sweetyugwa

[sweetyugwa]

soooo.... Back to Bucktommy mpreg?

[sweetyugwa]

Whenever I see a plane or a helicopter I just think about Tommy now no questions asked

[sweetyugwa]

ROCKER & MOLLY S.W.A.T. -> 8x20 "devil dog"

[sweetyugwa]

Honestly, what I need right now is Lou!

I want to see a show where he's a regular. He absolutely deserves it😁

[sweetyugwa]

At this point, I don’t even feel disappointment or anger anymore🤷‍♀️ I won’t lie and say I had no expectations, but considering the direction this season has taken, having any hope felt like a luxury. Maybe that’s why the disappointment feels less—because I didn’t expect much to begin with.

Tim has made a mess of things, but at least there are better fanfiction writers out there, so I’ll turn to those instead.

Now that Bobby is gone, unless they bring in another big-name actor, Buck is essentially the male lead. That makes me worried about what kind of storyline they’ll give him. Will they give him a girlfriend just because he’s the main guy? Are we going to go around in circles again? Why is it so impossible for him to have a stable, chosen family of his own?

Even in other shows, the male lead might go through hardships, but in the end, they usually get to build a family. I’ve never seen a show spin in circles like this one. What made me hopeful about Buck and Tommy this season was that Buck is my favorite character, and it finally felt like he might get someone who was just for him. But it turned out to be an even worse cycle than before, and all his growth was completely undone.

I doubt even Tim knows where Buck’s story is headed. He probably won’t decide until right before filming starts. Long-term planning just isn’t something he does.

I want to see the characters happy—I’m not here to watch them suffer endlessly. At this point, all I can think is, “Well, of course. What else did I expect?”

[sweetyugwa]

I don’t know how many times I need to say this, the worst case scenario for Buck is not a romantic relationship with Eddie. That’s never happening. The worst case scenario is him ending up alone and OliviaBenson-ified, or in a last-minute low-effort HEA with whoever happens to be available. That one’s an actual real possibility, unfortunately.

[sweetyugwa]

😍

[sweetyugwa]

Major spoilers for ep 17 of 911

Ughhhhh okay I’m gonna get beat up for saying this but we throw around words like “gaslight” and “narcissist” so much online that sometimes I feel like there are a lot of people that don’t entirely realize what those words mean. Allow me to give a perfect example, from someone who was raised by a narcissist (hi daaadddd): watch the newest 911 episode and listen to the way Eddie talks to Buck when Buck gets home. I’m not even going to get into the train wreck of an argument they had before, no, for now we’re just focusing on the after.

Something narcissists love to do when they know they’re in the wrong is to shift focus. They’ll give you a gift they know you like, or take you somewhere special, all while ignoring the elephant in the room. It’s a way to manipulate your emotions. You’re so mad at them and then woah! Now you’re going to a fancy restaurant or you have a new diamond necklace. Or someone you miss has just come home from Texas. What a big family reunion this is. It’s a way to make them feel better about themselves, make them seem like the good guy. Remember in Tangled when mother gothel and repunzel got into an argument about seeing the lights, and then mother gothel came back home she announced she was going to make hazelnut soup? She doesn’t bring up the argument until she notices that her “gift” hasn’t shifted the blame effectively. Now, in Eddie’s case it actually works, and Buck doesn’t bring up their argument, so Eddie gets the glory of being the good guy.

Let’s rewind a little bit now. Folded sheets and a note that says “gone to the airport.” Do you fold your sheets when you sleep on a friend’s couch? Maybe if you’re polite. But the inclusion of this detail better serves as a way to hint to the audience that Eddie may be gone forever. Still it works to prove that Eddie had malicious intent. He could’ve put the note on the fridge. He could’ve written “brb” or hell, maybe even texted Buck to let him know. But he didn’t, I wonder why? Gaslighting 101 tells you that if you want to actually make someone feel like they’re crazy it has to be significant and insignificant at the same time. You can’t just say “no” and expect someone to be efficiently gaslighted. If you want to manipulate someone it has to be plausible, something you can twist or something you know they’ll forget. I was born at 10:50 but my dad always insisted I was born at 11. He was able to gaslight me through this because he knew 1. I didn’t have proof and 2. It was so close in time that it really didn’t matter. A few years ago he started to say I was born at 10:50 and any time I tried to argue that he always said 11 before, he would deny. I didn’t have proof that he said that, and I felt like I was going crazy.

Now, mirrren, you ask, what does your traumatic backstory have to do with Eddie Díaz of 911 fame? Hang on I’ll get to it. When buck came home surprised that Eddie was there, Eddie said “my note said I was going to the airport. The airport and Texas are not the same. They don't even have the same amount of letters in their—” which is true, but he never said he was going to be back either. It’s his tone that gets me. “Buck is so stupid for not realizing that he was coming back, Buck should’ve known, Buck is so lucky I’m around because I’m the only thing keeping him attached to sanity, I am a great person for doing this to Buck.” It’s patronizing, and it’s insulting. Narcissists do this a lot. Most of what makes gaslighting insanity inducing is the fact that the manipulator makes you feel like you’re stupid, like you’re just a kid. Maybe Eddie wasn’t intending to manipulate Buck, but his words and his tone indicate the opposite. If he wanted to make Buck feel like he left to Texas that’s still messed up for a friend to do. Even if I shipped buddie I would feel that way. Because this interaction was just so similar to how my dad made me feel every day of my life.

It’s understandable if those of you didn’t know that this behavior was a red flag. I don’t want to hate on any buddie shippers out there. But this behavior is concerning, even if it’s just a plot device or bad writing, it’s indicative of unfavorable characteristics and I can’t support Eddie after that interaction. I know it was an apology. He says “heard some dick was being mean to you” and sure I guess that is apologizing but does he ever say sorry? Does he even say that it was him that’s being mean? And if he did say sorry, or even if he did say it was him, what kind of apology is that? Make your best friend think you’ve left forever just to return with two people you know he likes? Nah I’m still mad, bud.

I had a lot more I wanted to say, but this is already so goddamn long I’ll cut it short here.

[sweetyugwa]

8x17 discourse/mentions of violence under the tag to persevere your peace.

If Eddie had done that to Chris, would that have been okay?

If Eddie had done that to Marisol or Ana, would that have been okay?

If Eddie had done that to Pepa, would that have been okay?

If Eddie had done that to Hen or Karen, would that be okay?

If Eddie had done that to you, would that be okay?

If Tommy had done that to Buck, would that be okay?

The fact of the matter is, no matter what Buddies want to believe, they are not romantic. It’s bad enough that he think it’s okay to treat friends like that and it’s not even the first time, hell it’s not even the first time this season.

Buck can be selfish, of course he can, we all can be. But he never does it maliciously. He’s an anxiety riddled man with a history of rejection sensitivity, abandonment issues, and childhood trauma. He’s trying his best, and yes, sometimes he can cross a line, but we all do. We’re human and therefore inherently flawed. That does not give Eddie the right to belittle him in such a way.

How dare he saying that he makes everything about him before immediately making it all about him. God forbid you have to be a father, Eddie and tell your kid bad news. You know who worse had to get woken up with devastating news? May and Harry, they aren’t being violent.

The trials and tribulations of Evan Buckley, in 97 parts? That shit was just cruel.

To get into his face so fast and so aggressively that he flinched? Fuck you, Dude.

and that’s just with their friendship.

So, let’s say they were romantic. I guess it’s romantic if Tommy were to do that to Buck. Oh? No? It’s not? But I thought that was canon confirmation because “Buck loves Eddie so much that he pushed him so he could get his emotions out even if it was against him.”

Oh, no? That doesn’t apply to Tommy?

Oh, how silly of me, I forgot Tommy was the devil because he called him adorable as he left a date he was no longer comfortable in and didn’t wear a costume.

What you’re really saying is that kind of behavior is acceptable because same sex couples, which is something we’re NOT going to normalize, especially given that same sex couples have horrendously high rates of IPV.

And the most frustrating part of this is that it likely will never be addressed. Every single one of Buck’s shortcomings gets addressed ad nauseam, but Eddie’s never did.

Although, I shouldn’t be surprised because Bobby and Chim assaulting him was swept under the rug too.

[sweetyugwa]

What a baffling choice by the 911 writers not to have Eddie be confronted by the consequences of his words. It's basic storytelling that characters need to be confronted by the consequences of their words or choices or actions. Whether those consequences are positive, negative, neutral is up to the writer and where they want the story and character to go. Soap operas thrive on the juicy impact of characters’ words and actions.

Consequences in stories do not necessarily mean punishments or apologies. I don’t want perfect characters. I don't want moral scruples. I want consequences that the characters have to confront.

It's funny – I made a post earlier yesterday before the episode about the show Interview with the Vampire. If you have not seen that show, it is THE toxic relationship show. I think it is genuinely the best-written show on TV right now. I love it because it is about power dynamics. The relationships in the show, romantic or otherwise, are messy, complicated, toxic, abusive. But the show is about exploring the consequences of actions. There was never a point when watching that show that I saw a character emotionally hurt another character and think that there wouldn’t be consequences to that. (Again, not punishments, not apologies, consequences.)

911 is 100% NOT that kind of show, though. I'm not expecting it to be. I’m not expecting the show to spend eight episodes exploring complicated relationship dynamics. This is the one-and-done show. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need consequences. Isn’t that what Bobby’s death was about? Every story needs impact. These characters can only go so long before they need to be confronted with consequences, or else they are just stagnant, uninteresting carbon copies pretending to be characters.

It’s basic storytelling. Not having your character be confronted at all is a failure of storytelling. If Eddie continued this cycle of not apologizing, not being impacted by his words, it might be an interesting storyline if I thought the show was actually going to lead to a confrontation about it.

If the writers want the audience (I’m talking General Audience) to continue to see Buck and Eddie as good friends, Eddie needs to confront how he has treated Buck. Or else they’re going to come to a point where they realize they haven’t given Eddie anything to do to grow and evolve his character, and the friendship is going to start feeling completely unearned. There needs to be a consequence for Eddie to grow and learn from to be a better friend to Buck. You know, like how he confronted his actions with Kim, oh, wait…

I could very well be wrong, but with this show’s track record, the conversation in the kitchen will not lead to any further consequences. From what I gathered, Eddie bringing in Chris and Pepa was his way of apologizing, of telling Buck that he made a mistake and wanted to fix it. But that doesn’t actually do anything with Eddie’s character, does it? Because he didn't actually hear how he hurt Buck and decide if he was going to make up for it or not. If the writers wanted this argument to be over within one episode, Eddie could have brought in Chris and Pepa and then had the heart-to-heart with Buck at the end, not Pepa. Because Pepa is not the one in this friendship. She was not the one in that kitchen saying those words.

So, TLDR, ig: I don’t want perfect characters. I love when complicated, messy relationship dynamics, romantic or not, are explored. But what makes a good, interesting story, at the most basic fucking level, is having the characters confront how their words and actions have created consequences, whether they be negative or positive, whether they decide to grow or not. By completely skipping over Eddie even talking to Buck at all about how his words hurt him, by bringing in Chris and Pepa as the only means of confrontation, Eddie is just… stagnant.

[sweetyugwa]

I was wondering why they only showed the MollyRocker couple now, but I'm just glad we get to see them at all. I'm happy because it's clear that they're a really healthy couple.

🥰

[sweetyugwa]

I want to see Rocker and Molly doing spinning🤣🤣

[sweetyugwa]

it's ok Rocker is separated from his wife 🙏

and his intentions towards Molly are honorable 😌

they met at a spinning class 🚴‍♂️

[sweetyugwa]

ok now onto the bucktommy portion of my asks.

i thought most of you didn't expect tommy to appear in 817 anyway so what's with the switch-up? 🤔

i don't feel like writing another essay repeating what has been said a hundred times before, but yes, the only thing that makes narrative sense after 811 and 815 is still a reconciliation down the line. of course, i’m approaching this with the belief that logic ultimately prevails in the writing room when that's not always a guarantee, but still: deliberate writing choices were made to keep tommy involved in 8b. setups imply payoffs. buck's ex wouldn't have been brought thrice for nothing.

i fundamentally disagree with anyone saying that it's over. 806 could've acted as a conclusion. the door was by no means firmly shut but it could've been left as is. they had a “parting” conversation and tommy walked out the literal door with a goodbye. rn the bucktommy storyline isn't open-ended. it's unfinished. unresolved — one of the dangling threads that need to be wrapped up. their last on-screen interaction had tommy openly admit he was risking his career for buck before being interrupted by the military and then tragedy. there's no way to sell that as an end when it functioned as the opposite: a prolongation of their will-they-won’t-they.

and i don't believe they'll drag it out to s9 after 12 episodes of uncertainty.

now i understand the skepticism. i do: the reason why i was expecting/hoping to see tommy in 817 is because there's only so much you can fit in 43 minutes when half of that time will probably be dedicated to the emergency. buck and tommy haven't spoken since 815 and as much as the seeds have been planted by the helicopter scene, it's not a sufficient set up for a satisfactory reconciliation. but then i remembered that 911 is rarely satisfying and often rushes through resolutions. a reunion doesn't need to be elaborate or take more than 3 minutes, tops.

every main character will close the season with an individual win (baby han, athena's finished house, mara's probable adoption, eddie and chris moving back to LA) so i expect one for buck as well and tommy has been positioned as his price. after all, he’s the one character who took care of buck for a change all season.

lfj's interview where he speaks of vulnerability and commitment post-funeral still exists. so, until opening credits roll without his name listed amongst them, i'm not wavering or despairing. i'd rather be wrong than preemptively disappointed.

what do i envision? buck reaching out to tommy after the building collapse in a scene that mirrors their coffee date, showing up with a basket of baked goods and saying something along the lines of "i should've called. every time i baked instead of dialing your number was a waste of time and we only have so much. i want to try again. actually try, this time. if you still want me." -> "wanting you was never the issue, quite the opposite," followed by said expression of vulnerability. maybe a callback to "why be apart when we can be together?" as well. and then a brief cameo during the (time-jump?) ending montage (potentially living together since buck has moved out of eddie's old place according to that one bts). tada. short and sweet and effective 🤞

[sweetyugwa]

So....at what point did Buck make it all about himself because I actually missed that part???

[sweetyugwa]

Donovan Rocker, we need you now😍

[sweetyugwa]

rocker cheating on his wife with the commander’s daughter…. SCREAM.