And no, it’s not necessarily about Buddie.
2023 was certainly a wake-up call in queer TV and cinema, and people were welcoming each and every story with open hearts and minds. While the world is still full of prejudice, it was very helpful for the community to see different scenarios with very different people play out before their eyes.
While 911 didn’t do anything groundbreaking last year, the Fox (and now ABC) procedural has always been progressive in terms of inclusion.
The lesbian couple, Hen and Karen, and the very relatable struggles they have experienced throughout the 6 seasons of the show is a great example of this.
However, fans still have a huge bone to pick with 911 when it comes to Eddie Diaz and Evan Buckley.
Even though the two characters have developed a beautiful friendship over the years, people still feel like they were intentionally misled by the writers to believe in Buddie and had to sit through 6 years of queerbaiting.
Whether this is true or not, we may never know. What is true, however, is that Eddie Diaz as a stand-alone character could have been a perfect example of a man figuring himself out in his adult years, but the show continues to miss that opportunity.
Is 911’s Eddie Diaz Straight?
From what we canonically know of Eddie, he’s always been in some kind of relationship with women only. Shannon, Ana, and Marisol are enough to suggest that he’s a heterosexual man who’s just not good at dating and can’t find the right person for himself.
Eddie’s heartfelt confession that he’s not looking for a relationship for himself, but rather for a good potential mother for his son Christopher, makes the viewer suspicious of his intentions.
While this could be a trauma of guilt that he has from having to raise his son as a single father, it could also indicate some repressed revelations about himself.
Having to spend his youth in the army and taking care of his newborn son instead of figuring things out about himself may have played a trick on Eddie’s mentality. Instead of living the way he wants to, he seems to dissolve into his duties, ignoring his own passions and desires.
He finds some relief in his friendship with Buck, but otherwise feels alone against the world and tries his best to please everyone he cares about except himself.
This is a pattern that many queer people his age go through, and if 911 had dared to take it this far, it would have made perfect sense and given his character great development.
To see if 911 will take this route under the ABC umbrella, or continue to push Eddie from one unsuccessful date to the next, tune in to the upcoming season 7 premiere on Thursday, March 14.
