9-1-1 finally returned to Fox for its spring premiere, and it was filled with plenty of action and raw emotion. What the episode was missing, however, was two key characters who've been absent for a little while: fan-favorite couple Maddie and Chimney. Maddie Jennifer Love Hewitt's Maddie, in a heartbreaking twist, stepped out of the picture earlier in the season after harming her and Chimney’s daughter. (In reality, Love Hewitt was on maternity leave.) Kenneth Choi's Chimney left just episodes later, embarking on a quest to find her. With the series now set to catch up with the two of them in next week’s episode, the series’ co-showrunner is previewing what to expect -- and it's not all good news.
9-1-1 co-showrunner Kristen Reidel discussed the upcoming episode, “Boston,” with TV Insider. The episode will follow Chimney to Beantown as he tries to find Maddie in the midst of St. Patrick’s Day chaos. Some have probably imagined that a reunion between the two will be emotionally heavy and, based on Reidel's comments, that will indeed be the case:
Maddie’s been gone for six months, and Chimney has been gone almost as long. A lot of this episode is going to be about how we got to this moment, how we got to Boston and really about Maddie’s journey back to health and being ready to come back home and Chimney’s sort of desperation to find her. And then fate sort of intervenes.
This reunion between the couple has been a long time coming, and it seems like it'll be worth the wait. The producer also hinted at flashbacks, which cover the period of time between Maddie leaving the message for Chimney to her dropping off Jee at the firehouse. The two lovers will apparently meet up “an unexpected way,” which could be both entertaining and tragic. The promo for the upcoming episode even toted it as “the most heart-wrenching episode” of the series, so get those tissues ready.
Of course, there's also the question of what happens to the pair moving forward. On that note, Kristen Reidel also explained what the two will be up to in the latter half of Season 5 and, spoiler alert, they're going to attempt to salvage the relationship:
Maddie’s definitely in therapy. Chimney probably should be. But a big part of the back half of the season is that relationship and how you salvage it because the reality is they were apart for six months and not just apart, but he didn’t know where she was. That causes some complications in their feelings for each other, and it’s gonna take a minute for them to figure out what the path forward is for them.
While it’s nice that we're finally getting Maddie and Chimney back after the time away from them, it’s going to be heartbreaking to see them go through so much. This is especially true for the latter, as she’s already gone through a lot, thanks to developments like the Buckley family secret that nearly ruined her relationship with Buck. And now, Maddie's postpartum depression certainly isn't going to make things any easier.
The memories of the character's departure earlier in the season are likely still fresh for viewers. Sure, it made for good storytelling, but many were probably crushed when Chimney returned to the firehouse and found baby Jee and a video message. All in all, I'm pleased to have these two back on 9-1-1, but I'm not quite sure if my heart can handle much more sorrow for them. Fingers crossed that things turn out fine for the two and their baby -- and that we won't get too many dangerous episodes right away.
You can see how it all goes down when 9-1-1 airs this Monday, March 28, at 8 p.m. EST on Fox! Also, do you yourself a favor and check out CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule for info on other shows.
