If you had told me a few seasons of 9-1-1 ago that Buck (Oliver Stark) was going to sell his loft in order to move into Eddie’s (Ryan Guzman) house, I would have assumed you were talking about a work of fanfiction, and then I would’ve asked you to send me the link. And yet, somehow, here we are in the second half of Season 8, and the prospect of this fan-favorite pairing becoming a reality has never been more in reach. Buck is out as bisexual, Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) is out of the picture, and Buck and Eddie seem to finally be on the path towards figuring out their feelings for each other.
Christopher (Gavin McHugh) staying in Texas out of anger towards Eddie has been my least favorite storyline this season, but, one way or another, it’s going to be resolved soon. Eddie’s not just looking at houses and considering a move to Texas, as we learned in the midseason finale. Nope, he has jumped the gun (likely without even talking to Chris about it first), and already put a down payment on a house. There’s no way that 9-1-1 is ever going to get rid of Eddie, but this storyline is the perfect setup for feelings realizations for both Eddie and Buck – and I am having the time of my life watching it play out.
Buck Is Bothered and Bewildered by Eddie’s Move in ‘9-1-1’s Mid-Season 8 Premiere
Buck was able to be supportive of Eddie’s move to Texas when it was hypothetical, but in practice, it is much more difficult for him. Eddie tells Buck that he’s put a down payment on a house ten miles away from his parents’ house, and Buck just kind of… spirals. He really tries to help out, but he just can’t help himself. As Eddie shows the house to potential subletters, Buck slides in little comments throughout, like about the squishy floor in the corner, the fact that the kitchen is not made for chefs, that the house is under the flight path of LAX, and that the former head of the neighborhood association ran a meth lab out of his garage.
Naturally, Eddie figures out that Buck is sabotaging the sublet, so he kicks him out for the next interview. Buck sticks around to eavesdrop, because of course he does, and this is when he hears something truly gutting. While talking to the potential subletters, Eddie explains that he moved to LA for a job opportunity, but that he has no ties here, and that everything that matters is in Texas. Now, Eddie obviously doesn’t mean this, and it’s probably just the lie he’s trying to tell himself to get through the move. Buck is obviously heartbroken when he hears this, though, and he stops playing nice.
Suddenly, Buck flips a switch, and he begins acting very cold and petty towards Eddie. He starts making little comments about everything that Eddie says: catching the surprise in his voice about Buck adopting the dog, snarking at Eddie about whether he has to run everything by him, calling the dog his new best friend, and then saying that he brought the dog to the 118 so that he won’t think that Buck is an abandoner. Then, Buck suggests moving out of his loft for the dog, and he tells Eddie that he’s “not the only one who can do that” … in front of everyone, even though Eddie isn’t ready to tell them about the move. It’s all very petty, and it’s exactly the sort of behavior that I’ve been hoping to see from Buck since we learned about the move.
‘9-1-1’ Just Delivered the “Buddie” Angst I’ve Been Hoping For
My favorite thing about Buck and Eddie is that they are best friends. They are always very in-sync and even more than a little bit obsessed with each other, and they rarely ever fight. This means that when they do, it really means something – and it is also incredibly captivating to watch. Eddie still tries to give Buck the benefit of the doubt after Buck tells everyone about the move, but Buck is not yet ready to let it go. He actually tells Eddie that, unlike him, the dog knows how to stay (seriously), and that he doesn’t need Eddie, either.
I had a lot of fun watching Buck acting all petty and angry towards Eddie, and trying to replace him with a dog. This angst is also really important for moving their relationship forward. Eddie moving forces Buck to come face to face with the possibility of losing him, and thus leads him to start thinking more deeply about what Eddie really means to him, and who Eddie is to him. Meanwhile, Eddie is obviously gutted about leaving LA , and the 118, and Buck, but he hasn’t let his mind go there, because his number one priority is Christopher. Buck’s angry and petty response forces Eddie to think about this unbearable choice that he has to make, and why it is so hard for him and Buck to let each other go.
I Can’t Stop Thinking About the Look on Eddie’s Face in That Last Scene of ‘9-1-1’s Mid-Season 8 Premiere
Although the angst in this episode was fun, I was a little worried about Buck and Eddie’s fight going on longer than this, because I didn’t want a repeat of Season 3. Thankfully, though, Buck makes things right at the end of the episode with a sweet grand gesture. While Eddie is getting ready to meet a potential new subletter, Buck shows up to the house, and all his anger is gone. Eddie yells at Buck about everything, and Buck handles it really well. Then, Bobby (Peter Krause), Hen (Aisha Hinds), and Chimney (Kenneth Choi) show up to take Eddie out for a going away dinner, but Eddie is still in a rush to meet the subletter – who, as it turns out, is actually Buck under the name of “Freddie Fakeman” (I mean… come on, Eddie).
Buck reveals that he sold the loft, and that he’s going to be moving into Eddie’s house and subletting it while he’s gone. It is not just romantic, although it is. It is a testament to Buck’s deep devotion to Eddie, both in the fact that Buck is giving up his own home to help Eddie out, but also because he cannot let go of Eddie by letting someone else live in this house after he moves. After Buck spent such a long time living in Abby’s (Connie Britton) house after she left him behind, the loft was a big deal to him. It was a place of his own, and it was the one constant through a string of failed relationships. That last look on Eddie’s face shows just how touched he is about what Buck did, but it also seems to be the moment where he reconsiders what Buck means to him, and I cannot wait to see how this affects their interactions going forward.
