‘9-1-1’ Stars Talk Maddie and Chimney’s Ups and Downs, Buck’s ‘Perfect’ Gay Kiss
In Thursday’s tense new episode of “9-1-1,” Maddie and Chimney get married in the most perfect way possible: lying in a hospital bed.
The couple’s nuptials are severely delayed after Chimney (Kenneth Choi), a firefighter, suffers amnesia and goes missing the day before their wedding. Using police reports, traffic cameras and hospital records, dispatcher Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) pieces together that her fiancé contracted viral encephalitis while on the job, causing swelling in his brain that could have been fatal.
“In typical ‘9-1-1’ fashion, it’s been a roller coaster,” Hewitt said, trudging across a wire-covered set in a flowing wedding dress. “They can’t just show up at the church and walk down the aisle. That doesn’t happen on our show!”
How the new episode of ‘9-1-1’ reflects Maddie and Chimney’s love story
“9-1-1” has long been beloved by fans for its absurd and heart-stopping emergencies, from shark attacks to plane crashes to a sinking cruise ship in the Season 7 premiere that marked the show’s move from Fox to ABC. But walking through the palm-lined Fox studio on a warm March morning, the atmosphere couldn’t be more serene: Sitting between takes, actors in hospital scrubs text, do crossword puzzles and exchange recommendations for kimchi burritos. (At the risk of becoming an LA stereotype, a man in scrubs is buried in a scriptbook, jotting down notes.)
The cast is filming the final scenes of the episode with Maddie and Chimney after he was found wandering the streets alone. Now that they have some of their memories back, they decide to exchange vows in his hospital room, inviting friends and family to watch 118 Fire Chief Bobby (Peter Krause) preside over the informal ceremony.
“Love can’t wait, so we’re all here to celebrate it,” says Angela Bassett, who plays Sergeant Athena, who sits by her bedside between takes. “We’re off that big cruise ship for a minute, so whenever we have days like this, I cherish it!”
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Throughout the emotional episode, Chimney reminisced about the ups and downs of his relationship with Maddie, from confrontations with her violent ex-husband to her surprise pregnancy with a baby girl. “It’s a mix of his whole story,” says show creator Tim Minear. “Like Maddie says at the end, ‘We always find a way back to each other.’ It’s been a recurring motif for them since they got together.”
After the bride and groom said “I do,” wedding guests spilled out into the hospital hallway, chatting while pecking at small plates of white frosting. The prop candy got a rather sour reception: “I had a little bit. It was fine,” Krause said politely.
“It’s from Ralphs,” Choi added of the local supermarket chain, flashing a smile when he spotted a public relations professional loitering nearby. “But I will say it’s delicious!”
‘9-1-1’ creator says Buck’s gay kiss didn’t ‘come out of nowhere’
Thursday’s episode also included another milestone for Maddie’s brother, Buck (Oliver Stark), a former promiscuous firefighter who shared a kiss with pilot Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) in the show’s 100th episode last month. Buck’s co-workers eagerly learn about his new relationship at the hospital, where he passionately kisses Tommy after their wedding.
“That’s one of my favorite scenes,” Choi said. “For most of the characters, it’s the revelation that Buck has found someone he really cares about. It’s adorable, it’s cute, it’s perfect, and the audience is going to love it.”
Stark likens Buck’s journey to “a hamster wheel”: “He’s one step forward and two steps back, as is typical when you’re in your late 20s and early 30s, trying to find yourself,” the actor explains. “As we get into season seven, he’s figuring out how to really figure out who he wants to be.”
The romance has been met with some backlash from homophobic viewers, whose hateful comments Stark responded to on Instagram last month. Minear says that “Buck has been queer-coded” since Season 2 and that his awakening “didn’t come out of nowhere.” In a 2021 crossover episode with the Fox spinoff “9-1-1: Lone Star,” Buck has a suggestive moment with firefighter Austin T.K. (Ronen Rubinstein).
“T.K. thinks Buck is flirting with him,” Mi
