Eddie Diaz, get behind me! I'm going to get you off this carousel!
We need to have an earnest conversation about Eddie Diaz in 9-1-1 Season 7, and we WILL have that conversation. But first, we have much to discuss.
And A LOT was happening during 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 7.
Fresh off the Madney wedding, Maddie and Chimney would find themselves smack in the middle of a call gone seriously wrong that awakened many feelings in Maddie.
The frightened mother's call hit too close for Maddie. The woman was calling from the passenger seat of a vehicle that we, the audience, and Maddie assumed was being driven by her husband, and she was clearly in a lot of distress.
The presence of a baby in the backseat only upped the anxiety and the need for a quick response to what was quickly devolving into a dangerous situation.
With Maddie's past, I could understand why she should have given the call to Josh and why it was imperative for her to take it.
Maddie did her job diligently, collecting the right information while providing as much assistance as possible through the telephone. But everything happened quickly, and the call deteriorated the longer it went on.
You can tell which calls on 9-1-1 will wind up being more than just a "standard" emergency that's solved and fits in with the theme of the hour. This one was bigger from the jump, and by the time the 118 was called to the car accident scene, you could tell a twist was brewing.
A missing baby will always be an all-hands-on-deck situation, and it was so nice to see Romero back.
This is a little side note, but 9-1-1 always remembers its guest stars and recurring characters, which is so nice. If there's an opportunity to bring a loved character back for an hour, they jump on it, and it's a nice touch to the series and adds to the family feels.
The great 9-1-1 mysteries usually involve misdirection, but they avoid complicating things, which is always appreciated. So many procedurals go to extreme lengths to make the most convoluted cases of the week to take up their run time.
This one kept getting more and more curious, though if you listened closely to the call, there were a few occasions when you could tell things were not what they seemed, and it just took Maddie a little longer to figure it out, but she, with an assist from her husband (!) got there in the end.
It's only been one episode, and I'm absolutely in love with married Madney. It's not as if anything changed about their dynamic, as they've always supported one another, but it felt like everything was a little more heightened knowing they were legally wed now.
The way the case kept subverting what seemed obvious, the more apparent it was that Catherine didn't know the man in the car with her, and he was seriously unwell, which was exactly how things played out.
Given the dramatic nature of the early parts of this season and then the wedding, there hasn't been much time for one of these full-hour cases that involved everyone, and it was good to see it back here.
Finding ways to incorporate everyone into a singular story, even if they're operating separately but still all working toward a common goal, are always some of the best stories.
Ultimately, it took Maddie, Athena, Romero, Chimney, and Buck to stop Kyle's misguided and terrifying plan from setting sail. And it was damn close.
Josh: Maddie, you worked with what information you had.
Maddie: But I didn’t listen to her. I listened to him. What else did I miss?
Maddie may have doubted herself, and understandably, she felt that way. She heard what she wanted to hear because Catherine's words felt familiar.
She'd been Catherine. She'd been scared for her life. She'd been terrified that any wrong word or misstep could be the end for her.
Being an ex-nurse has always been a bonus for Maddie being in dispatch, but she also has empathy and strength. I disagree with her assessment that she shouldn't have taken that call.
She was paramount in helping to reunite that innocent child with her family.
Related: Did 9-1-1's Three-Episode Ship Disaster Sink or Swim?
While Maddie was visiting Catherine, we got our first glimpse at guest star Malcolm-Jamal Warner as a nurse on the burn unit with a story to tell.
He and Maddie shared a genuine moment while getting pretty heavy and honest with one another, considering they'd just met. Kind faces will always attract other kind faces, and walls will break down.
There's something sad behind Amir's demeanor, and if that little tease about him recognizing Bobby's name was any indication, we're on a collision course to figure out what's in his past.
He may have told Romero that he didn't know Bobby, and perhaps that's true, but he may know of him. Something between the men will play out as the rest of the season unfolds, and while it's probably poised to be a tearjerker, it's also exciting.
Was Amir involved in the fire back in Minnesota? Or perhaps their paths crossed in Los Angeles?
Bobby has such a devastating past, but I wonder if wherever this Amir story leads him, he will be that much closer to sustaining some more peace.
Elsewhere, Hen and Karen discovered some new information about Mara that left them feeling a little out of the loop.
On the surface, I could understand why Dierdra didn't tell them Mara had a sibling, as that seemed like a pretty murky area. When it comes to minors, their guardians have rights and protections, and it should be up to them what information about their child is shared, right?
But even so, how devastating must it have been for Mara to have her parents pass away and then never see or hear from or about her little brother?
How often do people say, 'Kids are resilient?' It's one of those things people say, and while on the surface it's true, it's not as if you can throw a million things at a child and expect them to bounce right back.
Mara's life hasn't been easy, and she's been dealt a lot of pain and trauma in her short years on Earth. We hadn't seen her since 9-1-1 Season 1 Episode 5, but it was evident in the time that passed she was still getting comfortable with the Wilsons, and that's okay.
The simple fact that she opened up to Denny should show Hen and Karen that everyone's doing their best, and Mara knows she's surrounded by people she can trust.
On top of the fears she has at night, there's probably also been a profound sadness inside her missing her brother and also a fear that she may not see him again. Losing your parents and your brother is as horrifying as it gets.
Hen and Karen, the amazingly big-hearted and supportive women they are, immediately wanted to rectify the situation in any way they could. And that's just example 104949 of what incredible parents they are.
Parents are meant to protect their children, guide them, and do whatever they can to ensure they're loved. Mara needed Tyson. She needed to know he was okay.
Hen and Karen were determined to make that happen.
I could understand both sides here, though it's hard to look in from the outside and see a man who is okay with keeping two siblings apart. However, it's also a much more complicated situation.
Vincent's whole life was turned upside down, and suddenly, he had this very young son he needed to protect, guide, and love. It didn't seem like he was trying to be cruel, but he wasn't necessarily thinking outside the scope of Tyson.
I'm not prepared to say Vincent's some lousy human being because the situation is horrid, but thankfully, his partner (wife? It wasn't exactly clear) heard what Hen and Karen said and put Tyson's needs above all else.
Hen and Karen's adoption journey certainly didn't start as they expected it to, and it's been a bit more challenging than they may have anticipated, but they have so much love to give, and they're such attentive and well-meaning parents.
In the short time Mara has been with them, you can tell in the way they speak to her and about her that she's family. The minute she walked through the door, she was family.
Hopefully, this won't be a one-and-done storyline, and we can see Mara and Tyson spend time together, even if it's not on-screen, perhaps we hear that they two are fostering their relationship because it's an important one, especially at their young ages.
Alright, no more stalling, guys. We've reached the part where we must talk about Eddie Diaz and this story that feels ripped from a soap opera's February sweeps playbook.
Related: 9-1-1 Chronicles: A Look Back at the Series' Most Impactful Moments
It was established during 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 5 that Eddie and Marisol don't know each other. They know each other enough to forge a relationship, but moving in was wildly premature when they discovered fundamental things about their pasts they never bothered to disclose.
We hadn't seen Marisol since then (a problem in itself if we're supposed to invest any emotion into this relationship beyond indifference). When we did see her here, it was to reinforce that things were fine between the fair.
They're eating ice cream and teasing one another. Marisol jokes about them never being able to get rid of her.
It's all very domestic and whatnot. And we should be walking away from that, thinking that Eddie's happy, and this is a relationship he's all in on since they awkwardly decided to un-move her in.
Instead, Eddie walks down the street and comes across Shannon Diaz's doppelganger folding clothes in a likely overpriced Los Angeles boutique.
I was with Marisol for a hot second when she remarked that it looked like Eddie saw a ghost when he finally tore his eyes away from the woman. Because surely that was just a figment of his imagination.
Or one of those movie moments when you think you see the love of your life who left you walk into the coffee shop where you first met, but it ends up being someone who looks an awful lot like them but isn't ACTUALLY them.
This was sort of like that? But also not really.
This wasn't Shannon (although it is the same actress who has portrayed Shannon since 9-1-1 Season 2), and instead, a random woman seemingly living in LA who resembles Eddie's late wife. Like, to a tee.
We have to start honestly discussing what's happening with Eddie Diaz because I'm confused. He's in this dead-end relationship that's been doomed from the start. Instead of having it naturally peter out, we're getting into some sticky territory here with the addition of Kim, the Shannon doppelganger.
Eddie will always have complicated feelings about Shannon and their marriage, and he will always have a place in his heart that Shannon occupies. She was his friend, wife, the mother of his child, and someone he once built his whole life around.
That's not something you ever fully move on from, though you learn how to live with it as time passes. That grief can be all-encompassing and triggering, and those little flashbacks of Shannon and Eddie were incredibly sad.
The show invokes Shannon whenever they need Eddie to struggle with something, namely his relationships. When things with Ana imploded, Eddie was having literal panic attacks about the possibility of a future with her.
It was the first woman he wanted to spend time with since Shannon and Christopher loved her, but he wasn't all in.
Now, history appears to be repeating itself, except instead of the specter of Shannon looming over his relationship, we've got literal doppelganger Shannon flirting with Eddie over a set of charms while he declines to mention he has a girlfriend.
What are we doing here?
Again, I understand that Shannon's never going away (and she shouldn't!) because Eddie will always grieve her, their family, and potentially what they could have been.
At times, it feels like Eddie has this idealized version of Shannon in his head when, in reality, there were a lot of issues within their relationship.
Maybe they would have found their way back to one another. Maybe they wouldn't have. And perhaps it's that unknown that Eddie has struggled with.
Related: Ryan Guzman Teases 'Hopeful' Eddie Diaz & 9-1-1 Season 7 Humor
From what little we see here of Eddie and Kim, the doppelganger, Eddie is taken by her, looking like Shannon. And the whole thing is very odd. If the end goal is dumping Marisol, why did THIS have to be the way to get there?
When Eddie had that daydream memory of him and Shannon in bed together, the show cleverly framed it in a way that initially made it seem like he was with the doppelganger.
I can hear the gasps that were probably released across America in those first few seconds!
But that unlocked memory did something to Eddie, enough to make him forget all sense and ask Kim out on a date while lying to the closest people in his life.
This story needs much more room to breathe before we can overanalyze every aspect, but what should this date accomplish? Is it to verify that Kim isn't Shannon?
Is it to forge something with the woman who looks like your wife?
You, my postman, and I would know if I showed him this episode that Kim ISN'T Shannon. Does someone need to tell Eddie that? There's projecting, and then there's this.
Does someone need to tell Eddie he asked this woman out under awful pretenses, as she surely doesn't know she shares a face with his deceased wife? Does someone need to tell Eddie he has a girlfriend?
Does someone need to tell Eddie how traumatic this whole situation could be for his child?
The answer is D, which is all of the above.
Turning Eddie Diaz into a man who lies to his best friend to date someone who's not his girlfriend is such a perplexing choice. This is the same Eddie who stayed faithful to Shannon, even after she left and doesn't intentionally hurt people.
Because that's what this is. He will hurt Kim when she discovers what's happening, and he will hurt Marisol.
Eddie stepping out of his girlfriend was not something I would have ever seen coming, and as an Eddie Diaz truther, I'm not sure how to feel about it. Turning Eddie into a cheater, even if you want to try and explain away it as a product of guilt or grief, is still cheating.
Hopefully, by the time the season ends, this will all make sense, and I'll be able to say, 'Ah, I get it.'
That realization currently feels like it's a long way away, and right now, I'm disappointed and a little shell-shocked about what just happened, but I recognize that this is merely the story's beginning.
But the start may be nearly impossible to erase.
Loose Ends
- So, at some point in his youth, Buck was a linebacker or a professional wrestler because not everyone knows the perfect way to tackle like that.
- Hen's fits are always next level, but all the shorts and t-shirt combos during this hour were ELITE. I need a whole Instagram reel with the various fits from the hour.
- Buck trying out different lasagnas for the Diaz boys, or in this case, to babysit Christopher, is so Buck of him. It's a shame Eddie's lies taint the whole scene! (I'm dramatic.)
- Did I mention how much I adore married Madney? Their little moment with wine and their baby girl was the sweetest.
- I was slightly confused at first as to why the cops didn't recognize who Kyle was after the crash because the BOLO was out, right? But then I realized it was just a bad coincidence for Kyle, and an amazing one for the baby and mother in the trunk, to run into the cops like that.
- Bobby Nash carrying a baby into the hospital in his turnouts was a sight!
An odd hour? A good hour? A bad hour? Maybe a little of all three? This was one of those hours with some solid moments and head-scratching ones, making for an uneven viewing experience, though I did enjoy myself overall.
But I've talked long enough. The floor is now yours! Let me know how you feel about this Eddie storyline in the comments and your thoughts about everything else from the hour!