More than one happy couple celebrated a milestone at the end of the May 2 episode of “9-1-1”: After going missing on the day of his wedding to Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Chimney (Kenneth Choi) was found alive, and his and Maddie’s wedding finally took place in his hospital room as he recovered from viral encephalitis. But Buck (Oliver Stark) was also thrilled to have his new boyfriend Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) join in the fun.
The reactions from the characters—who had no idea Buck was bisexual, let alone dating a fellow firefighter—ranged from confusion from Buck and Maddie’s parents, to Hen (Aisha Hinds) saying, “It’s about time.”
Hewitt told TheWrap that the reaction was “Wait, what?” Dee Wallace, who plays Buck and Maddie’s mom, is being honest, as she missed the episodes where Buck and Tommy admitted their feelings for each other.
In a recent interview, Hewitt opened up about where the family’s relationship could go after Buck’s big reveal, Maddie and Chimney finally getting married, and whether showrunner Tim Minear will continue to tease more.
TheWrap: Now that Buck is more or less out, the reactions from the other characters are priceless. It seems like Buck and Maddie’s mom might have some issues with their son dating a guy.
Jennifer Love Hewitt: The funny thing is that Dee and Gregory [Harrison], who play our parents, they didn’t read any scripts in between [their last appearances]. So they didn’t know. Her actual reaction was, “Wait, he’s with that guy?” And I was like, “Oh, I wish they were continuing that. That was priceless.” It was so funny. And I was like, “I guess I should tell you guys what you missed when you came back,” but it was really cute.
Our parents were originally very different people when they came on the show, and as Buck and Maddie grew up, I think they let go of a lot of things. And I’m really excited about that. We absolutely loved having our parents on the show, and we just hope that they come back for more. They’re just the sweetest people ever.
Are they going to be okay with that, or is that still up in the air?
Up in the air. I mean, I think there’s going to be some conversations about that in Season 8. Maddie and Buck are a good team, so if anything other than supportive, our parents should be ready for us to come to them. But I think they’re mature enough now and want a real relationship with Buck and Maddie that they didn’t have before. I hope they handle it well.
And then Hen’s (Aisha Hinds) reaction was, “It’s about time.” Did she know about Tommy before?
I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it. I think the thing about Buck is that people always assume something big is going to happen to him because he’s never really settled into who he is. He’s always been searching for who he is and what that means. And he’s definitely had trouble with relationships.
So I think everyone’s like, “We’re just Team Buck.” So if that’s where he’s going and what makes him happy, then we’re happy. I’m not shocked by that. I don’t think Maddie is shocked by that either, not because I definitely think that’s where he’s going, but I just always expect something exciting and big to happen for him.
Maddie has been very understanding and supportive of Buck in everything. I understand that you were on board with the fan-driven Buck/Eddie pairing before this storyline with Tommy happened.
That’s right. Because I love them both and I think they’re both adorable. And yeah, when the audience started pairing them up — I think that’s what the kids were saying — I was definitely on board and thought it was really cute. But now Tommy, I’m a Tommy fan too because I’m a Buck supporter. So whatever my brother wants.
Is it okay for Maddie and Chim to get married in the hospital?
I mean, where else could they get married, right? If they got married in a church setting or a beach or something like that, some of you [viewers] would freak out.
