9-1-1's Elijah M. Cooper Talks Joining The 118 And Honoring Bobby's Legacy: It's Time For Harry To 'Step Up'

Chimney really should consider installing a revolving door at the firehouse. Just two weeks after Hen was officially relieved of her first responder duties, a new recruit has joined the 118.

The January 22 episode of "9-1-1" caught up with Harry, who was 12 weeks into his firefighter training when a nasty fall during a routine drill threw his entire future into question. The fall itself wasn't actually that intense, but it dredged up a lot of emotions for Athena, whose worst fear is losing her son in the line of duty the same way she lost Bobby.

Against Athena's wishes, Harry returned to training after a single day of rest, which may have been enough to heal him physically, but definitely not emotionally. During another drill, Harry froze on the ladder, paralyzed by memories of Bobby's funeral. Too afraid to face his mom, Harry sought advice from Buck, who then explained to Athena that her own fears are inadvertently getting into Harry's head.

Rather than apologizing, Athena doubled down, telling Harry that she wants him to quit. She wishes he was still the little boy who hugged her after every shift. She emphasized the importance of knowing the real dangers of the job. "We don't put on that uniform so we make it home," she said. "We do it so other people will. If we can live without fear or self-doubt, maybe we get to make it home, too."

In the end, Harry persevered and officially became a firefighter; Athena was even there to pin his badge to his uniform at the ceremony. And as if there was any doubt in anyone's mind, Harry has officially been assigned to the 118.

Elsewhere in the episode, Hen struggled to adjust to living with her autoimmune disorder. At Athena's suggestion, Karen set her wife up with a physical therapist, one who could take the brunt of Hen's frustration — but when she was unable to assist him during a medical emergency, her confidence was only shaken further. It wasn't until she received an old diary from her mother than Hen remembered how far she's come, and more importantly, she has the strength to push through this.

Below, actor Elijah M. Cooper speaks with TVLine about his character's official entry into the 118, how Bobby made Harry the man he is today, and whether he thinks Athena might be ready to start dating again:

TVLINE | This is my first time speaking with you, so I want to turn the clock back a little bit. What was your experience coming into this show after six seasons and taking over the role of Harry?
I had all the emotions starting in this role. It was nerve-wracking for me because it's not a new character, it's just a new person walking in there, and I was hoping that I was doing this character justice. I was a little nervous about what people had to say, and of course I was nervous about acting with Angela Bassett. There were all these different variables, but I was also really excited to take on the task. And I definitely didn't know it would turn into me joining the 118, so that's been very exciting.

TVLINE | Once those nerves subsided, though, did you start to see Angela your TV mom?
Yes, I literally call her mom. That's all I call her.

TVLINE | And when the producers told you their plans to make Harry a firefighter, what was going through your head?
I was elated. I was wowed by the whole situation. That was the dream being on the show, like, I would love to be in the fire department doing all the cool rescues and everything. So now, getting to be a part of it, it's just mind-blowing.

TVLINE | How would you say the storyline has challenged you?
Well, just as Harry is experiencing all of this being new in his life, I'm also experiencing this being new in my life. I'm having to literally learn the fundamentals: How do you swing an ax properly? How do you climb up a ladder properly? I'm having to learn all of the things that these guys have been doing for nine seasons.

TVLINE | I don't supposed the 118 will give him special treatment because he's Athena's son and Bobby's step-son...?
[Laughs] Harry is a probie. He's got to earn his stripes and work through it all. The cool thing is that Harry knows everybody in the 118. This is his family, these are his people, so it allows him to come into a nurturing environment, one that's not going to treat him softly, but one where he knows he has people looking out for his best interests

TVLINE | Hearing you say "probie," all I can think of is Ravi. He must be relieved to no longer be the new guy.
I think Ravi is finally now at the point where he's like, "Great, I'm not the probie anymore, right? I can finally settle into being one of the guys." But Ravi also shows love to Harry. He's like, "I understand what you're feeling because I was there not too long ago."

TVLINE | Harry and Athena reached a very important understanding this week. Is it too easy to say that they've fully moved past these fears and doubts?
Harry has a lot of growing to do as an individual across the board, so I think he's going to have a lot more conversations with his mom and his sister and everybody. But all of these little pieces are building a much larger puzzle for him. He's starting to understand the picture a lot better, going back to the beginning of him being here. He's had so many real conversations with his mom about running away, what it means to defend yourself, and learning how to face your fears. And now we're having conversations about taking this job seriously and understanding the importance of it. All of these conversations make him a stronger individual.

TVLINE | And what about Bobby? What kind of a relationship do you think he and Harry had?
Speaking from real-life experience, Peter is an amazing person, and Bobby was an incredible guy, and both Bobby and Peter were always willing to show love and step up and be a strong example for people. That affects people in a really deep way, a lot of times in ways that we don't even realize. Just as that exists in Peter and my relationship, I think it also existed in Harry and Bobby's relationship. ... But now Harry also feels this call to action as the new man of the house. He has to step up. He saw how great Bobby was, and he's trying to emulate that as much as he can, which is why he even considered joining the 118.

TVLINE | Well, I'm happy for Harry's growth, but I'm still hoping the show ends with Athena waking up and telling Bobby about this crazy dream she had.
[Laughs] Yes!

TVLINE | Don't worry, you would still be playing Harry in this reality.
OK, good.

TVLINE | Do you think Athena might be open to dating soon? And what would Harry have to say about that?
That's tough. There was that scene in the beginning of the season when we thought "Oh, is she really back into dating?" But then we realized it was [a sting]. And that really shows who Athena is. She's doing her best to deal with grief. At the beginning, it was drowning herself in work, finding ways to distract herself from what's really happening. And as her now-grown kids, we had to call her out on it and say, "It's OK to be vulnerable. It's OK that you're struggling. We all are." It does makes sense that Athena would keep finding ways to push forward in her life, and [as for dating], Harry would inspect that person from head to toe. He'd do a full pat down.

TVLINE | And what about Harry? The focus has been on his professional life, but what about his personal life? Could romance be in the future for him?
I don't know, we're going to have to see. Harry is a young man, so he's going to be exploring a lot of different areas in his life. We'll have to see what that looks like.

TVLINE | Just promise me that Harry won't take any relationship advice from Buck or Eddie.
[Laughs] Oh, definitely not.

TVLINE | We've seen nothing but relationships ending terribly for those two.
And I think Harry agrees.

OK, let's talk: What are your hopes (and possible fears) for Harry now that he's officially in the 118? And what are your thoughts on Season 9 overall? Drop 'em all in a comment below.