Ravi Pannikar has returned to 9-1-1 and viewers saw a different, more confident Ravi than we have been used to seeing on screen.
"He has grown so much, there is a confidence in him now that we didn't see in earlier seasons," Anirudh Pisharody tells HELLO!.
"There has been a progression because over the course of the job it has taken a toll on him, those trials and tribulations, and now he is at that place where to him he has a clearer vision of what he wants to do."
© DisneyRavi's return to the A-squad at Firehouse 118 comes after Eddie Diaz left the department to return to Texas. His departure still has the 118 reeling though, with Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) instinctively calling out for "Buck and Eddie" during emergencies, and Buck (Oliver Stark) using Ravi as his new friend to fill the hole in his life that Eddie has left.
"Ravi has always thought of Buck as a big brother, and when Buck asks him to hang out, it's like, 'Is this for real? Like it's actually happening?'" laughs Anirudh.
"But because of Ravi's growth, the blinders are off, and Buck is not that fun! And then Ravi realizes that at that moment, Buck just needs to get laid."
© DisneyThat realization comes as Ravi bump into Tommy, Buck's ex-boyfriend, and he leaves Tommy and Buck to rekindle their romance for one night at least.
But the following morning, Tommy calls out Eddie's place in Buck's life and potential romantic feelings Buck may have for his best friend– marking the first time in the show's history that the pair's connection has been explicitly stated out loud by a character.
If the relationship between Buck and Eddie were to happen, Anirudh – and Ravi – would be all for it.
© Disney"Love is love, and he'd be happy for them," says Anirudh.
"Although I'm not sure how it would work in the firehouse. Is that allowed? But maybe Ravi could officiate the wedding – or be the flower boy."
© DisneyRavi will be in several upcoming episodes and Anirudh reveals that we're going to get even more Ravi backstory.
"We are going to get some explosive moments, pun intended, and we'll really find out more about how he has grown and changed," says Anirudh.
"He has definitely become someone who is now willing to take the lead and is ready to put himself on the line, and be dependable. I think you'll get a chance to see that in the coming episodes, and see things that I think you would not expect from Ravi."
© DisneyRavi was first introduced in season four and although he has only appeared sporadically in the four seasons since, he is now a fan favorite, and has become a fully-formed character with a canonical backstory that includes a childhood cancer diagnosis, a love of frisbee golf, and being a landlord.
Anirudh credits that to the writers who he says "definitely pull things from our personal lives from conversations we've had with them," placing a little bit of Anirudh into Ravi.
© Disney"They're always in tune to what's going on with everyone," he adds.
For Anirudh, a working actor in Los Angeles, 9-1-1 is a dream role, and he would love to see Ravi become a full-time member of the 118.
© Disney"9-1-1 is every actor's dream, it's a family here, and I am blessed this has been my first experience," he says.
"I have been on other sets where everyone's friendly but I've never felt the feeling of family like I do on 9-1-1 even though I am not here all the time. Angela [Bassett] and Peter, they're as willing to do something as number 300 on the call sheet as number one, and I think that type of culture is diamond in the rough, especially in Hollywood today."
If he were to become a full-time member of the 118 what would he like to see? "Ravi and Athena, solving a murder mystery together".
