#(I am not using the main 911 tag on this post bc primarily people who like Tommy are in it and I don't need that kind of beef today)

[greenbergsays]

Idk how to explain it like coherently but one of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of Tommy dating buck is that he just seems.. Mean? I'm watching the season 8 Halloween episode and especially when it comes to bucks little quirks and everything, he just seems so dismissive. Even Eddie feels a little extra rude in this ep but in general when it comes to bucks whole "curses are real and I'm being haunted" thing, he's more.. Endeared? Is that the word? Like Eddie doesn't really believe in it all, but when buck gets wound up, he seems to have a nice balance of finding buck kinda cute and keeping him from spinning out too bad over it, but Tommy just seems cruel about it, like he thinks buck is stupid? Idk am I reading into this too much? I'm a lil out of it tbf fjdlxsl

It's funny, because I just saw a tweet yesterday talking about this scene and in it, OP said, "Eddie is laughing at the idea of a curse, Tommy is laughing at Buck," and I've been mulling it over ever since.

On the surface, you might say, There's literally no evidence for that interpretation, you just think that because you hate the guy, and you would be correct on both accounts.

I don't like Tommy as a person because least of all, Tommy is canonically unkind, to say nothing of his worse qualities and in the scene itself, there is no evidence whatsoever for that interpretation, so it would be easy to dismiss it as character bias.

But I think to a large extent, OP was on the right track, and I think the evidence for it comes from each character's prior interactions with Buck.

Because historically, Eddie has always been dismissive of the idea that jinxes or curses are real, no matter who it is. He's teased the whole team about it in at least two different episodes based around those subjects.

But that teasing, however pointed, has always come from a place of camaraderie, love, and respect. These are His People. They've been through so much shit together, so he's allowed to make fun of them when they're being silly, just like they make fun of him.

And yeah, you're right in that Eddie often finds himself soft-domming Buck calming Buck down when he gets wound up. He knows how to talk to Buck in a way that eases the spiral.

So it's easy to look at that scene and explain Eddie's behavior away as, "Buck's spiraling out hard and Eddie is being extra nonchalant so that it can calm him down."

Because Buck actually does take a lot of his cues from Eddie, whether he realizes it or not.

Tommy's behavior feels different because he's a character with limited screen time, but with that limited screen time, we've been shown that he is always dismissive or belittling of other people's feelings.

Chimney's feelings in his Begins episode, Hen's feelings in her Begins episode, and every single interaction he has with Buck.

During the interaction with Eddie and Marisol, Tommy makes a very pointed comment about a closet, all but trying to out Buck right there in the middle of the restaurant.

Then, without so much as a conversation about what happened, he's tells Buck, "You're not ready," and leaves him behind. He decides Buck's feelings for him.

When Bobby is hurt, Buck tries to open up and be vulnerable with him, and Tommy's only response is the innuendo-ladened, "I hope you have Daddy issues."

Et cetera, et cetera.

Tommy has been crafted to be a character that cares primarily about his own wants, needs, and feelings with little to no regard about those things when it comes to other people.

The only time we see him emotionally vulnerable is when he's breaking up with Buck and we've never once seen someone be emotionally vulnerable with him where that vulnerability was met with understanding and kindness. He's downright cruel when it's Chimney and Hen and he's dismissive when it's Buck.

He takes himself too seriously and doesn't entertain or join in with the sillier antics of the 118 crew because he doesn't want to be seen as childish. There's a lot of insecurity in Tommy, even at his big age, and it shows in his treatment of others.

It genuinely makes me wonder why a man like Tommy would even date a man like Buck, because Buck is a wonderful guy, but he is also a silly little goose. He has big emotions and many spirals and a lot of anxiety that doesn't really get talked about, but most of all, he's still a big kid at heart. He still finds joy in the sillier things in life, like dressing up for a bachelor party, and he wants a partner that finds joy in it, too.

Tommy is not that man. He's never been that man, he won't ever be that man, and he very obviously finds those traits undesirable in other people. Their incompatibility should've been apparent early on to him in particular.

So, yeah, when you examine each of their characters, take their two histories with Buck into account, and then look at that scene in the hospital, it's a lot easier to swallow Eddie's reaction than it is to swallow Tommy's.

We know even before that scene that Eddie loves Buck. He's shown it throughout their entire friendship. He's shown up for Buck emotionally, he's talked Buck off more than one ledge, he meets Buck where he's at, silly costumes and all. He and Buck have been emotionally vulnerable with each other more than once.

In many ways, you could say Eddie has earned the right to laugh.

Tommy hasn't done any of those things, though, and he's shown more than once that he doesn't really care about Buck's comfort or his feelings.

That's why his laughter feels mean.