9-1-1 season 8. Guzman has played the troubled firefighter since 2018, and the character has gone through a range of emotional storylines since his debut in the season 2 premiere “Under Pressure.” Throughout the show, Eddie has struggled to find happiness, understand his sexuality, and figure out who he is.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant’s Rachel Foertsch, Guzman discusses his character’s journey to arrive at the point he’s at in his life, and reveals that Eddie is still unsure about exactly who he is, and how he can achieve long-term happiness. He opines that Eddie will probably begin to take himself out of his comfort zone more, and work toward self-love as well, to become a happier and more fulfilled version of himself. Check out Guzman’s full comments on the matter below:

Screen Rant: Does Eddie know who he is, and he's just been trying to hide it, or is it that he hasn't taken the steps to discover what's out there?

Guzman: I don't think he's known who he is. I think he's just figuring that—not even figuring that out. I think he's starting to ask the right questions. I believe that there's so much left to explore with Eddie. I think he has a generalized idea of where he wants to go, but I think anything you do new, you're not really good at it in the beginning.

So when the priest asks, "Have you done anything for yourself?" he's going to try to extend himself and try, in many ways, to figure out what that is. I don't think he's going to be successful, which is going to be fun to watch for the audience.

Screen Rant: For years, there have been a lot of questions about what long-term happiness looks like for Eddie, and we've never gotten a definitive answer. Is that something the show might give this season?

Guzman: Steps towards the right direction. I don't know if it's a full-on answer, but I believe that self-love starts in this episode, and we'll see what happens in the next couple of episodes.

How Will Eddie’s Character Journey Unfold

There Will Be Pitfalls Along The Way

Eddie has always been a loose cannon and has never quite seemed to be able to get to a place in life where he is truly happy. Every time it seems like he has, he will seemingly self-sabotage, such as when he cheated on Marisol, alienating his son Christopher, and straining their relationship further. As likable as Eddie is, he is also a prime example of someone who just cannot get out of his own way, but the positive is that he seems to be understanding this better in season 8.

Despite his troubled past, I believe Eddie can find the happiness and fulfillment he is searching for; he has a son, who is a grounding force in his life

Season 8, episode 6 saw Eddie visiting a church for confession about how screwed up his life is, but ultimately leaving dissatisfied. However, this could mark the start of Eddie working toward loving himself more and embracing his ambiguous sexuality. The remainder of the season, as well as a potential 9-1-1 season 9, could see him look to make amends with other characters and adopt a more positive and happy outlook on life.

Our Verdict On Whether Eddie Can Achieve Fulfillment

It Might Take A While But There Is Reason For Eddie To Be Happy

Fulfillment and happiness are, of course, subjective abstract concepts, and everyone has their own ideas of what this looks like. Despite his troubled past, I believe Eddie can find the happiness and fulfillment he is searching for; he has a son, who is a grounding force in his life, and a strong friendship circle, not to mention his strong connection with Buck. As long as he realizes he doesn’t have to struggle through life alone, Eddie can find what he's looking for, but it might take a few more seasons of 9-1-1 before he gets there.