#911 bts: season 5B

[canonicallyobserving911]

T@ylor Ke!!y causes Buck to Regress

a.k.a 5 seasons of proof that illustrate why they aren't compatible

Since 9-1-1 won't address Buck's regression, this post will so that it can be acknowledged instead of the stupid love triangle they conjured up for Buck's season 5 arc between Buck/L*cy/Tayl*r

According to Merriam-webster's online dictionary, Regressing means to "return to a former or less developed state".

This is easily recognizable via Buck's appearance throughout each season of 9-1-1.  The most telling part in this dynamic can be found via his hair styles.  He's only worn two styles on the show; the heavily gelled style with it combed to the back and his natural curls. Slicked back and gelled equals immaturity while curls for him equal maturity.

Season 1

Buck was introduced as a reckless firefighter who would steal 🚒🚒🚒 to have sex with random women.  They were women he met on calls or on the street and to him it was all normal.  At this time the audience had no idea of the traumas he had experienced so it was probably viewed as him being young, restless and reckless.  This was Buck 1.0 and unfortunately, not the best version of him.  He met Abby after she stalked him via her illegally obtaining his phone number from her job as a 9-1-1 dispatcher.  In this season, Bobby taught Buck how to be respectful towards his elders and towards women.  He was young but he was learning (starting to upgrade) how to be better.

Season 2

Buck's software upgrade to Buck 2.0 was the version of him the audience saw in this season.  It included the aftermath of Buck's relationship with Abby. After she ghosted him for several months; he didn't want to admit it was over so he clung to the memory of what he had with her.  Right after he moved out of her apartment, in season 2 episode 8, he hooked up with Tayl*r in a bar bathroom after she pursued him by buying him a 🍺.  He told Bobby in that episode he didn't want her to think that sex was all he wanted from her.  However after he contacted her to apologize, he met up with her for a second time to clear the air.  But all she wanted was a quickie in the news van and he gave in even though he had just told Bobby he no longer wanted to be that guy. The license on his software upgrade from 1.0 to 2.0 must have expired and download Error 404 surfaced.  Her software version was obviously still waiting to be upgraded because she literally left him standing and stranded in the parking lot (embarrassing) with his pants unzipped as she went to chase a news story.  He was trying to be a better version of himself but with trifling Tayl*r around constantly popping up like a jack-in-the-box, he kept downgrading to his 1.0 version.  It wasn't until later in the same episode with Tayl*r that Ali called him and they started whatever they had going on.  So Buck had upgraded to Buck 2.0 while Tayl*r was still the 1.0 version of herself.

Season 3

Buck 2.0 still existed in this season but he had his challenges. This was the season where the relationships with his found family were tested due to the embolism, tsunami and the lawsuit.  Even though he was still processing his upgrade to the next level, he was doing better.  He loved his job and the developing portions of The Buckley-Diaz Family dynamic (Buck was becoming the person Eddie & Christopher trusted most). His contributions to the research and creation of Christopher's skateboard and his time spent with Red helped Buck to realize he could change the course of where his life would end up. He was afraid he would end up and die alone like Red did but both Maddie and Eddie assured him they wouldn't leave him behind.  Also Abby, the old cougar came back at the end of the season causing him to regress back to only the reckless version of his 1.0 self. Still Buck 2.0 with 1.0 tendencies.

Season 4

A lot of Buck's childhood traumas were unearthed during the first portion of this season.  He learned about Daniel and the reason for his birth i.e. "savior baby". He also learned his whole biological family had lied to him because in 29 years no one had told him about Daniel, his illness and the reason for Evan's birth. He forgave his parents and Maddie for not telling him and that's when he decided he would upgrade again to Buck 3.0.  He said in episode 6 of this season that he was tired of looking behind and he only wanted to move forward (foreshadowing-Tayl*r was in his past so he should have avoided her at all costs).  Also this was the Jinx episode where Buck told Eddie "the universe is screaming at you but you refuse to listen". Well apparently the universe was screaming at Buck too regarding his impending albeit doomed future relationship with Tayl*r.  Additionally this is the episode where Ravi mentioned the "Q" word and chaos ensued with call after call for the 118.  They even got trapped in the ladder truck after an electricity pole landed on the truck. Trapped is a keyword for season 5 more foreshadowing. 

By participating in therapy sessions with his parents, Buck 3.0 had plans to continue maintaining his software upgrade with regular updates. However the Buck 3.0 version's "insert flash drive to reinstall" the software option popped up and Tayl*r reemerged like a computer virus.  Let's be real, he only started pursuing her after Eddie started dating Ana (stay tuned for a post on the many stages of Eddie Diaz).  In the episode where Buck invited her to Veronica's apartment for dinner, Tayl*r assumed she was going to have a one night stand with Buck but her 1.0 version clashed with his 3.0 version which meant them together caused "Error code 404-Task unsuccessful".  She embarrassed him in front of Albert and Veronica by saying "Buck has a problem with strong women" and then proceeded to tell him he was "needy".  She also inadvertently admitted she was lonely by stating she could use a friend after he apologized and she still told him he was a "bad friend".  Buck 3.0 was working on himself, trying to be better and he was there for Christopher after he took an Uber to Buck's apartment after Eddie told him he had started dating again. 

Even with all of the 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩, he continued to pursue her, and she continued to say they were better as friends. (That sounds like the universe screaming or the software providing a warning about the dangers associated with use of this operating system.)  He already had a lot of meaningful relationships so he should have left it alone. But no he kept trying to combine two separate software systems that weren't compatible. It was like trying to install Android 12 on any iPhone or like trying to install iOS 15.5 on a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, it won't work because they are manufactured by different companies which means they won't ever be compatible.  Yet she pursued him after Eddie got shot and while his software was damaged.  His software version was experiencing an error of the highest magnitude.  His best friend was shot in front of his face and he was not only worried about Eddie, he was also worried about Christopher.  Therefore her insistence to kiss him and say she was ready for a relationship was not only trifling, it was also the thing that caused his software to shutdown and his whole system to crash.  His brain was offline and malfunctioning.  She saw a hot firefighter that she could use a arm candy but she was still the 1.0 version of Tayl*r who was still hiding security patches by not telling him about her past.  Her father was a murderer and that is definitely information someone you want to date should know. She was hacking into his software for sensitive information to use on the dark web🙄🤨🥴.

Can you see the pattern? Tayl*r wanted the 1.0 version of Buck and he was not that guy anymore. She may or may not be the same 1.0 version of herself, but whatever software version she's on, it's clearly behind the version Buck is on.

Season 5

Enter the dumpster fire that is season 5.  The software was all messed up for both of them. They tried to be compatible but it never worked. They kept hiding important security warnings and files while still clinging to one another.  They only magnified the situation by continuing to avoid updates and still attempting to merge a Mac OS like system with Windows OS. Instead of admitting the computers were slowing down and about to crash, they continued to use outdated software and insecure security patches to keep using their computers.  He asked her to move in after he cheated 🤮🤢 and she said he trapped (see season 4 above) her and "you made sure of that and I have nowhere else to go".

Rant!!! Yikes, girl do you have any friends other than Buck? If not that's just sad because her job requires networking so has she pissed everyone she knows at work off?  Does she not have a life outside of her job or is she clinging to Buck to have someone to socialize with?  What about her cameraman? It appears she isn't on the best of terms with him either since she couldn't crash on his couch until she could find somewhere to go.

Here they are, two software versions that are outdated with Error codes flashing all over their screens.  When it finally ends during episode 5x18, Buck 3.0 will have an issue transmitting data to Tayl*r 1.0.  Both systems will crash and only 1 (Buck) will be able to reboot. Let's be clear, he's the main character so he's not going anywhere!

Season 6???

Buck 4.0 will be the best upgrade because he will finally have a chance to be single.  He can take the time needed to work on himself since everyone he thought had abandoned him has returned.  Maddie is doing better and so is Eddie.  Therefore Buck should continue to maintain his security patches to keep this version of himself from regressing or from getting a software virus.

[calyssmarviss]

Cackling thinking about the Avoidance Stage.

[nicholasnelsons]

well the end of season five is here and it definitely has been a rollercoaster. from eddie having a panic attack in the premiere and the 118 fighting off a bunch of animals (with that weird blackout plot lurking somewhere in the background). to whatever 5x03 was, you should go home first, kenneth choi giving us the performance of a lifetime, maddie leaving, and the iconic balcony scene. to fox just accidentally dropping an episode on hulu in the morning, buck intimidating ravi with a chainsaw, hen and eddie partner era, and all of us losing our collective minds over buck and eddie screaming for each other in the hostage bts. to the mavid engagement, that taylor episode no one wanted, and eddie leaving the 118.

to the longest hiatus i’ve ever experienced (but survived thanks to all of a stock giving us content). to the 5b premiere and the lucy discourse that came with it, all of us clocking jonah as a murderer, one of the best 911 episodes to exist aka boston, buck being in the room, bobby saving his daughter, albert’s weird mustache, and the heart of the 118 returning followed by hen and chim shenanigans. to karen and hen trying to catch a thief, the theme revolving around hearts, may having big moments at the call center, and athena and eddie processing their trauma. and most of all to the ethical conflict fake synopsis. may she rest in piece.

it’s been nothing short of interesting these past few months— throwback to ethical conflict day, wrench day, eddie’s house is burning down day, bird eddie day, and whatever the heck all of that was— but we have been So Normal about this show and i wouldn’t want to spend it anywhere else but here. i know i’m forgetting stuff but it has just been such a long season with the weirdest and best takes i have ever seen, and i’m definitely going to need this hiatus to recover because it’s been a lot to process. just a lot. thank you guys so much for such a wonderful season. it wouldn’t be as enjoyable without all of you and this little corner of tumblr and i am so so grateful to come here every day and see all of your posts and silly little thoughts. buck may have been in the room, but we’ve all been in the metaphorical room holding each other’s hand throughout all of this. if you ever miss these characters over hiatus then just remember what timothy told you to do: go write fanfiction.

it’s been fun ! see you all for season six <3

[shebles123]

Buddie predictions/speculation for the remainder of 6A:

SPOILER TALK/BTS

Episode 7 (Cursed):

Eddie gets cursed by the bracelet lol (he just doesn't believe it until later).

Eddie doesn't think anything of it (because curses aren't real...right, Eddie?).

Eddie and Chris go to the beach and Buck has plans to meet them there (Evidence: Ryan and Gavin were seen filming on the beach a few weeks ago).

Buck calls Eddie while driving and says that he's almost there (Evidence: Oliver was seen filming in Buck's jeep near the beach a few weeks ago).

Buck gets another call from the sperm donation clinic that there is some kind of complication and he won't be able to donate (Evidence: Oliver mentioned in an interview that the sperm donor storyline would reappear in episode 7 and indicated that there would be complications).

Buck spirals and while he's spiraling/still driving, his jeep gets t-boned (I'm taking the car incident in episode 4 as a foreshadow. I don't think buck is out of the danger zone just yet when it comes to car accidents).

Episode 8 (911, What's Your Fantasy?)

Buck winds up in a coma/on a vent.

Eddie spirals and starts to believe in curses.

The episode title comes in to play as we see snippets of Buck and Eddie's fantasies about their futures. Perhaps Buck (while in his coma) dreams of having a family and kids. Perhaps Eddie thinks about a potential romantic future with Buck.

Regardless, we get some kind of confirmation that eddie is feeling non-platonic things for Buck. This could be as simple as an obviously romantic-coded look/shot, or it could be as big as a third party confession. But either way, we will KNOW buddie is headed in a romantic direction by the end of this episode.

Episode 9 (Red Flag):

As I mentioned in a previous post, "Red flag" is a term used in Emergency Medicine to indicate that something really serious could be happening with a patient. I think Buck's condition will worsen before he gets better (a sort of tarlos parallel). Perhaps the red flag will have something to do with Buck's heart (dropping BP, heart rate issues, etc.) so we can have the heart theme from 5B continue.

Eddie continues to spiral.

Buck finally starts getting better.

There is a cute mid season montage and in the middle of that we get a third party confession from Eddie (to probably chim) that he's in love with Buck. And that's our cliffhanger for the season.

Do I think all of this will happen? Absolutely not. Do I think some of this could happen? Absolutely! Do I believe we will know that buddie is definitively going in a romantic direction by the end of 6A? Yes 100%.

Let me know your thoughts! Feel free to add things!

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here bestie and I'm afraid it's time. It was bound to happen at some point during the hiatus, but I feel like now that it's here we should rip the bandaid off and talk about all the reasons the sperm donor arc is some if the stupidest shit I've ever seen. So let's start with what really pissed me off this week which is KR's comments about this storyline. Can't remember the exact quote but something like "Buck needs to be happy with himself, figure out what he wants, it's important to

do that before being happy in a relationship, blah, blah, blah" to which I thought "Why indeed KR this is true which is exactly why WE SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS HAPPEN LAST YEAR WITH THE WHOLE TAYLOR RELATIONSHIP!!" This is exactly how that story was set up, constantly showing Buck's misery, his half-hearted ily, the chance to realize he needs more than just a person that doesn't leave to be happy. And absolutely nothing came of it. We spent a whole season with this BS only to have it end with no growth for Buck. And NOW you think it's time to address this 🙄🙄🙄??!! Also this leads into my second bitchy observation. Part of the appeal of having a break up growth arc was it was relatable. Maybe we haven't all experienced it but I'd argue most people can relate to the idea of leaving (or being left) a relationship that isn't bad but isn't what you want. Eddie's breakdown arc last season was relatable, not because we all know what PTSD like but we can all appreciate the idea of bottling up hurt and pain because we don't want to face it or keep a brave face for those we love. What exactly am I supposed to be connecting to with this donor BS?? We all don't have an innate desire to have kids, or do a big favor for a sorta friend we once knew. I have a complete emotional disconnect from this storyline and don't see that changing. So next let's talk about how fucking illogical every part of this story is (on a side note I laughed at the fans out-googling the 911 writers on so many things, reminds me of my science RNM  science sin compilations). Anyway, just why would anyone approach their friend they barely keep contact with to do this particular favor (maybe they explained but honestly I've blocked so many of those scenes from my long term memory)?? Why not a close friend (or relative even)? If you're going for emotional distance why not just an anonymous donor? The whole premise feels so contrived. Probably gotta leave it here for now since I'm getting sleepy. But i'm not close to being done (i'm not even done with this one point) so i hope ypu're ready for more of an inbox full later. Feel free to respond to what I do have because honestly bestie, this may take awhile.

My friend, as always your thoughts are perfectly on point! First, YES that growth was what SHOULD have come out of Buck having a relationship where he recognized he was clinging to something that wasn’t fulfilling for him and being the one to call it quits. But with the cheating added into the mix and then the Jonah mess, Buck didn’t end the relationship on “his” terms, he was pushed by her actions and needing to protect his friends. And ya know what? It might have worked if they had it end in 5a, and then spent 5b with Buck figuring out how to be happy with himself and what he wants. Also, what TF was 5x18 if not TWO instances of it being stated what Buck wants?! First with the Maddie “isn’t that what love is?” conversation and then the firefam “someone to have your back” conversation. 

ANYWAY, fine, Buck still needs to learn what the key to happiness is, but please tell me why after how much we had to suffer through that BT mess, we are having yet another season of Buck clinging to something that isn’t right for him and won’t make him happy, just because he thinks doing something to make someone else happy is important even if it hurts him. If the WHOLE point of the BT mess was showing Buck being a “settler” and a “clinger” then why are we right back in the same place with him settling for being a donor not a dad, and clinging on to this couple like he’s going to be ‘fun uncle Buck”? You KNOW that couple isn’t going to want a constant reminder of how they “failed” to make a baby “on their own”, or risk their kid (or Buck) getting too attached. Not to mention how awkward it would be for them to explain their sperm donor just being around all the time. Also what was the point of Hen asking if he could have a child out there and walk away, if he can JUST be a donor and nothing more, if the storyline is showing him constantly acting like he’s going to be fulling involved in this kids life? How is ANY of this helping Buck figure out how to be happy with himself when he’s still putting himself and his needs behind other people’s who are using him for parts? What happened to him figuring out the right “couch” and how to be “at ease” and Lev’s death being something that hit him super hard and made him start thinking about his life? Because all of that got abandoned in favor of this soap opera level pointless “drama”. Thanks, I hate it.

As far as connecting to the storyline, I don’t even think it’s just about some people not wanting kids and therefore not being able to connect, it’s about the way this story is being told. Because you’re right, even people without war-related PTSD could relate or at least emotionally connect to Eddie’s arc. But with Buck, we aren’t given enough/consistent info about his thoughts and feelings to connect with! He seems unsure when he talks to Hen and that “donor not dad” line really seemed to throw him for a loop. So the audience was prepared to see him struggle with this decision a bit, maybe saying “let me think about it” and then an episode or 2 later (after some interactions with a call and/or Eddie/Chris, or Maddie (and maybe Jee) make him re-evaluate things), he tells them no, because he’s realized he can’t just donate and walk away. (Even weighty arcs like the lawsuit and Eddie’s fighting arc only lasted a couple episodes so this would be easy to wrap up within the confines of 6a) Instead he says “yes” immediately without talking to Eddie, Maddie, or Bobby or taking into real account what Hen said. Okay, fine, so he’s said yes, now it’s time for the family history to come into play or a talk with Eddie or Maddie or Bobby right?! Wrong! It’s time to forget about it for a month! Then, when it finally comes back, it’s got two conflicting things happening at once. Thing one: It’s all a big joke! Buck is telling Hen about his masturbation habits (which as everyone has pointed out is actually NOT what you should do which Buck would know if he was doing all that research on what to eat and everything, but that would require the WRITERS to do that research and OPP! Either they didn’t bother, or decided this was “funnier” than the facts 🙄). Buck is getting cock-blocked by the sperm bank! Buck’s firefam is eavesdropping on the reveal when Buck get’s accosted at work and they get caught staring! How funny is that?! (🙄🙄🙄 NOT actually funny but of course it’s never addressed) But then we have thing two. Which is the fact that despite the writing playing this off as a joke, they’re also making sure Buck isn’t telling anyone besides Hen, and makes it clear he doesn’t want her to tell anyone else. Why not? Why would Buck keep this a secret from his sister that he always goes to for a listening ear? From his best friend who isn’t afraid to give him tough talks when he needs them? From his father figure whose advice he respects? The answer if this was in an earlier season with better writing would be that he knows he’s not making the right choice and isn’t ready to confront the truth. But we don’t get any indication of that either! Just Buck desperate to do his donation, apologetic to the couple when he can’t get it done and doubling down on his commitment and excitement to do this for them, and a continued joy in the whole thing, with no indication that anyone is gearing up for a big talk with him. So why was Buck sooo desperate to not let anyone know? The audience is being given two different messages at the same time! Buck is super excited about doing this in his words, and Buck is also super concerned about the people closest to him finding out that he’s doing this in his actions. But since we don’t see him expressing that worry, and we don’t see the team expressing any worry behind his back about it, the audience doesn’t know how they are supposed to be emotionally connecting to this story. I know you’ve got another ask planed on how we’re past the point of being able to satisfyingly wrap up this arc now that a baby has been made so I’ll save some rant for that, but just focused on what we have seen, the arc doesn’t make any sense on what Buck is truly feeling and therefore what the audience should be connecting to within the storyline. 

As for why they asked Buck, his buddy said it was because Buck was a good, kind, selfless person and you can’t tell that from a genetics facts sheet at the sperm bank. Which is....a) grossly manipulative, especially for someone like Buck which dude HAD to know, and b) isn’t even a tiny bit factually true! Yes kids have their own personalities and what they like and enjoy may not always line up with what their parents do, but your child being a good and kind person is sorta down to you teaching them to be good and kind. It isn’t going to just *happen* because of “genetics”. My guess is they approached him because he IS good and kind and they figured he would say yes, with the added bonus of him being a physically healthy person with on the surface level, probably “good” genetics.

Anyway, I tried to give this storyline a chance, just like I did with the impending BT breakup, but just like last season, it’s reached a point where pretty much whatever they do is going to result in Buck being the “victim” again and being the one to be “left behind” instead of being able to make the choice himself to leave a situation that isn’t good for him, meaning again, no real growth, and more of Buck being stuck having scenes and arcs entirely outside the firefam/his job. And as we saw with 4x14 and 99.9% of s5 and the BT relationship, KR doesn’t like anyone in the firefam being involved in Buck’s personal arcs. (Probably because if they WERE, he might actually learn something and be able to grow a little and we just can’t have that.)

[tenisperfection]

I've been thinking about storytelling on 911, especially since the BT break-up, and I have to talk about Taylor and "This is our first argument all over again", "You knew who I was when we first started dating" and "I thought I could learn to live with it". We pretty much circled back to Taylor in Dosed towards the last few episodes of this season, but this has been hinted at several times throughout their relationship (we've all seen the beautiful gifsets so I'll not list them). Ultimately, they never would've worked out, but from a storytelling standpoint—as hard as it was to watch at times—they had to drag it out because it was about Buck realizing his own worth and how he can choose to be single and happy over an unhealthy and incompatible relationship. We've known that Buck yearns for love and fears being left alone pretty much since the very beginning of S1, and it has been his main series-long arc so far. He's tried many times to find love and make it stick, but we've known for quite a while—since before S5 began—that this time with Taylor would need to end with him choosing himself and calling it quits. That brings me to the wrench.

This is definitely a popular topic of discussion now and one that’s quite polarizing for some reason, but I think the kiss with Lucy was the quickest way for them set up the break-up. It made sense for Buck to kiss her because we know his tendency towards physical self-destruction (through throwing himself in danger, through sex, etc.) when he feels like he's being left behind, and Eddie had just told him he wasn't coming back to the 118 and asked Buck to move on.

Buck would not have asked Taylor to move in if he wasn't desperately trying to overcorrect for kissing Lucy and clinging to Taylor even harder. We wouldn't have known that he is aware that he’s settling but is still unable to let go and give himself that one bit of kindness. All that set-up with Taylor in 5a was to get us to this moment apart from exposing how Buck has felt nearly every step of the relationship. I also don’t think Buck kissing anyone random would’ve had nearly the same impact as him kissing Lucy, someone Taylor eventually ends up meeting and immediately clocks (wrongly) as a threat. That’s another way they’ve told us that Taylor does not really understand Buck and Buck does not really trust her, even after all this time.

So yeah, I think they set it up in a way that would maximally allow for Buck to grow and get to a point where he stops choosing to stay with the wrong people just as an alternative to staying single, and the way they did this ensures that there’s no way back for these two. They didn’t just break up because Taylor got a job in a different city and Buck didn’t want to move with her, because if that had been the case, Buck would’ve probably chosen to go since he hasn’t gone through all the questioning he’s done about the relationship in 5b, and this would be another instance of someone leaving him, which we’ve seen enough of. It simply would not have packed the punch this storyline did, where we saw very quickly how much Buck was leading himself down a path of self-destruction by sticking to this relationship, and how much he has grown when he finally gets himself out of it.

The kiss was the spark that set this relationship on fire, in a way that reminded us who Buck and Taylor are very clearly and what they need from a relationship. The way they’ve rounded out Taylor’s storyline by bringing back references to Dosed ensures that we all know that it never could’ve worked, that these are the people that they are and they can’t be together. It took this long because a show like 911 is not going to do anything but take the long route to get one of their main characters to what is a pivotal point in the series for him. People saying the finale was lackluster or wasn’t dramatic enough? Buck choosing himself over being with someone to just not be alone is a monumental scene after five seasons of him choosing pretty much anything but himself. Could they have gone a different route to set all this up? I’m sure they could’ve. Was this ultimately effective and true to Buck’s growth and characterization thus far? Yes, and honestly that’s all that matters. They don’t need twenty storylines that could’ve worked, they just need one, and this one did.

[gayravi]

"lucy isn't "stealing their screentime", because by all odds, the storyline would not have worked with those characters"

okay but the point is literally that the writers could've have found another rway to make bt break up instead of the cheating storyline? people are not saying they should have given that very storyline yo another character they're saying the writers should have thought of something else entirely? and use that screen time on other characters instead? "the drama wasn't cheap. if we get buddie roommates era"

"the drama wasn't cheap. if we get buddie roommates era"

but that's exactly it? IF we get buddie roommates if we don't then the drama was pointless anyway lmao

"they have other jobs, their own lives, and most importantly, they're reoccurring characters"

hey and if the writers wanted to give them more screen time they wouldn't audition for other projects? like taylor was a recurring character and yet they get her TON of screen time in 5a so they could very well have done and do the same thing with ravi both in 5a and 5b but they chose not to that's the point the writers didn't even think about giving them more screen at the beginning of the season that's why anirudh auditioned for other roles?

also yoy say that is very telling e telling of what excatly if people who say those things are poc themselves?

i’m in the best buy parking lot so this isn’t as succinct as it would be if i was on my laptop but genuinely what part of “if you want to complain about lucy, go to twitter and suck their dicks. i'm sure they'd love the attention” didn’t compute?

anyway y’all need to stop using the word poc to justify the misogynistic hate of lucy like. you’re pitting one minority against another and for what? so people will think you’re cool for also hating an irrelevant side character?

if you think you’re so much better at writing the storylines of 911 than the actual literal paid writers have fucking at it. post your scripts on ao3 and then i’ll come and tell you exactly why i think you’re wrong just like you do for the 911 writers. better yet, i’ll go complain in a stranger who doesn’t give a shit about any of this’s inbox because apparently that’s your favorite past time.

if you don’t understand what i’m saying in my post, i’m not your mother. i do not exist on this app to hold your hand and baby you and walk you through the way i understand the narrative. once again: go to twitter, they’ll be more than happy to ride your dick on the lucy hate train.

[woodchoc-magnum]

Here's the thing, even if Eddie chose to stay in Texas for an amount of time to work on himself, his relationships and re-discover himself or process childhood memories, trauma, ect...

We've seen how fast 911 moves things. It would be one, maybe two episodes at most that he's there. Or we won't even see him there. I mean, 911 has 'said' lots of things we haven't actually seen happening, like the COVID roommates era, people leaving then coming back, Buck's visits to the zoo, ect.

So even if S6 does open with Eddie in Texas, I'm not worried lmao. He'll be there for like two minutes and the rest will just be allusions to him being in Texas.

I mean, yeah, they could do it, but why? What narrative purpose does it solve?

He's back in LA in the next episode - in the preview he and Buck are patching his bedroom wall - so he suddenly turns around and goes back to Texas? He can't work on himself in LA? He's in therapy so why wouldn't he just continue doing that?

Eddie's arc in 5b has been dealing with his trauma and making choices for himself. It makes more sense narratively that he chooses to return to the 118 - it was all but telegraphed in 5x16 that he'd be coming home to the 118, so... staying in Texas doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Maybe I'm wrong and the show will throw a curveball, but I really doubt it. I'm pretty sure this season is going to end at Henren's vow renewal, and Eddie will be there in his tux (as per the bts photo), and he will be reunited with his chosen family and happy.

and then he and buck will slow dance i said what i said

[outrunningthedark]

Your blog is a breath of fresh air and I love seeing such nuanced & well-thought out comments about the show. As much I loved 911/Buddie, I stopped watching like 6 eps into s5 bc the BT + overall OOC-ness of the show became too much and didn't wanna put energy into something that was upsetting me. I only know stuff thru tumblr posts and never fully understood what happened w/ lucy and the fallout. was she planned to be a main/B's LI but ppl hated her so much they wrote her outta the show? [1/2]

[2/2] I've seen folks mention that they filmed a lot of scenes with her that got cut? I know next to nothing about her character, and was trying to find a summary of what happened in regards to her/her planned arc from the lens of buddie/tumblr fandom (not just wiki summaries), and your posts are some of the most informational and level-headed content I've seen on here, so thank you for that! <3 Hello, nonnie! First things first: I put together this post from 5x11 -> 5x15 that details AK's deleted scenes and how she was told to set up the BL dynamic. You'll see that Lucy as a love interest was never confirmed, but the show wanted the audience to keep the possibility in their minds. (Cliffs notes: "Sometimes they’re borderline poking at one another. Sometimes it’s flirty…. But is it flirty, or is it poking?") Another quote to back up the will they-won't they angle: While she does move on after [Buck] reveals he has a girlfriend, expect to see them “bounce very quickly between being best pals and having a little bit of sexual tension.” Because that post only went to the midway point of 5B, I can now add that an Eddie and Lucy interaction was also cut from the later episodes (possibly the finale): "...there’s a really nice moment towards the end of the season between Lucy and Eddie and you get to see Lucy gets it.” As for whether or not the plan was to make Lucy a main...AK and Kristen and Tim know the answer to that, but from the onset AK and Kristen spoke about Lucy's future, probably in hopes of endearing the character to the audience over the course of 5B: Reidel also revealed that fans won't meet Lucy's family this season, teasing: "Depending on what happens going forward, though, we'd love to. We make jokes about doing the whole Blue Bloods dinner set-up." Kebbel hinted that if the show is renewed for a sixth season, the plotline leaves room for more developments with Lucy. Peter Krause gave an interview prior to the finale where he referred to Lucy as a new member of the family because, as we found out, the final shot of the season was all the OG firefam + Lucy (+ Ravi, on the opposite side) walking together towards the trucks. But then summer came. AK posted about preparing for her first day on set - a day that just so happened to be the first for s6 production. And then...she wasn't there. She was actually in North Carolina filming a movie (but she sure did have people freaking out for a minute, which was probably the goal). We never saw her on set. The Lucy scene from 6x01 was a "surprise" to the audience. Before and after the premiere Kristen gave an interview where she said she was hoping to bring Lucy back in the second half of the season. This is what Kristen said at the conclusion of 6A: Are there plans for Arielle Kebbel’s Lucy to return to 9-1-1 this season? “I’m not sure yet. We’re still planning the back half of the season (premiering in Spring 2023), so there are some question marks about space and real estate and what the stories are going to be. We’re still figuring that out.”

I don't think it's out of line to say the negative/dismissive reception impacted AK's place on the show rn, but I also think that it's possible that even *if* Kristen wanted to "start over" and act like the BL stuff didn't happen, AK made the decision to distance herself from this experience for now since it did not go at all like she was told/believed it would. (Many will say that Kristen probably thought people would look past the cheating because they just wanted BT to end, and with the way AK was able to discuss her character and Buck potentially having something brewing while he was still going to be in a relationship...yeah, that checks. On the one hand, I want to feel sorry for AK that her boss completely misread the room and had her thinking it was a great idea, but on the other....she did not sign up for another coming-of-age teen drama. People don't want to see that kind of stuff on a show like 9-1-1, especially not from a character as loved as Buck. If she knew anything about the show she could have seen the backlash coming. Do your research, babes.)

[very-feral-lesbian]

oliver saying that some people are gonna be happy about what happens in the premiere and others aren’t. yet he himself is not upset about what happens makes me think that it is not good for BT

oliver giving us all this info:

[calyssmarviss]

Laughing so hard

[destialpal]

If Lucy isn’t a lesbian than what is the point???

[escapes-definition]

I request that the 911 social media team or whoever release bloopers or something for the show BC honestly it's a mess and we need something to hold us over the break

Also sorry this just became a rant in the tags no surprise there

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here bestie and still feeling bitchy if you feel like indulging. So I've had a couple of issues this week and the first i'll get to came as a bit of a combination of reading @canonicallyobserving911 latest post and seeing the LS promo with Owen and Andrea (incidentally we've had like 3 trailers and a whole ass preview scene from LS this week alone, WTF is OG's promo dept doing??). I thought the parents-taking-over-the-wedding clip was funny, but made me think when was the last time we

had fun stories/episodes in 911 OG?? And I don't mean one liners or ridiculous emergencies or people making a joke out of one characters actions that actually carry pretty serious implications (glares at jokes getting made about BOTH Buck's cheating and sperm donor arc). I mean episodes that were fun because we know the characters, we know that of course this is how they'd react, and it's ridiculous but real because we all have a side of us that's ridiculous at times. Where did all the fun episodes go?? I tried to think of the last example and I guess you could count the Eddie and Chim with the cursed bracelet thing (which was almost immediately undermined by the fact Chim knowingly bought a murder house 🙄). But I can't think of the last time the show was really and truly being fun. 

Second on my things-I'm-pissed-about list is the return of Ravi. Not because I'm upset Ravi is back, I'm thrilled actually, but seriously KR?? After completely sidelining his character in 5b in favor of trying to make L a thing, after literally cutting him out of the HenRen vow renewal photo, after not even mentioning once during 6a where he was but making sure we had a whole damn scene devoted to explain L's absence, suddenly we're supposed to be excited you’re promoting him in the BTS?? I just can't be grateful that it took 1.5 seasons of negative feedback for KR to give people something they want. I hope they have no budget for effects that episode because it all went to pay Anirudh to bother with this show again after his character got so disrespected. Anyway that's my bitchy thoughts for these last few days, enjoy!!

Hello my friend! You have definitely caught me in a salty mood because my family is occasionally infuriating 🙃 I am SO with you and everyone about how LS has gotten all kinds of promos, and official stills from set released by Tim, meanwhile, OG is continuing to languish with barely anything and who knows if what we DO get from the official releases is actually something we’ll get to see.

I also agree with the lack of truly fun episodes. Cursed was trying to be Jinx but where Jinx was all about the firefam and their dynamics, and a fun montage of them doing their jobs, Cursed wasted all it’s time showing us every aspect of some random starlet’s life with barely any firefam (and while Eddie talking to Bobby and Athena was great a) that story didn’t line up with literally anything we’ve ever seen or been told about Isobel and b) it didn’t have Eddie’s continual investigative partner Buck involved). Plus, it didn’t even have a good resolution like Jinx did which gave us a brilliant scene with Eddie talking someone down and into doing the right thing. Cursed spent the whole episode setting up a “the assistant colluded with that guy to cause accidents to her boss to make her believe she was cursed” and then just...didn’t do that and instead had the assistant just skimming money and the guy having some randomly flimsy reason to come after her. But like, who cares? In Jinx we care about the guy (Brian, right?) insofar as he is directly putting the firefam and people in danger by doing things wrong while trying to “help”, eventually making a good-faith call about something that wasn’t actually what he thought it was, and then ultimately stealing the truck from the firefam when they needed to get to a fire where their help was needed. We don’t care about Brian as much as we care about how his actions affect the 118 and their ability to do their jobs. Cursed has nothing to do with the firefam except that they keep getting the calls. We get a little bit from Eddie but it’s never focused on enough to be called the central story. The central story in Jinx is the firefam. The central story in Cursed, even up to the end which SHOULD have been focused on Eddie and Chris (and fucking BUCK because the tsunami came up), is Felisa who the audience doesn’t know or care about. Yes the episode had some laughs, but just like everything in s6, is lacking heart, depth, and focus on characters we actually know and love.

Same with What’s Your Fantasy which was SO wildly all over the place in tone from cute sisters talking female empowerment-turned emergency situation, to murder fantasies, to sex fantasies overlaying a conversation about a child’s crush, to a huge, misogynistic, terrorist plan running throughout the episode. Again, a few cute surface level scenes, but mostly just filler with no consistent tone or through-line for any of the characters. Even back in season 5, FOMO had some funny moments, but again didn’t devote enough focus to main characters and instead spent too much time on some random emergency character having a whole arc, and the episode had a whole tragic ending. Honestly I can’t think if a single other “fun” episode in the whole of season 5, which people can say was the “point” but given that almost nothing got any (on screen) resolution (or any that wasn’t immediately undercut/forgotten) it doesn’t feel like there was a point. Previous seasons did so much better balancing tone throughout episodes, and being able to cut the heaver episodes by moving towards lighter arcs, and then back again. An ebb and flow across the whole season vs a whole oppressive season followed by episodes packed with wildly different stories that tonally do not fit together and leaves the viewers with whiplash. I’m still sooooo frustrated with how the sperm donor (and the cheating) storyline has been turned into a big joke. Especially because we KNOW the potential that was there for a meaty, and emotional storyline and Oliver has consistently delivered GOLD on that kind of stuff. And instead we got masturbation jokes, and jokes about being accosted at work and literally every other mishandled aspect of the arc. 😤😤😤😤

As for your second thing, I’m right there with you in regards to Ravi. Like, they couldn’t be bothered to let Bobby or Buck or literally anyone drop a single line about how their probie had grown and was lent out to the academy for a few months?! Especially after the audience was begging for more of him and irritated that he got sidelined and lost out on screentime and storylines so KR could force L into every little thing. The show KNEW going in to s6 how the fans and the general audience felt about L, and about Ravi, and it definitely feels vindictive and petty on KR’s part to allow no mention of him, even after every single episode had the audience asking where he was, BEGGING for any line about what happened to him, and saying how weird it was that he disappeared without anyone saying anything. For the only mention of him to come not even in the show itself but in an interview after the whole first half of the season was over is such a slap in the face. I hope Anirudh got every single thing he wanted out of coming back (I also hope someone had to grovel at least a little bit) and I hope that the very loud chorus of “FINALLY” from the audience when he’s back will stick in KR’s craw because of how universally beloved he is compared to every other random recurring and one-off episode character she’s tried to force into focus so she didn’t have to actually deal with the main characters of the show. My only worry is that she’ll try to do something to his character out of spite because I absolutely wouldn’t put it past her. For now I’m going to hold on to the joy at Ravi/Anirudh coming back, and excitement at seeing what he’s up to.

Thanks for giving me somewhere to focus my other frustrations today! And in a few days we’ll have some Yehaw wee-woos to flail about. And since we still have some time before our OG team comes back, I’m always here to dig into the salt mine! 

[tenisperfection]

My favorite thing about the pre-5a hiatus was when we were all speculating that Eddie's panic attack was fully due to trauma from the shooting and didn't even consider that it was because he was scared of heterosexuality lol.