On May 30, 2024, the Season 7 finale of the hit procedural 9-1-1 left viewers in emotional tatters. The most devastating moment came after Christopher Diaz (Gavin McHugh) caught his father Eddie (Ryan Guzman) kissing a woman resembling his deceased mother. The shocking discovery led to the heartfelt send-off of Christopher Diaz, who has been a series mainstay since Season 2. ABC has renewed Season 8 for a 2024 fall release, but serious questions about Christopher’s undefined fate continue to loom.
As fans grapple with Eddie’s difficult decision to say goodbye to his son Christopher, the Season 7 finale of 9-1-1 bears closer scrutiny. The biggest query regards whether Gavin McHugh will leave the show indefinitely and how his character will be addressed moving forward. It’s also worth exploring how Eddie’s tough choice will inform his future as a father, knowing he’s no longer a positive influence and role model for Christopher to look up to.
Who Is Gavin McHugh?
Before addressing Christopher’s fate in 9-1-1, Gavin McHugh’s inspiring story bears repeating. Born in Riga, Latvia on May 6, 2010, Gavin McHugh was adopted at age 2. The youngest of five children, McHugh’s family relocated from Atlanta to Los Angeles so that the siblings could pursue an acting career. In 2015, McHugh began developing physical limitations attributed to his Cerebral Palsy diagnosis, yet he never let his ailment derail his dreams for a moment. As such, it’s easy to root for McHugh’s success no matter what happens in the future.
Undaunted, McHugh continued to join his siblings for auditions in Los Angeles before finally landing his own for 9-1-1, which resulted in him playing Christopher Diaz in 87 episodes from 2018 to 2024. Yet, his lovable role as Christopher on 9-1-1 has captured the hearts and minds of viewers over the past six years, leaving many to wonder if his character will return or remain absent for the long haul. In many ways, Christopher’s fate on the show says a lot more about Eddie’s parentage than Christopher’s behavior.
Gavin McHugh’s Journey as Christopher Diaz
9-1-1 is a procedural crime drama created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear. The series is set in Los Angeles and follows several police enforcers and emergency responders who risk their lives to prevent danger in the city. The characters in 9-1-1 include LAPD Patrol Sgt. Althea Grant-Nash (Angela Bassett), and her husband Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), the Captain of the LAFD’s Station 118. Under Nash’s supervision, a firefighter named Eddie Diaz (Guzman, above) joined Season 2 and has been a series mainstay since.
Also introduced in Season 2 was Eddie’s son, Christopher Diaz (McHugh, above). As Eddie gained more screen time, so did Christopher. By Season 3, Christopher graduated from a recurring character to a series regular. Christopher’s mother is Shannon Diaz, who died in a tragic car accident in Season 2. Before her death, Shannon almost left Eddie and wrote an unsent letter to Christopher in the case that her son needed her in the future.
Alas, after leaving to care for her ill mother, Shannon never returned. Following her death, Eddie reads the letter Shannon wrote to Christopher and breaks down in tears. Two episodes later, Gavin McHugh’s fate as Christopher Diaz hit fans even harder.
What Happens to Christopher Diaz in the 9-1-1 Season 7 Finale?
Christopher Diaz’s fuzzy fate began in Season 7’s penultimate episode, “Ashes to Ashes.” Christopher and Eddie’s long-term girlfriend Marisol (Edy Ganem) happen upon Eddie in a passionate affair with a woman named Kim (Devin Kelley). Kim looks nearly identical to Christopher’s deceased mother, Shannon, who died in Season 2 of the popular police procedural. Shannon returns in the Season 7 premiere in a daydream Christopher has as he reads the letter she left behind, hinting at the boy’s tragic sense of loss and profound grief.
Eddie has become infatuated with his dead wife’s doppelgänger, imagining what life would be like with Shannon as he obsesses over Kim. What begins as an emotional affair soon turns physical, with Christopher walking in on Eddie kissing a woman resembling his dead mother and triggering his grief. After witnessing the horrifying event, Christopher locks himself in his room until the next morning. Feeling helpless, Eddie panicas and calls his friend Buck (Oliver Stark) to remedy the situation.
As Eddie and Buck direct a plan, they soon learn that Christopher has taken his fate into his own hands. While locked in his room overnight, Christopher called his grandparents, Ramon (George DelHoyo) and Helena (Paula Marshall), to come and get him and take him back to live with them in Texas. While the initial plan was to stay for at least the summer, the final episode of Season 7 indicates an indefinite leave for Christopher Diaz from 9-1-1.
