It’s time for another backstory, and this time, it’s Eddie Diaz. In this week’s 9-1-1, as the 118 deal with a kid who is stuck in a well 45 feet in the ground, we are taken back to when Eddie enlisted in the military, dealing with Christopher and a struggling Shannon, who is trying to make it work. Eddie risks his life both in the military and trying to save the little boy and comes out as a hero.
Find out Eddie’s backstory, as well as how Ryan Guzman absolutely kills his performance, in the newest episode of 9-1-1, “Eddie Begins.”
East Coast, who's ready for an all-new #911onFOX STARTING NOW?! 🙋♂️🙋♀️ pic.twitter.com/IsI9PgzwPy
— 9-1-1 on FOX (@911onFOX) April 21, 2020
At the firehouse, Christopher and Carla visit, and Carla tells Eddie that Christopher is supposed to say to Ms. Flores what he’s presenting for show and tell on Friday. Eddie thought Christopher was bringing in his new hamster, and Carla says the new hamster is old news. She tells Eddie that somebody has been snooping in his closet and gives him a small box with his silver star. Buck comes up to him, wondering if that’s what he thinks it is.
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“It’s a silver star ’cause my dad’s a hero.”
Eddie asks Christopher if he’s sure the silver star is what he wants to bring to school on Friday and Christopher tells him he can tell the story. Is that a story Eddie can tell fourth graders? Not really, but after Christopher’s pleas, Eddie gives in — he’ll figure something out. The alarm goes off, and as everyone rushes to the firetrucks, Eddie promises Christopher the two of them, Friday morning, telling “appropriate for fourth grader” war stories.
The 118 get to a house, and Athena tells Bobby it’s a missing boy. The team fans out to search everywhere on the property, trying to find any sign of the little boy named Hayden. Eddie finds a broken fence and notices a toy on the ground. He finds footprints and calls for the others, saying he’s got something. He starts moving wood and rusted furniture, finding a well in the ground, and tries to call for Hayden. They get a camera down the well, and a monitor set up. The cable is already at 40 feet. Can a boy even survive a fall that far? Hen says the well’s narrow, so there’s lots of friction to slow a fall. They spot Hayden on the monitor, but the way he’s pinned with his arms folded and chest constricted at 45 feet, oxygen’s an issue.
That night, a commissioner tells the team that the well sits on a water table that’s about 50 feet down. If Hayden falls another five feet, he drowns. You can’t pull him out from above; no way to access him from the side of the reservoir. The commissioner says there could be some intersecting feeder pipes down there, maybe some drainage tunnels. So how do they get him out?
“We dig.”
Bobby says they set up a drill rig south of the wall, use it to dig a parallel tunnel that is wider and slightly deeper, then they go down. Punch across by hand and access the well. Hopefully, they can pull Hayden out. If the wall cracks, the whole thing could collapse right on top of him.
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Seeing as a boy's life is at stake, there's no room for error. #911onFOX pic.twitter.com/nw0Rzf63ki
— 9-1-1 on FOX (@911onFOX) April 21, 2020
As news vans start rolling up outside and the team prepares to dig the hole, the weather starts to turn bad. Torrential rain and gusty winds will make an already complicated rescue potentially even more dangerous. The rig is ready to drill, but Hayden hasn’t moved in a while. Luckily, they’re ready to send the radio down, but there’s no way to know how far down it’ll go before they lose signal. Hen tells Joy, Hayden’s mother, to let Hayden know they’re there and help is on the way. Chim gives Joy the radio, and Buck tells Bobby that the radio is at 40 feet. Bobby has everyone turn off all channels, and Joy tries to talk to Hayden, telling him to look up, and he does. Hayden calls for his mother, and Joy apologizes to him. Eddie takes the radio, telling him they’re working on getting him out and to stay calm; they’ll be there soon. Eddie promises Joy they’ll get her son back.
When the drill is at almost 40 feet, Buck thinks at the rate they’re going, he’d say another hour, but the rain is really going to slow them down, with another hour or two added on. Hen tells Bobby that Hayden’s been down there 10 hours already. He’s wet now and almost certainly hypothermic. As lightning and thunder strike the sky, Bobby tells Eddie to get the winch and harnesses, and once they hit depth, Eddie says he’ll go in. He’s the one that was talking to Hayden on the radio; he knows his voice; it’d make sense that it’s him.
“Suit me up. I’m going down.”
There's not a doubt in Eddie's mind he's going to save this boy. #911onFOX pic.twitter.com/tU8U0eeGB5
— 9-1-1 on FOX (@911onFOX) April 21, 2020
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Eddie gets ready to go down, and Bobby warns him that the water is rising fast down there. They’re going to lose comms, so Bobby tells him the plan. After 30 minutes, he’s going to feel two strong tugs on his line; then they’re pulling him out. The same goes for Eddie; he finds Hayden first and tugs on the line twice. Bobby says that’s close enough and tells the workers to bring the rig up.
“Let’s bring him home.”
Eddie is slowly lowered into the ground and soon loses signal after 35 feet. “Don’t know if you guys can hear me, but I’m preparing to punch through now.” After some time, Chim loses the signal on the monitor of Hayden, but Eddie finally reaches him. “I told you we were coming for you.” He tries to tell Bobby that he has eyes on Hayden and needs more time, but all they can hear is just static. Bobby tells the team to prep the rig; they’re bringing him up. Buck asks Bobby if they can give Eddie more time, he could have Hayden or almost have him, but Hen says that Eddie could be suffocating in mud five stories below ground; they’re almost down to one minute.
Meanwhile, Eddie tells Hayden he’s going to reach down for him now, and he grabs Hayden’s hand and is in the process of pulling him up from the well, but time’s up. Bobby tells the team to pull Eddie out now. The cable starts to move, and Eddie loses grip on Hayden and is pulled back. He tries to protest and yells for Hayden, cutting his cable, and sliding back down. Buck notices he lost the weight, and the cable is brought back up, with no Eddie.
“He cut the damn line!”
Noooo!!! 😱 #911onFOX pic.twitter.com/soNRlJvzqN
— 9-1-1 on FOX (@911onFOX) April 21, 2020
When Eddie is trying to compose himself, he flashes back to video chatting Shannon and Christopher in 2015 Afghanistan. As Eddie walks over to the medic helicopter, carrying the tablet, Shannon tells him about her mom’s cancer, Stage 3. The signal starts to break up when Shannon says she has to go see her. Eddie tries to tell her they’ll figure something out, but the signal cuts. When the helicopter is on its way back to the base with a couple of wounded soldiers, one of them, Greggs, tells Eddie he dropped something. It’s his St. Christopher medal that Shannon gave him when Christopher was born. Greggs asks if he’s religious, and Eddie says not really. His wife gave it to him when their son was born, not convinced it has any magical powers. It just reminds Eddie of him. The helicopter is soon shot out of the sky, and when Eddie comes to, they’re in the middle of a war zone, and he and the others try to get the wounded to a safe place, shots firing from all directions.
The sacrifices Eddie has had to make… 😔 #911onFOX @ryanAguzman pic.twitter.com/QMaG0ALisf
— 9-1-1 on FOX (@911onFOX) April 21, 2020
Even though everyone is alive and out of the helicopter, Eddie runs back to get Greggs, who is dead. He’s going to make sure he goes home too. Eddie manages to get him out just as the helicopter explodes. Eddie’s wounded, more of them are injured, and shots keep firing. Eddie holds up his St. Christopher medal, hearing Shannon’s voice in his head. “Patron saint of travelers. To protect you and keep you safe.” The firing shots get more intense as Eddie and the others wonder how much longer it will be. He holds up a small picture of Christopher, reflecting on his fight with Shannon when he was deployed again two years prior. Just as all hope seemed lost, a helicopter whirs from above, shooting everywhere. They’re saved. “We’re almost home.” Three months later, Eddie gets a medal for his bravery. “For acts of gallantry and intrepidity in connection with military operations against enemies of the United States.” Eddie’s back in El Paso, celebrating with family.
“It’s not every day your son comes back a hero.”
Eddie says he’s not a hero; he just did what anybody else would do.
In the present, Eddie hears Hayden calling out for his mom, bringing him back to reality. However, Eddie is soon brought back to when he was woken up by Christopher and asks him what the matter is, where’s Mommy. “She’s gone.” Eddie starts to get up but sees a note on the bedside table. “I need some time too.” Eddie tries to reach for Hayden, and he finally gets him, pulling him out of the well, and wrapping him, so he’s warm. He hears Chim calling out for him. “We’re almost home.” Chim comes down, relieved they’re okay. “I was afraid I was gonna have to save your life.” Chim takes Hayden and tells Eddie they’re going to send another line down for him. “Try not to cut this one.” Chim comes up with Hayden, and Joy takes him, going with Hen to get him checked out. Chim tells the team that Eddie’s fine; he just needs a ride. Bobby gets ready to drop another line down to Eddie, but lightning strikes the rig, and it tumbles, crashing onto the ground. Eddie gets buried beneath, and Buck tries to dig, calling for Eddie.
This cannot be happening! 😧 #911onFOX pic.twitter.com/0QLK3hVRwb
— 9-1-1 on FOX (@911onFOX) April 21, 2020
Buck tells Bobby they have to get him out, but they can’t get another rig; even if they could, their access road is flooded. Chim says they can’t dig by hand with all this rain; they could trigger another collapse. They’re talking 30 feet of wet earth coming right down on Eddie, and Buck realizes that the team thinks he’s dead. Nobody thinks that; they just don’t know how to get him out. “Nobody’s giving up on him. Nobody. We’re gonna find him.” Meanwhile, Eddie wakes up and tries to call out over the radio, wondering if anybody can hear him.
“I’m alive. I’m still alive down here!”
Eddie is nearly fully underwater, his oxygen running out, wondering how he’s going to make it out. He remembers what the commissioner said about intersecting feeder pipes and drainage tunnels. He swims, trying to find any way out, and is about to give up when he remembers his time with the 118 and Christopher.
“What I miss most after leaving the army is the camaraderie — working shoulder to shoulder with a great team. There’s nothing better than the one I found here. Well, that’s what the 118 is. The family we chose.”
Eddie swims up and reaches the surface in a lake not far from the field.
Everyone is gathered around Bobby as he tells them what they’re going to do, fan out and do a grid search; LAPD copters will fly around and try to pick up Eddie’s heat signature. “Won’t be easy.” Eddie, weak but walking, comes forward, saying he’s pretty cold, and collapses. Bobby and Buck get him up, and Hen suggests they check him out so he can go home. “I got a big date Friday. I can’t miss it.”
On Friday, Eddie’s certificate and silver star are sitting on Ms. Flores’ desk as Christopher reads about the silver star, Eddie standing right next to him. Christopher tells Eddie to tell the class how he got it, and Eddie tells them about the helicopter, the accident, and the helicopter catching on fire. “Dad got everyone out. He saved them all.” Eddie did his job. A kid asks if he ever wears it, and Eddie says he’s not really a jewelry kind of guy but shows them his St. Christopher medal. So that’s his good luck charm? No. Christopher is.
There are only three episodes left of season three, but there is still reportedly one of the biggest calls of the season yet to come. 9-1-1 airs every Monday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on FOX, streaming the next day on Hulu and the FOXNOW app.
