#IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A MADNEY PARALLEL.

[pigeonxp]

bro both of my main interests rn blowing up WDYM ITS ALWAYS BEEN PORTER. WDYM SEACASTER MANOR IS FLYING AWAY. WDYM ITS ALWAYS BEEN THERE SINCE THE BEGINNING, PORTER, JACE, THE FUCKING PING PONG BALLS. WDYM THEY CUT THE BUDDIE KARAOKE SCENE. WDYM THEY USED ALL OF THAT SHIT TO PROMOTE THE EP JUST TO CUT IT OUT. WDYM TOMMY IS GONNA BE AT THE BACHELOR PARTY.

[buddiebeginz]

I know not everything the actors say in interviews is accurate but I’m pretty sure in the beginning of the season Oliver talked about how Buck was going to have to work for his next relationship. He talked very deliberately about how Buck has always had relationships come easy. In that he’ll like someone and then end up with them without having to really fight for them. He said Buck's next relationship was going to be different, yet things with T*mmy feel exactly the same as how it’s felt with most of the women Buck's been with. Where the relationship comes easy and it’s mostly based on sex and the person doesn’t really know who Buck is at his core.

I can’t help but wonder if Tim told Oliver that he was planning on making Buddie happen this season or at least moving them closer to happening and it got pushed into s8. In the beginning of this season we had a lot of joint Ryan and Oliver interviews more so than in previous years. Oliver also did a lot of posting/liking about Buddie and Ryan on insta. He also talked about Buddie in all his interviews more than in previous seasons. Given how Oliver has said multiple times in the past that he didn't want to lead people on about Buddie I can't help but feel like he thought things were going to play out differently.

If you watch the beginning of s7 it feels like we’re heading towards something important happening with Buddie. We had a lot of Buddie scenes including the locker room scene, the scene where Buddie talk about underlying sexual tension, the scene where Buck is showing how much he's like Chris' other dad, Buddie working together on multiple calls including rescuing Bobby together. Then of course there was 704 which was like a flashing neon sign saying Buck has feelings for Eddie and is scared Eddie is going to replace him.

Then in 705 it was Eddie who interrupts Buck's first date with a guy. It's Eddie that is the focus of the conversation where Buck comes out to Maddie, where she tells him that if he has something he needs to tell Eddie he will in his own time. Then we get a very intimate scene where Buck comes out to Eddie, including a lot of shared looks between them and a hug. Also of note that Buck only had two coming out scenes in the whole season and Eddie was chosen to be one of them. There was also the gym scene where they talked about Eddie's sex life.

To me it feels like Tim changed course around 706 when he cut a lot of Buddie stuff from the ep especially the karaoke scene. I know a lot of things were likely cut for time but still they shot a scene of Buddie being all touchy feely singing a karaoke love song for the Madney wedding ep. Karaoke was one of the first things Madney did when they were falling for one another it was too much of a parallel for it not to mean something.

I think 706 was really supposed to be a bigger Buddie episode than it turned out to be. This may also be why so much of the promo stuff was about Buddie. I think originally this was going to be the episode to start officially letting the audience know there was something there between them. You can also see parts of the original story where they had Buddie joined at the hip after the bachelor party (helping Maddie and looking for Chim) everything came off very coupley.

This may also explain why Abuela is at the wedding and Marisol isn't (more about Marisol later). I wonder if originally we were going to get some kind of scene with Abuela and Eddie where she says something about Buck. There's no way they brought her in to just stand in the background like an extra there had to have been a purpose for her character originally.

I think Tim changed course when he decided he wanted to do the Kim/Shannon Vertigo mess. Which I don’t get why someone didn’t step in and tell him how ridiculous this idea was especially in this short of a season. I feel like Tim wanted to do something artsy and also get Devin Kelley back on the show and this was how he chose to do that. Unfortunately though the story turned into a mess and worse I feel like parts of Eddie's emotional journey that deserved more focus were lost. Like even the general audience didn't know what to make of that scene where Kim was dressed up as Shannon.

The Vertigo story might also be a part of why there were rumours that Edy had finished filming prior to this storyline starting in 707. Maybe she thought she had but was brought back in for this storyline. Who knows? This season was basically being written almost as they were filming it and I'm pretty sure Tim was changing things left and right. You can see that more in some episodes vs others and definitely more the later the season goes on.

I also think that would explain why so little thought and time was put into both Eddie's relationship with Marisol and Buck's thing with T*mmy. I don't think either relationship was supposed to last the entire season. There was talk early on in s7 that Lou was only supposed to be around for something like four episodes definitely a short run. In interviews Oliver also made it seem like B/T wasn't going to last and that T*mmy eventually was going to be more of a mentor type figure for Buck.

Lou also used the word rom-com when referring to B/T. Although take that with a grain of salt because it may have been on one of his cameos and he said all kinds of stuff on there. But you can see rom-com love triangle type stuff being set up in 704/705/706 between Buck, Eddie, and T*mmy and then T*mmy just kind of disappears (until 709) and the Kim/Shannon thing happens.

This would explain why there is so little development in s7 for T*mmy and B/T's relationship to the point that they never even defined that relationship by the end of the season. They never even had Buck call him his boyfriend. Which I'm glad for that in a way but it just goes to show how bad the writing was this season. And as much as I want Buddie and as much as I dislike Lou and T*mmy I'm also really sad for Oliver because this is not the coming out storyline Buck deserved.

In 707 there was zero mention of T*mmy and this is also when the Kim/Shannon storyline started so I think this is when we see some significant changes to the storyline from wherever things were originally set to go. Though the scene with Buddie and Chris I think some of that was from whatever had been originally planned. It's too flirty to explain otherwise. Maybe originally it was going to be something where Eddie and Chris spend time at Buck's loft but because there was the Kim storyline they wrote it with Eddie leaving for the date.

The thing is Buck's feelings for Eddie throughout this whole season have been louder and more apparent than we've ever seen them be before. Oliver is clearly playing Buck as in love with Eddie. Go back and watch the scene in 704 where Eddie talks about clicking with T*mmy and see how Buck looks like his heart has broken into a million pieces. Or the way Buck watches Eddie in the coming out scene in 705. Or Buck's face in 709 after he said he was worried about Eddie. It's just so obvious that man loves Eddie and would do anything for him.

This is why I really thought there was a good probability of us getting an oh moment feelings realization from Buck in the finale or at the very least a moment where they hugged and consoled each other over losing their son. But we didn't even get that.

I'm honestly not surprised that Oliver went quiet on social media during the back half of s7. Throughout the whole season Oliver wasn't really showing support for B/T and he talked very little about the ship in his interviews. I think this was originally because the plan was for B/T only to be a short term thing and Oliver didn't want to lead anyone on about that ship. I also personally think Oliver has wanted to see Buddie happen for years so he's not going to be rooting for another ship.

I also get the vibe Oliver's not crazy about working with Lou. Anytime you see behind the scenes video and pics of the cast Lou isn't in them or if he is no one is interacting with him. You can also see in the one interview Oliver did with Lou that the chemistry between them just isn't there. They feel more like coworkers just doing their job vs how Ryan and Oliver always appear like giggling besties in every interview and behind the scenes thing we see them in.

Like others have said I'm just sad for Oliver. I think once Tim told Oliver about them wanting to do the bi Buck storyline he must have been so excited. He's talked in interviews about how he's always seen Buck as bi so he must have been thrilled when they said they were finally taking his character there. And for all the issues this season Buck's coming out is still an incredibly important storyline and has meant a lot to so many people. Oliver has even talked about all the people that have messaged him and how deeply they've been affected by a character like Buck coming out.

Still I'm sure Oliver wants more for Buck's love life than the lackluster relationship that he's been stuck with. You can tell in how he talks about Buddie that he wants to see that relationship happen and that he wants to make sure it's done right and doesn't play into stereotypes.

I just hate that T*mmy is the first guy they've stuck Buck with. I hate that Tim and the show have done nothing with this relationship. We don't even really know by the end of s7 how Buck feels about T*mmy or how he feels having been dating a guy for months. Some of that should have been revisited maybe with a talk between Buck and Maddie. But it's like others have said they made Buck bi and then just kind of forgot about him. I think though that's because like I said Tim pushed everything to the side to focus on the Vertigo plot and also all the stuff with Bobby to the detriment of everything else. Buddie was the original plan and Tim didn't really have much else for Buck to do so they left him in this nothing relationship.

I really hope s8 is better all around not just for Buddie but for Buck and Eddie as characters. I hope that Tim plans to follow through and actually make Buddie a reality not just because so many people ship them because of how important for queer representation a ship like Buddie becoming canon could be. I also want to see Oliver actually get to play Buck in a relationship he's proud to talk about.

[fionaswhvre]

I'm convinced that the 9-1-1 writers never intended to make Buck & Eddie a thing, but they changed their minds very soon.

They probably wrote Eddie Diaz to be this macho guy who was gonna end up dating Buck's sister but instead he turned out to be the gayest character who only had heart eyes for Buck.

In the first episode, Eddie was supposed to be a threat to Buck but instead of two guys fighting to be the Alpha™, their gym confrontation turned out more like "you wanna fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid." And with the whole "you can have my back any day", we had Ryan & Oliver making heart eyes at each other and giggling and twirling their hair while saying this.

The writers tried not making them gay by making them call each other "brother", but that happened only two times : 1) Eddie's "you're a badass under pressure, brother" in 2×01 & Buck's "You know it, brother" in 2×10. After that, we never hear them say brother again. Because even that word couldn't tone down their flirtiness with each other.

When Chris was first introduced, he had interactions with the whole firefam, especially with Bobby and Chimney, even more than Buck. But in s3, the writers gave them the tsunami arc, thus sealing their bond of being a family. Since then, we see Chris only interacting with Buck in the 118.

Also when Eddie was shot, he was dating Ana, but we didn't even get to see her reaction or how she is comforting his son. Even the conversation of "what would've happened to Chris if Eddie actually died" took place with Buck, not Ana, who Eddie was literally dating.

When Buck was hit by the lightning there was no reason for the scene where Eddie tells Chim that he'll take over pumping Buck's heart. It is just a one second scene and Buck's heart was gonna start either way since he wasn't gonna be killed off, but still they made Eddie make the switch so that he can be the one to pump his heart back to life.

Bathena, Madney, Henren & DavidMichael all have scenes where one's life is threatened and the other is concerned/breaking down (Athena getting beat up, Bobby caught in a fire, Maddie in a hostage situation, Karen's lab getting blown up & David stuck in a hospital during a fire).

Buck and Eddie never get these scenes with their love interests. They only get it with each other (The shooting, tsunami, Eddie getting stuck underground).

At this point, the writers aren't even being subtle. They constantly put them in romantic tropes and parallel them with other main ships.

Bonus: They gave us Tarlos where one guy is Latino & the other is the son of the captain.

[laylawatermelon]

Side Eyes or Raised Eyebrows

Buddie: Marketing Tatic or Something Else?

Hello! Back on my big brain I cant sleep stuff.

I've been a Buddie fan for over a few months now (idk how time works) and have lived through the beautiful bi buck confirmation.

Now I do have some think pieces about queer representation in American media and in different countries (i literally spend all my time watching tv I'm a conessiur or sorts) and how they differ on impact/deal with issues etc.

What I woke up thinking about is something that's bugging me a bit about Oliver and his interviews.

If we're (both the ga and buddie fans) supposed to be convinced about this new relationship the writing and promotion MUST be changed.

Let me explain.

Tommy, Tevan whatever you want to call it is Buck's newest relationship.

It's a new relationship with a similar set up/feeling around it.

The only way I think Buddie can be override/mitigated is if they have a doctor love interest who consistently stays over the course of seasons who has their own backstory and storyline.

I'm starting to swing my eyes at ABC and their marketing team now.

Madney's wedding coming up and we barely saw either of them ( granted kudos on keeping this all under wraps y'all) and they've been hanging a shiny bell in front of us as distraction like a baby.

Look at the shiny buddie then BAM character death!

Please don't take this serious, please don't take this serious, Tim! PLEASE don't take this serious.

But anyways, I have been thinking about Oliver and all of his recent press and just the way Busdie has been uttered and whipped around like a tennis ball.

He currently has a boyfriend but the way it's been discussed and portrayed has me a bit dazed.

I wanna be a bit objective (I'm asking the big questions here)

The main problem is the Buddie relationship and how it's portrayed/written and had continued to be this season.

If you compare the past seasons and how they've developed as let's face it a couple, because there's no way to deny it as they've been written to parallel in unverse and other show romantic heterosexual relationships.

They quite literally qualified for a queer platonic relationship (if you wanted to view it that way. I however have not. I say let the gays free!/j)

If they intended for it to be platonic let it BE platonic.

They shouldn't be doing an if, of the gender was swapped would it be romantic/ship coded?

They literally have that in the show already. Bobby and Chim, Bobby and Eddie, hell Chim and Eddie (do they even have solo scenes together???).

Bathena is a blatant parallel. The main one almost beat for beat is the orchard shooting and the hostage situation. (Pretty sure it's the same season I believe)

But those are just some examples of the show.

My main gripe is if it's not about buddie don't make it/lean to heavily into it as it can backfire.

I'm not gonna lie, bi buck episode was a bait and switch (beautifully done and still very infuriating all the same).

Oliver I gotta bone to pick with you (I really don't I'm side eyeing the network i know they approve questions).

He's also a Buddie warrior so I can't really fault him on how he talks about it it's been like 6 years he's had the same partner with the domestic (cough sexual tension cough) with.

So I don't really blame him tbh.

*Swings around and points fonger at marketing team*

It's all your fault.

I know the episode will feature Madney (duh it's their wedding episode and I'm ready to cry) but I'm pretty sure there could've been another way to advertise this occasion.

Use flyers (similar to the ones used to say that one of the dispatch crew was attending) to get fans buzzed about watching the show in a few weeks as though they're rsvp'ing, talk about past scenes, more interviews centering the couple and what they thought about the episode, a promotional photoshoot?

Photoshoot in a magazine with jlh and Ken would've been really cute. Madney fans would then be happy. (I'm included🙋🏾‍♀️ give the beautiful couple their photos i wanna see it😤 my little queer heart and eyes demands it)

Literally would've been the perfect time to pair up with some wedding magazine or something. Literally a million ways to go about it.

Madney in formal wedding clothes, then a dystopian kind of dress clothes to reflect the chaotic wedding ending.

Use a highlight reel.

Similar you are cordially invited to a 911 wedding -

Show madney karaoke, engagement ring being missing, proposal, hugs after hostage, this season cute date idea and excitement for the wedding then a simple where's chimney.

Then put the bachelor stuff then have him crawling.

Something as simple as that puts more of the focus on madney visually and marketing wise.

For the interviews they could've split it between Oliver talking about bisexuality and the other two talking about relationship and the high beats and low beats and how it felt to play.

How their relationship developed as costars and what the characters mean to them.

Split it down the middle so both fans are appeased.

I am a fan of all characters and this is really funny because I the first half of this one morning I woke up before the scene was even mentioned being cut but i was like there's a shift in something and it's not good🤣 as expected something went wrong)

Though I'm pretty sure the fans of both will be happy because Buddie are going to be the comic relief so they'll have a decent amount of time as the blockers so to say because we will know who's gonna kidnap Chimney. He only had one enemy??

But yeah this was a Tuesday thing I wrote and it's now very hilarious in hindsight and in the future.

Happy Madney day i guess!

This will be linked to Twitter cause whew...

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buddie & Madney - 7x6 & Karaoke

I'm still frustrated about the fact that 9-1-1 promoted episode 7x6 by using clips of Buck and Eddie to get people to watch. Also, I'm going to be real about it because the reason they did it was to get engagement but that's not the only thing that's pissing me off.

The Buddie and Madney 'ships have been intertwined since 2x6 "Dosed" when Buck, Eddie and Chimney helped Maddie move into her new apartment. They're ship pairings are similar to the Bathena and Henren 'ships because Hen and Athena are best friends and the four of them play cards and spend time together all the time. They don't necessarily hang out with Maddie and Chimney or Buck and Eddie like they do each other.

Buck and Eddie aren't married (Yet! If the narrative continues the way that it began in season 2 they will be but only TM knows what he's trying to accomplish with them now) but their friends to lovers love story has paralleled Maddie's and Chimney's and it appears the karaoke scene was intentionally added to parallel with Maddie's and Chimney's karaoke scene from 2x8. Furthermore, Maddie's and Eddie's lives parallel (both are the eldest siblings and they also had to shoulder a lot of their parents' responsibilities/secrets). Also, believe it or not but Buck's and Chimney's lives do too (they both have abandonment issues. Reminder, Sang left Chimney to fend for himself when he moved back to Korea).

The thing that's really irritating me about 7x6 is from the start it SHOULD HAVE ONLY BEEN ABOUT MADDIE AND CHIMNEY getting married. That's it! There shouldn't have been this whole Chimney gets kidnapped/abducted or whatever is supposed to happen because they've been through a lot. Why couldn't they have simply had a nice wedding episode that highlighted their relationship? It could have included flashbacks that showed where they started and how they arrived at the point they're at now. Also, it could have shown how they overcame adversity even after they decided to end things when they were on their way back to L.A. after Maddie left in season 5. Then they could have proceeded to show how they rekindled their true love in season 6. Too much has happened for them off-screen and also, they've had the most tumultuous relationship especially with the Doug Kendell of it all when he tried to kill both of them.

Buck and Eddie's party shenanigans might still be included but if they never intended to air their "karaoke scene" (they knew they weren't going to include it by the end of 7x5 because it's been said it takes 2 weeks for an episode to be edited but they kept promoting Buck and Eddie instead of Maddie and Chimney), therefore they shouldn't have focused on Buddie as much as they did. Additionally, OS said he was terrified of singing karaoke but he did it and he's proud of it. RG and OS both looked like they were having a good time doing it so IMO, they could have at least included 15 seconds of the song and eliminated something else.

I'm really trying not to feel like they're using Buddie shippers for views but that's what it seems like. If they wanted people to genuinely watch Madney's wedding for their love story then there wouldn't have been a need to add Buck and Eddie in the promos and they should have let JLH and KC do all the interviews after 7x5 aired in preparation for 7x6.

Finally, since they have more than an hour and a half of footage, it appears the wedding should have been slotted for 2 episodes instead of one and they could have accomplished it if they would have planned better. A lot of things that's included in 7x5 could have been condensed or added to 7x4 so they could have started the wedding scenes at the end of 7x5.

Be clear, this is NOT 9-1-1's first time filming a 10-episode season, that was season 1. Also, season 4 only had 14 episodes and that was because of the pandemic so they're not strangers to understanding how to fit everything into a limited number of episodes. Maybe they need to focus on time management instead of adding people to the ever-growing list of recurring characters and focus on their mains. Karen, Denny and Ravi are all recurring characters who've been around for several seasons (Karen and Denny since season 1 and Ravi since season 4) but for some reason they keep bringing new people and giving them more screen time instead of focusing on the core cast. We've all seen it before in season 5 with all the time they gave Taylor Kelly so this 7x6 debacle basically comes down to poor planning. IMO, someone who's responsible for the decisions that were made with the promos and the final edits should say something to the audience about it.

#BuddieDeservesBetter

#MadneyDeservesBetter

[deluweil]

Saw this post about ppl watching this show for ages have become jaded going like:

Oh, a madney hospital wedding

Yeah, we've seen this before.

I realized, that's me 😂🤦‍♀️

I have been on this show for ages, nothing excites me anymore, I feel like I'm watching a soap opera or a telenovela where they finish making a coffee and a conversation four episodes later 😂

All drama and relationships and not enough action unless it's an Athena storyline.

Now I understand there are more boring calls than fires in the real world, but if Tommy can go enjoy a fire, why can't our firefighters??

Anyway, I am jaded, and kinda bored at this point lol so yeah I'll peek in every now and again but the excitement factor died with Madney marrying in the hospital in parallel to getting together in 2x14.

I think they deserved the big ceremony and that little parallel could wait until they are already married and in Karen style Maddie rushing to check on Chim in a later episode after a disastrous call.

But that's just me I guess.

I'm not seeing BT lasting, they're physically hot but there is nothing in their interaction that screams chemistry, more like physical chemistry and that is fine for a first relationship with a dude.

Buddie will forever be considered soulmate should be endgame ship to me, for all sorts of reasons, one of them is the amount of sexual tension displayed in those close, intimate, interactions in that bachelor party.

I am almost convinced that the karaoke scene was nixed because it gave too much away and would have been all everybody would talk about instead of Madney especially since the writers went and ruined what was supposed to be a big beautiful wedding.

I think I get Kenneth's disappointed interview and wish for a happy, peaceful wedding for Madney.

Anyways, happy Friday, loves.

[littlespoonevan]

i could buy that more if (1) helena didn't have that line about chris making these decisions as a 13 y/o, (2) ramon didn't compare his mistakes w eddie w this overwhelmingly different situation, and (3) they showed any proof of the diaz parents entertaining a different option. w those first two points, eddie makes a v reasonable point about how the 13 y/o should not be making huge decisions in the heat of the moment that basically amount to running away bc he's mad. and NO ONE backs him up despite that being the most logical thing anyone says the entire episode. helena responds w that line about autonomy (like she ever would have let eddie even entertain the possibility of leaving home at that age. please.) which imo came across as critical of eddie's parenting skills. and ramon starts projecting his decades of fucking up w eddie onto eddie's v v different relationship and situation w chris. tbh both of those lines speak to repeating the same pattern of the diaz parents trying to fix their mistakes w eddie via chris. the only grace i am giving in this situation is to ramon bc he is the only diaz parent that's had actual development; nothing to do w helena has been addressed, so i don't think anything she did in 7x10 is meant to demonstrate growth tbh. w the third point, the diaz parents just show up at eddie's house w no prior warning when they could have called or texted or made contact somehow at any point. they never even try to come up w an alternative to taking chris across state lines indefinitely (given helena's line about replacing anything chris doesn't bring) - they don't offer to stay in california for a bit, they don't try to set something up w pepa so that chris could stay w her instead, they ignore buck as an option completely, they don't say "if you come w us you have to talk to your dad about it" or make any comment about chris missing his friends or having to change schools etc., they don't even give a hard deadline for when chris will be coming home! everything about their presence in this episode was strikingly similar to the way they acted when they came to la for shannon's funeral - they ambushed eddie w a major decision when he's emotionally vulnerable in the wake of a traumatic event. in that s2 scene they also tried to appear sympathetic and understanding at first before dropping a major decision they were pressuring eddie into making on his lap; they end up pushing eddie into this decision within 48 hours of the kim bomb dropping. i also think it's worth noting that there's a p clear parallel between henren unjustly losing a child due to outside interference and the way eddie loses chris. and chris leaving w the diaz parents is certainly framed more like mara leaving w the social workers than mara reappearing w madney.

if that's how you interpret it, anon, that's totally fair. there are many, many people that agree with you. again, i'm not arguing about if it was the right decision or not. it's certainly not the direction i would've taken it and i think the story should've had time to breathe so nothing happened in the heat of the moment but also. no story this season has had time to breathe. tim has ran that line in multiple interviews about how if they're happy there's no story etc etc (which i so strongly disagree with askjdfh) and i think that was the approach he took here too. i also agree that it's supposed to parallel henren losing mara

literally my only point is that i don't think eddie's parents had bad intentions in what they were trying to do. it's okay if you think they did.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here friend, thinking about how not only (as pointed out) that this season of OG is mediocre but LS has also been pretty Meh and remarkably for similar reasons. So because I have too much time on my hands today and too little willpower to be productive, here I give you my vaguely thought out character parallels between the two shows this season, and how they've made the season frustrating.

Eddie and Nancy: Both of these characters have had no plot or arc all season. Basically they're moral support and comedic relief.

Maddie and TK: Both have had a sort of half plot to themselves but ultimately are there to be supportive, be sad when their loved ones are in danger, and generally remind us Madney and Tarlos exist.

Bobby and Mateo: Both had exactly one plotline to themselves, both those plots came out of nowhere, and both were centered around another character that was mentioned maybe once before.

Athena and Paul: Both had a single plot centered on their past that was actually interesting and believably important for the character (though in LS at least it didn't require its own episode away from the group). The problem was that there was little to no follow up or any sense of closure, we're just kinds left to assume some sort of conversation happened.

Chim and Tommy: Both have been fairly visible this season (definitely Tommy more so than Chim except for the last few OG episodes) and had some pretty good best friend moments. But both had had incredibly frustrating plots that just didn't make sense or serve a purpose (Chim forgiving his parents and Tommy - a Mom - trying to one up an actual child).

Hen+Karen and Judd+Grace: Both were strong points for the their shows season (I'm firmly of the belief Tomorrow was the best episode of either show this season). Only a relatively minor complaint for both, namely the WTF did this come from of the Denny plot and that Grace's recent storyline has the 5th crime investigation on what's supposed to be a weewoo show.

The 911 Guest Cast and Owen: Basically these always seem to drag the show out of the firehouse and into some bullshit no one asked for. The exception is Ravi, who is the equivalent of Owen when the focus is on him being a captain to his team.

Buck and Carlos: Frankly both their plotlines have been a mess (though Buck has twice as many as Carlos), didn't go anywhere, and are full of missed opportunities for character development, especially in the realm of having an honest conversation with their parents.

If you've been keeping score I have left out of the list Marjan. This is because between the shows I feel like Marjan's character has been handled the best, even almost perfectly. We got backstory, character building, and even a cute dating plot.

Anyway hope you enjoy my afternoon musings!! This is also in part me trying to pretend this season is over (for OG at least) and I can draw these parallels instead of facing the fact we have 2 more episodes to slog through.

Bestie, were is the lie????

This is so spot on though and I laughed so hard when I read this! I've been...not necessarily avoiding but certainly not reading any LS spec because I'm just to tired to do that and OG but whooo boy am I side eying some of the stuff I've seen floating around. LS pulling the old RNM line of Tarlos having to "earn" their wedding like 🙄🙄🙄 Plus there was something about "tragedy" striking and WHY would they need more new drama when they had a whole unexpected WIFE that got sort of brushed off and the resolution for that happened off screen, and Carlos DIED and then it was just like, never mentioned again, and TK is going into his wedding without his mom. There's already so much there, why on earth would they need to invent something else?!

And don't get me started on OG doing the same thing but also packing the guest cast with a thousand people to wrap up Buck's 700 arcs he's got started that they just did nothing with until the last couple episodes apparently. I am...so tired.

Agreed though that the Marjan stuff has been good this season when she had stuff going on! I honestly don't know WHO was in charge of OG seasons 1-3 and the arc planning and pacing because Timmy is over on LS and it's having the same messy issues as OG in that regard when OG had like, the PERFECT formula those first few seasons. What was going on over there?! And more importantly, how do we get it BACK?!

[buddieisgoingcanon2024]

So they cut the karaoke scene we all know is because what the fuck that didn’t scream platonic at all and like if Tommy was supposed to be there so but I am mad by the fact that they use karaoke scenes to promote the episode they just know if you put buddie people will eat it up and Lou posting the bar is so funny if they don’t even show that part at all but why the party without chim is more important than the karaoke tho even tho not gonna lie karaoke wasn’t giving platonic and it was so a parallel to the start of madney

Exactly anon. Why is the question.

[outrunningthedark]

The talk about the show on the brink of cancellation yet people largely ignore this fact when talking about Buckleys and Hans redemption arc so that they can justify it with "oh, it's going to be unnatural for the parents to not be at Madney wedding" when the wedding is pretty much nonexistent is so funny to me too. Rather than pushing through with the wedding they instead focus on giving Buck love interest 😑 so which is it, they know the show's going to be cancelled or not?

"When the wedding is pretty much nonexistent" - Well, yeah. It hasn't happened yet. Were they supposed to get engaged one week and married the next? Sure, they could have done it earlier, but at the very least, an engagement told the audience that Madney was going to be fine even if there was no more story to tell. This is not a commentary on Madney, but I would have found a wedding in the finale to be lackluster considering the show had just gone down that road the year before. There's parallels and then there's straight copy/paste. I don't respect the latter when these people are getting paid to be "creative". Everyone who can accept that 6B was rushed because of potential cancellation (proof can be found in not just the new LIs or the redemption arcs, but Wendall appearing out of thin air and Henren deciding to foster again) understands that there's no guarantee those specific scenes would have happened if the writers had more time. And even though many here rejected the outcome (I personally don't care because the parents won't be around enough to truly impact anything), the bare minimum, the lowest of expectations, is for those parents to be involved in their childrens' wedding day. Not doing so would only call attention to just how little effort was put into rebuilding relationships when the smarter option would have been to leave it alone and let everyone begin to heal with the help of their friends and (other) family. As for Buck's love life. Idk how many times it has to be said that the show explained the plan in the s6 premiere. Buck was discussing couches as they relate to relationships. And girlfriends. The couch was always going to be about a relationship. Buck being in a relationship wasn't a surprise. It's who he's now with that caught people off guard. Had he sat on that couch with Eddie and Chris - what people swore the show was hinting at - very few would have been bothered with the decision to (once again) focus on Buck at the expense of another. ;)

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

So we know math is a Buddie theme. "I aced my math test." "I thought about using my newfound math skills to do my taxes." But let's look at this a bit closer.

We have Madney (a couple and two characters who are have been paralleled to Buddie & Buck and Eddie) being audited. They have no idea why. They're nervous, Chim is spiraling, Maddie accepts the inevitable though she was worried at first. Chim keeps thinking about jail and other people who are purposely defrauding the IRS.

Maddie: "Tax fraud? No, no, no, we--"

Chim: "We're not criminals. I mean, look at us. We're not frauds, either, we're actually very genuine."

They bicker about who was supposed to file as Head of Household and what share of the expenses they pay. They both also claimed Jee as their dependent. "Oh, I didn't know you were going to claim Jee." "I don't think we really discussed it." (I think he says this, I can't quite make it out)

Chim: "I think that's just an honest mistake."

Auditor: "Hmm, two for two?"

Maddie: "Is there more?"

Auditor: "You tell me."

Then they 'fess up to everything, forcing the auditor to try to keep up and to assure them that they're okay with that stuff.

Chim: "Are we going to debter's prison?"

Auditor: "This isn't a Dickens novel." -> this isn't the past

Maddie: "That's what I said." -> she/Eddie already knew that

Auditor: "We just send people to regular prison now." -> this is the present (can be seen as referencing LGBTQIA+ or for Buck and Eddie's stories together and separately)

"You will also need to decide who is the Head of your household." -> "We could switch every year." "I love that idea. Let's alternate." "Love it." -> two firefighters who most likely make the same amount of income per year where there's a child in the mix (and possibly more), just sayin'

The very next scene, we get the Buck and Natalia date where Natalia is wearing red.

All of this leads to: Since math is a Buddie theme and Madney are being audited (and Buck's date is the next scene), the writers are telling us to absolutely sit up and pay attention. They are the auditors per se. They are putting Buddie under the microscope, together and separately.

And once again we see how far along Eddie (Maddie/Christopher) really is in comparison to Buck (Chim) when it comes to the future.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Hey hey...why parallels between Starting Over and Triggers? For the rock rope rescue or a possible metaphorical grenade setting mess into action?

Anyway s5 is one of the best ones,but you have to watch it as a whole. It's a lot more organic and intimately connected by a steel thread passing from episode to episode, so I suppose they aimed for the bigger picture. Which is, again, great writing.

Hey Kiki

You get it!! Season 5 is awesome you just have to see it as a whole and that really does make it great writing!

As for triggers - yes for the rock rope rescue, especially because of Lena's presence in counterpoint to Lucy now - including the fact that Eddie is likely returning to the 118 but like Lena in triggers Lucy is effectively Eddies replacement.

But I also think there is some other really interesting stuff that might come into play such as Buck trying to get back to the 118 and then feeling betrayed by Bobby - only this time its going to be more about Taylors betrayal - and I think they might juxtapose the responses Buck gives.

There is the Madney stuff from Triggers because it is the beginning of their relationship after their false start because of the Doug of it all.

There is also some really wonderful HenRen stuff around their IVF storyline which really showed the strength of their bond and marriage and it feels a bit like that is being paralleled and reenforced with this vow renewal.

Not to mention the Christopher and his post tsunami nightmares and we haven't yet seen how Chris actually is since his dads break down beyond that one scene !

It all just feels a little relevant to me because I can see how all of the stuff that happens in triggers could potentially be paralleled in 5x18 and set up things for S6!!

[laylawatermelon]

I just wanna say by using this post and searching the people in charge of the other episodes, I'm pretty sure ( 80%) it's gonna be a buddie related episode because of the golden trifecta listed in this "guide".

BM, TWong, and LB.

AM is also in charge of the triple B episode.

And there's also JJG, directing on the last of the three.

Also even when they're written platonically I believe the avtors play it romantically and that's where the disconnect happens I think.

They're obviously 'in love' but the show says it isn't.

The episodes also have been written by at least one of the people suggested in the guide above.

(this is all opinion so no pitch forks of it's not accurate!!)

I love meta so some other blogs I'd recommend is:

@loveyourownsmiilee @canonicallyobserving911 @sevensoulmates

@stagefoureddiediaz (this is a must have because of the insane amount of work/research they've done and the details of stuff in the show. I can't wait to make shows and hang out in the costume department where I'm not supposed to be but semantics) 🤷🏾‍♀️

It'd be kind of hilarious if it's a flashback heavy episode where they use the buddie fans clips/moments for the realization/justification (for new viewers/deniers) while doing back and forth between cases and his realization.

Or it can swing another way to madney but I don't think it's really relevant (?) for something like that because there goes the groom is next so that's not it.

I believe there's gonna be like three acts for each episode. So whatever happens in Buck's episode will set the tone.

Because logically three acts, the premiere episode we finished first act already. So then next episode will be them at their worst or leading right into it at the last few minutes of the episode.

You don't know me, if it follows that formula, will be heart wrenching.

Because of the last ep, 6's name is likely they'll parallel each other's relationship.

Okay I'm done.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: Lightning Parallels - 3x15 & 6x10 - 6x11

In previous seasons, Buck and Eddie’s relationship paralleled all three of the other ships on the show, i.e., Bathena, Henren and Madney; but in 6B, they’ve been directly paralleling each other.  Eddie being trapped in The Well in 3x15 “Eddie Begins” parallels with Buck being struck by lightning in 6x10 “In a Flash” and continues into 6x11 “In Another Life”.  Lightning was involved in both accidents and there were also several other parallels included.

GIFs 1 & 2 - Chimney was directly involved in both incidents.  In 3x15, Bobby sent him down to rescue Hayden and Eddie and in 6x10 he was supposed to go up the ladder but Buck told him it was his turn.  Also, Chimney did chest compressions on Buck after he was lowered to the ground.

GIFs 3 & 4 - In 3x15 the lightning strike hit the drill, caused it to fall over which collapsed The Well on top of Eddie.  Buck tackled Bobby to get him out of the way but in 6x10, the lightning strike hit Buck and traveled down the ladder to the controls and catapulted Eddie in the air.  He fell off and hit the ground.

GIFs 5 & 6 - In 3x15, Buck screamed for Eddie and tried to dig him up with his hands and in 6x10 Eddie screamed for Buck while he tried to pull him up with his hands.

GIFs 7 & 8 - In 3x15 Bobby pulled Buck away from The Well and in 6x10 he pulled Eddie away from the gurney so Chimney and Hen could get Buck loaded into the ambulance.

GIFs 9 & 10 - In 3x15, Buck told the 118, “Wait. You all think he’s dead!” after The Well collapsed.  Eddie told the hospital staff to “Do more!” as he stood in front of the 118 in 6x11 after they arrived at the hospital.

Several parts of The Shooting in 4x13 “Suspicion” and 4x14 “Survivors” also parallel with the lightning strike in 6x10 and 6x11.  Will Buck and Eddie continue to directly parallel each other for the remainder of 6B?  Only the showrunner(s), writers and producers know the answer to that question.

GIFs 3x13 (5), 6x10 (4), 6x11 

[buddiewho]

I was bored this weekend so I rewatched season 4a. Spoilers ahead. 

Honestly, I don't think things get popping until episode 3 [but weren’t actually nearly that great until the last 3 episodes tbh] and I am not even being Buddie biased or Buckley-Diaz family unit biased [this might be a bold face lie, but on second rewatch, I noticed I was paying more attention to everything else as well]. 4x03 is just a really good episode. Good old emergencies, mixed in with Eddie's paranoia over Hildy. Then from there it's Buck Begins and the whole Buckley family secret. Then of course, I feel like when we get to Jinx that starts some kind of path. The universe path, you know? There Goes the Neighborhood also continues on this path. Buck is still trying to work through some stuff; a terrible date, the bit about SAFE SPACES. Then Breaking Point. Everyone has one right? Even Christopher and getting angry or as Buck put it “ I heard you blew up at your Dad” and that’s not over yet though. Taylor needing a friend. Nearly Buck reaching one, but he managed to repair it. Eddie for the sole fact Christopher runs away. Hen and Karen actually not having a breaking point until... Chim and Maddie breaking and repairing it in regards to how Baby Mango arrives in this world. Athena and Bobby just being parents to everyone as usual. 

Fun fact. Breaking Point was on as I typed this and it's the one on one scene between Buck and Chris. "I don't want to miss anyone else," Christopher says after he names all the other people he misses first. Buck is probably also telling himself, don't make it about you Buck, this isn't about you, but you are going to promise, "I'm not going anywhere." The last three episodes (Jinx, There Goes the Neighborhood, and Breaking Point) were like some kind National Treasure bullshit; *Nicolas Cage voice* "The secret lies with Charlotte." "Paul Revere went by horse and it was two lanterns not one" or some bullcrap that movie talked about (not going to lie, I once thought it was comedic), but I just mean the overall premise of National Treasure being about secrets or coded messages and a Treasure Hunt (which if I'm correct is also a name of a potential 911 episode...?)

Can I backtrack a moment to 4x07? You know the awkward double date that Buck invited Taylor to? Buck is sitting awkwardly in that chair, wondering about his life choices and little bit of a song played. The lyrics, "There's someone else for you." Just that bit of the song, for the record and I don't think it was already playing in the previous scene to end so coincidentally over Buck’s face?

I'm also not over Taylor talking about looking for a miracle in which Buck gave to her and Eddie also called Buck a miracle worker.

Okay, the end of Breaking Point: Ana comes over to the house, like some awkward new beginning parallel to Madney being cute as they prepare for Baby Mango. Buck patches things with Albert. Then the not so happy crescendo/breaking point for Hen and Karen. Adopting Nia may not happen.

It's really coded like a treasure hunt and if there's an episode named that, well, that'll be hilarious. I'm forever going to hang onto Future Tense as a way of showing us the future, Buck and Eddie have yet to realize. So when they do realize it, it'll be soo damn good. So if the presumed treasure hunt the universe sends the boys on (with everyone else on their own kind)- but if Buddie doesn’t end with them figuring out what connects them and how they want to be connected...like if they don’t meet in the middle at the X marks the spot (or the universe tether aka Christopher) then I really am just creating this treasure hunt out of thin air and it doesn’t exist like the Dad profusely told Nic Cage’s character in National Treasure...or maybe it’s also like PLAYING DETECTIVES? Cagney and Lacey inspired True Crime podcast brought to you by Buck and Eddie two LAFD firefighters and best friends occasionally featuring their Captain of the 118; plus Bobby’s friend Michael and his partner David who reluctantly participates in these shenanigans but could provide key medical evidence/research. In my mind, they read [mostly Buck and Eddie] their cases/script for this made up podcast as 1940s detectives. Smoky voice Buck: “It’s a locked room mystery.” *1940s detective music* Smoky voice Eddie: “Correction. It’s a locked yard mystery...” Anyway...

Did I mention the clowns to ya'll? We didn't forget abut those clowns did we (Jinx might actually be my fav episode of the season after FUTURE TENSE). The clowns are so pointedly shot after Eddie mentions Ana to Buck. Okay. Then there's also the love languages thing. That's a book Buck’s therapist would've recommended right now or for some reason he’s choosing to read it? As we can see, I think the show might be reeling it back in for Buck. As Eddie put it "I don't know what inspired this software upgrade." Coincidentally, Buck 3.0 is looking to the FUTURE. Anyway, the love languages. NO one immediately thinks about the coffee machine prank. Absolutely no one so I won't even make that a thing, but I notice in that scene Buck "outs" Eddie by telling the team about Ana.

Hen: Ana who?... Is this the one you yelled at? Eddie: I apologized for that. Chim: Yeah okay and you still didn't ask her out? Eddie: She's Christopher's teacher. Bobby: I thought you said she got a new job. Buck: *crickets*

What's the intention behind Buck bursting this supposed secret and then not have him encourage Eddie? Like in his way, Buck could’ve said well, does she do this or that? Words of affirmation? Gift giving? Are yours and her love languages truly compatible? Oh, wait, there’s implications behind the book Buck is reading but also...there's implications behind Chim and Bobby's statements. They're implying okay so go for it. Neither Hen or Buck really do that. Why don’t we have Hen jumping on the encouragement train either? Instead she brings it back to that one unfortunate moment any of them really remembers of Ana... Hmm, it's secrets and coded messages and the one thing that Buck has said from this entire season that truly resonates with me:

Buck (directed to Eddie): The universe is screaming at you and it's like you're not even listening.

Irony is. Neither is he.

Oh wait, another line that resonates with me (and I made a recent post with it too):

Bobby (directed to Eddie): They're so focused on what they don't have that they might miss out on the chance to have something else, something real.

Something real. 

You really want me to think this line is about Ana Flores, even if Eddie thinks it somewhat is? And the foundation of it is to encourage Eddie to think about moving on, to stop being so STUCK (2x04 anyone?). If it really is about Ana then we're actually painting Bobby as the character who has no idea...? None whatsoever as to HOW CLOSE Buck and Eddie could be, if that's what they wanted. Seems fake, but okay. Bobby's line actually should highlight that they both are looking in the opposite direction when in fact the SOMETHING REAL is right in front of their faces. The something real is what Eddie came home to after his supposed date.

Just saying because to me it looks Buck and Eddie are still looking in and RUSHING INTO the PAST TENSE and have yet to understand the FUTURE TENSE. 

[captain-hen]

I loved the finale but idk I can't help but feel...underwhelmed? as much as I love buck I didn't particularly want the focus to be on him this episode, and it just felt like it was geared up so much for something that just...didn't happen? I suppose this is the usual thing for shows like this though, i'm pretty sure I felt the same way about the season 3 finale lmao. however the buck and eddie / buck and chris scenes were amazing, i'm so looking forward to seeing more of albert as a first responder and I'm really fucking scared for madney next season!! what did you think of it??

you pretty much summed up my thoughts anon!

while oliver knocked it out of the park during his scenes, i do wish we could have seen more of eddie and his own reaction to being shot. they could have cut those highly unnecessary b/ucktaylor scenes and shown that instead. i'm not even anti b/ucktaylor, i don't have to be, this ep pretty much destroyed any hope of them being a healthy relationship in my opinion 🤷 i just think its ridiculous to give that much screentime to two characters which one of them had a begins episode and hella lot of screentime this season and the other isn't even a main character.

not to be completely negative though, i'm still holding on hope that tim's words in that interview were meant to be misleading, if they're gonna be having a big storyline for eddie, they'll want to downplay it as much as possible to surprise the audience. also, even after shannon's death, eddie seemed like he bounced back quickly but in reality he had just been repressing the hell out of everything so maybe we'll see something similar here! he's really bad at asking for help after all.

i think the finale felt underwhelming because they just tried to cram way too much into one episode. for an arc like this, they should have started setting it up as early as the end of 4x12, let it play out in a smoother, less chaotic manner and maybe even give us more insight on to the bad guy than we got. eddie's recovery should have been a main focus, maybe towards the end of 4x13, assuming he got shot in the middle and then the action stuff could have been focused on in the finale. it was still quite okay, and the storylines were probably rushed due to covid but it still had so much more potential.

i'm so happy for albert! and i think this is gonna be great! and i'm really happy about madney's storyline so far, it's gonna be painful to watch but i'm glad they set a good foundation for it to lead into s5. give it up for sue blevins, ladies and gentlemen, she was the real MVP of this ep!

the eddie/buck/chris scenes were perfect and felt straight out of fanfiction! and i'm so happy we got to see our diaz boys reunite (eddie kissing chris on the forehead means everything to me, they're the best father-son duo ever). and i was so sure we would get a 'you're gonna be okay' parallel and WE DID! those scenes i'm really satisfied with.

prayer circle for eddie to have a good arc in s5!

thanks for sharing your thoughts, nonnie!