Television’s favorite father-son duo is finally back together again. In addition to exploring the emotional scars of Maddie’s (Jennifer Love Hewitt) kidnapping on her first day back at the call center, Thursday’s episode of 9-1-1 returned to El Paso, Texas, where Eddie (Ryan Guzman) took an important step to reconciling with his estranged son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh).
Since moving from Los Angeles back to his native El Paso three weeks ago to rebuild the trust that he had lost with Chris, Eddie has encountered a series of unexpected roadblocks. Despite a glowing recommendation from Bobby (Peter Krause), Eddie was unable to get a job at the local fire department due to a hiring freeze. Having depleted almost all of his savings to make a down payment on his dilapidated new house, which he is also trying to restore, Eddie is forced to become a rideshare driver to make a quick buck, even going the extra step of trading in his beloved truck for a more eco-friendly vehicle.
“I do love the idea of Uber, and the fact that he had to trade in essentially his old life,” Guzman told TV Guide. “He had to trade in his truck, [which is] his baby. He had to trade in his baby to get his baby back.” “I guess I could say Chris feels happy to have his dad back in his life,” McHugh said in a separate interview. “I don’t think Chris is still mad at him [at this point in the story], and I think Eddie wanted Chris’ forgiveness.”
Although he struggles at first to figure out the best etiquette for rideshare drivers, Eddie learns quickly on the job and ends up making more than enough money to support himself for the time being. But after hearing that Chris bragged about having a firefighting father to his friends, Eddie can’t bear the thought of bursting his son’s bubble, so he chooses to hide his current source of income. Chris ends up finding out the truth anyway after he and a friend unknowingly climb into the back seat of Eddie’s car.
Despite Eddie’s concern that he has just blown up whatever goodwill he has spent months trying to reestablish with his son, Chris at least seems understanding of his father’s latest lie. Chris takes an Uber (what else?) to Eddie’s new house and tells him to return the new PS5 he just bought because he will need the money if he wants to stay in Texas. The Diaz boys then share a much-needed, long-awaited embrace. “It’s a sense of relief for both of us. I think Chris actually wants to hug Eddie. I think he’s ready to forgive his dad,” McHugh said, teasing that “all I can tell you [about the next episodes] is that Eddie and I are back together, and there’s a lot of exciting things on the horizon.”
The reunion was particularly sweet for both Guzman and McHugh, who had barely seen each other, apart from shooting some quick FaceTime calls, for months. “Ryan has always been there for me, and he’s always had my back on set,” McHugh said of his onscreen father, who has spoken at length about the “joyous” experience of working with him since 2018. While it was “sad” not to see Guzman for so long, “I was hopeful that I would see him again.”
And in case you’re wondering, McHugh sadly doesn’t think Chris has been in touch with Buck (Oliver Stark) since the former moved out of the state. “I’m not sure if there’s a reason, but all I can tell you is that they haven’t. I haven’t really thought about it, so I don’t know. I think Chris is happy where he is right now, even though he misses Buck,” he said. (McHugh’s father, Mike, who joined him on the call, jokingly had to set him straight: “Dude, Buck’s your buddy, man! Buck’s been there through thick and thin, man. He’s not leaving you hanging out to dry!”) Below, Guzman checks in about Eddie’s new life in Texas, how the most recent episode represented a significant step forward for the father-son duo — and what he personally thought of the revelation in last week’s episode that Buck’s ex-boyfriend Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) thought he was in competition with Eddie for Buck’s affection. What kinds of conversations did you have with showrunner Tim Minear about what Eddie’s life would look like back in Texas? Did you ever discuss what his job would be? Why did you guys settle on Uber instead of another public service job?
Ryan Guzman: Well, I definitely didn’t settle on Uber. [Laughs.] That was Tim. But I do love the idea of Uber, and the fact that he had to trade in essentially his old life. He had to trade in his truck, [which is] his baby. He had to trade in his baby to get his baby back. So it was a conversation that I really enjoyed. And the fine tuning of it was, “OK, what’s the overall goal of trying to get Christopher back? And how do we make that happen?” But it can’t be [done] seamlessly, right? Because that’s just not real life. And from the previous season, that’s a crazy event [for Christopher to process] — to walk in and see a version of your mother, who is not your mother, hugging your father — and him just having so many questions. There’s so many events that built up to this that Tim and I just said, “Let’s ground this. Let’s make this about the family.” He had given me plenty of great ideas, and we just collaborated on what was best for the character.
What are the specific differences that you have noticed in your own portrayal of Eddie in El Paso compared to the one in L.A.? How is that headspace different from how you’ve come to play Eddie on the West Coast with the 118?
Guzman: I like to preface [this by talking about] where Eddie came from, because when we were first introduced to Eddie, he was this all-American individual who kept his emotions close to the sleeve, and he was a type that looked almost too perfect. And then over the course of seven seasons, we got to see the flaws, the issues, the anger and everything that was deep-seated inside of him. And then eventually, he worked through those things, and he started to see some evolution in himself and started to question new things and learn some new stuff about himself — up until the point where he is having a conversation with the priest [in Season 8, Episode 6], and the priest is allowing him to really find out that he has not given himself love and he’s not let loose. So that’s where I based this evolution of the character in Texas from.
We saw him dancing on the couch, having a great time of his life. He’s not going to lose that. He shouldn’t lose that. He earned that. So coming into Texas, he’s established this own love for himself and now is allowing that to permeate, even through the obstacles. And having to lose his truck and having to make so many different sacrifices, he knows he’s doing it with a full heart, so he’s able to handle these things a little bit easier and not be so hard on himself and not let any kind of anger or any kind of emotion take over. So it’s an evolved version of Eddie, which I think is really nice to see.
The way Eddie dresses in El Paso is noticeably different from how he dresses in Los Angeles. How intentional was his choice of wardrobe in this episode? Is he trying to fit a certain mold or image in front of his parents or Chris? Is it meant to show that he is, whether consciously or not, reverting back to who he once was in Texas?
Guzman: It was 100 percent purposeful. I made that call, and I asked Tim and Alayna Price, who is our head of our costumes, about that. I noticed that when I’m in L.A., I tend to dress a certain way, and you can be a little bit more stylish out in L.A. But if I go back to [my hometown of] Sacramento, I kind of fall back into what I grew up in. I throw on some hoodies, some random sneakers, whatever it is, and just kind of like that vibe. It feels like home, but it’s not overthought. It’s not trying to be something I’m not. It’s just where I came from. So when we first met Eddie, he was kind of dressing more like he is now in El Paso. And over the course of seven years, he started to find his own style, his own version of whatever it was in L.A. And now that he’s back in Texas, it’s kind of like, “Oh, I’m putting back on this comfortable gear that I’ve always had,” and it’s just allowing himself to integrate in El Paso again.
For me, the story behind the clothes was that he’s fully accepting the fact that he’s not leaving El Paso, and he’s made a commitment to stay there for his kid. So there’s no L.A. there at all. It’s just, “I’m here now. I want you to know that I’m not going.”
