9-1-1 star Oliver Stark shares his thoughts on the slow-moving relationships in Buck’s life and offers his hopes. Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley and his romance with Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) have so far taken place in the background of 9-1-1 season 8. However, Stark has promised that Tommy will appear in episodes 5 and 6, after which their relationship status will be clarified, with new episodes airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the following day on Hulu.
In an interview with Screen Rant’s Rachel Foertsch, Stark reflected on Buck’s habit of falling into romantic relationships quickly and whether he prefers a slower approach, including Ryan Guzman’s Eddie Diaz. In response, Stark agreed that the best relationships are those that have an element of slow-moving. Read the exchange below: Screen Rant: You mentioned a season ago that things were going pretty well for Buck in terms of him falling in love with someone, and he was dating them right after, and you wanted that to be stretched out a little bit. Do you still want to see that? A slower build? That could apply to Eddie, but really, that’s it in general.
Oliver Stark: Yeah, look, I think the best relationships are the ones that have an element of slow burn. I want there to be some longing involved. I want there to be some will/won’t they question. Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s a key element in establishing a new relationship from a television show standpoint. I want there to be some uncertainty for the audience. When the characters are experiencing that kind of longing for each other, I want the audience to be hungry for that too. Absolutely. I think that’s an important element.
Going into season 9 of 9-1-1, which has yet to be confirmed, Buck’s relationships have all been focused on falling apart for one reason or another. While the specifics tend to vary, one common thread that can be drawn is that Buck rushed into things, only to later realize that he and his partner may be fundamentally different when it comes to where they are in life and what they want. This is most evident with Abby Clark (Connie Britton) early in 9-1-1, but it’s happened to his other couples as well.
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Reading between the lines of Stark’s comments to Screen Rant, it could happen again with Tommy. Stark teased that Tommy would be a little weird because of some of the things going on with Buck, adding that in episode 6, there’s a lot of unraveling about their relationship and a lot of truths learned about each other. That could mean they’re going through a rough patch. Or, conversely, Stark’s ideal slow burn could still happen.\ Though said with a bit of self-aware playfulness, considering how long the couple has been a fan favorite, Eddie is the ideal candidate to have that slow burn relationship with Buck. They’ve been friends since Eddie was introduced to the series in 9-1-1 season 2, with Buck becoming an alternate parent to Eddie’s son Christopher (Gavin McHugh). The slow burn, in this case, has been going on for seasons.
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It’s not just that the history is there, or that Stark and Guzman have an easy chemistry that makes their scenes fun to watch. It’s also that the story will be fresh. In the realm of television, where pairings are decided early on, with little room for variation, it’s rare for 9-1-1 to explore what happens when two platonic friends decide to jump into something bigger. That rarity only increases, given the history and the significance of Buck and Eddie grappling with it.
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear bring procedural drama to life with 9-1-1. The series explores the high-pressure experiences of first responders, including police officers, firefighters, and dispatchers, who are thrust into some of the most terrifying, shocking, and breathtaking situations. These emergency responders must balance saving the most vulnerable while dealing with the issues in their own lives. The show is inspired by the real-life high-pressure experiences of first responders, who are regularly faced with breathtaking situations that are often unpredictable, intense, and uplifting at the same time.
