#911 5b speculation

[lover-of-mine]

Okay, I need to say something. I feel like everyone is looking at the Texas plot line with the wrong lens. Mostly because I feel like everyone is expecting Eddie to go as far as he usually goes, but something that's a key element of the fight club era and Eddie leaving the 118 era and everything about Kim is that Buck doesn't know about it until it's too late. It's so funny to me that Eddie says "you talk sense into me? That would've been interesting" because Buck is extremely effective in balancing Eddie's overcorrection tendencies, just look at the way that they handle the skateboard incident and the way that Eddie is ready to go nuclear but Buck actually balances him out and they figure out a better solution together. The fact that Buck found out about it before Eddie had the chance to do the thing he thinks he needs to do but doesn't really want to do is going to affect the outcome of the situation. Eddie actually moving to Texas is not a given because Buck knows. It doesn't matter how supportive or not Buck ends up being in the mess of his own feelings, the fact that he knows is going to change the way Eddie deals with the situation. I think that that will affect it in a way that he's not going to be able to follow through with it.

[makorragal-312]

Yeah...I don't really buy that the guy who had a panic attack over his last girlfriend being mistaken for his wife and was more than ready to dump his current one for being a former nun is even going to contemplate proposing to her.

Knowing him, he would be so deep in his eventual gay crisis that he accidentally sends false hints that made Marisol think that he was gonna propose to her. And then, when she's expecting him to get on one knee, he's telling her to go the fuck home and stay there. (because dumping is still hard for him)

[sickofthistoxicshit]

911 6x16 episode title (according to @911bts ) is "Lost".

I wonder if it's about Buck or maybe about Bobby, who started his way downhill at the end of 6x09.

I am really curious because we witnessed Chimney, Maddie's and Eddie's breakdowns in season 5b, and Hen's breakdown was in S6a. We have both Bobby and Buck, each in his own private crisis that started in S6a but didn't have a real conclusion.

My speculations are that if it's Buck, it may very well be during or after recovery with performance anxiety. I really think that Buck's crisis could be played out in the first few episodes of S6b, especially if he's the one hurt.

The reason I'm more leaning towards Lost being Bobby's breakdown, is because if Buck is indeed the one to be hurt, so soon after his sponsor's death, Bobby may feel guilty and angry and eventually will lose his grip on that calm he's holding so tightly on.

Last season, Bobby was close to break when Eddie came and pulled him from the edge, but it wasn't resolved or treated. It was just shelved until the next crisis.

That's why I think that once everything calms down, Bobby will have his own breakdown, maybe brought by new details about his sponsor's death or it may be something else, but it's coming, in my opinion.

I can't wait for buddie S5b parallels and bathena parallels to previous seasons when Bobby was there for Athena. 🥺💜🙏

[buddieisgoingcanon25]

I make it clear that it's speculation on my part.

It would be interesting if that image of Ryan's brother was a moment in the series, perhaps a continuation of season 5B and that Eddie had some crisis and left temporarily to put his mind in order (not following the story when he was liason between LAFD and 911 call center, but for example during his summer vacations, and if Buck went with him it would be perfect, Chris could be in Texas for example), maybe it was the prop crew or whatever his name is the ones who told him to grow his hair and beard to be in character, I suppose that they would even have the scripts prepared despite the strike, the truth is that I would like them to address that issue again, his depression/PTSD, to make a storyline with the veterans, but treated in a realistic and very serious way.

That would be nice. Or maybe have Buck this time have the breakdown but have Eddie call back to his in 5B by saying something in the script.

[missmagooglie]

So given that David and Michael got engaged during Defend In Place and had to then be written off the show mid-season, I am fairly confident that the 5x18 wedding was originally meant to be theirs. The fact that the 911 writers decided they needed a wedding anyway means that much of the season's emotional payoff is tied to getting the 118 together at a wedding.

There are a lot of ways a wedding - any wedding - might promote storylines for other characters. We already have bts info that Bobby and Athena are going to finally take a honeymoon (and potentially set up the season 6 opening disaster), what better place than a wedding for Chim and Maddie to decide they want to give it another shot, if the BT breakup doesn't happen in 5x17 then a wedding could be exactly what Buck needs to realize he DOESN'T want a future with Taylor, etc.

HenRen does not have any narrative urgency for a recommitment - their relationship has been strong and steady all season. There are other couples on the show who could conceivably gotten married. They could have reworked the Madney timeline so that a finale wedding made sense (admittedly, I am glad they didn't chose this because they are doing such an awesome job of putting time and care into how Madney's story is being told). They could have done a Toni and Clive wedding, because the 118 is tightknit and codependent enough that Hen inviting all her coworkers to her mother's wedding would make sense for them (and it WOULD have fit season-long themes around renewal and choosing to move forward joyfully rather than getting stuck trying to make up for lost time.)

So the fact that they chose a HenRen recommitment suggests to me that a *queer* wedding specifically was necessary to wrap up this season's storylines.

The fact that the wedding is not necessary (or originally planned for) for Hen and Karen's storyline means that the wedding *is* necessary as a backdrop for another storyline.

The implications of the fact that the finale apparently *hinges* on a celebration of queer love has me going absolutely bonkers about Eddie's arc this season genuinely becoming a coming out story.

Eddie is the only one of the core 5 at the 118 who DOESN'T have a relationship to reflect on at this wedding. Which means it's likely that he'll be thinking more about his relationship to himself - a continuation of his season-long journey that has included rejection of a heteronormative "ready made family", a literal heart doctor telling him that he's repressed, and going back to his family in Texas shortly after his therapist told him to confront his "first trauma".

What I'm trying to say here is: holy forking shirtballs, we might actually be getting queer Eddie for real in the next 2 episodes.

[reqvlvs]

eddie: *breaking down*

buck: is this an okay time to tell you that you have the absolute FATTEST ass

[writtenmemxries]

I swear to god if Eddie looks at Buck longingly during the wedding even for a millisecond I’m gonna lose my mind I’ll never be the same again it’ll be my thirteenth reason my last straw it’ll be my joker except I’ll act so much worse than the average man

[whateverthedragonswant]

Had to pop back in for a second just for this:

Eddie "has always been a person who is more comfortable acting than talking," said co-showrunner Kristen Reidel.

Buck: "Why are you just telling me this now?" (Eddie then makes it perfectly clear that it's not about the shooting that just happened, but about Buck's response to it, thinking it would be better if he had been the one who was shot, and Eddie wants him to know that he's not expendable -- had Buck not said that, it's a possibility Eddie might not have told him about the will change, 4x14)

And of course: "Ice goes on the eye, bud" (5x04)

"which forces him to ponder questions of identity"

"Eddie is a small storage unit of past trauma. He's got a lot of trauma there, and it just doesn't go away that easily," Minear said. (this after Tim said that the shooting itself for Eddie was not 'gonna be particularly traumatized by what he went through in that moment', so that means something else, maybe the hostage situation, maybe the events from Eddie Begins, maybe the time he served, maybe growing up with his parents, maybe Shannon's death or his self-perceived failure at giving Christopher the family unit he feels he deserves with a mom included, maybe all of it, are gonna be at the root of his trauma exploration in 5B - x)

And while Eddie will be forced to focus on his mental health before possibly returning to the field one day, the members of his (former) chosen family "are involved in his path forward," Reidel previewed. "Eddie finally reaches the point

(before said point)

(His panic attacks/anxiety was not due to the trauma of the shooting, they made that perfectly clear in the first two episodes, it was all due to his relationship with Ana moving too fast)

"Eddie's story is kind of a fractal of what Eddie's story always is, which is he wants to do the right thing," co-showrunner Tim Minear told TV Guide. "He's got this kid and he wants to live responsibly for his kid, but sometimes, he kind of overcompensates and he's putting a lot of his focus on Christopher when, really, what he needs to look at is what's going on with him." (hmm, where have I heard this before? 🤔)

Eddie to Buck: "Yeah, but would I be doing it for him or for me?" (2x10, him pondering about letting Shannon fully back into his and Christopher's lives)

Carla to Eddie: "But just be sure that you're following your heart, not Christopher's, okay?" (4x13, regarding his relationship with Ana)

And what have we seen so far regarding Eddie in 5A? The theme of heart:

He thinks he's having a heart attack in 5x01 which turns out to be a panic attack that is actually induced by his fast growing relationship with Ana (romantic aka heart)

A heart is being delivered to the hospital for a transplant in the same episode when the helicopter nearly falls off the building and they need to save everyone on board and Bobby nabs the heart in time

They focused on the cardiologist in the same episode not only for Eddie (and then Eddie and Buck) but also showing her interaction with Bobby

When the felon who took Eddie hostage shoots himself, Eddie works to keep the heart pumping so the man's son can get it & of course than infamous line: "The man's dead, Eddie" (Buck) "But his heart's not" (Eddie)

but back to the interview:

where he has to not only admit he needs help,

but he has to be willing to accept it

and to embrace it."

In some ways, fans might argue, Buck has become inextricably linked with Eddie and Christopher.

It's not an argument anymore, they've been interweaving Buck's story with Eddie and Christopher's for a while now. Two whole seasons as a matter of fact.

Minear said in an interview last May that Buck and Eddie's relationship has "come up specifically and continuously" in the writers' room (oh, I bet it does, Tim -- and in the interview linked above, let's not forget he also said this: "I always get bagged on by the fans for stuff like this, but all the conversations that the fans have are conversations that happen in the writers’ room." -- and this is in response to being asked if any evolving dialogue has come up in the writers' room about defining the kind of love between Buck and Eddie that is 'clearly there')

Reidel said that, while the writers' "original intention is never to string anybody along," she doesn't know if there has been a goal about defining their dynamic, even if she realizes the actors who play them "have terrific chemistry." As a woman who has many "amazing, deep relationships with other women in my life that are platonic," Reidel said, "I personally have always seen [Buck and Eddie] as a great friendship." (and this is why all of the characters, not just Buck and Eddie, have felt off kilter for 5A, they've felt somewhat out of character, because she sees things differently to what Tim does, and she stepped in while he was away on Lonestar, so 5B ought to be interesting)

Over the years, there have been numerous nods to their dynamic—an elf mistaking Buck as one of Christopher's fathers, Maddie teasing Buck about having a "boy crush on Eddie," some social media users saying they think Buck and Eddie would make a great couple, Eddie telling Buck "there's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you." (Numerous nods that the show purposely made that are not two best friends being nodded to, nor two guys in the fox hole together, nor family, these are all things except maybe the last line technically that strictly nod to their pairing as a couple!)

"But I think the struggle with the Buck and Eddie relationship is, we write a thing and we have an idea in our head of what the scene means and what those lines mean and an intention behind it, and then it goes out into the world," Reidel added. "People may receive it in a way that we had not expected or that we had not planned on, and I'm not gonna tell people that they're watching the show wrong because people see what they see. But I think that they're very good friends, and in a lot of ways, they are family, and I think that's where they are right now." (SPN is that you? Just kidding, I get her point, and I'm not saying she's wrong at all, but if B&E were just meant to be family and platonic, there is no reason for Buck and Eddie to be paralleled to the other main romantic couples on the show, see 3x16 and 3x18 for reference, and for Abby and Eddie to be heavily paralleled, see all of season 2 and 3x18 for beginning reference)

Reidel, who wrote that fateful finale, said the episode was based on her own experiences of being raised by a single mother. Her mother's will "named her best friend as my guardian, because she felt that if something happened to her, the best thing for me would not be to be raised by my grandparents—it would be to be raised by her best friend," she explained. (yes, entirely plausible that was her intention based on her own experiences as she said here but...girl, did you see how they shot the episode you wrote?)

In her mind, Reidel said Christopher already knows about the will, and "he agreed to it when Eddie said, 'This is the thing I want to do.'" (based on the kind of father we know Eddie to be, this could be viable)

But unless there is a major change in either Eddie or Buck's life, she doesn't know if there are any plans to revisit that conversation—but nothing is ever off the table. "You can never say never because sometimes the story just takes on a different direction that you didn't plan on," she said. (once again, this brings me to my point that 5A felt off with characters' reactions to important info that was being revealed through their story lines, her inexperience at being showrunner shows, though I'm surprised because any writer for any medium worth their salt knows the golden rule: show don't tell -- so how could we not see Buck and Eddie talking about it again at least once more? especially in light of what happened at the end of 5A and now with Eddie's upcoming facing his trauma?)

"To me, that's kind of an example of, I intend one thing and people see it a different way. And there really is no right or wrong—you see what you see," Reidel added. (SPN cast, is that you? Only kidding, I appreciate that she at least takes this stance rather than going the old SPN route -- you SPN veterans know exactly what I'm talking about)

"So I completely get why people saw that as something deeper and more meaningful." (um, girl, regardless of this show, in RL no matter the situation, how is it not deeper and more meaningful when someone is chosen and named as your child's guardian in the event of your death? For both parties? Did you not just say above how important it was when your mom chose her best friend as your legal guardian?)

"And family doesn't always look the way you think it's going to." (this is the one line in this interview I agree with, it's true, but by her logic, I'm thinking Hen and Karen must be platonic besties too while Hen is in secretly in love with Chimney, basing that off of Tim's remark in his interview about the comparison; maybe Maddie and Chimney have just really been co-parenting all of this time while they nurse a really strong friendship; maybe Bobby and Athena are just roommates who sometimes have kinky sex in the kitchen when they have the house to themselves: "You want me to make pasta for dinner?" "Nah, I'd rather have spaghetti and meatballs, wink wonk" "Alright, as long as you wipe down the counters after" "I just bought a new canister of Clorox wipes, we're good" "Cool, you're the best, roomie"; sounds legit to me)

And while fans will have to wait to see how that relationship will continue to evolve, the showrunners confirmed that in a teaser published Tuesday, Eddie can be seen holding a baseball bat and breaking down in front of Buck. "Eddie is very tightly wound and eventually he's gonna go off," Reidel previewed, "and that's the moment after Eddie goes off. That's what it looks like after Eddie finally cannot contain his pain and drama any longer." (how the hell is trauma considered drama? yeah, I gotta say, she's written some good episodes but either they made some changes on set or the cast really brought it home, which let's face it they do every time anyway, because wow, she sounds slightly...emotionally lacking when it comes to what she intends for these characters which is so weird when you look at all of the episodes she's written for 911, and apparently she's also written for The Blacklist? Like how...I don't get it)

So bottom line is, I can't tell you exactly what this woman is thinking. I did start to worry with 5A (seeing the OOCness after the past 4 seasons just didn't sit right with me for Buck, for Eddie, for Athena, for Maddie despite her PPD altho that last one I understood was due to bts with JLH's maternity leave, it just didn't feel like 9-1-1 to me when it came to the characters though we got some great moments and nuggets like the balcony scene and all of the interweaving that we got, I have no problem with long range storytelling obvs but make it make sense, you know? Like Tim used to do) so I kind of backed off a bit and was hoping Tim would come back for 5B, but uh...we'll see.

I do still think Buddie is the long range plan. There are way too many connections, nods, and signs pointing in that direction for them not to go there. At this point, if they don't do something with it at all, it doesn't really make sense narratively imho.

I mean what's the whole point of Eddie's jealousy with Taylor (or the framing here with Buck in the middle, then Eddie in the middle)?

What was the whole point of Eddie inching just that little bit closer? Or the whole slowdown that included Buck? (like I get it was traumatizing for both but come on) Why Buck mirroring Eddie's movements? Why did they have Ethan shoot Eddie when there were other firefighters around (again, I get it, the story, but they did this sequence specifically to show that the reason Eddie was attacked in the story is because he had arrived with Buck in the fire captain's truck, which is why he shoots at Buck after Eddie is down though Mehta knocks Buck down, then he shoots at the truck and it gets set on fire, then he shoots at Mehta in the captain's seat in the fire truck as they are trying to escape, then later on Ethan takes Bobby hostage knowing he's a fire captain but he waits to see his hat first which has the captain label on it before shooting Bobby)

Why the whole interrupting a romantic moment between Buck and Taylor when their relationship is forming, with them purposely showing Buck make the choice to take Ana's call rather than run after Taylor when she leaves? Why have Buck run in the hall to see Eddie and then that whole showing of Ana first and then reveal of Eddie? Why have Taylor acknowledge in dialogue to Buck that he didn't run after her?

Why have Buck and Ana never interact? Other than that one phone call that we only saw was one-sided? She interacted with Ravi who she just met for the first time, but not Buck, Eddie's best friend? Yeah, sure, this is meant for Buck to see more of Eddie hiding something (which is becoming clearer that the source of Eddie's anxiety is his relationship with Ana moving too fast) and the former is his best friend, but why NO interaction between his girlfriend and best friend who are standing right there? Why does Buck not even look at her? Like he's ignoring her existence even when she laughs at his joke about Ravi?

And last but not least, why this? Why was Abby's new relationship paralleled with Eddie in Buck's life? Why was Eddie slightly jealous of Abby? Why the line "No, I think he moved on a long time ago" from Abby and then the next scene is Buck and Eddie discussing Christopher going away to summer camp?

Tell me that, Tim and Kristen. How is that Band of Brothers or the best of friends which is exclusively platonic?

Um-hmm, I thought so. Make it make sense, people. My work is done here.

*pops back out*

[gayhotpriests]

listen i will ho clinically insane if we get dispatcher eddie calling out "firefighter buckley! firefighter buckley respond! buck-!" during the bomb rescue i will chew my fuckiNG ARMS OFF

[stagefoureddiediaz]

You know how we all went off to crazy town thinking Lucy is an arsonist?!!

Well what if it’s not her - but Jonah - because…

what if he’s the hacker?!!!

[meepmoopdraws2]

No because Buck is always there, a shoulder to cry on, an arm to hold onto, a familiar, instantly soothing warmth that radiates around Eddie and Christopher-a security blanket, a home that’s always there.

He ran for Christopher and Eddie the way a parent runs for their child in trouble. He was there for Eddie, with no judgement or hesitation. He loves loudly, yet unknowingly while Eddie pines through a fog of anxiety.

Buck, Eddie, and Christopher are the epitome of a found family. Soulmates who found each other, a son they’d do anything for. They will be, because they already are.

[they-reap-what-we-sow]

OKAY IM SLOW ON THE UPTAKE BUT LET ME DO SOME MATH

Dispatch Fire of S5 = The Taking of Dispatch of S3

ergo facto

Eddie is to Maddie AS Buck is to Chim

THEREFORE

if i dont get that run and hold tight reunion hug at the end of the fire i can and will climb into the windows of the 911 writers room and fix things myself

[makorragal-312]

When Eddie returns home from Texas, emotionally drained from finally confronting his parents about his trauma and coming out about the will, and he sees Buck in the living room and before Buck can even say anything, Eddie just walks to him and collapses in his arms and just cries while Buck just strokes his hair and back and holds him while telling him that he’s not gonna leave, THEN WHAT-

[gayofthefae]

What if the wrench is just that Buck is trying to stay in touch with Eddie and that takes time away from Taylor? Because before, his time at work was for Eddie and home was for Taylor. What if the wrench is that he’s splitting his time too much and has to choose...and he acknowledges which one he can’t live without.

[milenadaniels]

I’ll take all the Buddie hugs they give me, but...

I feel like I should preface this with my platinum status as a hug whore. I want all the hugs, all the time, and am keenly aware we are in a hug recession where Buddie is concerned and hugs are owed to us in spades.

But ever since we’ve decided that Eddie’s breakdown is with Buck, that it happens at night, in his bedroom, sitting on the floor next to his bed...all I can think of was this other time one person in a ship had a breakdown in a bedroom and needed non-sexual comfort and they ended up like this:

Like, Eddie’s gonna be wiped after all that crying and it’s night-time, man’s gotta sleep!? Is Buck really just gonna put him to bed and peace out?? PFFT.

I’m just saying, there is a non-zero chance that we get more than a hug. A sleeping hug. Sleepy cuddles, if you will.

[missmagooglie]

Me trying to convince people that Taylor should invite herself along when Buck goes to look after Christopher while Eddie's in Texas:

It's about how Buck fits, but Taylor doesn't. It's about showing how tightly Taylor and Buck are both clinging to a relationship that isn't working. It's about sending Buck into an emotional tailspin. It's about how all the reasons Buck kissed Lucy in the bar are still unresolved, even though Buck and Taylor have moved past it on the surface. It's about Taylor being explicitly shown as Not Eddie.

But most importantly, it's about letting Sass Master Christopher Diaz weigh in on Buck's relationship.