With 911 season 8 complete, we’re looking forward to the summer hiatus before the show returns to ABC in the fall of 2025. There was a lot that happened for the characters, including Oliver Stark’s Evan “Buck” Buckley. What could we expect to see when season 9 returns?
Buck went through a lot in season 8, and it seemed like he could barely get through without something going wrong. He had been in a relationship with Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) before they broke up suddenly. To cope with losing his boyfriend, Buck began baking to prevent himself from calling Tommy.
It became a coping mechanism for him and we saw the thread continue into the final few episodes. While the two did reunite once more, a misunderstanding prevented them from trying again. Tommy had erroneously considered Buck’s best friend Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) to be competition, and Buck didn’t exactly help when he implied he didn’t have to have feelings for someone to sleep with them.
How did Buck's season 8 journey impact his possible arc in 911 season 9?
Buck realized that sleeping with Tommy during a period of loneliness wasn’t fair to either of them, and while he did express wanting to call him, he didn’t do so, at least until he needed assistance during an emergency.
After the death of Captain Bobby Nash, whom Buck saw as a father figure, he tried to be there for the rest of the 118, but they were all coping in their own ways and didn’t seem to need him like Bobby told him they would. He decided to transfer in the season finale, but that was put on hold when the team went to the scene of a building collapse and Buck’s brother-in-law and co-worker Chimney Han (Kenny Choi) refused to let anyone leave again.
By the end of the season, Buck was left without a boyfriend, a captain and the man he considered a father, and a house since Eddie and his son, Christopher, moved back to the house that Buck was subletting. While with a realtor, Buck mentioned wanting a house that had character and didn’t feel new, plus he also mentioned the fact that he wasn’t in a house he considered his own before he left.
There has been a lot said about Buck’s arc this season and one thing was fans wanting to see him explore his bisexuality. We still haven’t heard him say the word “bisexual” out loud and it would be a great way to acknowledge this aspect of Buck’s identity on the show in words. However, when people claim he hasn't explored his bisexuality, it seems to make the relationship he was in seem unimportant.
With the constant mentions of people wanting to see Buck with a certain character, Eddie, it ignores Buck’s own agency when it comes to who he wants to be with. He expressed in the show that Eddie is his best friend. The person he wanted to call, and the one who made him feel at home for the first time when he moved, was Tommy. In a way, the dismissal of this monumental relationship for Buck appears to ignore the fact that Buck being in a relationship with Tommy was him getting to know the feelings he hadn’t realized were there already.
He doesn't need to keep dating if he doesn't want to and like he told Tommy before the break up, someone's first and last can be the same thing. Tommy and Buck's breakup wasn't about them not loving one another. It was a lot of miscommunication, misunderstandings and feelings of insecurity on Tommy's part that have led them to be unable to work things out. But the door has not been fully closed, especially with Tommy coming to Buck's aid the second he called, making sure he knew that while he came for Chimney, he also came for Buck.
Buck has not had much luck in love, and after a while, it does get repetitive to see him going from one relationship to another. Seeing him choose to settle down and find the person who is right for him, with no one questioning how he feels, would be a great way to show his growth as we go into the next season. Could it be Tommy or someone else? We don't know, but so far, this has been an incredible relationship to watch and Buck has been at his happiest with Tommy than previously.
What could we see for Buck in season 9?
While at the Upfronts for ABC, Oliver Stark talked about how things with Tommy had been left up in the air and he was looking forward to seeing what the writers did for 911 season 9. It has not been confirmed Tommy is returning, but considering the surprise we got in 911 season 8, episode 11 after fans were led to think he was gone for good, we are not counting him out!
With Tommy being brought back in the emergency that would lead to Bobby Nash’s death, and then the funeral, he has been a character who has slowly become part of the series after appearing in three episodes in season 2 and returning in seasons 7 and 8. He was a surprise twist for the show when it came to Buck’s love life, but there is a fanbase that enjoys what he brings to Buck’s world, in addition to how he is part of the 118 from before Buck even became a firefighter.
There was a scene in 911 season 8, episode 15 in which Tommy watched as Buck broke down on the camera monitors after losing Bobby. It was a scene that mirrored Athena watching her husband’s final moments and Chimney calling his wife, Maddie, both while he was sick and to tell her about Bobby. Clearly, Tommy has a role to play in Buck’s world, and we would love to see them continue the journey Buck is on.
911 Season 9 will hopefully see Buck in a much more settled place, finding his own home, and hopefully figuring out his love life. There was a lot of sadness and angst this season, and season 9 should allow his journey to progress in a way that is fulfilling for both the character and the audience.
You can catch up on previous episodes of the show this summer on Hulu.
Make sure to keep an eye on Precinct TV for more 911 coverage.