YouTube/FOX Pictured: Actor Kenneth Choi Playing "Chimney" on 9-1-1
For those who missed last week’s episode of the hit TV show 911, one of the main characters suffered a major injury. But, before we get into the details, this is your SPOILERS WARNING. Now, with that out of the way, let’s get into what happened.
The character Chimney, who is a firefighter, has suffered major heartbreak and trauma in his two seasons on the show. He was in a car accident where a pole basically went through his forehead and he survived. While recovering, his significant other pretty much abandoned him, as she wasn’t ready for commitment.
Flash forward to season 2, Chimney’s co-worker and friend, Buck, has brought some light into his life. Buck’s sister, Maddie, came to work at the 9-1-1 call center and soon struck up a flirtatious friendship with Chimney. But, Maddie was running from a dark past with her estranged husband, Doug. Maddie was stuck in a physically abusive marriage and managed to leave in one piece, but her husband didn’t know where she ran away to.
In recent events on the show, Maddie mustered up the nerve to file for divorce, which meant that her whereabouts would be known to her ex. What Maddie didn’t know was that Doug had already found her and had befriended an innocent Chimney for some inside info, pretending to be a guy named Jason. And, when Chimney and Maddie finally got to have their first date together, Doug picked that moment to strike.
Maddie buzzed Chimney into her apartment complex and left her apartment door open, while she was on the phone. During the call, Maddie was told the alarming news that her husband Doug was missing and couldn’t be found, which meant that she could be in danger … and she was. While on the phone, Maddie’s back was to the surveillance cameras, so she didn’t see Doug sneak in behind Chimney, who was carrying flowers as a gift for Maddie. She also didn’t see a hooded Doug stab Chimney multiple times in the stomach. Chimney collapsed to the ground in pain and Doug made his way into Maddie’s apartment, where he hit her across the face.
Fans were left wondering what would happen to Maddie after Doug knocked her out and if Chimney was stabbed to death.
After all that Chimney has been through, if he dies, it will be a truly tragic event. So, let’s break down some of the evidence to see if we can figure out whether or not Chimney pulls through or winds up dead.
On tonight’s show, which is episode 12 of season 2, the episode is titled “Chimney Begins” and is described as this, “Looking back at how Chimney joined Station 118 and became the firefighter and paramedic he is today.” So, is this episode focused on Chimney because he dies or to celebrate his life as he tries to recover from the incident? This wouldn’t be the first time that the show focused on one of its cast members past journeys.
On the other hand, there is footage of what looks like a funeral in previews of this season. We’re hoping it’s not Chimney’s funeral.
Looking at future plot descriptions, next week’s episode is titled “Fight or Flight” and it focuses on trying to find Maddie. And, the episode after that is called “Broken”, so there aren’t any spoilers on Chimney’s future in the episode descriptions. And, the “Broken” episode title has nothing to do with the Maddie and Chimney situation. Showrunner Tim Minear told The Wrap, “Episode 214 is called ‘Broken’ where things just start to break, literally, not just Southern California infrastructure but the call center breaks down. And so we get to see what happens in a situation where they have to go analog and they have to go back to the whiteboards, and the clipboards, and the 3 x 5 cards, and the Thomas Guides, and the handset radios.”
But, there is light at the end of the tunnel for Chimney. Kenneth Choi is the actor who plays Chimney and on IMDb, he has listed as being in as many episodes of the show as the other main cast members. He is listed as being a part of the show at least through episode 18 of season 2 and tonight’s episode is only episode 12. So, we’re thinking that Chimney lives. If he doesn’t, then these episodes may feature the ghost of him or flashbacks, but we’re leaning towards ALIVE.
According to The Wrap, the show will not resolve the Chimney and Maddie cliffhanger right away. Showrunner Tim Minear explained, “We want you to be worried for a little bit … As we go out on [Episode 211], Chimney is not OK. And then in the next episode, we’re going to be doing a Chimney origin story and it does not forget where we are in the timeline, but we’re going to learn more about Chimney and then we’ll come back and resolve his storyline in the present. And Chimney does everything in this origin story and we learn so much.” In an interview with TV Line, Minnear also assures fans, “We will not be forgetting where we are in the narrative, but we will be taking a slight left turn and doing the “Chimney Begins” episode in between the time he gets stabbed and the resolution as to what happens.”