pullofbrokenshadows

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If you insist on making Buck and Eddie heterosexual, at least put some effort into it

Look, I want Buddie to be canon. I think they’re missing a huge opportunity to do something no other primetime network show has ever done. But if they’re intent on not making Buddie canon or waiting until the final episode of the series as a cop-out or setting it up even more, then the least they can do is actually put some effort into Buck and Eddie’s relationships with women. They’ve fumbled every single one of them and at this point it’s just coming across as homophobic. Like these empty, lazy romantic storylines with women are better than just letting them be in a homosexual relationship. If the writers insist on keeping them heterosexual, at least put some real effort into it. Yes, it is easier to do this when both of the characters are series regulars. You have more screen time, more runway. The beginning of Buck and Abby’s relationship was GREAT. They truly earned that. They had a lot more room to build that. But it’s not impossible to do this with guest stars.

And to prove it, here are my pitches (as painful as it is to pitch Buddie with anyone else) that wouldn’t take up any (or very much) additional screen time.

EDDIE

606-616: The 118 teasing Eddie about how he got Marisol’s phone number when they went to help her fix up the house, but he won’t use it. “I barely know her.” “That’s what the date is for.” “We only exchanged numbers in case she had more issues with the house.” “That’s pretense. She wants you to call her and ask her out.” Can even bring this up when Eddie starts complaining about Pepa setting him up. “To be fair, you refuse to set up your own dates.”

OPTIONAL: Therapy with Frank where they discuss his reticence to date. It’s not just Shannon. It’s not just his PTSD. Eddie realizes he’s demi. Frank tells him it’s fine for him to wait until he knows someone well to commit or be physical, but he can’t spend his life never pursuing anything further with anyone just because he didn’t immediately fall in love with them during their first meeting. If he truly doesn’t want to spend life alone, he’ll have to put himself out there, even if he just approaches it as friends at first. 

**Note: As a demi person who sees very little representation plus all the signs we’ve seen of Eddie being demi, this would be a great opportunity for the writers to do something fresh. In lieu of establishing Eddie as demi, they could just keep everything else the same leading up to 614.**

Can still do the whole runner of Pepa setting him up, which perhaps is what could prompt his conversation with Frank (if they were to make Eddie demi), especially noting the stark difference between his and Vanessa’s approaches to dating.

617: Eddie runs into Marisol at the hardware store and literally the only thing they needed to do differently was instead of him turning and walking away at the end, he just starts walking towards Marisol. If they still hadn’t established he already had her number (per the earlier pitch), this would be a way to do it. Otherwise, it at least leads us nicely into the next episode where he’s trying to figure out what to text her.

618: Literally keep all of this the same, just maybe not as giddy at the end? Just to keep in line with the demi of it all. He’s excited and proud of himself, but he doesn’t know her that well, he probably doesn’t have a crush on her in a way that prompts such a stereotypical teenage response.

BUCK

Oh, Buck. Buckaroo. There are too many things to cover, so I’ll mostly focus on Couch!Theory and Natalia. Everything prior to 615 stays the same, unfortunately. (To be clear, I love Coma!Buck, but come on, this was supposed to be his Year of Yes and he literally only said Yes to one big stupid thing.)

615: Buck meets Natalia in the same way, they have the coffee date, all of that. He still has the conversation with Eddie so we get into his headspace a bit and set up what happens next. But also, maybe nix Eddie’s comment about Buck dating people he’s saved. He put a bandage on her hand. Chill out.

617: Here’s where we do the most damage. This was a dumb storyline for Buck. What was even the point of all this? Lucy was just someone he made out with once. Has nothing to do with pursuing Natalia. He didn’t even interact with Taylor. And Kameron barely means anything to him (they really needed to build up this relationship more if they wanted us to believe she would come running to him.) I get that they’re trying to say his life is complicated but it literally isn’t. At least not in the way Natalia thinks it is. The whole story fell flat and just felt like a way to force conflict where there was none. It was a series of weird occurrences, but when Natalia left it didn’t feel like it meant anything. Because we don’t know anything about her. Maybe if we knew she had an ex who could never let go of anyone in his life or a parent who was a consummate people pleaser to everyone except her, this whole episode would have landed better. But none of that was established and has very little connection to where Buck and Natalia eventually end up.

Instead, it should have gone like this:

On their date, Buck starts out enjoying talking to Natalia about his near-death experience and the lessons he learned from it. But the next time we see them (still on the same date, or maybe even a second date), we can see he’s getting uncomfortable that death is the only thing she wants to talk about. Maybe he even still sees Taylor’s interview (but in the bar) and realizes he might be making the same mistakes all over again. Falling for someone who gives him the tiniest bit of attention, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons. He leaves the date, making it clear that he wants his post-death life to be just that—a life.

He comes back from the date to find Kameron waiting outside his apartment (or she arrives shortly after he gets home—we gotta think about production constraints!) He lets her in (even though I hate this whole subplot where she apparently doesn’t have any friends she could stay with?) They can still have the weird pickle scene at the end if they want, but honestly it felt out of place with Love Is In The Air playing in the background and everyone else’s stories being about romantic love. I legit was worried he was going to fall in love with Kameron and they were going to raise the baby together or something. Such a random ending for Buck in this episode.

618: Natalia still comes in when Kameron’s in labor and helps Buck. She’s still amazed at being there for the beginning of life instead of the end. That’s actually what she came to talk to Buck about. She’s used her work as a death doula to hide from the world, but she’s attracted to the way Buck fights to save lives and how he lives his life so fully and openly. She wants a second chance with him.

Next morning: The couch guys are already hauling the couch out. Natalia appears in Buck’s shirt and says “Sorry they couldn’t save the couch.” Buck: “That’s okay. Someone else bought it for me and it wasn’t really my style.” He grabs some cushions from the corner and places them where the couch used to be. He sits down and pulls her into his lap. “This is much better.” Natalia: “And more romantic.”

This leaves the Couch!Theory an open case. Buck isn’t quite there yet, but it still acknowledges the metaphor and sets a course for the next season. The way it stands now Buck hasn’t learned anything. He’s just buying another couch, this time with someone he barely knows. There is no way he can know she’s the one this early on. Especially not with his history and with how very little they even know about each other. The writers tried to use Couch!Theory as a shortcut to get the audiences to buy in to a relationship with a woman and it’s just a lazy cheat that we all saw through. The main theme they kept alive all season for Buck and they just threw it away at the end. Such a waste. 

This is a show that often shines in how they can thread themes together between the calls the first responders go on and what’s going on in their personal lives. The writers usually are able to thread season-long themes into the other characters. (Though did anyone else just totally forget that Hen and Karen were foster parents? Or that Athena and Bobby still hadn’t gone on their honeymoon? Literally all they had to do at the end of 617 was have Athena or Bobby say “Four years married and we still haven’t gone on that honeymoon.”) 

But they’ve struggled season after season to do this with Buck and Eddie. Buck is their main character! How can they drop the ball so much with him? I would say they’ve done a slightly better job with Eddie, especially in Season 5. But I literally cannot tell you what Eddie’s journey was this season other than avoid being set up by his aunt, which was only the final 5 episodes of the season and was barely even a story.

The most infuriating thing is this season had way fewer calls than previous seasons. There were whole episodes where it was only the 118 off shift in their personal lives. And yet this season especially felt disjointed and without focus. 

Here’s hoping ABC comes in and says they want to walk all of this back. Eddie and Marisol went on a couple of dates, but it didn’t work out. Buck never did go get that couch and either we see a short run of his relationship with Natalia or they just mention it didn’t work out. 

And look, I think Natalia could be good for Buck. I like that she’s not stick thin. She’s not white. She’s very different from anyone we’ve seen Buck with so far. The writers could sell me on her as a consolation prize for no Buddie, but they really fumbled the ball here and it’s so disappointing.

So here’s hoping we get some fixes in Season 7 (whenever the studios start paying the writers what they deserve, that is. #WGAStrong)

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My headcanon in 611 is that Eddie was hiding away in a supply closet crying and right before Buck finds Bobby stealing drugs in his coma dream, he almost goes into that same supply closet because he senses Eddie’s in there in the real world, but then realizes Bobby’s in the next room over and that takes precedence. Further supported by Christopher later showing up in the coma dream asking Buck to help him find his dad. Who’s in the supply closet crying.

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Tim giving up his job for Lucy does two things that essentially mean the same thing.

1) It shows that how he feels about Lucy is different from Rachel (wouldn’t move for her) and Ashley (wouldn’t retire).

2) It shows that how he feels about Lucy is closer to how he felt about his wife. We’ve seen Tim in love and willing to do anything for that person, even tamper with evidence.

Honestly, I can foresee this becoming a problem in the future (just a speed bump for the couple in order to add some interest). We see hints of this with Tim treating her differently when they patrolled together. This could rear its head later in a bigger way where he compromises himself to protect Lucy and she gets upset about it.

I’m also looking forward to the first time she’s UC for weeks/months and it’s a drug related op and he gets worried she’s gonna find herself in the same path as Isabel.

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CHENFORD SCENES Season 5 Episode 12 “Death Notice”

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Tim: Lucy and I are dating.

Grey:

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Chenford in Season 1 vs. Season 5 1.20 || 5.12

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My co-worker just put on a random episode of Reba and it’s the one Kelly Clarkson is in so I’m choosing to believe this is a good omen for tonight’s episode 🥰

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Okay, but how are we going to survive the first time they call each other girlfriend or boyfriend?

Or are they just going to jump right to partners as a nod to when Tim so emphatically insisted they weren’t partners?

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I find it suspicious that Tim has barely had any interaction with Angela since he asked Lucy out.

Do we think he’s avoiding her because she can see right through him and she would definitely call him on it?

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Tim: But I thought you were worried about power dynamics.

Grey: Lucy is obviously more powerful than you. Your rank balances that out.

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Look, first kiss is exciting and all but the second kiss is obviously the better one.

Flimsier pretenses (they’d already practiced, no one was watching, and her lipstick was so barely there that it was unnecessary to convince the guys outside that they’d been hooking up.)

They both, but especially Tim, gave it their all. When Lucy pulls away, he leans forward for more.

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Wait, but what if Tim and Lucy are whispering about their date and Grey calls them in and gives them the scary talk and then after they’re like, “We should maybe wait a couple days and figure out how we’re going to approach this.” But then Tim almost dies hanging off that ledge and they realize life’s too short and they just go on the date, careers be damned.

And then Grey finds out and laughs because he was just messing with them. They just have to fill out paperwork for HR and they’re good to go.

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Nolan really put in all that work to build a whole ass house and didn’t bother to put in a bedroom door. No wonder he wanted Celina out…he probably couldn’t have sex as long as she was staying with them.

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We aren’t talking enough about how it’s obvious that what Tim was really upset about in 5x06 was that he was available but he couldn’t be with Lucy because she was still with Chris. He offered up his breakup to both get her off his back and probably in hopes that she would break up with Chris now that he was available. Setting us up perfectly for the next episode that he spends convincing her to break up with Chris.

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Not me watching every crime show starring a male detective/PI who is chronically single and just waiting for the reveal that he’s gay but no, he’s just a playboy who hasn’t yet met the right woman, who just so happens to be 20 years younger than him and a manic pixie dream girl.

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Can I just say how grateful I am that there’s only a 4 week hiatus for The Rookie? So many of my favorite network shows aren’t coming back until late February/March (and they last aired original episodes in October/November or haven’t aired at all this season).

Knowing that not only will The Rookie be back first week of the new year but that my ship is finally together is keeping me (relatively) sane.

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Now that they’re finally together, future Chenford story opportunities:

- Grey pulling out paperwork for them to fill out for HR before they even finish telling him they’re together

- Tim angst when he thinks Lucy is getting in over her head on an undercover drug assignment (he really has a type, doesn’t he?)

- Both of them showing jealousy when victims/suspects hit on the other

- Tim reacting to Lucy’s DOD tattoo the first time they sleep together (or her scar because I don’t think they ever confirmed whether she got rid of it or not)

- If she still has the tattoo, maybe covering it with something related to them, like their wedding date

- Tim planning an elaborate proposal (per Lucy’s suggestions to Nolan when he tells her he’s going to propose to Bailey.) Maybe something tied to their work or in the vein of Tim Tests.

- Angela as Tim’s Best Woman, obvs

- Torn between Nolan as Lucy’s Man of Honor and Tamara as Maid of Honor (maybe flower girl?)

- Grey officiating, obvs, since he’s been Team Chenford since Day 1

- Tim and Lucy on their honeymoon, but of course they come across a case and team up to solve it

- As much as I’d love to see Tim with a daughter, I think they need to have a son so he can put a stop to the generational trauma and prove to himself he’s better than his dad.

- And continue to lean in to Tim and Lucy raising Tamara together (a la Tim getting Tamara’s car looked at by a mechanic). Same with Kojo.

- I would love to see Isabel return and react to Tim and Lucy being together.