Whew! ABC's Queens [1] left viewers with quite a dramatic cliffhanger when its midseason finale aired on Dec. 14. The episode picks right back up after the unexpected shooting that left Eric (Taylor Sele) and Brianna (Eve [2]) suffering from gunshot wounds. The two are immediately transported to a hospital where the rest of the queens — Naomi (Brandy [3]), Jill (Naturi Naughton [4]), and Valeria (Nadine Velazquez [5]) — wait to see if they'll both pull through. Luckily, Eric survives just fine, but unfortunately, Brianna is left in critical condition.
During the episode, we find out that Brianna must undergo a risky surgery to retrieve bullet fragments from her spine. Toward the end of the show, we hear her flatline in the middle of her surgery while mourning fans are seen honouring her at a memorial. We're almost left to believe she dies at the end of the episode until we hear the heart monitor pick back up — indicating that she could still very well be alive.
Viewers are, of course, hopeful that this doesn't mark the end of Eve's character on the show. But there's still a lot to be clarified around her fate [7] when the show resumes its season in the new year — including what the heart monitor in the cliffhanger could potentially mean. "Well, it's interesting because we went back and forth on how much we should hear" Queens creator Zahir McGhee explained to TV Insider. "When should we hear it? . . . Obviously you had a feeling that she's definitely alive. But, I think that those beeps happened in that moment, and we don't know what happened after. Maybe she's alive, and maybe she isn't."
On Nov. 4, it was announced that Eve is taking a hiatus [8] from Queens for maternity leave as she prepares for the birth of her first child [9]. Prior to her temporary exit, the star filmed additional scenes for the show. Her character's open-ended cliffhanger from the latest episode suggests that she could return to the series if she chooses to, if/when the show gets renewed for another season.
In her absence, it looks like Remy Ma — who was announced to have a recurring role [10] on Queens — may be filling in the gap for Eve while she's away from the show. There's still no word on what the future will hold for Eve's character, but fingers crossed she gets to make a comeback as a true queen should!