*WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Queens episode 8*
Queens arrived on our screens in October as one of ABC’s new entries for the 2021/22 TV season and with a remarkable 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s safe to say that the reception has been a positive one.
However, fans of the musical drama were left on the edge of their seats during December 14th’s episode 8 as Eve’s character Brianna was left fighting for her life.
As a result, fans of the series have already been left asking if Eve could be leaving Queens for good.
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What happened to Brianna in Queens episode 8?
After episode 7 ended with Eric and Brianna getting shot, this week’s chapter continued the tense storyline as the pair were rushed to the hospital.
Eric manages to regain consciousness after having the bullet removed from his shoulder with relatively few issues.
For Brianna, however, it’s a different story as she is rushed into surgery and is left fighting for her life throughout the whole episode.
Intercut with flashbacks, we see Brianna’s fate unfold in front of her eyes as she begins to flatline but just as the episode is about to end, her heart begins to beat once again.
Is Eve leaving Queens?
While Brianna has certainly had a tough time of things in recent episodes, we don’t expect her to die and leave the show just yet.
After Brianna was left fighting for her life, it’s likely that she will need to take some time away from the band in order to recover, one way or another.
This plotline was almost certainly influenced by the recent announcement that actress Eve is pregnant and will be taking a break from the series to take her maternity leave.
As part of the announcement back in November, Deadline reported that the filming schedule was adjusted so that Eve, who lives in the UK, could film additional scenes before leaving.
The same source also states that her storyline is wrapped up in a way that would leave the door open for her to return if Queens was to get renewed for season 2, suggesting that this isn’t quite the last we’ve seen of her.
Fans react to Eve and Brianna’s fate
It’s safe to say that Brianna’s recent ordeal on Queens has left fans with their hearts in their mouths with many taking to social media to wish the character well.
One fan on Twitter said: “NOT BRIANNA!!!!! #Queens“
While another added: “Brianna better not be dead #Queens“
This hopeful fan commented: “Brianna will be fine. I know it 🙏🏽 #QueensABC #Queens“
And finally, this fan wrote: “#Queens This is tooo much. Who wrote this script? Brianna been through toooo much as is. And her children 😫”
Queens returns to ABC following its winter break on January 4th, 2022.
Is Eve leaving Queens on ABC midway through season 1, and what in the world is going on with her character of Brianna? We know that there’s been some certainty when it comes to the character’s future.
Before we go too far down the rabbit hole here, let’s dive into what happened on the final episode of 2021: Brianna was shot. For a huge chunk of the episode, it looked as though the character could die; it was only in the closing seconds that we started to hear a heartbeat again, and that was a sign to us that she would be making it through … at least eventually. Why else do that?
Of course, we don’t think that this is going to be some easy road for recovery at all here. Remember that this entire story of her “death” was meant to accommodate Eve’s maternity leave, so she’s going to be gone for at least a chunk of the story to come. Nonetheless, there is no evidence that she is leaving long-term and you can feel pretty hopeful about the future with that in mind. The larger concern we have right now is whether or not the ratings for Queens are good enough to bring it back for another season; that way, we can see a lot more of this character.
Yet, here’s the twist – At the start of tonight’s episode, it did appear as though Bri was dead … but don’t mind us as we continue to doubt it for the time being. We still have a lot of questions. For example, what happens with the kids? Can the show really just move on like that?
One thing that we should note is that Eve’s exit was first announced in November, and at that time there were claims that she could return for a possible season 2. Our feeling is that there was going to be a twist coming … and that was revealed at the end of the episode. Bri WAS alive! She was just off in another country.
Related – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to Queens right now
What do you think is going to happen on Queens season 1 and Brianna moving forward?
Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, stick around — there are some other updates coming and we don’t want you missing them. (Photo: ABC.)
“Lady Z isn’t the last one. I’ll say that,” she said. “This is going to be a thing and it’s not always going to be in the hip hop genre. They want to help women who have been marginalized because of their age or many other reasons, the way they helped themselves.”
He also talked about what to expect in the next episode, revealing how it will tackle the male-dominated nature of the music industry and how it treats women.
“Coming up in episode 10, we explore how male-dominated the music industry really is. There are so many stories out there about how young women are treated like products by older men,” she said. “So we’re tackling Lady Z’s story about how she was driven out of the industry and sexual assault in the music business in a very powerful way.”
Spoiler Alert: The forthcoming story reveals major plot points from tonight’s episode of ABC’s Queens.
ABC’s Queens revealed Brianna’s (Eve) fate in Tuesday night’s episode titled “Bars,” but fans had to wait up until the very last moment to see that she not only survived but she is thriving.
To recap the events that led to Brianna’s life hanging in the balance, Jill’s (Naturi Naughton) ex-husband Darren (Emerson Brooks)) shot Brianna and Eric (Taylor Selé) leaving them for dead. Both beat the odds and while Eric attempted to re-enter the world a better man and father, Brianna used the near-death experience as a sign to make an exit.
With the help of her friends Jill, Eric, Naomi (Brandy Norwood), Valeria (Nadie Velazquez), and Lil Muffin (Pepi Sonuga), Brianna made it through. And the final moments of episode 109, Brianna has moved to paradise. She is lounging on the beach of Piedras Blancas—where she and her late husband Jeff honeymooned—alongside their children.
Deadline revealed exclusively that Eve would be going on maternity leave from Queens in November as she prepared to welcome her first child with her husband Maximillion Cooper in February. It is as yet unknown if Eve will return to the series, but series creator Zahir McGhee remains hopeful.
McGhee spoke to Deadline about Brianna’s fate and what it means for the rest of the season for the Queens.
DEADLINE: You really kept viewers worried up until the very end! Why did Brianna go to Piedras Blancas?
ZAHIR MCGEE: It was set up in episode 7 when Jeff left that video for her. He talked about their honeymoon in Piedra Blancas and reminded her of their promise to take their kids there one day. She was keeping that promise. She had surgery, got better, and basically said, ‘F this. I don’t need it. I’m gonna do what Jeff and I said we were going to do.’ It’s kind of an homage to her marriage and a final bit of healing after all that she’s gone through. At the end of the episode after they form Nasty Girl Records—which is a very exciting thing for us and them—when Naomi says, ‘There’s one more person we can call.’ They know where she is and they’ve been in contact with her.
Is there a plan in place for Eve to return?
When Eve told me she was pregnant, we were extremely happy for her. I had just had a baby myself. I didn’t know what she planned for the show, but instinctively I asked if she wanted Brianna to be pregnant. That’s when she told me she didn’t and that she had a date set to leave. The cast and crew wanted to give her the space to enjoy this incredible time. We will continue to build the story as people will see in episode 9 and she will remain present in the minds of our characters. Since the beginning, she’s been Queens’ third partner and she’s in this for as long as she wants to be in it.
Was that the final scene she shot or do you have more you can use later this season?
There are things that we left on the floor… If you think about our show, we exist in many timelines. In the mid-season finale, we opened up the third timeline in 1993 when they first met. We were saying about episode 9, that it wouldn’t matter if Brianna had died. We have a show where she could still appear in 100 episodes regardless because of the timelines. So, there is a chance that you could see Eve before the end of the season. What I can say for sure is that you will feel her presence, and we have something special in store for the audience in the finale.
Jill is carrying a huge burden, is showing signs of PTSD, and was seeking out drugs to cope. What’s up next for her?
Jill’s been going through a lot on a personal scale which has forced her to look into a mirror in a way that the others have not. Similar to the pilot, they’re all going in separate directions and trying to figure themselves out and what their next steps are. So we’re going to have these separate stories for them then bring them back together.
I think the show is best when it’s operatic high drama and fun, like when there’s music and laughter and fun. We will deal with Jill’s inner problems that cause her to go to that place, but I don’t think we’re going to dig too deeply into the drugs after this episode.
Have we seen the last of Darren?
He might be gone from our show, but that situation isn’t gone. Up to this point, we saw him knocked out on the ground before getting arrested. There’s going to be a trial but I’m not saying we’re going to live in his trial. But, that story and how it impacted her, is not over. So we may not focus on PTSD and the drugs, but the feelings and guilt are not necessarily gone.
We also have an amazing guest star coming in for her in episode 10 playing her deacon dad. He will give us some backstory to help us understand why Jill is the way she is.
Valeria is going through so much so fast and then she runs off and gets married to Thomas (Gaius Charles). Does this man have good intentions?
We wanted to see someone who never wanted to get married rush into it and deal with whether that was right or wrong. It’s going to be fun and very “oh my God” to watch her get married and deal with the aftermath in terms of what she wants for her future. We’re also going to see her solo music pop and find her identity as a solo artist. There will be some guest stars that push her to be a little bit more authentically Puerto Rican in her music. As she finds that, she’s going to also be figuring out how to be married and how to fall in love with a stranger. By episode 12, [Valeria and Thomas] are going to deal with a real dilemma about their future and it very quickly morphs into a real relationship.
Naomi and Remy Ma’s Lady Z represent what could’ve been for Tupac and Biggie had they survived. Is Z coming in as that honorary fourth while Eve is out?
What I love about where we’re going with Queens— as we’re taking a brief pause with the Queens as we know them—they’re trying to figure out what they can do together next. We watched over the course of 8 episodes up until the point of tragedy, how these women get back together, mend old wounds, deal with their complicated personal lives, and then become the queens of rap once again. That was really triumphant to watch. Now to watch them move into this next venture is by asking how they can do this for more queens.
Lady Z isn’t the last one. I’ll say that. This is going to be a thing and it’s not always going to be in the hip hop genre. They want to help women who have been marginalized because of their age or many other reasons, the way they helped themselves.
Coming up in episode 10, we explore how male-dominated the music industry really is. There are so many stories out there about how young women are treated like products by older men. So we’re tackling Lady Z’s story about how she was driven out of the industry and sexual assault in the music business in a very powerful way.
Regarding whether or not Lady Z could fill that void left behind by Brianna in some way, we’re open to anything. We’re going to have some guest stars come through in the iteration of what this record label looks like. Remy Ma as Lady Z certainly fits the mold of that sort of forgotten queen who is incredibly talented who, through circumstances beyond her control, was pushed aside. With the support of the ladies, Lady Z could definitely become part of the group. It’s hard for Naomi, Jill, and Valeria to imagine the group without Brianna in it, but anything is possible.