SPOILERS AHEAD for 9-1-1 season 10, episode 5.9-1-1 may be ruining its most promising romantic storyline. The ABC procedural is at a pivotal turning point for the series, with the fallout from Bobby Nash’s (Peter Krause) death still taking its toll on the Station 118 firefighters, the love life of recent widow Athena Grant (Angela Bassett), and the overarching cast chemistry. Though the main ensemble successfully stumbled through the growing pains of season 9, 9-1-1 season 10 is the true test of what the show will be in a post-Bobby world. Without question, one of the most affected characters still struggling is Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark).
Aside from the bereavement of losing his father figure, Buck’s storyline in 9-1-1 took a major turn at the end of season 9 with the introduction of Theo, his biological son. The oft-forgotten season 6 sperm donor arc never necessarily felt like a major plot, making the return— and subsequent death— of Buck’s college friend all the more jarring. Between a misguided sense of duty and lingering guilt over the death of Theo’s parents, Buck felt compelled to foster the orphaned child. Sadly, 9-1-1 season 10 quickly establishes that Buck simply cannot give Theo the structure and discipline he needs.
To complicate matters further, Buck’s best friend, Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman), has taken a vested interest in Buck’s foster father experience. Mere weeks into the season, Buck and Eddie— known collectively by their ship name “Buddie”— had a devastating fight, with miscommunication running rampant and hostility awkwardly invading the 118’s emergency response. As soon as the pair seemingly reconciled, however, 9-1-1 season 10 has thrown yet another curveball their way: following Buck’s decision to waive his guardianship of Theo, Eddie secretly became the child’s new foster parent.
Eddie Fostering Theo Won’t Have A Simple Resolution
Understandably, Buck and Theo’s storyline in 9-1-1 has been contentious thus far, and the argument at the end of season 10, episode 5 will only make things worse. While neither Buck nor Eddie is completely right or completely wrong, they are continually failing to get on the same page. From Buck’s perspective, the other man is fostering Theo either to punish him or make up for the mistakes Eddie made raising his biological son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh). Conversely, Eddie truly can’t understand where Buck is coming from and views his decision to give up Theo as a full-blown abandonment.
Whether Eddie is driven by a sense of regret or truly prioritizing Theo’s wellbeing, his complete disregard for Buck’s wishes will only widen the ever-growing chasm between them this season. Similarly, Buck is bogged down by insecurity, residual grief, and the immense trauma he hasn’t properly worked through yet, but that doesn’t give him a pass to press on the wounds he knows will hurt Eddie the deepest. From a narrative perspective, the divide between Eddie and Buck is wonderfully nuanced and rich in tension. Nevertheless, it doesn’t bode well for Buddie’s future.
Considering the next episode will be titled “Et Tu?” (in reference to the famous line from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar), it’s clear that Buck will resent Eddie for fostering Theo, even feeling betrayed by his supposed best friend. Of course, the two will make up sooner or later— likely thanks to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Maddie and Eddie teaming up in 9-1-1 season 10— and their friendship may be stronger in the long run. Regardless, the fight has halted any romantic momentum the fan-favorite duo had coming into the milestone season.
There’s No Way Buddie Can Go Canon In 9-1-1 Season 10
Admittedly, Buck and Eddie fighting and undergoing another “divorce” arc is good for the show’s longevity— but the same can’t be said for a potential Buddie storyline. Since the two met in 9-1-1 season 2, episode 1, Buck and Eddie have been inseparable, sharing countless tender moments that go beyond friendly boundaries, terrifying near-death experiences, and tear-jerking confrontations that test their connection. Unfortunately, the latest conflict feels like a major step back in terms of Buck and Eddie’s character development.
Although they each undoubtedly had valid points in the argument, it seems like Buddie is stuck in a miscommunication loop. Given the pair have known one another for nearly a decade, Buck and Eddie should be able to understand the other’s perspective without defaulting to their own anxieties and self-doubt. There’s something to be said about them beating a dead horse because they’re avoiding their true feelings, but even then, characters with such an intimate friendship shouldn’t automatically shoot to kill every time they squabble. Despite love and hate bordering a thin line, real buddies don’t go for blood.
As such, Buck and Eddie appear to be trapped in a loop. It’s possible that Buck and Eddie’s habit of falling out of sync is a byproduct of their ignored romantic potential. If there are nine seasons worth of pent-up feelings and repressed longing, one could argue the sheer depth of their emotions fuels the fire. On the other hand, 9-1-1 may genuinely make Buddie canon, and the resulting disputes are merely a display of toxicity in their strictly platonic bromance. One way or another, however, ABC has to make a permanent decision regarding 9-1-1‘s record-breaking ship— and soon.
Buck & Eddie’s Romantic Potential Can’t Be Ignored Much Longer
For many reasons, 9-1-1 season 10 is do or die, not least of which being the mounting frustration with the ambiguity of Buddie. The show has outright confronted the romantic potential of Buck and Eddie on numerous occasions, and while the scenes seem to discount the idea at first glance, the contextualization of every moment paints a different picture. Be it Buck’s ex admitting he saw Eddie as competition or 9-1-1 constantly having background characters mistake Buddie for a couple, it feels as though ABC is employing classic slow-burn romance strategies while maintaining a layer of plausible deniability.
To be fair, the very nature of network television is transient. Within the 9-1-1 franchise alone, it’s all too common for a major character to disappear without warning, for a promising storyline to be dropped, or for a long-awaited plot to come to an unsatisfactory end. The issue comes when the series knowingly benefits from teasing the pure possibility of queer romance. If ABC truly has no plans of turning their relationship romantic, there are plenty of ways to shut down the ship for good; they just need to choose one and sacrifice 9-1-1‘s Buddie-driven viewership.
- Release Date
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January 3, 2018
- Showrunner
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Tim Minear
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Angela Bassett
Athena Grant
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