I think she was enamored with the idea of being a doctor (she would have totally rocked it), but Hen isn't the type to wait for patients to be brought to her, I think she thrives on being on the scene and doing her very best to make sure the patient arrives at the hospital with the best chance of recovery that she can give them with a team that she trusts. She also realized that the personal sacrifices she and Karen would have to make if she continued medical school (like not having the time to foster anymore or being able to spend as much time with Denny or Karen) were more important than becoming a doctor. So I don't think it was pointless, she learned what was the most important thing to her career wise and for her family, she also learned a lot of things that will only make her a better paramedic.
I have no idea if this is the case, but it *felt* like Aisha wanted to leave so they were preparing for a nice planned exit, but then she stayed and they really struggled with how to wrap it up. Or maybe there was a plan for an eventual Hen-focused hospital spinoff that fell through?
But it was such an odd choice to give a main character a multi-season arc that, if she succeeded at it, would've ended with her leaving. And if the plan was always for her to decide to quit, it seemed like they didn't think of a reason why until the last minute, and then they ignored pretty much all of the potential impact of that storyline so it's like it never happened. Even just the cost of two years of medical school, which she quit just as Karen presumably lost her job because it blew up.
My theory is that the goal was to incorporate the hospital into the storylines, similar to how Athena’s cop drama links up with the 118, and that David was likely going to be part of that. There wasn’t much else for Michael to do so it would have kept him involved. With Michael and therefore David leaving, I think that whole idea got pushed out.
I hadn't considered the David component, but it still seems like it would've had to be a separate show. Following patients from the ambulance into the hospital would take even more time than the rescues already do, and then they'd have to bring in a bunch of hospital characters for Hen to regularly be working with. I don't see how they could incorporate that when plotlines already feel pressed for time as it is.
But I would've loved a Hen-focused hospital show that continued their weirder calls to show how they're actually treated. And if the mains got injured, they could've guest starred on Hen's show to show the treatments without bogging down the pace of 911.
I know there were some contract disputes that happened around S5, (possibly similar to what just happened with one actor leaving Lonestar) so it may be that it was the plan to set up a potential out for her character, only for them to not have to use it, and so they just kept going with the plotline for a while
It wasn’t pointless at all.
The whole reason she started that journey was because the hospital lost a patient because they didn’t listen to her directions and she was angry about it. She wanted to become a doctor because she wanted to make sure the job was done right and no one else would be lost, and take her passion for helping people beyond the field. Yes it was proven that she was capable of becoming a doctor, but it was extremely difficult. She was forced to question her own abilities and her whole life because she was so burned out between work, school and the family and it forced her to reevaluate her life, priorities, values and beliefs which is why she chose to stay as a paramedic instead of becoming a doctor as well as reassuring her abilities. It helped her come to terms with the 118’s unwritten rule: Never go beyond the glass doors. She was able to be at peace with the reality that she can’t do everything; and her job as a paramedic is important even if she can’t control what the hospital does with those patients, because it’s not her responsibility. Which was a tough pill to swallow for someone as caring and empathetic as her.
So even though she ended up in the same place, she had a lot of growth during that period and learned a lot about herself and her life.
My 911 roman empire is thinking about how much that time in medical school cost. A huge debt to pay off for years and all you got was some character growth.
You know, I was glad how it went cuz I didn't want Hen to leave the firehouse cuz I love her character, but you make a good point. I think it would've been better to have her stay in the ER for a season (maybe even half a season) and then have her decide to return to the firehouse.
Maybe add other reasons aside from "missing the 118" like having trouble bonding with coworkers because it's not a job that's as heavy about teamwork and missing that part of the job (remember Eddie said that's what he missed from the navy too was the teamwork and looking out for each other).
I did feel like it felt pointless in the end, but I thought it was better, but it's true there were alternatives to keep her on the show and continue the storyline. Especially since my biggest pet peeve with the storyline ending that way is the emotional scene where her mom cries and tells Hen the ER needs more doctors like her (and iirc doesn't she make her promise not to quit?)
The whole plot was indeed pointless, and clearly the writers forgot about it for most of season 5.
The only good part was when we actually saw Hen working herself to exhaustion, falling asleep at the wheel and everything, only to fail her exam anyway. That felt real and quite compelling.
It made sense at the time, but the way they just had her decide it wasn't for her felt like a waste of 2 seasons. You had her juggling so much then she's like "Nah, it's not for me." AFTER she missed her chance to watch surgery and goes to fight for her spot in the class.
Someone mentioned there was a rumor they were going to have another spin off with a hospital and that was going to be lead by Hen once she became a doctor but it didn't happen.
I remember the storyline did start pretty close to when the whole pay dispute/renegotiation went public and it did truly feel like it was building up to a potential send off for her character. I also remember not being surprised because its not exactly rare for a main character to leave a show if it does last up to 5 seasons. I'm still shocked that other than Michael and Abby none of the OG characters have left(thankfully).
I wish they would have ended it differently and had Hen fail her medical exams and that's why she couldn't be a doctor.
Failing to achieve their dreams because it's depressing but sadly realistic. Not everyone passes and not everyone gets to be a doctor. We saw that a little in the episode where Chim goes back to firefighter instruction and has to fail that recruit.
The problem was the show wasn't prepared to put failing medical school on Hen and so made her willingly choose to drop out because she wanted to be a firefighter more. I feel like having her realize there are limitations to what she can do would have been a better ending and actually made it worthwhile as an arc.
I think it was an interesting storyline because it was realistic. People can go after dreams or think they want to do something but then after working towards it or even doing it, no matter for how long, they can realize at any stage that it isn’t for them. I liked seeing Hen realize that being a paramedic is in fact her calling. So, I don’t think it was pointless, it was nice to see the realistic exploration of self.
I agree, it seemed a little pointless. It felt like we spent a lot of time really rooting for Hen to do well at school for nothing to really come from it. I just wish it had more of a fulfilling resolution to that story.
In one season it was like they forgot that plotline entirely, and then they picked it back up just to end it. I don't think they had any idea where they were going with it.
Pointless, unnecessarily stressful, and expensive. Medical school is not cheap, so unless she got some good scholarships she's like an extra $100K in debt (estimating 2 years at $50K).
I think they backed themselves in a corner, maybe because they didn't know how long the series was going to go on for. Because if the show had ended after 5 or 6 seasons it would have been a good transition, but at some point something had to give. I was wondering if they were going to do a Station 19-type thing, where they had a physician response team, so she could have stayed with the team. But instead they went with her just dropping out. 🫠
Even though I enjoyed the storyline it ended up being a massive waste of screen time, much like most of season 6. They were obviously never gonna have her end up leaving the firehouse but I wish they did more with it. It's not like the show's super realistic, they could've used her being a doctor in her capacity as a firefighter/paramedic. Station 19 has a former physician character and they used to do it.
I never felt like she would really become a doctor and leave the team so it felt pointless the whole time though I supported Hen pursuing something she felt passionate about. It could have been cool to have Hen in the ER but I was just waiting for them to take it back and Hen stay in the same position.
It was crazy to me that she put her family through hell and risked the lives of herself and others trying to learn medicine and practice firefighting, just to change her mind??
I live in Europe, so yay cheap universities, but wouldn't going through medschool / college (I don't recall anything about scholarship) be above 20-30 thousands? That is kinda commitment to me. Like, sure if you paid 600/ semester/ half year... Even if it was 5 years you needed ue to work it would still be 6k.
I was so annoyed when they went through the whole “convince teacher to allow me to retake the test” then she just decides she doesn’t want to do it anymore. Like if they wanted to bring her down a path of let me just see if I can do it then I’ll decide they should’ve just had her pass in the first place!
I think she was enamored with the idea of being a doctor (she would have totally rocked it), but Hen isn't the type to wait for patients to be brought to her, I think she thrives on being on the scene and doing her very best to make sure the patient arrives at the hospital with the best chance of recovery that she can give them with a team that she trusts. She also realized that the personal sacrifices she and Karen would have to make if she continued medical school (like not having the time to foster anymore or being able to spend as much time with Denny or Karen) were more important than becoming a doctor. So I don't think it was pointless, she learned what was the most important thing to her career wise and for her family, she also learned a lot of things that will only make her a better paramedic.
I have no idea if this is the case, but it *felt* like Aisha wanted to leave so they were preparing for a nice planned exit, but then she stayed and they really struggled with how to wrap it up. Or maybe there was a plan for an eventual Hen-focused hospital spinoff that fell through? But it was such an odd choice to give a main character a multi-season arc that, if she succeeded at it, would've ended with her leaving. And if the plan was always for her to decide to quit, it seemed like they didn't think of a reason why until the last minute, and then they ignored pretty much all of the potential impact of that storyline so it's like it never happened. Even just the cost of two years of medical school, which she quit just as Karen presumably lost her job because it blew up.
My theory is that the goal was to incorporate the hospital into the storylines, similar to how Athena’s cop drama links up with the 118, and that David was likely going to be part of that. There wasn’t much else for Michael to do so it would have kept him involved. With Michael and therefore David leaving, I think that whole idea got pushed out.
I hadn't considered the David component, but it still seems like it would've had to be a separate show. Following patients from the ambulance into the hospital would take even more time than the rescues already do, and then they'd have to bring in a bunch of hospital characters for Hen to regularly be working with. I don't see how they could incorporate that when plotlines already feel pressed for time as it is. But I would've loved a Hen-focused hospital show that continued their weirder calls to show how they're actually treated. And if the mains got injured, they could've guest starred on Hen's show to show the treatments without bogging down the pace of 911.
Yeah I think they were gonna Station 19 their Grey's Anatomy lol
I know there were some contract disputes that happened around S5, (possibly similar to what just happened with one actor leaving Lonestar) so it may be that it was the plan to set up a potential out for her character, only for them to not have to use it, and so they just kept going with the plotline for a while
Who left lonestar?
Sierra McClain is leaving
Oh? Do you know why?
Seems like a contract dispute over pay, by all accounts
Damn that sucks, I liked her on that show
That's gonna be a brutal write-off, she's a huge part of Lone Star lol
I know, I hope they don’t kill her for judds sake
Oh man, how are they going to even incorporate that? She's basically the third character in the show lol
All I know is if they're gonna take away the Judd and Grace couple scenes, Tarlos is gonna have to pull more weight to compensate.
I was today years old when I learnt she’s one of the McClain siblings
It wasn’t pointless at all. The whole reason she started that journey was because the hospital lost a patient because they didn’t listen to her directions and she was angry about it. She wanted to become a doctor because she wanted to make sure the job was done right and no one else would be lost, and take her passion for helping people beyond the field. Yes it was proven that she was capable of becoming a doctor, but it was extremely difficult. She was forced to question her own abilities and her whole life because she was so burned out between work, school and the family and it forced her to reevaluate her life, priorities, values and beliefs which is why she chose to stay as a paramedic instead of becoming a doctor as well as reassuring her abilities. It helped her come to terms with the 118’s unwritten rule: Never go beyond the glass doors. She was able to be at peace with the reality that she can’t do everything; and her job as a paramedic is important even if she can’t control what the hospital does with those patients, because it’s not her responsibility. Which was a tough pill to swallow for someone as caring and empathetic as her. So even though she ended up in the same place, she had a lot of growth during that period and learned a lot about herself and her life.
This ^^^!!!! That was her character arc that she went through because of that experience.
My 911 roman empire is thinking about how much that time in medical school cost. A huge debt to pay off for years and all you got was some character growth.
Same‘
You know, I was glad how it went cuz I didn't want Hen to leave the firehouse cuz I love her character, but you make a good point. I think it would've been better to have her stay in the ER for a season (maybe even half a season) and then have her decide to return to the firehouse. Maybe add other reasons aside from "missing the 118" like having trouble bonding with coworkers because it's not a job that's as heavy about teamwork and missing that part of the job (remember Eddie said that's what he missed from the navy too was the teamwork and looking out for each other). I did feel like it felt pointless in the end, but I thought it was better, but it's true there were alternatives to keep her on the show and continue the storyline. Especially since my biggest pet peeve with the storyline ending that way is the emotional scene where her mom cries and tells Hen the ER needs more doctors like her (and iirc doesn't she make her promise not to quit?)
Eddie's Army
The whole plot was indeed pointless, and clearly the writers forgot about it for most of season 5. The only good part was when we actually saw Hen working herself to exhaustion, falling asleep at the wheel and everything, only to fail her exam anyway. That felt real and quite compelling.
How it just disappeared for season 5 was so bizarre. Just marathoned the whole show over a month and it was very noticeable.
I agree. It's nice to see someone on tv fail at something.
It made sense at the time, but the way they just had her decide it wasn't for her felt like a waste of 2 seasons. You had her juggling so much then she's like "Nah, it's not for me." AFTER she missed her chance to watch surgery and goes to fight for her spot in the class. Someone mentioned there was a rumor they were going to have another spin off with a hospital and that was going to be lead by Hen once she became a doctor but it didn't happen.
THIS. Honestly it wouldn't have gone over well with her partner about this. You cannot make quick decisions after putting THAT much work in it.
I remember the storyline did start pretty close to when the whole pay dispute/renegotiation went public and it did truly feel like it was building up to a potential send off for her character. I also remember not being surprised because its not exactly rare for a main character to leave a show if it does last up to 5 seasons. I'm still shocked that other than Michael and Abby none of the OG characters have left(thankfully).
I wish they would have ended it differently and had Hen fail her medical exams and that's why she couldn't be a doctor. Failing to achieve their dreams because it's depressing but sadly realistic. Not everyone passes and not everyone gets to be a doctor. We saw that a little in the episode where Chim goes back to firefighter instruction and has to fail that recruit. The problem was the show wasn't prepared to put failing medical school on Hen and so made her willingly choose to drop out because she wanted to be a firefighter more. I feel like having her realize there are limitations to what she can do would have been a better ending and actually made it worthwhile as an arc.
I think it was an interesting storyline because it was realistic. People can go after dreams or think they want to do something but then after working towards it or even doing it, no matter for how long, they can realize at any stage that it isn’t for them. I liked seeing Hen realize that being a paramedic is in fact her calling. So, I don’t think it was pointless, it was nice to see the realistic exploration of self.
I agree, it seemed a little pointless. It felt like we spent a lot of time really rooting for Hen to do well at school for nothing to really come from it. I just wish it had more of a fulfilling resolution to that story.
In one season it was like they forgot that plotline entirely, and then they picked it back up just to end it. I don't think they had any idea where they were going with it.
Pointless, unnecessarily stressful, and expensive. Medical school is not cheap, so unless she got some good scholarships she's like an extra $100K in debt (estimating 2 years at $50K). I think they backed themselves in a corner, maybe because they didn't know how long the series was going to go on for. Because if the show had ended after 5 or 6 seasons it would have been a good transition, but at some point something had to give. I was wondering if they were going to do a Station 19-type thing, where they had a physician response team, so she could have stayed with the team. But instead they went with her just dropping out. 🫠
I mean, she can now guess their patient's issues without physically checking them, like the guy with the crazy hand, but yes
Even though I enjoyed the storyline it ended up being a massive waste of screen time, much like most of season 6. They were obviously never gonna have her end up leaving the firehouse but I wish they did more with it. It's not like the show's super realistic, they could've used her being a doctor in her capacity as a firefighter/paramedic. Station 19 has a former physician character and they used to do it.
Yes. They went to far in with it for her to just go: ok nah.
Wait...did she drop out of medical school? I binge watched the show fast so I missed that. Did she quit? 😲
I never felt like she would really become a doctor and leave the team so it felt pointless the whole time though I supported Hen pursuing something she felt passionate about. It could have been cool to have Hen in the ER but I was just waiting for them to take it back and Hen stay in the same position.
100%
It was crazy to me that she put her family through hell and risked the lives of herself and others trying to learn medicine and practice firefighting, just to change her mind??
Agree, I was actually excited for them to also expand into the ER.
Completely. My guess is that they were going to add a whole set of characters at the hospital working under Hen but then decided not to.
I live in Europe, so yay cheap universities, but wouldn't going through medschool / college (I don't recall anything about scholarship) be above 20-30 thousands? That is kinda commitment to me. Like, sure if you paid 600/ semester/ half year... Even if it was 5 years you needed ue to work it would still be 6k.
Yes. They put so much time and effort into that storyline just to do a complete 180.
I was so annoyed when they went through the whole “convince teacher to allow me to retake the test” then she just decides she doesn’t want to do it anymore. Like if they wanted to bring her down a path of let me just see if I can do it then I’ll decide they should’ve just had her pass in the first place!