Fox’s 9-1-1 is currently on a seemingly unending hiatus, but is set to come back for new episodes on March 21. When it does, don't be surprised to see one more firefighter added to the mix, following Eddie’s decision to leave the 118 in the midseason finale. But what does the new arrival's presence mean for the former army man?
John Tucker Must Die and The Vampire Diaries vet Arielle Kebbel has been cast as a new character that will prove to be a very formidable player, according to Deadline. With the news of the firehouse losing one of its own, could she serve some kind of replacement? This won't be like the departure of Rockmond Dunbar, though, so fans shouldn't have to worry. Let's dig in.
Who Is The New Firefighter?
Arielle Kebbel, who most recently starred in NBC's short-lived killer-thriller Lincoln Rhyme: The Bone Collector, is set to portray Lucy Donato, a firefighter working for the rival 147 firehouse. A quick thinker when it comes to important and life-saving decisions, Lucy is a daredevil and is basically the female iteration of Evan Buckley, the 118’s own risk-taker. Lucy and her 147 crew end up coming together with the 118 for a rescue, and it’s then that we will find out more details about the new character.
It’s unknown how big of a part Lucy will play in the remaining eight episodes of Season 5 of 9-1-1, and how she might come to join the 118, but it seems like she’s going to be a major player. This will likely fill the hole that is left by Eddie Diaz, who told his coworkers he’d be leaving the 118 in order to focus more on his mental health and his son, Christopher. So while the fire crew get acquainted with Lucy, where does that leave him?
What Will Happen With Eddie?
The official synopsis for the spring premiere of 9-1-1 states that Eddie will “have a rough transition” with his new job, so the former firefighter will already be employed by the time the series is back in our lives. However, this raises the question of just what kind of job it is. Eddie was a medic in the military on top of being a firefighter, so depending on his college degree, there might not be much for him to easily fall into regarding his past experience.
A possibility could be an at-home job that would keep him closer to Christopher. One of the biggest reasons behind Eddie quitting the firefighter life was so that his son wouldn’t have to worry about him on the job following the sniper attack. Eddie could potentially land a job at Christopher’s school, even if it’s just a teacher’s aide. But it seems like whatever his job is, the switch is not going to be easy and we will be watching it every step of the way.
Arielle Kebbel will first appear as Lucy Donato in 9-1-1’s spring premiere, so fans won’t have to wait long to see her in action. It will be interesting to see her dynamic with not only her own firehouse, but rival house 118. But even if Kebbel's Lucy could be filling the Eddie-shaped void by way of public service, fans shouldn’t have to worry about seeing less of Ryan Guzman's character, since we’ll be watching him in his new job.
Hopefully there won’t be anyone replacing Eddie altogether going forward, but Lucy will be a good way to balance things out. Catch the two in action when one of the biggest shows of Fall 2021, 9-1-1, returns on Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. EST on Fox! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to look forward to.
