in the police hierarchy. Since she’s so concerned with patrol, she could become a lieutenant and command the entire patrol division. Her character shouldn’t be worried about keeping up with her peers, she should be worried about how to manage her subordinate officers. 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear has teased a new storyline to be revealed in the next episode, and with this week’s strong focus on Athena, the major shift may be for her (or hopefully her career).
