I Already Know That Eddie Is Coming Back To 118 Because Of An Unexpected 9-1-1 Season 8 Spoiler
This article contains spoilers for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 9, “Sob Stories”
The most recent episode of 9-1-1 season 8 wants viewers to believe that Eddie is leaving Los Angeles for good. Eddie made it clear in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 9 that he had put a down payment on a house closer to his parents and needed to find a sublet for his L.A. home. Just doing that made it clear that Eddie would leave, but there were no signs that Ryan Guzman would be gone from the series for good.
Had this been the 9-1-1 season 8 finale, Ryan Guzman leaving the series would have been more believable. However, there are signs that Eddie is going to return to the 118 despite his initial move to Texas. 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear who somewhat spoiled this storyline. Minear made it clear that there will be a story in Texas that follows Eddie’s journey. This is something other shows have done when they’ve had no intention of making a character exit permanent, so it suggests that Eddie is coming back to the 118, even if it isn’t until 9-1-1 season 9.
Showrunner Tim Minear Confirms That Eddie's Story Will Continue In Texas
Eddie And Christopher Should Get Some On-Screen Time Together
In an interview with ScreenRant, Tim Minear confirmed that we will see an Eddie storyline in Texas with Christopher. At the same time, he confirmed that Christopher knows that Eddie is coming back to Texas, but did not share how Christopher feels about that. It is clear that 9-1-1 has not finished with Eddie and Christopher’s storyline, and this move opens the door for the two to share screen time properly again. Check out Minear's quote below:
Will we see the Christopher and Eddie storyline in Texas onscreen?
Tim Minear: Yes, you will.
One thing the series has only done so far is offer Eddie’s point of view of Christopher being so far away since his 9-1-1 season 7 finale exit. While Christopher appears happy on the video calls, a Texas-based storyline will give Christopher’s feelings more time to shine. At first, he may be happy that he has friends and grandparents who dote on him, but he will still likely miss his dad.
With Eddie’s move back to Texas, Christopher will get that chance to hang out with his dad again and remember all the fun times that they had now that the initial hurt of the mom-lookalike situation has reduced slightly. He can then realize how much he misses Buck and his own life in Los Angeles, asking if it is possible to make the move back to the Sunshine State.
It Doesn't Make Sense To Continue Following Eddie If There's No 118 Comeback Payoff
Keeping A Character Around Usually Means They're Coming Back
When a character is leaving for good, TV shows tend to have them ride off into the sunset. The focus is on the characters that stick around, so having a 9-1-1 storyline focused on Eddie in Texas makes it clear that he needs to return to Los Angeles at some point. It makes no sense to see his life in Texas without it being the basis for Christopher to realize that he would like to be back in L.A., as that’s the only reason Eddie would likely consider a move back at this point.
Grey’s Anatomy did this in season 9 after the plane crash. Cristina Yang decided to leave Seattle for Minnesota, and the show continued her storyline there, keeping the door open for her return to Seattle once she went through the emotional work needed to feel ready after the plane crash. The current 9-1-1 storyline is similar to this, hinting that Minear and the rest of the writers are planning a return for Eddie and Christopher.
Keeping Eddie's 9-1-1 storyline in Texas hints that father and son will return to Los Angeles.
Only offering a Texas-based storyline to offer some sort of closure doesn’t make sense considering 9-1-1 hasn’t done this before. When Connie Britton left after 9-1-1 season 1, she was only mentioned by Buck until she returned in the season 3 finale to offer the closure needed. Eddie choosing to leave Los Angeles to be closer to Christopher is already closure, as fans know where he is and that he has the opportunity for happiness. Keeping Eddie's 9-1-1 storyline in Texas hints that father and son will return to Los Angeles.
