9-1-1′s Ryan Guzman Gets Real About Eddie’s New Life in Texas, Weighs In on All That Talk of #Buddie Back Home

In addition to exploring the emotional scars of Maddie’s kidnapping ordeal, Thursday’s episode of 9-1-1 also relocated viewers to El Paso, where Eddie hit several roadblocks on his quest to regain Christopher’s trust.

For starters, Eddie’s promised position in the fire department fell through due to a hiring freeze, forcing him to become a rideshare driver — and a chatty one at that. He even had to trade his in his beloved truck for a more eco-friendly vehicle, which led to some big emotions for both Eddie and his portrayer.

“I felt so bad for him when I did that scene,” Ryan Guzman tells TVLine. “I was like, I know how much this truck costs. I know why he’s doing it, I know it’s for a good cause, but I don’t even have to act. This just sucks.”

To make matters even worse, Eddie kept his real job a secret from Christopher, who learned the truth in the most awkward way possible when he and a friend ended up in the back of Eddie’s car. (Just what this relationship needed, more lies!)

Fortunately, Christopher appeared to be forgiving — or at least understanding — of his father’s latest indiscretion, surprising Eddie at his new house where they had a mature talk (and hug!) about what went down.

“We’re making some progress,” Guzman says of Eddie and Christopher’s slow return to normalcy. “There are still plenty of things that need to be done before Eddie feels like the father he needs to be.”

As his new life in Texas spiraled into chaos, Eddie repeatedly checked in with Buck (via FaceTime), who encouraged him to stick it out for Christopher’s sake, rather than returning to the 118 with his tail between his legs. Considering how much Buck misses his best friend, it must have been difficult to tell Eddie to stay, but it also shows growth. After all, Buck was told that he would lose if he ever made Eddie choose between him and Christopher.

“I think Buck got the message,” Guzman says, referring to their latest blow-out. “Nothing has ever gotten between Eddie and his son, other than his dead ex-wife — which is so weird to say out loud. Being who he is, Buck just wants to see Eddie happy. He knows how much [being Christopher’s father] means to Eddie, so there’s no going back to LA if Eddie can’t establish himself in Christopher’s life again.”

Of course, there was one topic that conveniently never came up during Buck and Eddie’s multiple FaceTimes this week. Let’s see, what was it? Ah, yes, the fact that both Maddie and Tommy accused Buck of being in love with Eddie. Out loud. For everyone to hear. Guzman says he hasn’t gotten a chance to watch last week’s episode yet, but he’s definitely “heard some things.”

“That’s his own obstacle,” Guzman says of whether Buck does or doesn’t have feelings for his best friend. “I guess I can pull from real life. I’ve had certain individuals in my life that are friends of mine, and it never crossed my mind whether they liked me or not, but I’ve come to find out that they did. And it did kind of cause awkwardness, more for them than for me. That’s an internal struggle that I don’t wish on anybody.”

Looking ahead to the rest of Season 8, Guzman promises “a lot of growth” for Eddie, as well as “some setbacks that have him revisiting a version of himself that we saw early on when we first introduced Eddie.” Overall, he describes Eddie’s journey as a “push and pull scenario. He’s going to gain a lot, but he might also lose a lot.”

Did you enjoy spending the week with Eddie in Texas? How are you hoping things work out for him in the Lone Star state? (Sorry, too soon.) Whatever’s on your mind, drop it in a comment below.