Warning: SPOILERS for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 9.9-1-1 season 8 cast for its dramatic two-part midseason premiere event, acting alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Han and Angela Bassett as Athena Grant-Nash. While 9-1-1 season 8, episode 9 heavily examined Evan “Buck” Buckley’s (Oliver Stark) complicated feelings about his best friend, Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) moving to Texas, Amber Braeburn was a critical character to the main plot.

Ryan Murphy series also understands the importance of understated threats, and the procedural explores how humans can be more deadly than any force of nature. With such a recognizable actor in a 9-1-1 guest role, it seems obvious in hindsight that Amber Braeburn was more than she let on.

Abigail Spencer Plays Amber Braeburn In 9-1-1 Season 8

The Corrupt Detective Kidnaps Maddie

Abigail Spencer as Amber Braeburn in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 9.

Abigail Spencer’s character, Detective Amber Braeburn, first appears in 9-1-1 after Maddie receives a disturbing phone call at work from an anonymous kidnapper. The caller, whose voice is obscured by a modulating filter, says they feel like a “monster” because of their crimes, but they can’t stop taking victims. Maddie quickly discovers records that show a history of the “weepy-voiced” caller going back a decade, with a trail of bodies to accompany the calls. Arguably the main character of 9-1-1, Athena, introduces Maddie to Detective Braeburn, who is enthusiastically receptive to her findings.

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However, 9-1-1 season 8, episode 9 ends with a twist: the weepy-voiced killer was Detective Braeburn all along, and she orchestrated events to close the case, including framing another criminal and posing his death as a suicide. Although Maddie was placated and ready to stop her sleuthing, Amber kidnaps her anyway to hold hostage like her previous victims. Unfortunately for Amber, she underestimates how many near-death experiences 9-1-1 has thrust Maddie into over the years.

Spencer's TV Shows & Movies Explained

Many Well-Renowed Roles

Prior to her guest role on 9-1-1 season 8, Abigail Spencer acted in many movies and TV shows. Spencer began her acting career in 1999 with the ABC soap opera All My Children, playing Becca Tyree until 2001. Abigail Spencer gradually transitioned into guest and recurring roles on many network staples, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Becky Lester, 2005), Gilmore Girls (Megan, 2006), and Bones (Phillipa Fitz, 2008). Spencer even worked with Jennifer Love Hewitt in 2007 on Ghost Whisperer, when Spencer portrayed Cindy Brown.

Notable Abigail Spencer Movie & TV Roles

Title

Character

Year

Mad Men

Suzanne Farrell

2009

Cowboys & Aliens

Alice

2011

Suits

Dana "Scott" Scottie

2011-2019

Oz the Great and Powerful

May

2013

True Detective

Gena Brune

2015

Grey's Anatomy

Dr. Megan Hunt

2017-2022

Abigail Spencer’s most recognizable role came in 2011, ing Suits as the indomitable Dana “Scottie” Scott. Although Spencer only appeared in 15 episodes, her character’s impact on the overall series can’t be overstated. In 2017, Spencer ed Grey’s Anatomy as Megan Hunt, cementing another iconic recurring role whose legacy remains long after Spencer herself left the series. Regardless of how many scenes she has, Abigail Spencer steals the show every time she appears on-screen, and her twist villain in 9-1-1 is just another example of her extraordinary talent.

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9-1-1 continues Thursday on ABC.

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Your Rating

9-1-1
Release Date
January 3, 2018
Network
ABC, FOX
Showrunner
Tim Minear
  • Headshot Of Angela Bassett In The 2024 Disney Upfront
    Angela Bassett
    Athena Grant
  • Headshot Of Peter Krause
    Peter Krause
    Robert 'Bobby' Nash

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Directors
Bradley Buecker, David Grossman, Brenna Malloy, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jann Turner, Jennifer Lynch, Marita Grabiak, Sarah Boyd, John J. Gray, Barbara Brown, Robert M. Williams Jr., Kristen Reidel, Marcus Stokes, Tasha Smith, Millicent Shelton, Juan Carlos Coto, John Gray, Greg Sirota, Alonso Alvarez, James Wong, Kevin Hooks, Varda Bar-Kar, Shauna Duggins, Sharat Raju
Writers
Tim Minear, Andrew Meyers, Brad Falchuk, David Fury, Ryan Murphy, Christopher Monfette, Nadia Abass-Madden, Nicole Barraza Keim, Erica L. Anderson, Matthew Hodgson, Stacey R. Rose, Taylor Wong, Tonya Kong, Adam Penn
Creator(s)
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Tim Minear