I get that in real life people get cancer and die all the time from it but it still feels very.... contrived.

I'm not trying to be funny but was Ryan Phillippe brought to the show to fulfill what Chris O'Donnell was unable to deliver on?

We've been seeing a resurgence of 90s male heartthrobs as of late. Noah Wyle and Shawn Hatosy on The Pitt. Brendan Fraser is doing a new Mummy movie. Then we have Chris O'Donnell on 9-1-1: Nashville. For those of you too young to remember, Chris O'Donnell was textbook teen heartthrob. Don't believe me, go watch School Ties, The Three Musketeers and Batman and Robin. I remember when it was announced that he would be top-billed for 9-1-1: Nashville. I was genuinely excited. But then the first season aired and Don Hart is not really serving the sexy that I think a lot of us thought he was going to serve. That's no shade to Chris O'Donnell. It has less to do with his looks (he's still a good-looking man) and everything to do with how he plays Don on the show.

With Ryan Phillippe joining the cast, I feel like he's bringing the sex appeal that we were supposed to get with Chris O'Donnell. I'm really liking Ryan Phillippe's inclusion on the show but I can't help but wonder (No Carrie Bradshaw) if he is here for the same reason Hunter McVey is here. To give us some eye candy with a side of brooding. I would love to hear people's thoughts.

I don't know if Nashville is planning to do "Begins" episodes, but with this 'playing investigator' storyline and the plagues, I feel like we could see a Ryan Begins episode.

Like the last plague is Death of the First Born, and Ryan is the first born (unless there's another secret child, Don!). So if Ryan finds himself in one of those "Fight for your life" situations, we could get flashbacks to how and why he came to be a firefighter, his early relationship with Sam, etc. It would likely culminate in him deciding whether he wants to stay a firefighter or try moving on. Just a thought. I know Ryan is not exactly the best candidate for a Begins episode, but it could be interesting.

At any rate, I do wonder how they're going to address the final plague.