"We knew, one way or another, it was going to end with them doing something like this," showrunner Rashad Raisani said of the brawl
Credit: Jake Giles Netter/ABC
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the 9-1-1: Nashville season 1 finale.
NEED TO KNOW
- The season 1 finale of 9-1-1: Nashville aired on Thursday, May 7
- The episode concluded with a shocking fight between two characters and ended on a major cliffhanger
- “We knew, one way or another, it was going to end with them doing something like this,” showrunner Rashad Raisani said of the brawl that broke out
A full-on fight broke out on 9-1-1: Nashville.
The season 1 finale of the ABC series aired on Thursday, May 7, and the final scene of the episode saw Blythe (Jessica Capshaw) arrive at Dixie's (LeAnn Rimes) house. When Dixie taunted her with texts from Don (Chris O'Donnell) about his plan to come to her house that same day — and she mentioned that she knew he'd been sleeping in the firehouse — things got physical between the two women.
Blythe slapped Dixie across the face, which unleashed them both, and an all-out brawl ensued, which showrunner Rashad Raisani told TVLine they had been referring to as the "Battle of the Blondes." The episode ended with Blythe slamming Dixie against a wood column as the screen cut to black.
Raisani confirmed that the "curse" of the 9-1-1 franchise — Connie Britton died in season 1 of 9-1-1, and Liv Tyler exited season 1 of 9-1-1: Lone Star — "is not carrying over" to Nashville. "She's all right," he confirmed of Dixie.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Credit: Jake Giles Netter/ABC
The fight was a long time coming. "We knew, one way or another, it was going to end with them doing something like this," Raisani told the outlet.
"It's funny, because Jessica and LeAnn are really tight personally. They're such good friends behind the camera, but they hate each other's guts when they get on-screen. They had so much fun with it, and it was a delight to watch them do it."
"The way we choreographed and shot it, the fight actually went on much longer. It was a little bit more Hollywood," he continued. "What I liked about just cutting it off sooner was that it's just so much more primal. Blythe is in full kill mode, and she looks nothing like the Blythe that we've seen all season."
"It was better to just leave it at this peak moment and let the audience wonder, 'What the hell just happened?' "
Raisani explained that her arrival in Don and Blythe's world "exposes their hypocrisies and insecurities," as the couple were already "dealing with denial about what they're actually feeling, what they're going through, and what they'd be willing to do."
With Dixie involved, he teased, "Anything is possible."
Credit: Jake Giles Netter/ABC
In an Instagram post, Rimes, 43, said that she and Capshaw, 49, "definitely had way too much fun rehearsing" for the fight scene in the finale. She shared some behind-the-scenes footage of how she and her costar prepared for the sequence, as she described her character as "trailer trash scrappy with nothing to lose and absolutely no concept of backing down." Dixie "fights dirty, fast, and emotionally devastating," Rimes wrote.
Blythe, on the other hand, "came armed with strategy, restraint, and years of quietly judging everyone in the room," Rimes wrote. "The business babe snaps and somehow… she can throw a punch."
9-1-1: Nashville is now streaming on Hulu.
Read the full article here