Just three episodes in, the second half of 9-1-1 Season 8 is already making major strides towards the show’s fan-favorite pairing of Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman). Although it’s certainly been sad to watch Eddie move to Texas, this storyline is exactly what 9-1-1 needs to organically kick off the romance between the two of them – and it’s a true delight to watch it all play out. Last week’s episode, “Holy Mother of God,” shows Buck struggling to adjust to living in Eddie’s house while feeling his absence everywhere. How does Buck cope with this? Well, by spending his nights at Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chimney’s (Kenneth Choi) house, trying to fill Eddie’s absence with other people, and constantly talking about Eddie.
For years, fans of 9-1-1 have speculated about the undeniable chemistry between Evan “Buck” Buckley and Eddie Diaz. From subtle moments to emotionally charged scenes, it’s becoming more apparent that the show has always been paving the road for Buddie. But why does it feel so obvious now? Let’s break down the clues that prove 9-1-1 has been telling this love story all along.
Each episode since the hiatus seems to be leaning more into the direction of “Buddie,” but this is the first one to actually address it outright. While out for drinks with Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody), Buck runs into Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) for the first time since their breakup. They then spend the night together, and they almost get back together the next morning, before the conversation finally turns to Eddie. After Buck’s storyline this week, one thing is clear: not only is 9-1-1 moving forward with “Buddie,” but the show has been working towards this for a while, particularly through Buck’s relationship with Tommy.
Tommy’s Reveal Recontextualizes “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered”. Tommy’s admission that he’s always been jealous of Buck and Eddie’s closeness recontextualizes many of the scenes in “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered,” the episode where Buck realizes that he is bisexual. In the episode, Buck is jealous of Eddie’s new close friendship with Tommy, and he panics when he feels like he is losing Eddie. He joined a pickup basketball game that he had no interest in just so that Eddie and Tommy couldn’t spend more time alone together, and then this all escalated into Buck hurting Eddie’s ankle. At the end of the episode, Tommy goes to Buck’s loft to clear the air. Buck told Tommy that he was trying to get his attention, to which Tommy said, “My attention?” Then, of course, they kissed.
While it was exciting to see Buck realize his sexuality, there have always been some holes in this scene. The main one is that the entire episode shows Buck trying to get Eddie’s attention, even when Tommy is not around. Buck worked out at the 118’s gym, ordered a basketball online, and obsessed over Eddie’s calendar in a way that seemed to all be about losing Eddie. It never made sense that Buck’s interest would be in Tommy instead. Additionally, Tommy’s surprise at Buck wanting his attention always seemed to have more weight than was revealed at the time. Now that Tommy has admitted to always being jealous of Buck and Eddie, it’s clear that each of the confusing aspects of that final “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” scene was all intentional. In retrospect, it doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch that Tommy picked up on Buck’s jealousy at the basketball game and then went to his apartment to apologize for going after Eddie, which is why he was so surprised when Buck expressed an interest in him.
Looking back at everything 9-1-1 has given us, it’s never been clearer—Buddie was always meant to be. Whether it’s through their unwavering trust, their unspoken moments, or the way they prioritize each other above all else, their journey has been leading to something bigger. Now, we just have to wait and see if the showrunners finally make it official.
