The 9-1-1 season 7 finale was filled with endless plot twists and surprises — but it was the last minute cliffhanger that left fans reeling.
Warning: Spoilers below for the season 7 finale of 9-1-1.
The episode, which aired on Thursday, May 30, saw almost all members of the 118 facing major changes in their lives. Bobby (Peter Krause) and Athena’s (Angela Bassett) house has entirely burned down, Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Karen (Traci Thoms) have lost their foster license — but find light at the end of the tunnel thanks to Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chimney (Kenneth Choi) — and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) faces the repercussions of his actions after getting a little too close to the doppelganger of his late wife, Shannon (Devin Kelley).
Ahead of the finale, Guzman opened up about Eddie’s decision to let Kim (also Devin Kelley) into his life in an attempt to work through his trauma by pretending to speak to his dead partner through her (yes, that really happened). Guzman believes Eddie’s decisions have only made matters worse for him and his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), who walks in on Eddie and Kim at the end of episode 9.
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“I believe that it only made things worse. I mean, one door may have slightly closed, if not closed fully, but so many doors opened — and not the best doors,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “With him finally getting some of that cathartic release, he also now is living in this new land of: OK, well, what’s post-Shannon life look like? Now I don’t have this connection with my son because now he thinks his mom is back from the dead. How am I going to have that conversation? Now, obviously, my relationship with my soul [meaning Christopher] is gone. I crushed that. I’m living in a new land now. I think for Eddie, it’s kind of the passing of torches from one obstacle to the next.”
Ultimately, Christopher is left hurt by Eddie enough to call his grandparents and ask that he move with them to Texas. While Eddie initially hesitates, he begrudgingly lets him go, letting Chris know that he can return at any time.
The choice is reflective of what Guzman said when he spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about Eddie and Christopher’s changing dynamic in season 7 earlier this season.
“I think with Christopher, it’s going to be more of an exploration towards this new version of himself,” he told Us at the time. “And then for Eddie, it’s going to be allowing him to do that because Eddie has always had a strong hold on who Christopher is, what Christopher’s doing, what he can and can’t eat, all that stuff. It’s going to be an opportunity for Eddie to sit back, and can he sit back is the real [question].”
In Guzman’s eyes, Eddie putting his son first is the most imperative thing there is. “I think first and foremost is what it will do for Christopher,” he said. “He’s always got Christopher on the front end of his mind. So I think there was a lot of growth at the end of this episode and a very hopeful Eddie again.”
Keep scrolling for a full recap of 9-1-1 season 7 episode 10:
Eddie Says Goodbye, and Oh, It Hurts
After Christopher walked in on Eddie hugging Kim — a lookalike of his dead wife, Shannon — last episode, Eddie begins to spiral over how much damage he caused his son. When Christopher locks himself in his room and refuses to come out, Eddie immediately calls Buck for help, hoping that he can get the teen to listen.
The pair’s conversation is interrupted, however, by Eddie’s parents who show up and reveal that Christopher has called them claiming he “caught” Eddie “kissing his dead wife.” When Eddie explains the situation, his parents share that Christopher has requested to come live with them in Texas.
Eddie initially refuses, even asking Buck once again to sit down and try and convince Christopher to stay. Buck is unsuccessful, however, and Eddie — in one of the show’s most heartbreaking moments — is forced to say goodbye to his son for the time being.
Whether Eddie and his girlfriend, Marisol (Edy Ganem) — who also caught him embracing Kim in episode 9 — are done for good also remains to be seen, but when Buck asks if a knock out the door could be her, Eddie replies, “Not a chance.”
Hen and Karen Get Guardian Angels in Familiar Faces
Hen and Karen begin the episode distressed over the loss of their foster license and their foster daughter, Mara (Askyler Bell), being taken from them before they were able to adopt her. Hen spends the first half of the finale sneaking into to see Mara, who feels betrayed. After a heart to heart, Hen promises Mara that she will be back for her before getting kicked out by CPS.
In the final moments of the episode, Maddie and Chimney invite Karen and Hen over to their house and reveal that they’ve been approved as fosters for Mara, who can now stay with them in their home while Hen and Karen figure out how they can adopt Mara themselves.
Athena Is in Her Reputation Era
With Bobby in a coma due to taking in too much smoke while saving her, Athena is determined to find who set their home on fire. She immediately connects the crime to Amir (Malcom-Jamal Warner), a man who lost his family when Bobby accidentally burned a building down in Minnesota years ago. She recalls that Amir had been in her home earlier that day, excusing himself quickly after seeing the happy life Bobby had built for himself after causing so much pain.
Athena immediately hunts down Amir, finding him and holding him at gunpoint. As the two converse — and Amir tries to convince her he isn’t the one who started the fire — they realize that they have a lot in common after both facing tragic loss in their lives. As Athena agrees to let Amir prove his innocence, the cartel shows up. The pair quickly figure out they are the ones who attempted to kill Bobby after Bobby bested them episodes prior, and Amir gives himself up to them in order to protect Athena.
Athena follows Amir’s kidnappers to a warehouse, where she and Amir are able to stall before backup arrives, arresting the cartel. “We both get to walk out of this one,” Athena tells Amir as they stand in the burning warehouse.
Bobby’s Alive — But Also Out of a Job
Bobby spends most of the episode on death’s door following his cardiac arrest, but after defeating the cartel, Athena gets the call that he’s woken up from his coma. long with her kids, Harry (Elijah M. Cooper) and May (Corinne Massiah), she shows up to the hospital with new phones and clothes and they plan their next steps as a family.
Bobby, for his part — who was seemingly experiencing suicidal ideation before his coma — has come out of his near death experience with a new appreciation for life. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when he returns to the 118 to resume his duty as captain. After arriving, Captain Vincent Gerard (Brian Thompson) – the horribly racist and hom*ophobic fire chief that ran the 118 before Bobby — shows up to reveal that Bobby actually quit the force weeks ago, and he’s now taking over.
“Line up in 10,” he tells the crew as they stare at him in disbelief.
Buck Is Doing OK, Actually
Amid all the chaos, Buck ends the season as one of the only characters who doesn’t have many issues. He’s continuing to explore his sexuality, shows up for his friends and is still dating Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.), whom he hosts for dinner at the end of the episode.
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Buck does have to say goodbye to Christopher, though. Plus, Bobby being replaced by (very hom*ophobic and racist) Captain Gerrard also promises to be a seriously big issue from everyone at the 118 come season 8.
Maddie and Chimney Are Also Living in Bliss
After a wedding that could not have gone more wrong, Maddie and Chimney are enjoying their newlywed bliss at the end of season 7. They’ve also done a great thing by helping Hen and Karen with Mara, and are continuing to raise their daughter, Jee-Yun.
That happiness, of course, likely won’t last for long in the world of 9-1-1, and Chimney in particular has a lot of trauma and baggage to deal with when it comes to Gerard.
