“Some Fun Interesting Stuff Coming Up”: ‘9-1-1’ Star Jennifer Love Hewitt Teases Upcoming Buck-Maddie Arc in Season 8

9-1-1 has once again delivered on another exhilarating two-parter, one with a shocking twist that kept viewers on the edge right until the end credits rolled. The Season 8 mid-season premiere wrapped up with last night’s episode “Voices,” which for a tense moment had fans believing the show had killed off Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt). If her past abduction wasn’t proof enough of her resilience, the latest ordeal dashed every doubt. Maddie’s a fighter who not only survives her captor’s den but does so against the slimmest of odds, fighting her way to freedom with a slit throat. Just like before, the latest trauma is bound to leave a lingering aftereffect, but thankfully, she has her brother Buck (Oliver Stark) and the rest of her family to lean on. And according to Hewitt, fans can expect a lighter, sibling-focused episode ahead.

With Buck and Maddie working in different emergency response departments, their on-screen moments together are usually limited to family gatherings. However, later this season, the siblings will get a chance to interact on a deeper level when Buck finds himself in a situation that demands an unexpected conversation with Maddie. When asked to preview the episode in her recent interview with TV Insider, Hewitt was stingy with details but described Maddie’s bond with Buck as “motherly sister” and teased a “fun” and “interesting” episode ahead. She said:

“Oh my God, I can’t say anything. Why did he say that? [Laughs] I can’t say anything. No, I mean, I love Buck and Maddie so much because I think Maddie deeply loves being his sister, but Maddie has also been highly functioning as his mother for a long time as well. And so there is sort of this motherly sister thing, and I think that Maddie and Buck are able to get into deep conversations out of nowhere with the most love and respect very quickly ever. And I love it. It reminds me of my relationship with my brother a lot, and I just love it so much. And so, yeah, we do have some fun, interesting stuff coming up.”

What’s Next for Maddie on ‘9-1-1’?

The latest 9-1-1 episode sees lightning strike twice for Maggie. From battling postpartum depression to surviving a terrifying abduction by her ex-husband, she’s endured more than her fair share of trauma, and at this point, she deserves a break. However, the show aims to portray the aftermath of her latest encounter quite realistically. According to Hewitt, Maddie will struggle with severe PTSD from her encounter with the psycho-detective. “This will be different,” Hewitt said, comparing it to her trauma with Doug. “I think she will fear calls. I think that she will fear being alone. There will be some real PTSD and I think that Chimney will also obviously suffer some PTSD worrying about her, obviously.”

Explaining further how the situation will affect Maddie’s return to work, Hewitt continued:

“It isn’t immediate. That’s all I can say. It isn’t like a next-day kind of thing. It takes a minute, and she will deal with some things that will be challenging to her in sort of getting back there again?”

9-1-1 Season 8 returns with Episode 11, “Holy Mother of God,” next Thursday, March 20, shifting focus to Captain Bobby (Peter Krause) and his mother.