Elaine Hendrix said Beau Bridges was part of the RJ Decker role she took for only two episodes, after the show used her character in a murder reveal that shifted the case on ABC Tuesdays. She knew from the start that the part would point to District Attorney Lake as the person responsible for Victor’s murder.
RJ Decker and Victor
The September 29 episode sent RJ after the truth by first putting Emi in the frame for Victor’s murder, then moving the story toward District Attorney Lake. Hendrix said, "I knew going into it what was happening," which means her appearance was built around the twist rather than a long-running arc.
That limited setup matters on a show that uses short-run roles to move the plot fast. Hendrix said, "I do want to say in my defense, I don’t think I’ve ever played a murdereress," and added, "I am known for — and I think my specialty is playing duplicitous characters." The character was arrested, leaving RJ with a clear lead and a cleaner path to the next phase of the case.
Two episodes for Hendrix
Hendrix said, "Listen, I’ve signed up for two episodes," and added that she only had the first episode at first, which teased the character before the reveal landed. She said, "I love that it got so complicated with twists and turns," a useful window into how the part was structured: one episode to seed doubt, one to pay it off.
Her own read on the role was blunt. "I’m always honored when I get to play very special roles," she said, and, "The fact that this was tied to such a huge ending, I was very honored to do that." For ABC, that kind of guest casting gives the hour a built-in reveal without committing a full season slot to one character.
RJ may need Lake
Hendrix also said RJ may not be done with District Attorney Lake even after the arrest. "She’s got to have some kind of information that R.J. is gonna need and visit her in prison at some point," she said, which leaves the story open to a prison visit if the show wants to use the character again.
Her return, though, is still bounded by the deal she described. "I hope that there was a debate going — especially as the episode goes," she said, and she floated a comic version of a comeback with, "RJ has some fever dream where Janice is killing people while she’s dancing and it’s a tango."
For now, the business reality is simple: Hendrix was a two-episode guest built around a murder reveal, and the show already got the payoff. If RJ needs one more turn from Lake, the character has a reason to come back; if not, the arrest closes the loop on a short, tightly written run.
