Maddie and Chimney’s long-awaited wedding finally arrives on Thursday’s episode of 9-1-1 (ABC, 8/7c), so why isn’t the 118 in a more celebratory mood? Perhaps it has something to do with the groom suddenly going M.I.A. on one of the biggest days of his life.
Yes, 9-1-1′s wheel of fate has once again landed on Chimney, whose reason for totally ghosting his bride-to-be is… too spoilery to reveal before the episode airs. But it’s a doozy, and even though his character has already been put through the wringer countless times, actor Kenneth Choi says he never could have predicted this particular crisis.
“I’ve said to [showrunner Tim Minear] a couple of times, ‘Can’t they just be happy and loving and adorable?’” Choi tells TVLine. “And he always says, ‘Sure, but then you won’t be on the show, because how boring is that? It’s about conflict, Kenny!’ Part of me still wanted a nice, easy wedding, [so when I got the script] I kind of threw my hands up, like, ‘Oh my God, again?!’ But then the actor thing kicks in where you start to get excited because there are a lot of curveballs being thrown at you.”
In fact, the emotional episode is so jam-packed with shocking twists, fun surprises and emotional developments, Choi wishes it was a two-parter, as he’s already lamenting the footage fans won’t get to see.
“I think the first cut was an hour and 15 minutes, and they had to cut it down to 42 minutes,” he says. “They had to trim everything down. There was stuff with Buck and Eddie singing karaoke, and even that got cut out. That would have been fun. The editors had a mountain to climb with this episode, and I think they did a fabulous job.”
But while karaoke is no longer on the docket for the 118, Choi is ready to step up to the microphone, should the opportunity arise again.
“I’m an ardent shower and car singer, and I think I’m fantastic,” he says. “I don’t know if anybody else does, but when I’m in the shower, I think I’m Frank Sinatra, baby!”
