After 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 13, I'm Sure These Villains Are The Biggest Obstacle In Eddie Finding True Happiness

9-1-1 season 8 is finally commencing Eddie and Christopher’s reconciliation arc, but the biggest obstacle to their reunion is too close for comfort. Ryan Guzman joined the 9-1-1 cast as Eddie Diaz in the season 2 premiere, a single but devoted father to Christopher (Gavin McHugh), his son with cerebral palsy and a complicated childhood. As Christopher grew up, Eddie’s grief over losing his wife drove him to make irresponsible decisions, like inviting his late wife’s doppelgänger into his home. After Christopher mistakes the woman for his dead mother, he moves to Texas with his grandparents, to Eddie’s devastation.

For all of 9-1-1’s intense disasters, Christopher living with his grandparents may be the most distraught Eddie has ever been. The pain of being thousands of miles away from his son and the guilt of causing it affected the character far more than one of 9-1-1’s near-death experiences. Eddie’s own relationship with his parents, Helena (Paula Marshall) and Ramon (George DelHoyo), has already been at the center of multiple 9-1-1 episodes, with their fraught and loaded conversations slowly revealing more and more about Eddie’s upbringing. One of 9-1-1’s best episodes recently, “Invisible” adds yet another wrinkle to the plot.

9-1-1’s Texas Arc Proves Helena & Ramon Intentionally Separated Eddie From Christopher

They Never Had Christopher's Best Interest At Heart

When Helena and Ramon manipulated Eddie into letting Christopher move to Texas in the 9-1-1 season 7 finale, their motives were unclear. Helena had never passed up an opportunity to undermine her son, but Eddie and his father seemed to be on better terms after a conversation that prompted the Guzman patriarch to apologize. 9-1-1 season 8, episode 13 makes it clear, however, that Helena and Ramon only saw Christopher as a replacement son, a chance at a re-do to make up for their Empty Nester Syndrome and how they failed Eddie.

The story of 9-1-1 season 8 has focused heavily on Eddie forgiving himself for his mistake and coming to terms with how he hurt Christopher, but his parents have kept him at a distance since he moved to Texas. Little details pile up, like Ramon letting people at the chess tournament believe he’s Christopher’s father and Helena setting Christopher up in Eddie’s old room, implying that their concern has never been about Eddie and Christopher’s relationship. Rather, Helena and Ramon took advantage of Eddie’s lack of a support system and used their authority to vicariously re-raise Eddie through Christopher.

Eddie's Happiness Has Always Been Dependent On Christopher

Eddie Is A Father First (For Better Or Worse)

Yet, the only reason Helena and Ramon have so much sway over Eddie in the first place is because of his pure, unselfish love for Christopher. Eddie was already ashamed of how he’d hurt Christopher, and Helena twisted the knife with her thinly-veiled jabs at her son's fatherhood. Eddie let Christopher go in 9-1-1 season 7 because Helena convinced him it was the best option, but living with his grandparents only exposed the kid to the same unyielding expectations he had growing up. After sacrificing his life in LA without complaint, Eddie learns the truth.

Similar to how Helena and Ramon forced Eddie to be a competitive ballroom dancer and sucked all the joy out of it, Christopher felt compelled to perform well at a chess tournament in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 13 due to Ramon’s investment. After his nerves overtake him so severely he vomits onto the chessboard, Christopher makes a simple confession to Eddie: “I hate chess.” Realizing that his son hated being apart just as much as he did, Eddie renews his conviction of being a better father to Christopher, which entails making the sole decision to move Christopher into his house.

How Eddie's Parents Can Continue To Hinder Him From Being Fully Happy

The Diaz Parents Won't Give Up Easily

Although 9-1-1 typically redeems bad parents to cut its losses, it seems like Eddie’s forgiveness comes with boundaries and an assertion that they cannot keep interfering with Christopher’s life. The Diaz parents’ hypocrisy will undoubtedly come to light as it’s already begun to, with Helena insisting that Eddie can’t disrupt Christopher’s life and move him out, despite that being exactly what she and Ramon did in 9-1-1 season 7. Though Eddie has chosen to be the bigger person, Helena and Ramon won’t blindly accept Eddie regaining custody of Christopher.

Eddie may have had the epiphany to take control of his fatherhood again, but that doesn’t leave Helena and Ramon completely powerless. They’ve proven they can exert undue influence on both Eddie and Christopher, which may delay their inevitable return to LA. 9-1-1 season 9 might take a stronger approach and have Helena try to petition for legal custody by proving Eddie is an unfit father, just like Buck’s (Oliver Stark) coma dream foresaw back in season 6. Regardless of their next move, Helena and Ramon Diaz can still derail Eddie’s story in the closing episodes of 9-1-1 season 8.

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