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Even with the new year, fans are still talking about the shocking fall finale of NCIS: New Orleans. The episode found Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula) in an all-out throw down with cult leader, Eddie Barrett. The actor who plays him isn’t nearly as bad as his fictional counterpart. Which actor plays Eddie Barrett and how could the events between Pride and Barrett continue in 2020?

[Spoilers for the NCIS: New Orleans Season 6 fall finale below]

Eddie Barrett is responsible for Christopher LaSalle’s death

'NCIS: New Orleans'
Eddie Cahill as Eddie Barrett | Sam Lothridge/CBS via Getty Images

Without going over the details of the NCIS: New Orleans fall finale too much, here’s a re-cap as to why fans aren’t keen on Eddie Barrett’s manipulation. Before he held Pride hostage and taunted him with “what he’s capable of,” Barrett was responsible for the death of Special Agent Christopher LaSalle (Lucas Black).

LaSalle was investigating a drug ring he suspected was behind the death of his brother, Cade. Unfortunately, it not only got him killed, but also ended with a shoot-out where Barrett held Pride hostage. No one’s really talking about the extras who played law enforcement agents getting killed off in Barrett’s manic rage, but we digress.

In the final moments, when Barrett tried to flee — spoilers for those who’ve yet to watch the season 6 fall finale — one last standoff between Pride and Barrett ended with three bullets to Barrett’s chest.

The episode ended after Pride took a visit to LaSalle’s grave and said “we got him,” leaving fans to dry their tears for weeks to come.

Who plays Eddie Barrett?

Though Eddie Barrett is some kind of monster on the CBS hit series, the actor who plays him, Eddie Cahill, is the complete opposite. You may recognize him from shows like Conviction, Lords of Dogtown, Glory Days, and Under the Dome.

Cahill and fellow NCIS: New Orleans star, Vanessa Ferlito (who plays Special Agent Tammy Gregorio) share CSI: NY history together. Cahill played Detective Don Flack from 2004-2013 while Ferlito played Detective Aiden Burn from 2004-2006 on the series.

Those are all well and good, but any Friends buff would know that Cahill played Rachel Green’s (Jennifer Aniston) Ralph Lauren assistant, Tag Jones. He appeared in seven episodes.

He previously told Glamour the excitement of landing that role saying the “reach of the show” is “remarkable” to him. It was his first major role and he’s still remembered for it today.

“That was my first trip to L.A. I put my last $230 into a plane ticket to come out to L.A. to meet with agents. I picked an agent at the end of the week, and the first audition they got me was Friends, and I went in and got it,” he said.

The actor is currently married to makeup artist, Nikki Uberti (since 2009), and the two have one child together. He is not — we repeat — he is not a cult leader; just an actor who’s mastered the art of torturing Pride and his team.

Here’s how Barrett could destroy Pride, even in death

All seems well and good with the NOLA team now that Barrett is dead, right? We don’t think so. The unseen moments between Pride and Barrett will undoubtedly come back to haunt Pride. There were no witnesses to confirm Barrett drew his weapon first.

Even if Pride’s team continues to back him up, there are bound to be holes in the story. Considering previous doubt about how Pride does things, we have a feeling Eddie Barrett will have some kind of control long after he’s gone.

It may mean Pride on desk duty, or completely suspended. It could also mean those hallucinations seen at the end of the episode will become Pride’s biggest nemesis to date. Either way, Barrett’s death is not the end of him. With his legion of followers, it could be the beginning.

NCIS: New Orleans returns to CBS on Sunday, February 16.

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