Warning: SPOILERS for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 9.9-1-1has introduced plenty of detectives over the years, but Amber Braeburn’s actor, Abigail Spencer, is a familiar face to many. Spencer joins the9-1-1season 8 castfor its dramatic two-part midseason premiere event, acting alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Han and Angela Bassett as Athena Grant-Nash. While9-1-1season 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.
9-1-1often has intense disastersthat threaten the public on a massive scale, ranging from natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis to city-wide blackouts that cause disastrous domino effects. However, the long-runningRyan Murphy seriesalso 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 a9-1-1guest 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’s character, Detective Amber Braeburn, first appears in9-1-1after 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 of9-1-1,Athena, introduces Maddie to Detective Braeburn, who is enthusiastically receptive to her findings.
10 Most Heartwarming Moments In 9-1-1
9-1-1 is full of high-stakes emergencies and rescues, but the ABC first responder procedural has just as many wholesome moments to look back on.
However,9-1-1season 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 on9-1-1season 8, Abigail Spencer acted in many movies and TV shows. Spencer began her acting career in 1999 with the ABC soap operaAll My Children, playing Becca Tyree until 2001. Abigail Spencer gradually transitioned into guest and recurring roles on many network staples, includingCSI: Crime Scene Investigation(Becky Lester, 2005),Gilmore Girls(Megan, 2006), andBones(Phillipa Fitz, 2008). Spencer even worked with Jennifer Love Hewitt in 2007 onGhost Whisperer, when Spencer portrayed Cindy Brown.
2009
2011
2011-2019
Oz the Great and Powerful
2013
2015
Dr. Megan Hunt
2017-2022
Abigail Spencer’s most recognizable role came in 2011, joiningSuitsas 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 joinedGrey’s Anatomyas 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 in9-1-1is just another example of her extraordinary talent.
