#but Shannon better not be there to tell Eddie to move on with marisol

[makorragal-312]

Not gonna lie, but my anxiety is kinda going up right now.

But as long as Eddie isn't asking Marisol to officially move in again or proposing knock on wood and Marisol gets dumped at the end of the season, I'M GOOD.

[nqueso-emergency]

While I don’t dispute that Eddie has had his fair share of supportive moments with Buck, this season has turned Eddie into a relatively poor character, which is why, although I like Buddie in theory, the shippers who have constantly planted Eddie in a saintly narrative has made me back away from that side of the fandom.

Frankly, one of the main things that has tied Buck and Eddie together this season has been Christopher, and not in a good way. In the past, Eddie has shown his appreciation for Buck’s devotion to protecting Christopher, this season has turned Buck and Eddie from a relatively mutual close friendship to Eddie dumping Buck on Christopher so he can enjoy his own life instead of taking responsibility for his son.

My Proof?

- In 7x01 Eddie asks Buck if he would be willing to talk to Christopher after his son expresses his aversion to monogamy. We never see Eddie trying to negotiate with Chris, we only ever see him listening to a conversation Chris is having with a girl.

- In 7x04, Eddie doesn't try to invite Buck to hang out with him and Tommy (he already knew Buck didn't like basketball.) Also, when Buck expressed excitement over the prospect of Trivia, Eddie immediately shut him down by asking if he could watch Christopher.

- In 7x07, Eddie has a date set up with Kim, and, when Buck refers to Marisol as the person Eddie is going out with, he simply dodges the question, leaving Buck to look after his son while he cheats on his girlfriend.

- In 7x10, when Eddie has inevitably betrayed Christopher’s trust after Christopher catches him cheating on his girlfriend with a doppelganger of his ex-wife, whom he had sent Marisol to look after, he once again calls Buck to reverse his mistake.

Yes, while Eddie is supportive of Buck in 7x01 in the locker room, gets drunk with him in 7x06 at the bachelor party, and is supportive of Buck coming out in 7x05, at what point had Eddie DONE SOMETHING for Buck this season? He never has. He is using Buck as his scapegoat to avoid adult responsibilities.

While he may love his best friend, he does overuse the amount of favors that come with a supportive friendship.

While Eddie may be grieving over Shannon, that is not a justifiable excuse to place your parental role on your best friend or your girlfriend.

The only helpful thing Eddie has done for Buck this season is tell him to call Tommy (who apologized for Eddie).

I apologize for the rant, but the implication for Buck and Eddie shippers claiming that Eddie is better for him is untrue. They aren't co-parenting. If they were, and their relationship is better, as shippers like to claim, Chris wouldn't have moved to Texas.

(Feel free to post or ignore.)

All of this!!! Oof I'm gonna wake up to some fun asks 🤣

[hotshotsxyz]

the most important thing

(pre-buddie) (862 words) (7x06 spec) what are weddings for, if not completely ignoring the fact that you're in love with your best friend

It’s a glance, at first. And then a longer look, when he’s sure no one’s looking back. It’s the slope of Buck’s shoulders that catches Eddie’s eye.

There’s an ease there that he hasn’t seen before. An ease he’s never really felt himself, either. And a part of him wonders – is it really that simple? He tightens his grip on Marisol’s waist and spins her around, smiles at the high peal of laughter she lets loose into the cool evening air.

Eddie allows his eyes to drift, following the line of Buck’s shoulder down his arm and to his hand. He watches Buck’s thumb pull slowly across Tommy’s jaw, sees the way Tommy’s mouth ticks up into a small smile, like his lips are following the motion.

He drags his eyes away then, feeling like he’s intruding on something.

“Oh, I think I need a minute,” Marisol gasps as the song comes to an end.

“Me too,” Eddie says with a chuckle. “Can I grab you something?” He gestures vaguely towards the refreshments table.

“Some water,” she says, punctuating her request with a soft kiss pressed into the corner of his mouth, “would be wonderful.”

Eddie smiles and fights the ever-present urge to wipe the kiss away. “Water. You got it.”

Buck finds him trying to balance a cookie between two cups and takes it from him with a grin. “You can come back for it, you know?” he asks with a teasing sparkle in his eye.

“You’re just jealous your date’s not bringing you a cookie,” Eddie replies.

Buck’s grin grows even wider. “My date,” he says, “is braving the bar for me.” He tilts his head towards the throng of people crowding around the single bartender.

“Alright,” Eddie laughs, “Tommy wins. You’ve got a better date than Marisol does.”

“Eh, don’t sell yourself short.” Buck bumps his shoulder into Eddie’s, a familiar gesture that makes him feel warm, even on a chilly spring night. “He hasn’t asked me to move in with him yet.”

“Bet he hasn’t asked you to move out, either.” Eddie says wryly.

Buck’s eyebrows shoot up. “You—”

“Yeah,” Eddie interrupts. “But we didn’t—we’re just going to take things a little slower.”

“Slower,” Buck repeats. “Yeah, that’s – that’s probably not a bad thing.”

“I think it’s good,” Eddie says. “I think—I never give myself enough time, you know? Even with Shannon—we hardly knew each other when we first got together, and then—”

“I get it,” Buck says softly, and Eddie knows he does.

“I just need to get to her, really get to know her. I think… I need us to be friends before we can really be something else.”

Buck’s expression changes into one Eddie doesn’t know how to read and he swallows. “Yeah, that’s—friends. It’s a good idea. It’s—that’s the most important thing, isn’t it?” It’s not a rhetorical question, Eddie can tell.  It sounds more like some kind of revelation.

Eddie glances over Buck’s shoulder and sees Tommy on his way back, a drink in each hand. He returns his gaze to Buck. “I think it is,” he says softly. He nods in Tommy’s direction, then turns to head back towards Marisol.

He doesn’t remember the cookie until he’s nearly back to her side.

“What were you to talking about?” Marisol asks after taking a long sip of water.

“Just—tonight. The wedding,” Eddie answers, and it almost feels true. He takes a sip of his drink and allows his eyes to wander again.

“I’m glad it all came together,” Marisol says. She takes his hand, and Eddie tries to ignore the way he immediately wants to pull it away.

“Me too,” Eddie replies. “It was touch and go for a minute, there.”

“It’s a good thing you had an extra suit,” Marisol says, playfulness in her voice. “And a brand new one, no less! Did you have a special occasion in mind?”

Eddie grimaces. “I’ve had it for a while, actually. Just, never got around to taking the tags off.”

“Well, I’m glad you finally did. You look wonderful in it.”

“Thanks,” Eddie says. The skin beneath his collar starts to crawl.

Across the dance floor, Eddie watches Buck laugh, then tuck his face into Tommy’s neck. A part of him is jealous, Eddie realizes. Of the easy way they touch, of the comfort that’s settled between them with just a few drinks to aid it on its way. It’s not a feeling he knows, not like that. He’d like to, though. He turns back to Marisol.

“What’s your favorite movie?” he asks.

She furrows her brow. “My favorite movie?”

“We said we were going to take it slower, right?”

Marisol nods. “We did.”

“Well,” Eddie asks, letting go of her hand so he can spread his apart, “what’s slower than a first date question?”

Marisol covers her mouth and laughs. “Fair enough,” she says. “Ask me again.”

Eddie puts his drink down and looks her in the eye. “Marisol,” he asks, “what’s your favorite movie?”

Inexplicably, he finds himself thinking that, if it were Buck sitting here across from him, he wouldn’t have to ask.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

ugh this is horrible news tommy is still around, hope to god he's gone in the finale. v

Maybe in your world Nonnie, but not in mine and I'm not entirely sure why you felt the need to come and complain about it on my blog, but here we are!

It makes perfect Narrative sense for Tommy to still be around in the back end of the season, and even possibly into the start of season 8. The show is telling a story of Bucks bisexuality, so why woould they get rid of Tommy so quickly? To do so would do a disservice to that story - a massive disservice. I'm guessing you're hating on this relationship becasue you see it getting in the way of Buddie, rather than viewing it as a vital step on the route to Buddie.

Lets put it into simple terms - Buck figures out he's bi and then begins to explore that newly discovered aspect of himself. The show has also taken the time to move Buck from someone who didn't really do relationships (of the long term variety), into someone who is looking for love and looking for forever. But in amongst all of that, he hasn't really had a healthy long term relationship, the closest he had to that was with Ali and that one didn't last especially long and she wasn't around for most of it

Buck isn't ready for an endgame queer relationship right now - he is still to immature from a relationship perspective - especially a queer relationship perspective. If Eddie was available and he and Buck got together - as they are as characters right now, they wouldn't last - they're not in a position to do so successfully. And this isn't me suggesting that they need to have figured everything out before they get together - to have fully healed etc, because thats neither realistic or something I would want to see - what it means is that they both need to get to a point where they are in a healthy enough place to put in the work together, understand each others flaws, and their own flaws and proactively work towards overcoming those things together and as of right now, neither of them are - they are getting their and moving rapidly in the right direction, but Buck needs to learn a bit more, and in many ways learn how to be with a man, before he will be ready to start anything with Eddie.

The growth we're getting to watch Buck go through right now - in the aftermath of the lightening strike, his reckoning with his mortality etc and the fact he's now off the hamster wheel and moving forward - in a healthy and faster way than we've ever seen from him, speaks volumes.

Tommy is also a far better developed love interest than any other love interest we've seen Buck (or indeed Eddie) with (Abby excepted but she was a main, so had her own purpose on the show)- I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling like I know Tommy more after 3 episodes plus what we got from the begins episodes he was in, than I managed to ascertain about Taylor or Ana or Nataila etc!

Not to mention, him figuring out he's in Love with Eddie as part of this process is going to be fun to watch. The show has made no bones about re-enforcing at every. Single. Opportunity how close, how entwined and how important Buck and Eddie are to one another - the show has quite literally been prioritising that over anything else Buck and Eddie related - Buck was there front and centre - placed very much on an equal footing with Shannon and even Eddie himself in 7x01, and then Eddie was the centre of Bucks bi arc in 7x04 and in his coming out in 7x05. They are literally moving chess pieces into place to tell an amazing story of queer love in later life and creating an epic slow burn for the ages.

And finally, Eddie is, as far as we know at this point in time, still in a relationship with Marisol - why shouldn't Buck get to explore who he is and what he want's within a relationship rather than sitting pining on the sidelines - that isn't healthy in any way shape or form. Eddie still has stuff to figure out about himself.

Even Tim and Oliver have stated in interviews that this is about a happy and joyful queer experience of figuring out bisexuality and therefore within that is giving the narrative a romcom vibe. But they have also stated that Tommy isn't going to be around for that long - that he is very much a narrative device.

It is worth pointing out that timelines on various aspects of the narrative may have been shifted because of the season 8 renewal - but that is only going to help tell the story because now it doesn't have to be rushed. I'm still fully expecting some form of feeling realisation from one of them by the end of the season (my money is on Buck), setting up for season 8 and Buddie going canon either 8a finale or early into 8b.

You have every right to dislike Tommy if thats you jam - have at it, but don't come to my blog and expect me to agree with you. I'm not a multi shipper by any means - I'm a one ship kind of gal and I will be a Buddie shipper until the end of time, but within that, I am here for amazing storytelling and amazing queer storytelling - the like of which I've not had the privilege to watch on my screen before - especially one that hits so close to home. Its a really important story to tell and I'd rather it not be rushed.

And if you had to pick - I'm pretty sure you'd rather have Tommy around for a bit longer that Marisol!!!!

[sevensoulmates]

Season 7 Press Article Buddie Analysis

Okay I don't usually write meta/spec on press runs/articles but I found these super fascinating today, especially in comparison to how the showrunners (including Tim himself) and the actors have spoken about their arcs in the past.

First I want to say that in these interviews the goal is never actually to give the audience any important information but rather to tease, and purposely be as vague as possible. So most of what they're saying will likely have double meanings and all of them are being extremely careful with the words they choose to say. Now with that out of the way in the first EW article (linked here), I found several things extremely interesting.

Calling Marisol Eddie's "Hardware store flirtation". It's so funny to me, for one, but it's also interesting that that's all she's reduced to. A flirtation. I know that was really all they were in the last season, but we know Marisol's involved (likely minorly) in at least 2 episodes out of the first 5. Natalia on the other hand is for the most part understood to not be coming back (I would honestly be surprised given the actress is in NYC). But what's even more interesting is that Marisol is not mentioned anywhere else in either of these articles, meanwhile Oliver WAS asked about Natalia. So, I want people to keep in mind that in whatever way Marisol IS a part of this season, I SEVERELY doubt she's making it past the finale.

2. This answer about Natalia is your typical non-answer but to me, it's basically a confirmation she isn't coming back, which lends a tad bit more credibility to Tommy potentially stepping in as a LI for Buck (fingers crossed).

3. Buck is apparently called in to help talk to Christopher about dating women. Do I even really have to talk about how weird this sounds? Eddie had a whole WIFE? He dated Ana for many many months. He's currently dating hardware store flirtation Marisol right now. And yet, Ryan is claiming that Eddie feels like he doesn't know how to talk to his son about women? Enough so that he calls Buck to help? Talking to your kid about dating is a new avenue yes, but why are we acting like Eddie has never been with a woman before? Like I know last season in particular emphasized that Eddie isn't the best when it comes to dating but like ??? I swear to GOD y'all it's giving such severe compulsory heterosexuality. Eddie, my man, I hope this is indicative of where your story is going this season because it's been heading this way for many many many years. Separately, I also find the lack of mention of Shannon very interesting as well.

4. Which brings me to this part. The whole family dynamic aside...Buck's romantic relationships have been severely questionable at best the entire show. Before Abby, it's canon that all Buck did was sleep around a lot, which doesn't seem like something you wanna tell a young teen dating for the first time. So what's he gonna talk about? How women flee him? As I saw someone else say on the timeline "are the successful relationships in the room with us"? This is especially odd if the spec is true and he and Natalia broke up off-screen prior to the start of the season. Eddie, you just saw Buck have yet another failed relationship with woman #4 and your thought is that HE'S the one best suited to talk to your son? These two men are so queer and so dumb, but their hearts are in the right place.

Okay, moving on to EW article #2 linked here. Here I'm shifting a little bit more to Tim Minear, and what he's said before in the past as showrunner about Buck, Eddie, the buddifer dynamic and the buddie ship.

I have a love-hate relationship with Tim. On one hand, I think he's a far better showrunner than Kristen (for OG 911, 911 Lonestar does and always will suck ass). But on the other hand, I remember some of the things he said back when season 2 was airing. It's part of the reason why I can't take things like "he's so cute. he gets that a lot" or "does this boycrush on eddie mean you're over abby" or "you two have an adorable son" or any Big Buddie fanservice line in season 2 seriously or as any definitive proof of anything. Tim has openly admitted most of those were in season 2 to throw shippers a bone. Not to be taken seriously. And that didn't sit right with me. Very obviously, there was a shift in season 3 and no longer was buddie and shippers the butt of the joke. Season 3 is when I genuinely think the writers and Tim shifted from "haha this is funny" to "oh wait, maybe there IS something here" and obviously The Powers That Be (Fox) had some control over whether or not that happened and is honestly why I think it didn't happen in season 5 or 6 where it realistically could've fit very well after s4.

So firstly, please take everything I say with a grain of salt because Tim is a Known Liar and Word Twister and is very VERY good at saying a lot while absolutely saying nothing at all.

5. So...I find what he says in this article interesting because it's not in the first article. First, his word choice is very interesting. Using both "friendship" and "coupling" in the same sentence, which have two different connotations. Secondly, he says that "at their core" their relationship is about their friendship. When something is the core of something else, that doesn't mean that's all there is. The core may be the essence, or the foundation, or the glue of something. But it is something that is BUILT UPON, something that extends past the core. To me, it means that while the core of buddie's relationship is their friendship, their relationship encompasses much more than that. It's like those successful old married couples who say the key to being married happily for 50+ years is that "we're still best friends" or that "the key to a successful romantic relationship is having that foundation of strong friendship" etc. Now, I'm not SAYING this means canon buddie, but I just find it interesting that this is how Tim chose to describe them this time around. To me, that says Tim is very much aware that there's far more to be explored in their relationship than just their friendship. Whether that means far more buddifer family arcs, or an actual real exploration of Buck and Eddie as a romantic couple, I'm very excited to see where it goes.

[elvensorceress]

So there is a "leaked" script that claims Eddie asked Marisol to move in, and is it just me, or is that completely out of character for Eddie? He dated Ana for longer, and they weren't living together. we are really supposed to believe that he would ask Marisol to move in after a few months of dating? Unless Eddie is unable to process anything after learning his Buck. Is dating a man that is not him, and instead of breaking up with her like he planned, he pulls a Buck and asks her to move in with him.

Eddie does not deserve to be stuck with someone like Marisol.

According to 7x04, he apparently needs a live-in babysitter so he can go out with his shiny new boyfriend. So… 🤣  And it took a whole relationship and a blackout before Ana was his babysitter! Just from that much I’m still going, yikes. Like, girl, do you not have friends? Do you not have someone who will tell you this relationship is red flags all over the place? Can we not call up your Folger brother and have him talk some sense into you? 

You’re very right though. Eddie deserves so much better. 

I have heard about the supposed leaked scripts and I’ll talk some about that under a cut below in case anyone wants to read my thoughts on it. 

But what I’ll say in general is that in some of the interviews we’ve been seeing recently especially with canon bi!Buck, Mr. Showrunner had scathing things to say about love interests who are just there to be love interests. He didn’t like that they couldn’t interact with any of the other characters and that they weren’t part of the overall story. 

Given we’ve had what, two? offhand comments and maybe five whole seconds of screen time this season with her, if they wanted to actually develop that relationship for the audience, they could have done that. And should have done that a long, long time ago. (For example, see Eddie and Tommy’s relationship. In one whole episode they did more to build that up than they have done for Eddie/allegedgirlfriendconfirmedterf in all of season 6 or 7.)

Instead, they showcased the bond between Buck and the Diazes and the trauma that Eddie and Chris still have over Shannon leaving and them losing her. And also Eddie’s new friendship with Tommy that sounded like they were both spending every day, every moment together. 

So far for Miss Homophobe, we have—

hey mari it me eddie from the hardware store

the phone call where they set up a date

it's not MY date it's CHRIS' date (r u sure, dude? why is she there then 🤣)

her chaperoning Chris’ date with Eddie

her babysitting twice off screen

Obviously, she’s in the next episode and they have a pizza date while Eddie has to stare at his bestest friends while they’re on a date. But at this point, if you want the audience to root for the relationship or enjoy it at the very least, it’s a little late in the game for that? We have nothing to go on and it doesn’t make sense if we’re taking it at face value. 

All this to say, if he does ask her to move in with him, there is no way for the audience to buy that it’s genuine, reasonable, or a smart move. It reads like Buck asking Taylor to move in with him because he cheated and he’s desperate and clinging. Even if Eddie and the terf show up and are all happy and handsy and lovey, it’s not convincing. There’s been no development. It would come across like Buck and Ali apartment hunting and being touchy and giggly, and then her dumping him at the end of the episode. It sets up a contrast between what we think is happening and what is really happening. Perceived happiness vs the reality of not knowing each other and their relationship crumbling.

I don’t remember who said it or when it was said, maybe it was Kristen? But I know someone talked about how Eddie rushed things with Ana and they were wanting to do the opposite when continuing his story. Dating someone for (how long has it even been? 2-3 months? Idek? Does Eddie even know?) Mere months and asking them to move in reeks of, “something is going wrong and I have to fix it by doing something rash and ill-advised to keep us together.” 

Remind me to do a post about Eddie also being someone who clings and stays because it’s convenient and he doesn’t want to be alone. 

It would be completely out of character if it is a sincere, legit thing. However, as a panic response? I buy it. But that also doesn’t bode well for their future. Darn. Hold on, I’ll get the champagne. That relationship is just waiting to be bones. And in an episode called, “You Don’t Know Me,” is where they’re putting their relationship under a microscope? Hildy, cue up the ominous music. 

I doubt the glorious day we are free of her will be this week. I think they are just starting whatever they have planned. Unfortunately. I would hope they kept her around and brought her back for a reason like what they did with Eddie/Ana. I want there to be something satisfying about the end and the fact that we have to suffer through this. It just needs to happen quickly because I am so over homophobic terfs who know what fucking show they’re on and what the story is and still persist in their assholish bigotry.  

Now? My thoughts on the leaks?

IF we are to believe they are legit, and who knows if they are. But if we are saying they are legit, then Buck comes out to Eddie at the very end and Eddie is surprised. So, Eddie likely wouldn’t be jealous or weird about Buck and Tommy dating if he didn’t even know they are dating. Plus, they just had a whole episode dedicated to jealous!Buck and it would be redundant to immediately take that into, now EDDIE is the JEALOUS ONE. I think they’d have to take the story further for Eddie to really consider how he feels about Buck and Tommy dating. 

Maybe it will come down to him being displeased by it (for some unknown reason he just can't put his finger on) and grappling with how he genuinely likes Tommy a lot and that’s a new thing for him and one of Buck’s love interests? But it wouldn’t happen this week. In theory, this week is about Buck feeling like he’s hiding because he just realized he’s bi and hasn’t told anyone yet. Hence, more of the “you don’t know me.” 

Obviously, I am rooting for Buddie. All the way. All the time. I like Buck/Tommy just fine but they’re not BuckandEddie. But I think it will take a while before we see anything that might really develop the Buck & Eddie storyline. They’re working on Buck’s bisexual awakening and his first time dating a man. WHERE OH WHERE ARE MY EDDIE STORYLINES.  I just want them to do some justice for my boy. Give him something interesting! And for the terf to gtf away from him. :D

And apologies, I rambled a lot at you. Love and hugs!

[lokis-bitter-ghost]

“i think you’re cautious because you have more to give than you think anyone can take” i feel like this is some sort of attempt on my life.

do you know who takes? buck. buck spent his whole childhood giving everything he had to his parents, and not being able to take anything back. taking nothing, because they gave nothing. all his life he has wanted someone to give something to him. to give him their love, to give him their trust, to give him their patience.

abby gives him a half-hearted whirlwind romance. his first attempt in a long time at a serious relationship. buck gives her everything. his love and his trust and his patience and his empathy. and abby reciprocates halfway, then she leaves. abby gives less than she should, but buck doesn’t know that. he takes it anyway. when she leaves, he hangs on. he still takes whatever she’ll give him. she moves on, and he is still giving. he is still trying to take.

taylor mostly gives him what he needs. they love each other. but they eventually learn that they can’t trust each other. taylor doesn’t like to be vulnerable and buck can’t deal with the promises that aren’t kept. she gives him lies and he doesn’t feed his delusions long enough to think that they can salvage what they lost.

natalia is barely anything. it starts fast and ends fast and when it comes down to it, she can’t give him what he needs. she is taking his experience and she is giving nothing back. when they break it off, neither are very sad about it.

tommy is better. he’s funny and he’s confident and he’s cool, and he helps buck feel better about who he really is. he gives buck an opening to find out who he has been all along. he just isn’t sure that it’s really him that buck wants to be with. he can’t invest himself fully into a relationship where he doesn’t think buck is certain. buck gives him everything, and tommy gives him enough to not get hurt.

eddie is a giver. eddie gives buck comfort in his house. he gives buck full parental claim over his son. he gives buck understanding and forgiveness and trust. they’re partners, in almost every sense of the word. buck talks to christopher when even eddie can’t. buck is the one eddie tells about his mixup with kim and marisol and shannon. buck is the one christopher calls when eddie is having a panic attack. they wear matching costumes to chimneys bachelor party. when everyone leaves said party (including tommy), eddie is still there. when one has an idea, the other supports it. they always have each others backs. buck has taken everything eddie has given him. and it has never been a burden or an annoyance or anything other than a gift.

[lover-of-mine]

Okay, so, I don't know if I'm typing this out to make myself feel better because I can't believe THIS is the thing I'm gonna be right about in this fucking show BUT back in May last year, I added some tags on a post about how Buck is in Eddie's season 5 arc, so he would break up with Natalia pretty early on and Eddie and Marisol would go off to build stuff together (It's the only post I can find that proves I had the thought before all this because I don't know if I put that in a meta or not, I think I did on a post talking about how Buck and Eddie mirror each other narratively, but I cannot find it) but the thing is, season 6 for Buck mirrors season 4 for Eddie, which would put them in season 5 but from Buck's side. It was the main reason I kept saying I believed Natalia would have the same treatment as Ana, and go away early on in the season to open space for Eddie's journey of self-discovery, which is what happened, Natalia went away to open space for Buck's self-discovery journey. I was betting on a Buck breakdown, but bi Buck works. Why did I had that thought the second Eddie called Marisol in the s6 finale? Well, Buck and Eddie are literally running parallel to each other but slightly misaligned. You have tiny things like the way the first loss on the job for both of them is someone falling to their death, but Devon didn't want to live and the gross dude did. Or the shaky relationship with their parents that runs opposite because Eddie had too much responsibility placed on him while Buck was literally treated like he was invisible. Or more aggressive things like the way the well mirrors the lightning (set on that if you need help visualizing), with the way both of them volunteer into the rescue, the well is in the middle of nowhere, Buck gets struck in the middle of the street, Buck is in the sky, Eddie is underground, the rain aspect, the 118 as audience, they are even on mirrored sides of the frame, and I think even the way Buck needs to choose to get out of the coma mirrors the way Eddie saves himself. There's also the breathing things since Eddie almost drowns and Buck's lungs stop working. The well mirroring the lighting put Buck in season 4 for 6b, the "'I'm fine' *narrator voice* he wasn't fine" era, which would put Buck in season 5 now, the "I'm dealing with what makes me who I am" era, which he is, go Buck.

Well, this works with love interests on a ridiculous level. We have the ABSOLUTE MADNESS of the way Shannon comes back, next episode Ali shows up, Shannon dies, next episode Ali is gone, Eddie meets Ana, Buck keeps complaining about the struggles of being single (while Maddie totally sets him up with Josh, because now that Buck is canonically bi, the fact that they are in blue and green is too on the nose for me to ignore), nothing comes of Eddie and Ana, they both stay single, Eddie asks Ana out, next episode Buck is dating and Taylor comes Back, Buck starts dating Natalia, Eddie starts dating Marisol. The only ones who are not aligned are the breakups with Ana and Taylor, because Buck chooses to hang on for too long. We also the way they have the first love who left them and never really gave them the closure they needed, we have the inconsequential girlfriend they only got because people kept telling them they had to move on. Shannon works for Eddie the same way Abby works for Buck. Ana works for Eddie the same way Ali and I guess Natalia do for Buck. That means Eddie needs a Taylor. Someone he meets on a call who comes back later on. Check. Someone he's supposed to work with in theory but never had a real fighting chance. (I say that because if Taylor were as intense about Buck as she is about the job, they could've been a very interesting installment of golden retriever boyfriend/black cat girlfriend, but they never try). Something about their personal journeys is that Buck tends to take longer to learn, while Eddie tends to need a stronger hit. Buck's takes more time and Eddie's tends to be more intense in a sense. Like the way Shannon dies and Abby just leaves, but they actually kinda paint Buck as hung up on Abby all through seasons 2 and 3. Or the way Taylor goes away for a whole season, just to come back and stay for 3 half seasons. So the Marisol of it all. Taylor had more dept in the helicopter than Marisol has right now, but sure, let's say the point here is to make Eddie do something stupid in the name of not being alone. Because that's what Taylor is. The whole time, Taylor is about Buck being scared of being alone, even hooking up with her the first time is about how he didn't have Abby to hang on to anymore. Taylor and Buck are also fundamentally incompatible.

Again, I know nothing about Marisol. They gave her no dept beyond being a glorified babysitter. Nothing in her relationship with Eddie so far has been about Eddie and her. Even their dates seem to be something that will be about watching other people. I don't wanna say buddie canon, because Lucy is her own category (I miss her) but, Eddie looking at Buck and Tommy and making the very harsh decision of asking her to move in "I'm gonna die alone" moment, I don't wanna say makes sense, but could work, even more considering that the Buck/Tommy/Eddie/Marisol date seems to be mirroring the colors of the Buckley-Diaz family + Taylor dinner in outside looking in, and the next episode is a madney episode. It's the same progression of events. I doubt Eddie is gonna cheat and panic ask Marisol to move in, but they are not so on the nose with the actual storyline parallels. I don't have the brainpower to come up with any theories about what he might do, but considering how rocky his relationship with Buck could be, considering the last episode, I can absolutely see Buck triggering that (that would make me accept I am right and Eddie is aware of his feelings and I won't give that up even if the show explicitly says he wasn't) because Eddie's abandonment issues make him overcorrect. And that's never a good thing. Do I think Marisol is going past the season finale? No. Eddie's understanding arcs are usually shorter than Buck's. How would she leave? No clue. The fact that Taylor hurt Buck's family, in a literal sense with Chim, and the focus on her relationship with Chris as someone taking care of him, also the ominous shots of Chris and the whole theory that Chris would get hurt last season makes me scared tho. It could be something that's not her fault that she doesn't reach Eddie instantly, like, Chris cuts himself or something and she doesn't call, that can even work to push Buck and Eddie closer, and put buddie explicitly in a parental role together. My brain keeps saying appendicitis for some reason, but no idea why, maybe I just don't want to believe the show would make someone purposefully endanger Chris. Eddie kind of snapping in a hospital makes sense? Let's say Chris gets sick while at school and someone calls the house trying to reach Eddie because he's not answering and he chews her off. But that's just like, the only thing I can come up with with the correct energy.

So, yeah, Marisol is Taylor. I'm too tired to keep typing, but I can't believe the one theory I don't fully type out is the one the universe is gonna give me oaksoaksoaksoaksokasa

If you read this I love you. I don't know how this made you feel, but I hope it makes sense.

[buddiebeginz]

That scene with Eddie and Kim dressed as Shannon is that supposed to be the big emotional scene that was being talked about leading up to this episode? If Tim is expecting me to be invested in a scene like that he's sorely mistaken.

I love Ryan and Eddie but there was too much wrong with that scene for it have any kind emotional impact. I honestly just left it being confused and angry.

In the first place the scene initially came off looking like a dream especially since Kim was styled almost exactly how we saw Shannon talking to Chris in 701. I thought okay Eddie is going to say all these things to dream Shannon that he wanted to say (even get angry with her) things he didn't get to say before she died. Except here's the other problem Tim is trying to prop Shannon up and make her into a better person than she was. He's also trying to make it seem like Eddie had all these huge feelings for her that were never shown previously.

I definitely believe that Eddie loved Shannon and of course he had a lot of history with her and she's Chris' mother but I don't believe he was in romantic love with her. Eddie was always running away from Shannon even in s2. The only reason he even asked her to be with him again is because of Chris and because they thought she was pregnant. And really because Eddie has always done what he thinks he's supposed to do not what he truly wants to do especially when it comes to relationships.

I really can't stand when shows try and rewrite history like this. Shannon was important to Eddie but the show keeps trying to make her relationship with Eddie into something it wasn't and it really makes me hate when they bring her up.

Back to the scene with Eddie and Kim like I said I thought it was a dream so I really wanted to see where they were going with it. But as soon as they kept having Eddie talk about how he can't move on from Shannon because of how much he loved her I'm like nope I'm out. Let this man move on. Let him finally admit to himself that his relationship with Shannon wasn't perfect and let him stop comparing every relationship he ever gets into to something that never even existed.

The bigger problem I had with this scene though is that it wasn't even Shannon. If you wanted the audience to have some kind of emotional response to Eddie grieving his dead ex wife maybe don't have some woman he's cheating with dress up as her. It was all so bizzare. I also fail to see what Kim's motivation is for even doing that. She barely knows Eddie and she knows now that he was only even seeing her as some kind of replacement for his dead ex yet she's still interested in him. Then to top it off we had Marisol and Chris walking in on the whole scene. Having Chris see this woman who looks like his dead mom is just really cruel. I love Eddie but I really hope he's going to have to answer for that. I don't want to see the show just brush this off with some kind of talk between them because the level of so not okay that was is off the charts.

I just wish I knew where Tim is going with any of this because it's all so weird. I thought this Kim storyline was going to be about helping Eddie get closure and move forward but now I don't know what they're doing. I really hope that both Marisol and Kim will be gone by next season. This isn't even about Buddie neither one of them would make a good love interest for Eddie at this point.

Also why give Kim a birthmark like Buck if it's not supposed to make us think of Buck? Far as I can tell it's not a birthmark Devin has or her real hair color so what even was the purpose of that?

What is the purpose of bringing Buck into this storyline? I know Buddie are friends and they had most of the characters busy doing other stuff but I do wonder if Buck will play any more of a role in what's going on with Eddie.

I mean I'm glad they had Buck confront Eddie but tbh I wanted to see him get angrier about it. Buck said something to Eddie like have Marisol and Chris met her because Eddie was saying Kim was only a friend. I just feel like Buck would never want Chris to meet this woman. He just talked to Chris in 701 about how much his mom's death is still seriously affecting him. Why would he want Chris to meet this doppelgänger of his mom?

I know it's a shorter season but some of the writing choices this season feel messy and rushed. I honestly don't anticipate this Vertigo storyline having a satisfying conclusion. As it is they should have started it earlier and now it's being crammed into two already over stuffed episodes. I just hope that Eddie is going to get some better storylines next season because I haven't really been a fan of anything they've done with him on his own this season. Like first the nun and now this. What kind of vendetta do you have against Ryan Guzman Tim because these storylines are awful.

[deadnatura11]

Stay with me now:

- the next few episodes are Bobby & Eddie-centric

- we know Amir is connected to Bobby through the apartment fire in Minnesota through him being IN the building at the time of the fire

- we can *speculate* Amir lost his wife from the 7x08 post-episode trailer

- Amir has not forgiven Bobby for the fire he caused, for scarring him, for costing him his wife (he is still STUCK and has not PROCESSED his GRIEF)

- Eddie is cheating on Marisol with a woman, Kim, who looks like his dead wife Shannon

- Eddie, famously, has not processed his grief over losing Shannon and is STUCK as well and cannot self-actualize (ie be the person he's truly meant to be) he's in arrested development

- Bobby, too, is STUCK (despite moving away from killing himself, despite the true blame being on the faulty wiring of the space heater, and despite opening himself up to friends and finding love and family again) because the Minnesota fire plot line has yet to be fully resolved

I think the spec that there's a fire in the finale, a major fire, is not far off. Everyone wants Buck's loft to burn down. Well, what if -

Amir comes close to killing Bobby with the knife (if that's even him in the promo) but never gets the chance. He escapes despite a very moving convincing monologue from Bobby about moving on about how he lost his family in the fire, too, and even OFFERING Bobby the chance to kill him to make up for his sins. Amir is not swayed from his decision to get revenge/"retribution" for Bobby's past sins.

So.

Sooo.

Soooooooooo.

Amir decides to recreate the Minnesota apartment fire. Where? In Buck's building, in Buck's loft. With Buck still inside. So, in Amir's mind, Bobby can feel the pain of knowing he's responsible for more people's deaths anew because "death is too good".

And of course the 118 respond to the call. Of COURSE.

And as they're evacuating people inside they realize Buck's not there and, who rushes inside? Eddie and Bobby.

And they're stopped by Amir who holds them all at gunpoint because he refuses to let them save him and save Buck.

Cue another monologue from Bobby, this time more meaningful because he has put in the work to actually believe the words he says, maybe by speaking to his brother, ESPECIALLY from talking with his wife. And his talk about letting go of the past and moving on, trying to be a better person for yourself and those who you leave behind is what matters, things like that not only affects Amir but Eddie, too.

This time it works and Amir let's Eddie carry Buck out of his loft.

That leaves Bobby and Amir. Amir tells him to leave but Bobby says he won't do that. His job is to rescue people.

And Bobby helps Amir out of the burning building. He's arrested, sure, but he can begin the healing process.

As can another person, Eddie. Who is by Buck's side the entire way to the hospital and, after Buck is treated, offers him the couch at his place for the time being. If he hasn't broken up with Marisol and/or Shannon, he does so because he recognizes he is in no place to date because he doesn't know a) who he is or b) what he wants.

And Bobby? I think this helps him finally close the book on his trauma from Minnesota.

[edmundodiaz]

okay walk with me…

buck has always known he’s bi, but never acted on his attraction to men because his relationship with his parents was already strained enough and he was scared they’d find out, and then once he moved to california, he could have started dating guys but he really didn’t find someone who catched his eye and being a firefighter keeps him busy enough, so he dates only women he meets through his job and when eddie joins the 118, buck is so used to ignore that part of himself that it takes him tommy “trying to steal” his place in eddie’s life to understand that he loves him more that what a friend should.

on the other hand , eddie has never had the time to figure out he’s gay because he had to marry the first woman he ever dated, then he went back to war and once he was back for good, he had to raise christopher on his own. then came the firefighter academy and moving out to los angeles for his new job and getting christopher settled in a new city and school. as you can imagine life as a single dad is hard enough even if you’re not a firefighter, so he really doesn’t have time to sit with himself and figure stuff out. he really tried to make things work with shannon when she got back and then with ana but even though she was everything a man could hope for, thinking about a future with her filled him with dread so better break things off and now, he really wasn’t going to date for a while and focus on his mental health but his aunt pepa just kept going with her attempts at matchmaking that maybe it was easier tricking himself into thinking that meeting marisol at the hardware store was a sign than keep telling his aunt“no”.

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

If 911 was a fanfic or book I was reading and Buddie got together in only Chapter 7 after some great development in the first 6 chapters and putting the pieces into place, I personally would be pretty disappointed. We may think we want Buddie right now but if we got it tomorrow, how would you actually feel? A temporary elation? Once that get together happens and we see a little domesticity and figuring things out like how to tell Christopher and their coworkers, how to deal being in danger at work on the same shift, how they feel about moving in together, dates, all of it -- where would they go from there? What more could they explore? How would it come into play on the same shift of the 118 over and over again? When one of them or both is in danger over and over again? It runs the risk of things becoming stale very quickly, because of how build-up that has been worked into their stories (and joint story) in the last six seasons.

I don't know if anyone has ever talked about this before but one thing Bathena, Madney, and Henren have in common is that they don't work the same job/shift. Something that has been remarked on before by Oliver or Tim I believe in earlier seasons (in reference to Buck's relationships with Taylor and having that person outside of the 118). Things can intersect sometimes like for Madney or Bathena but ultimately, there's a line there. Talk of all sexuality comments aside for a second, Buck and Eddie do not have that line yet. They did in season 5 for a bit but it didn't work out for Eddie too well (and neither were even close to being ready in the story line for anything more than friendship/family then). So had Buck actually taken Tommy up on his offer to train so he could do both the 118 and the air rescue, that could have been another line that got them closer.

However, saying that, there are still parallels running between Bathena, Madney, Henren, and Buddie still. There is a reason Buck is hooking up with a firefighter for his first boyfriend (yes, I heard Tommy was originally going to be with Eddie first, doesn't change why Tim decided to go with Tommy as thee guy) who is not in the 118.

And Eddie may be "heterosexual" (I don't think Ryan's comments were meant to be taken as some of them have been taken btw, I think he was talking about the moment of Buck's coming out and how important that was), but there's no viable explanation for why Eddie didn't like or got jealous of Buck's other girlfriends (Abby, Taylor) while barely interacting with the others once they started dating Buck (Ali, Natalia). And now, Buck is in a relationship with a man and Eddie is beyond cool with it, no jealousy or dislike. Tommy got the approval before Eddie either knew he would be dating Buck and Eddie isn't even thinking twice about it. Quite a turnaround considering his history with Buck's former flames, wouldn't you say?

And let's not forget that Buck has basically had the same (paralleled) thing going on with Eddie's relationships with women. He had no problem with Eddie dating any of these women but he never interacted with Shannon, he wouldn't even look at Ana, and he barely interacted with Marisol (after she and Eddie began dating). ...kind of makes you think, doesn't it?

Let's just let their story unfold organically. It will be a much better payoff when/if it happens, trust me. And you will enjoy the show that much more.

Hang in there.

P.S. The symbolism of coffee, pizza, popcorn, and beer are still very much a thing. *wink*

[unfortunatehyperfixations]

I'll of course withhold final judgement about Eddie's s7 story until after the finale, but at the moment it's so fucking sad. Unless they manage to turn this mess suddenly into a decent mental health story in less than two episodes, wth are they leaving us with? That would just be a ton of bad story desicions, bring Marisol back, tell nothing about that relationship, randomly moving in and out, that nun bs that teases catholic guilt but nothing comes from it, and then they make him cheat with a Shannon doppelganger. I really hope they haven't forgotten to rehabilitate Eddie somehow in the finale, because parts of the fandom have always been tearing him apart, and now that some former buddie shippers don't need him for Buck anymore... I'm scared of this summer before us and what the fandom will turn into if they don't make this storyline make sense and show Eddie in a more fathomable or positive light.

I agree with you 100%. I’m worried because I don’t see how they can do this story justice in the time they have left with all the other stories we have going on. I know it’s a popular thing to say Eddie needs to go back to therapy, and i agree, but I don’t think that’s a satisfying season endinf for him either. We already saw his therapy storyline, yes in real life healing isn’t linear and therapy should be continued, but this is a tv show for entertainment. Everyone else partnered up with Eddie being discarded by everyone is not my idea of must see tv. I know some shippers dropped Eddie fast the moment a more palatable (🙄) alternative came on the scene, but I hope the show doesn’t do it too. I mean his trauma is being played as a goofy soap opera now.

I do not look forward to a summer of Eddie bashing and I can only block so fast. Especially if Buck is left in a “happy” no chemistry relationship. Frankly, if speculation is correct and the 118 is split up I don’t see that as must see tv. The show is better when everyone is working and interacting together.

And if I’m wrong and the finale is awesome for Eddie, I’ll come back and sing Tim’s praises. I’d love to be wrong.

[wenellyb]

What’s your take on the hunch that the show (now that Buck is confirmed queer) is going to kill him off because he and Bobby have their final goodbye in the s7 finale? The show’s creators said that Eddie will go into s8 feeling isolated, and we know that Peter’s contract isn’t up for the show, so Bobby’s likely not dying. Does anyone know if Oliver’s contract is up??? I really hope they don’t give us a bury your gays trope 😫

Hi Anon!!!

I don't know anything about the actors contracts and I don't know where that rumor came from but I know for sure they won’t kill off Buck. If it were Grey's anatomy I would have a different answer but the 911 franchise don't kill off their Main Characters so "easily".

And I don't even why they would kill off Buck "now that he's confirmed Queer"...?????? It doesn't make sense. I would expect 911 Lone Star to kill off Nancy, or Tk, or Carlos, or Paul.

I'm not saying it couldn't happen in the future, and for sure something dramatic is going to happen before the end of the season, but I can already tell you if they kill off a Main Character it won't be Buck ( if Oliver contract was ending, and I don't know that that the case, they would find another of making him "leave").

Eddie feeling isolated could be for different reasons, and also feeling isolated isn't the same as being isolated.

I think his recent actions show that he's in a weird place and he might isolate himself in fear of being judged. Or he might be isolated because some of his friends won't approve his behavior. There are so many storylines the writers could come up with...

So here's the wild part, I never really thought about how Eddie might feel isolated, but this is how I imagined Eddie's recent storyline going.

I don't know if Eddie will keep seeing Shannon's lookalike or not, but going on a date was already cheating and I don't know if he'll confess or not, but Marisol will eventually hear about it and probably break things off.

We don’t know what Eddie and Marisol's relationship is at exactly, but we know that Marisol and Christopher are really close, we saw it the last episode, but we also heard that Marisol often babysits Chris when Eddie goes out with friends, and once did it twice in the same week. And finally, Eddie wouldn't have moved in with Marisol if he thought Chris would have the slighest problem with it (she moved out the same day, but the 1st decision was taken seriously and having Chris in mind).

So here's my wild theory, and bear with me.... I think that when Marisol and Eddie break up and Chris finds out it's his father fault.... He contact Marisol and run away to see her, I think he'll only stay a little, like Marisol will call Eddie to tell him that he's safe and tell him it's better if he stays the night because he was pretty upset. So even if Chris goes back home, he will still be mad at his father and won't talk to him (leading to Eddie feeling isolated).

If Christopher ever learns that his father cheated on Marisol with his mother's doppelganger, things might be even worse, he might leave to go live with Marisol for a while or with Buck.

I know this isn't your ask, but I'm sure Buck is safe (from being killed off, not from other dramatic events).

And your ask made me think of my theory and whataver the writers do with Eddie and Marisol's relationship I hope they explore the impact it has on Christopher because we've already seen that they're really close and anything. I hope the writers don't suddenly forget about it.

Sorry for derailing but your ask was the perfect opportunity to talk about this.

Btw, does anybody know anything about Olivier's contract?

[sweet-sammy-kisses]

I am trying not to get into the drama building in the fandom about what is or isn't going to happen in the aftermath of the whole Kim/Shannon/Eddie/Marisol mess, but I will say this Ryan said Eddie feels is isolated in s8 but he doesn't say the Buck or the rest of the team have upright abandoned him.

Eddie has a habit of not seeking out help. Shannon dies, he nearly loses Buck (3 times) and Christopher, and he joins a fight club. He also calls Buck exhausting because he wants Buck hurting as much as he is.

Eddie wants to return to firefighting, but Bobby tells him he is not ready and Eddie lashes out.

So remember, it is in character for Eddie not to want help because he believes he shouldn't need it, that as a man, he is just supposed to bury those feelings down and move on.

Eddie has never had the chance to grieve Shannon. He lost her, and then he nearly lost Buck, then he almost lost Buck again, and the third time, he almost lost Buck he almost lost Christopher.

Eddie has never let himself deal with those emotions because he was taught not to. He told his dad he was going to be a better father than Ramon had not only for Christopher but for himself.

It wasn't going to be a magical fix, so yes, Eddie has to work out the truth about what his relationship really was like with Shannon. He is going to break and shatter, but that doesn't mean he is a bad person or unfit father(trust me, I know) but it also doesn't mean he is going to be alone it will be up to when he accepts the hands offered to him.

[h50europe]

9-1-1 - I Could Start Fires With What I Feel For You - Chapter 8 now on AO3

Excerpt:

"Do you really think it would be a good idea for me to move in with you?"

Eddie almost choked on his beer but quickly caught himself and dismissed his previous words, "I only said that because of Christopher. I'm sorry. As you know, today is the anniversary of Shannon's death, and we both tend to be a little... I'm sure he didn't mean it. Or did he say something else when you two sat on the couch?"

Buck sipped and shook his head, "No, he didn't mention anything else."

Eddie seemed relieved. But Buck didn't let go.

"Did you mean it or not?" he asked.

God, what was Eddie going to tell him now? He decided on a half-truth: "I'm sure I would have liked it at some point. Now, you're in a relationship, and I just broke up with Marisol. It's not the time and place to even think about it."

As Eddie spoke, he couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety. He hoped Buck wouldn't see through him and realize he was holding back. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a plausible explanation, one that would satisfy Buck and prevent him from digging any deeper.

Buck, meanwhile, tried to read Eddie because the signals he was getting from him were more than confusing. "And you don't want to try again?"

Eddie's head snapped up, "At what?" He dreaded his friend's following words.

"Well, you and Marisol. Are you really sure it can't work out between you? I mean, how long have you guys been living together? A few weeks? A month? And you haven't seen each other for most of that time."

"I'm as sure as you are that Tommy is the one for you."

Buck winced, "Ouch. I'd think you were jealous if I didn't know better. Didn't you say you were okay with it? And didn't you tell me to call Tommy? After I told you about our little quarrel."