911 gave us such an abrupt end to what was a great relationship for Evan Buckley (Oliver Stark) and it’s still giving us some whiplash. Is this truly the end of Buck and Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) or is this the beginning of a journey for Buck to find what he truly wants?
In the episode, Buck found out something surprising about his boyfriend, who he had been with for six months at this point. He had apparently been engaged to a woman for two years before eventually coming out, and that woman was Abby Clark. Fans may remember Abby as the first woman Buck dated in season 1 before he stopped having meaningless sexual relationships.
This sent Buck into a spiral, wondering how he could rationalize the Tommy he was with now to the one that could be cruel years ago. In a scene with Josh and Maddie, Josh explained to Buck how different being queer looked for men like himself and Tommy. They couldn’t be their authentic selves and did what they could to hide.
Did 911 make a mistake breaking Buck and Tommy up in season 8, episode 6?
We know Tommy wasn’t a great person back when he was at the 118, which at this point was nearly 20 years ago. He has grown since then, most of it off screen, but at any rate, he has been a great partner for Buck. In fact, Buck leaves the conversation sure of his feelings for Tommy.
But when he reveals to Tommy that he was the guy who dated Abby after him, and declares that his relationship with both her and Tommy transformed him in different ways, this seems to throw Tommy off, especially when he asks him to move in. Tommy tells Buck that he went into this knowing that it was likely not to last since he was Buck’s first, but wouldn’t be his last.
This was absolutely devastating for not just Buck, but for fans. It was such a shock, especially after the last episode seemed to show how committed they were to one another. We know that Tommy has had issues with not feeling like he has support, and even telling Buck before how great it was to know people had your back.
It feels completely out of left field and quite frankly, Buck has always been the character that has never had luck in relationships. After eight years, it would be great to see Buck find someone he wants as a partner and who he will fight for. Once again, it felt like he was the one left behind and not given the choice in what he wanted.
Is this the last we’ll see of Tommy? We don’t know for sure, although based on post-episode interviews, it sounds final. But as they say in television land, never say never. Because for all we know, this is all just one big step towards Buck realizing that it is Tommy that he wants and finally taking the steps to fight for the person he wants to be with.
A story like this should have been handled with care and it does feel like it was done so abruptly that we’re still trying to wrap our heads around it. Did 911 just make a huge mistake or are they about to surprise us down the line? However Buck’s story plays out for him in the future, we hope they do it justice since it feels like we just got stung by 20 million killer bees.
Honorable Mentions:
- Eddie went to confession and basically told the priest he was dating his dead wife. Or he killer her. Either way, at least the episode started off comedically before punching us in the gut.
- After shaving his mustache, Eddie jammed to “Old Time Rock and Roll” Risky Business style before having beers with Buck, who came to his best friend for comfort after his break up. Neither of them said a word, but it showed how they could be there for each other even if one was finding joy in life and one was mourning a lost love.
- Maddie hinted at wanting another baby, only for Chimney to be fearful considering her previous experience with post partum depression. Eventually, he came around and had figured out she was already pregnant. We’re so excited for Jee to get a brother or sister!
911 airs Thursdays on ABC at 8/7c. You can catch up on previous episodes on Hulu.
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