Warning: Contains SPOILERS for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 8.The fall finale of "Wannabees" ties up most of its plotlines within the hour, but introduces a new one that leaves fans impatiently awaiting the show's return on March 6. Ryan Guzman's Eddie plans to move to Texas in the hopes of reconciling with Christopher.

Although he's important to everyone at Station 118, the character and his son have had a particularly close bond with Buck since 9-1-1 season 2. Eddie's best friend appears ive of the move, but a lingering shot tells a different story. Showrunner Tim Minear reveals that Buck will be "spinning like a top" when viewers see him in 2025 and trying to process "what he's about to lose." Minear continues on to share his excitement about the show's storylines, promising that "everyone's life will have changed" by the end of season 8, episode 10.

ScreenRant interviews Minear about the inspiration behind the fall finale, Buck's storyline in 9-1-1 season 8, and what's next for Eddie given his potential move to El Paso.

Minear Wanted Season 8's Busybody Storyline To Feel Like "Old-School" 9-1-1

"On some level, he had a true sense of justice, and that's something that's always going to resonate with Athena Grant."

ScreenRant: What made you decide to tell the story between Athena and Graham in 9-1-1's mid-season finale?

Tim Minear: I wanted to do something that felt a little season 2-ish, a little kind of old-school 9-1-1. And I am a fan of this YouTube channel called Cart Narcs. I don't know if you've ever seen it. Cart Narcs is basically what we did in the episode. There's just something about seeing people confronted in a parking lot about not putting their carts back and how that brings out something kind of terrible in people.

Because everybody feels a little ashamed, like, "Oh, I know I really should be putting that back." But the more you get confronted by a Karen or a busybody, the more you double down on it. So there was just something that appealed to me about this kid who was doing that because he believed in justice and wanted to stop the moral decay, and it all starts in the cart cradle.

I just felt like that's somebody that Athena could kind of empathize with. At first, she just thinks you're a busybody and you're just trying to trigger people for your content, but she realized that, on some level, he had a true sense of justice, and that's something that's always going to resonate with Athena Grant.

Brad has spent so much time trying to look like a real firefighter, but he ends up saving someone’s life because he's recognized as an actor. Can you talk a bit about the journey you wanted him to go on?

Tim Minear: There's a very seminal movie for me when I was a kid called My Favorite Year, which is a Peter O'Toole movie, where he plays this actor who has everything, and he's famous, and he's also privileged, and he gets away with bad behavior. But what you learn about him in the story is that, for everything he has, his life is empty. And that is really the story I wanted to tell with Brad.

He feels like, "I want to be a real actor," and "I want to be like Robert De Niro," or "I want to make something that means something." But in the end, he doesn't feel like what he does actually does amount to anything. But as you noted, what he discovers is, no, actually his show means something to someone. What he's doing is maybe not without value, and then of course, really what that story is there to do is to help facilitate Eddie's story.

9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 8 Marks The End Of Brad's Storyline (For Now)

"I am not in a big hurry to return to that world, but Brad, like Tommy, or these other characters—they're characters in our universe."

Fans love how much Brad adores Bobby. Is that a dynamic that was always planned or did it develop as you saw the actors playing off of one another?

Tim Minear: It was planned at the beginning that Brad was going to want to pick Bobby's brain because Bobby is a little bit of a legend as Brad even notes in the first episode of this season. He's done all these amazing things, and he's a little bit of a legend. As an actor, Brad wanted some of that very similitude to rub off on him.

But then just seeing the way Callum [Blue] was playing his adoration of Bobby, we just leaned into it—which I think makes it really effective when he gets dressed down by Bobby. You see his vulnerability and suddenly this kind of buffoonish cartoon character, you realize, "Oh, there's a lot of pain there."

Will we see more of Brad, or was Episode 8 meant to cap his storyline?

Tim Minear: Yeah, yeah. It felt like this was a way to pay tribute to that story and to actually let it resolve into something that felt like it had an ending. So I am not in a big hurry to return to that world, but Brad, like Tommy, or these other characters—they're characters in our universe. You never know when you may see them again.

Eddie Will Do Whatever It Takes To Repair His Relationship With Christopher In 9-1-1 Season 8

"He can't not risk further alienating his kid, and he can't not risk walking away from everything that he has."

When plots like this come up, people do wonder if the actor may be leaving a series. Everyone loves Ryan Guzman's Eddie, so is there anything you can share about his status on the show?

Tim Minear: The character is dead serious about doing whatever he has to do to repair his relationship with his kid. And so we're not throwing chum into the water to attract controversy. That's really what this character is thinking of doing, and he means it. And we're going to explore that when we come back.

Since Christopher moved to take space from his father, could Eddie going to Texas damage their relationship even more?

Tim Minear: The way Eddie's looking at it is that he's had some space. Perhaps had too much space. And I think what he ends up seeing when he goes on this FaceTime call in the episode is that this kid looks older, he looks more mature, he looks settled, he seems to be thriving there, and "If I don't do something, I'm going to miss this kid growing up."

Which then makes you ask yourself as his father, "Do I go out there and say, 'Okay, get in the car, it's time to go home'? Do I want to uproot him from a place where he's thriving, or do I leave behind the things that are important to me and try to repair it that way?" So everything's a risk. You have to assess what the risks and rewards are, but I just don't think Eddie has a choice. He can't not risk further alienating his kid, and he can't not risk walking away from everything that he has. He's got to do something.

Buck Will Spiral Over Eddie's Potential Departure When 9-1-1 Season 8 Returns

"As much as he wants to be ive and mature about this, he will end up spinning like a top."

Buck seems to be really ive of the move until he looks away and you see his face drop. What does this mean for Buck and Eddie's storyline going forward?

Tim Minear: It's going to be the thing that is forefront for Buck. You could tell we were telling that story a little bit from Buck's point of view. He's the one that walks in, and we discover through Buck's eyes what's going on. Buck has abandonment issues going all the way back to his birth basically. And as much as he wants to be ive and mature about this, he will end up spinning like a top.

I feel like Buck is generally pretty inclined to speak his mind, like when Eddie left the 118 a few seasons ago. Why does he feel the need to put on an act here?

Tim Minear: I think it's because it has to do with Christopher. It's one thing to say, "You need to be working over here. You need to come back here. What you're doing is silly." That's one thing. It's another thing to insert yourself between a father and his kid and have your needs be important in any way. You can't do it. Which is going to drive him nuts, by the way.

So Buck will spiral.

Tim Minear: Oh, yeah. You'll see it.

Buck just got out of a relationship that helped him realize something important about himself. What is his storyline going to look like when we see him in the second half of season 8?

Tim Minear: When we come back for the second half, at first, Buck's story is a little more centered around what's going on with Eddie, and what he's about to lose there. And then he will, of course, end up putting all of his anxieties and neediness—he'll find something else besides baking to funnel all that into. We'll see how well that works out.

Eddie's Storyline Will Continue To Be At The Forefront Of 9-1-1 Season 8

"You just never know what tree might fall on you along the way."

Eddie's story has been an important one this season. He's looking for happiness. Will his arc continue to be at the forefront of season 8?

Tim Minear: Yeah. I think that he kind of realized that the self-flagellation wasn't really getting him anywhere, so he shaved off the mustache and danced around like Tom Cruise, as one does.

An iconic scene.

Tim Minear: Iconic! So iconic. So I don't think that he's into the self-flagellation anymore, but now it's about the serious work of repairing his relationship, reestablishing his relationship with his kid, and there are a lot of complications to that. There are geographical complications. His own parents who've always wanted to raise [his] kid—they'll end up being a bit of a complication. And then you just never know what tree might fall on you along the way.

This is a long hiatus, so are there any other storylines you can tease to help tide fans over?

Tim Minear: I'm really excited about the first couple of episodes up when we come back. Obviously, we'll be dealing with the Buck situation and the Eddie situation, and we'll be revisiting Maddie's pregnancy. And then I have a great thriller story that Maddie and Athena are going to work together on. And then by the end of Episode 10, everyone's life will have changed.

About 9-1-1 Season 8 On ABC

Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear reimagine the procedural drama

9-1-1 explores the high-pressure experiences of first responders — including police officers, firefighters and dispatchers — who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping conditions. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives. The show draws from the real lives of first responders who regularly face situations that are often unpredictable, intense and uplifting at the same time.

Check out our other 9-1-1 season 8 interviews, as well:

• Oliver Stark
• Ryan Guzman

9-1-1 season 8 returns with new episodes March 6 on ABC and is currently available to stream on Hulu.