Does Evan Die In Good Trouble? The Character's Fate Explained (& Where The Actor Is Now)
Good Trouble season 5 opens with a banger of an episode that left fans wondering if Evan Speck dies then and there. Taking place shortly after The Fosters, Good Trouble follows Callie Adams Foster (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana Adams Foster (Cierra Ramirez), who have moved out of their family home and into a communal living space in LA. The show depicts the sisters' lives as they enter a new mature stage, getting jobs, living independently, and making new friends. The series lasted for five seasons, ending in March 2024 as a high watermark for Gen Z-centric TV.
Evan Speck (T.J. Linnard) is a member of the ensemble's main cast of characters and also one of the most likable characters in Good Trouble. Evan first appeared in the premiere of the series, "DTLA", and appeared in over half of the show's episodes. He is on the autism spectrum and is a brilliant coder and inventor who has social anxiety. While he doesn't always know how to act in social situations, Evan proves to be kind-hearted and loving to those who he spends enough time with. When it appeared Evan had died, fans and the characters were beside themselves.
Evan Survives Getting Shot & Wakes Up From His Coma
Evan Has Amnesia And Can't Remember Mariana
Good Trouble season 4, episode 18, "This is Not My Beautiful House" ends on an explosive cliffhanger. When Mariana and Joaquin (Bryan Allen Craig) work to save Joaquin's sister from a cult, a shot rings out and someone is injured as the screen cuts to black. In season 5, episode 1, "Shot in the Dark", it's revealed that Evan was the one who was shot. Though he's not dead, he is in a coma, one that he doesn't wake up from until episode 4, "Under Pressure". However, things aren't back to normal, and it's revealed Evan has amnesia.
He doesn't recognize anyone, including Mariana, whom he loves. It's a heartbreaking moment as the realization washes over Mariana. It's unknown who fired the bullet that struck Evan, but they nearly changed the entire trajectory of his life with their assault, even if Evan did survive it. Evan's coma and subsequent amnesia destabilized Mariana, who had to decide if she wanted to wait around for his memory to possibly return, or give up and move on.
What Happened To Evan At The End Of Good Trouble
Mariana And Evan Ended Up Together
As season 5 progresses, Evan's memories slowly return, and even before those of Mariana come back, he finds himself once again falling in love with her, just as before. It seems that every version of Evan loves Mariana. Mariana, for her part, holds out for a long time but decides that "her" Evan is not coming back and decides to be with Joaquin, that is until Evan shows up, telling her that he remembers everything now. Mariana can't help but return to him and the finale of Good Trouble sees Evan and Mariana happy together.
Evan is also germophobic.
Evan has been through a lot in Good Trouble, and he's shown impressive growth in both how he loved Mariana and how he loved himself. He deserved this win and to see it all thrown away for an amnesia plotline would have been a waste. Instead, Good Trouble made the right choice to remind the audience why Evan fell in love with Mariana in the first place and reaffirm their love.
Where Evan Actor T.J. Linnard Is Now
Linnard Has Not Appeared In A TV Show Or Movie After Good Trouble
Post-Good Trouble, T.J. Linnard has not appeared in any movies or television shows, which is not a complete surprise considering the series only ended in March 2024. Evan is by far the biggest role of Linnard's career and the actor has a chance now to take advantage of his heightened profile to leapfrog into something else notable.

Good Trouble
- Release Date
- 2019 - 2024-00-00
- Directors
- Peter Paige, Bradley Bredeweg, Michael Medico, Laura Nisbet-Peters
- Writers
- Joanna Johnson, Bradley Bredeweg, Peter Paige
Cast
- Maia Mitchell
- Cierra Ramirez
- Creator(s)
- Joanna Johnson, Bradley Bredeweg, Peter Paige
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