[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 12 “Disconnected.”]
Eddie (Ryan Guzman) doesn’t get off to the perfect begin again in Texas on 9-1-1. He moved there to be nearer to his son — Christopher (Gavin McHugh) resides with Eddie’s mother and father — after he left on account of his father mendacity (and catching him with the doppelgänger of his late mom). And it doesn’t take lengthy for Eddie to as soon as once more misinform his son.
Eddie does attempt to proceed to work as a firefighter. Bobby (Peter Krause) apparently gave him a glowing suggestion. Captain Morales calls him “an distinctive candidate with perhaps essentially the most stellar reference I ever checked. Your Captain Nash loves you a lot, he mentioned you’ll all the time have a job ready for you again on the 118.” Eddie says that’s good to listen to — even he is aware of that he’s not going to be in Texas for good — however that doesn’t appear to be true for the captain. He talks about recruiting a lieutenant just for the firefighter to bail after 4 months when his spouse took a brand new job. Eddie assures him he’s single and is in Texas for his son. He wants this job, and he doesn’t have a plan B. He additionally provides his phrase if he hires him, he received’t remorse it.
Whereas ready to listen to from the captain, Eddie buys Chris a PS5. He tells his mother and father the brand new job comes with a signing bonus, and it’s only a formality that he will get it. Eddie is then touched when his dad tells him that he heard Christopher bragging to him about his dad being a firefighter. His dad additionally assures him that Chris will come round, identical to Eddie did. (In fact, we haven’t forgotten about Eddie’s previous together with his mother and father.)
However there’s a hitch: Eddie doesn’t get the job. As he tells Buck (Oliver Stark) over FaceTime, Morales mentioned that he wished to make a proposal however the division is in the course of a hiring freeze … that occurred after they talked. It might be as much as a 12 months, and Eddie doesn’t manage to pay for to attend after the cash he’s placing into his new home, which wants quite a lot of work. Eddie’s contemplating returning to Los Angeles, however as showrunner Tim Minear had informed TV Insider, Buck reminds him he didn’t transfer there to be a firefighter however to be Chris’ dad, so he can’t come again.
Eddie finally ends up buying and selling in his truck for a automotive with higher gasoline mileage and turns into an Uber driver — although his household thinks he’s a firefighter. He fully fails at his new job, nevertheless, as a result of he received’t cease speaking. Then he will get recommendation from a passenger with expertise and issues flip round … till he picks up Chris and his pal. Chris pretends to not know him.
Chris was shocked, with a touch of disappointment and pity, Eddie tells Buck, and so they have but to talk. Buck tells him to name his son, or at the very least textual content him. Eddie simply can’t consider he obtained caught in one other lie, calling it his worst nightmare come true, however his finest pal argues that already occurred, when Chris left. This time, he has the possibility to face the results.
And so Eddie does textual content Christopher, however his messages go unanswered till Chris reveals up at his home, with the PS5, wanting him to return it as a result of he wants to save lots of his cash if he’s going to stay round. “You’re my dad,” he says when Eddie’s stunned he needs him to. Eddie explains he was embarrassed and simply wished him to be happy with him, and Chris assures him, “I’m happy with you.” With that, father and son hug and say, “I really like you.”
It’s such a candy second, in addition to a lot wanted given the painful separation all season. But it surely’s additionally apparent that their time in Texas is proscribed. Eddie has to return to Los Angeles, and it’s time for him to inform Chris it’s time for him to maneuver residence as nicely. Possibly that ending scene is step one in that route. And with an enormous two-parter developing (Episodes 14 and 15), it could be a disgrace to not have Eddie there for at the very least a part of it.
9-1-1, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC