#'one of the things that make the pairing unique also spells their downfall' or smth idk

[adarkermiserablecrow]

As much as I love Tommy calling Buck 'Evan', it also kind of feels like an omen.

(Bear with me a little, the buck/evan distinctions get a bit uhh).

Canon reasoning aside, as symbolism, it's clear-cut. Evan is the man Buck used to be, the kid he used to be, and with this piece of himself finally falling into place, there's some healing to be had for that past version of Buck as well. It's the start of a journey, and Buck can't make it if Evan doesn't as well.

And I've seen Buck referred to as a mask, a protection of Evan, but I think he's the man Evan evolved into. He got the nickname in the fire academy and never looked back, and there's something obvious about the way he stopped being Evan just as he became a firefighter and found his place with the 118. (Buck 1.0 was a mask, at least in part, but that's another story.)

For years, he has been Buck. Maddie is the only one who knew him when he was Evan, and she does call him by his name sometimes. There's also Eddie's infamous listen-to-me-goddamnit line. But that line during the will reveal works because 'Evan' is so jarring, not just to the viewers, but to Buck himself too. Even in s6, Chimney calls him Evan in front of the Buckley parents, and Buck is in the background looking confused as hell. It's not his name anymore, not really.

And I guess what I'm trying to say with all this is that Tommy calling him Evan (while cute) feels like it sets up the relationship to end. Because Evan doesn't really exist anymore; he's a part of Buck, certainly. All of us carry our past selves around, we're never really free of the people we used to be. But Buck grew beyond Evan, he grew up a bit and found his place in the world.

He's back to being Evan now that he's finding his footing with this new facet of himself. But in everything else he's still Buck. And I'm not sure it's insignificant.