#and the more they let Guzman talk about his character

[canichangemyblogname]

lol. LMFAO even.

(All the notes are incredibly civil, this just breaks the perception that Buddie is the majority opinion.)

[starseneyes]

A Fan Letter to Oliver Stark & Ryan Guzman (that they will never ever read)

I haven't been a part of active fandom in a while. Between health issues, work issues, and raising three incredible, neurodivergent, beautiful humans��I'm spent.

But I wandered into the Buddie tag via Destiel a few weeks ago, and I was immediately curious about Evan "Buck" Buckley and Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz. I saw the GIFs, the clips, the theories, and scenes.

Before you knew it, I was looking up backstory and watching videos on YouTube trying to get a complete picture of why so many people were so invested in this fictional relationship after all these years.

Slash shipping isn't new. I mean, you can tell how old I am because I even referenced that (yes, older than both Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman, and both are younger than my youngest brother—eep!).

But we're talking about a ship that formed between two characters perceived on-screen as straight for many, many years. Buck only fully recognized his bisexuality in recent years, and to-date Eddie still firmly tells everyone he's straight.

And as I drifted away from the "Buddie" scenes to the "Eddie" and "Buck" scenes, I started to get a more complete picture of why folks are so invested. It's my favorite reason—because these fans love Buck and Eddie.

Not just "Buck and Eddie", but "Buck" and "Eddie".

Both are very flawed characters who make major mistakes, who lash out sometimes or keep things in too much. They've been dancing around their demons so long that it's hard to know if the fiery pit is friend or foe.

And we love them because of what you, Guzman and Stark, bring to the screen.

You are two actors who are passionate about your characters—who can recognize things in them that sometimes others might miss. You don't simply deliver lines, but find the moments between the action lines and dialogue—creating rounded characters that intrigue and excite.

I know the "Buddie" of it all may seem overwhelming. Y'all're tremendous performers and that relationship is only one part of the complex characters you portray.

I'm new here, and I'm nobody. Just a set kid who grew up to be your garden-variety rando writing fan letters on a website that will never be read. But, from what I've seen—you two are tremendous.

Stark, the complete embodiment of Buck is stunning to me. You've mastered not only transforming vocally from Brit to Yank, but the physicality of a character unlike anything I've seen in your interviews—a human being rather than a constructed character.

Guzman, the minutia is where you shine. Eddie is very often reserved and controlled, but even in those moments I can look at your eyes on the screen and see waves of emotion crashing through. When you're able to really break down, those moments feel earned and never false.

From what I can see, Season 8 has been about growth for both characters. Eddie actively pursuing his son, standing up to his folks, and repairing a rundown home—putting it together as he pulls together the pieces of himself. And Buck, facing so many of his greatest fears—including losing his father-figure to death and his best friend to another state—and learning how to let go.

Yes, we'd love to see part of the growth of Season 8 be Buck and Eddie growing towards one another because, alas, we are shippers (those of us who ascribe to Buddie, of course).

But I'm one of those viewers who loves a ship most when it never ever outshines the characters within it. And, so long as the writing holds, I don't see that ever being an issue with Buck and Eddie.

Shipping Buddie right now is a rebellion. It's seeking joy at a time when queer love and LGBTQ rights are under attack in this country. And, yes, we recognize that much as we want this ship, we may never get it.

But, please know, we ship it because of you, Stark and Guzman. Because of what you bring to the screen. Because you've made us believe in these characters and identify with them (damnit, I see so much of myself in Eddie). Because we truly love Buck and Eddie.

I want joy for Eddie. I want real love for Buck. And much as I'd be overjoyed for them to find it in one another, I'd be thrilled for them to find it at all.

So, thanks for bringing to life two incredible characters that make us believe that good things can still happen to people who by others' standards are too broken, too damaged, too traumatized.

After the 18-hour days, the Fraturday schedules, the quick turnarounds, and day-for-night shoots, you're probably exhausted. It's a lot. And I know there's some toxicity out there with fandoms and that's part of fame and fortune—but that doesn't make it any easier.

You're still human beings. People. Performers, yes, which may put you more in the public eye. But you are actors committed to your characters—not to only one facet of them.

So, I imagine it can be overwhelming when such a large subset of your fandom so strongly roots for one component—a potentially romantic relationship, no less.

So many actors I've admired over the years lamented being shoe-horned into the "romantic partner" roles and characters. I think most of us performers (yes, I was an actress back in the day, just not like y'all) yearn to play complex, multi-faceted characters.

Buddie wouldn't be what it is without Buck and Eddie—without you, Stark and Guzman. Your performances made us give a damn about these characters. How you breathe life into them makes us care about what happens to them.

Shipping is brutal. I was a Janeway/Chakotay shipper, for goodness' sake. So, it's possible Buddie may never come to pass.

But, in the meantime, it's nice to hope. It's nice to wonder.

It's nice to believe that there might be a chance at seeing two incredible characters find their way to one another—not to a relationship that defines either one of them, but to a relationship that grows and matures with them as a piece of who they ultimately are.

At least, that's my hope.

And, either way, I want joy and love for Eddie and Buck.

Signed, A Slightly Unhinged, Over-Tired Human Who Loves Complex Characters and Overly Lengthy Signatures

[carolinahope]

8x17 Don't Drink the Water

Now this is the 9-1-1 I came to love. Parts of it really felt like reading fan fiction in the best way possible.

Can we talk about the acting? Oliver Stark, the actor you are. Tracie Thoms, I wanna kiss you on the mouth. Ryan Guzman does quiet desperation like no one's business. Kenny and Jennifer play off of each other so well.

I really enjoyed the emergencies. They were quick, fun and suspenseful. All just the right amount. I love these emergencies where people need to come together to provide help. 9-1-1 always does it so, so well. Plus, seeing Maddie being a competent bad ass is always a joy.

We had some unexpected duos in this episode and I couldn't be more delighted. Karen and Athena were amazing and I loved Karen saying they are not co-workers but a family. And seeing the kids is always a treat. As is the continued closeness between the Hans and the Wilsons.

I wonder how the captaincy issue will be resolved. While I think Buck will make a wonderful captain one day, and soon. This is not the right time at all. I can understand why Hen would turn the job down. And I think it is pretty great development for her to acknowledge both her weaknesses and her actual wants and needs. Eddie is the last person who should be a captain even though he would probably be good at it. But it would be so bad for him. So I'm wondering if they are aiming for Captain Chim.

I guess we'll see in the next episode.

And now to the most anticipated part.

Eddie was being a dick in their first scene and I'm glad the narrative both acknowledged it and also the consistency of his tendency to lash out when in pain and overwhelmed. The fact it is usually at Buck is also so telling. Because he knows he is safe with Buck. I also love how his handling the aftermath of these outbursts showed how far he came. He now knows what they are and how to take responsibility for them and mend what might have been broken in the midst of the pain. And definitely how to read and handle his own feelings much better than just repress until he burst. We love a good and consistent character growth. And Ryan is doing fantastic job with all parts of it. That little glimpse at his reaction to the phone call - chef's kiss.

I was also glad for the little glimpse at angry Buck. We rarely see it.

I loved Eddie's talk with Hen and Karen. How open he was and also the set up we did anticipate, of him having two offers on the table. And that Freudian slip :D

Oliver at the confessional almost broke me. That was such a well written and beautifully acted scene.

And Buck talking to Pepa about his grief? And how to handle so much pain? I didn't know I needed this but it was so great. To have this sign that they indeed do have a close relationship.

Eddie bringing Chris back from Texas is such a wonderful set up. As wonderful as was the little moment with Buck and Chris.

This episode opened a lot of doors and the quality makes me even more pissed about the mess that were the last two eps.

There is quite a lot to do in just one episode, so let's hope they didn't bite off more than they can chew. But I'm at least curious, instead of resigned, so there is that.

[miriam-heddy]

Ryan Guzman's gotten so much better at talking about all this. I mean, compared to 2020? He's really had an intellectual glow-up.

On being Mexican...

"The reason I’ve spoken more and more about being Mexican is the fact that I’m white-passing, so a lot of people assume that I’m more white than not... So now let me make it a staple... Let me make a direct connection that no, I’m Mexican. I want the world to know: don’t be speaking ill about mi gente in my vicinity, or else, you’re going to get some feedback.”

On Catholic guilt...

“I have my own relationship with Catholic guilt. I was an altar boy and I went to the seminary for a couple of weeks and realized, you know, not for me. And I think, it’s so ingrained in the culture that it’s synonymous now to us, which is kind of crazy to me now that I’ve gone back into my own heritage and understood that was never where we came from. ”

Read the whole thing. It's a good interview.

More in this vein here: https://www.tumblr.com/stagefoureddiediaz/762088451583672320/everything-ryan-says-is-so-considered-and

[ryanguzmansource]

Full Transcript (8.4.24)

(already posted on RGS here)

M: Recording? Everybody recording?

R: Everybody's recording.

M: Everybody tuned in? We just filmed half the episode and forgot that we weren't recording.

R: No, that was great.

M: Yeah, and that's my time. Man, yo, what up gang? Welcome to the L&L Podcast, where we sit down with a dope individual, get a lecture, learn a little bit about their life, then we get in the lab and create something dope, which is gonna come at a later day, because me and this guest got a real special one that's gonna take some time, so be patient. I promise it's gonna be worth it. In the meantime, there's gonna be a special aspect, a special section of this interview. It's gonna be for Patreon only. It's gonna be Fan Questions and a little mini lab that I haven't told him about yet, because it's gonna be a surprise slash side mission, but yeah, so we're gonna get there, patreon.com/lnlpod.

Join the university right now, it's only $5, and you can get the BTS and the creatives and all the episodes a day early, and for the other seven episodes as well. So this episode is the season one finale.

Yeah, I'm so hyped that y'all made it this far. Season One has been a road. So yeah, you know, we wanna keep doing more and more and more, and we're in a new space. This is the Feybl [pronounced Fable] House, first episode that we gonna do here, and this is gonna be our new home for a while, and it ain't cheap, so all my brands out there, if you wanna sponsor the boy, that'd be great.

[INTRO MUSIC]

M: All right, we're here today with somebody super dope. I've known him for a while now, maybe six years or so through a mutual friend, and since day one that we've met, he's let me into his life and into his home, and he's been a big supporter of me and everything I've been doing these last six years and vice versa and some quick flowers. Multi-talented in so many different facets of art, and we're gonna try to get into all of them in some way, shape or form today. My boy, Ryan Guzman. What's cracking, my boy?

R: What's up, bro? Thanks for having me, man.

M: I appreciate that.

R: I appreciate you.

M: Yeah, you're my dog. You're my dog. I just jumped into it. I wasn't gonna start it this way, but when you told me where you were earlier today, you had a fitting for a season eight for 9-1-1. What kind of weird shit they got you wearing?

R: Nothing weird yet. I mean, I feel like it's more clothes this season than last. The last season, I felt like half naked half the whole season. Nah, I mean, the character's been established now. We kind of know what to expect with the vibe, and now it's just kind of falling back in the old rhythm. And the only thing different now is where the character's head's at and where he's going.

M: Got you. I mean, the majority of what you wear is the firefighter fit anyway.

R: Yeah, a lot of plaid, a lot of cowboy shit.

M: It's legit, though, like the firefighter fits. They're like legit firefighter shit.

R: To an extent. Yeah, there's certain times where we're wearing the actual gear and we'll have to take out the lining because if we're in, say, for instance, 112 degree weather, we got to stay in that shit for like hours. I can cuss?

M: Yeah.

R: All right. We got to stay in that shit for like 12 hours, 14 hours. So we're not trying to do that. So luckily, the wardrobe department helps us out.

M: Because that shit be heavy as hell, bro.

R: I mean, full gear, that's like 50, 60 pounds.

M: See, no, I'm good.

R: Yeah.

M: I'm good. That's why you get paid the big bucks, bro.

R: Yeah.

M: That's dope, man. Okay. Can we talk about where you just came from? With Rosario [Dawson]?

R: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We can talk about that.

M: Cool. Yeah. He just got back from filming over the weekend. It was quick weekend shoot, like in and out?

R: It was full week. Yeah. And how it happened actually was kind of crazy. Like my boy Lamont, shout out to him, he's the writer on the movie, and they had already been filming. So they're like 10, 12 days in. He hit me up and he's like, hey, so this character that we've been writing, like we don't have anybody for him. They have somebody in mind and then Rosario has another person in mind, but we're not sure if they're going to work out with the scheduling and everything. So I'm like, all right, send me the script. Sends me the script.

M: You was plan B, dog?

R: I was plan C, but-

M: I'll take it.

R: Oh man, after I read that thing—cause I'm not thinking nothing like that—I'm like, you know what? I read that. I'm like, all right, now I'm gonna kill this.

M: Okay.

R: Yeah, I want this. And it's a smaller role, it's what I've been looking for, I'm not looking for, like, the lead role right now.

M: Word.

R: I'm looking for something really textured, really, like, fun to do, and this is everything it was. So, like, I get the thing, I hit Lamont back, I'm like yo, whoever you're thinking about, you can tell me. I'ma—I'ma beat them. I need to get—I need this.

M: I need names. Who were they?

R: Yeah. So I can't remember the first person, but the other person was Wilmer Valderama, and that's a close friend to Rosario.

M: Okay.

R: So I almost hit Wilmer, cause I know Wilmer, and I was like, bro, step out. [laughs] But everything worked out the way it should be. So I sent Lamont, you know, my fight background. I sent him me shooting and stuff cause it's an action flick.

M: I was going to say fight background. So your character, you whooping on somebody?

R: Yeah, we get down. So me and Rosario, she's doing like a John Wick kind of thing.

M: Oh.

R: Yeah.

M: So she's the John Wick?

R: She's the John Wick.

M: Let's go.

R: Yeah. I'm the partner.

M: Okay. Good guy partner.

R: Good guy partner.

[INDISTINGUISHABLE]

M: Alright.

R: Either way, though, like the whole thing was just from day one, like, as soon as I get on set, she was the coolest person in the fucking world.

M: Tight. First time working with her?

R: First time working. We have mutual friends. Like I said, Wilmer, we know Wilmer. Another girl named Pantera Sarah. Shout out to her too. But there's so many like individuals that we know, we never crossed paths.

M: Sure.

R: And I heard from all of them, like, when you get to see her, you're going to understand why so many people love her. And I can understand.

M: Quick.

R: I was on a FaceTime with my kids and my mom, and she pops in right behind, and she just like naturally flows into the conversation. She's like, give me a hug kind of thing. And she's like, you know..

M: Those are the kind of people you want to work with, man. Like, there's so many people out there, they can turn such a positive environment and opportunity into just like, yo, get me out of here.

R: I've worked with them.

M: I know.

R: Yeah, I've worked with some idols of mine and I'm like, never meet your idols. idols of mine and I'm like, okay...

M: Never meet your idols, man. That's what they say.

R: Learning experience, yeah.

M: You don't have to say names. Do you have any stories that pop in your head, like when you think of working with people like that, you're like, yo, there's one time, there's one person that was like this.

R: Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

M: You don't have to say names.

R: It's a learning experience. As soon as you find out certain people you thought would be, like, really, really talented in one aspect, and you hear that they're using a little ear thing, or they don't even know about the script. I heard one of my idols say, I hope—the movie that I was doing with—goes straight to the trash. I was like, I'm doing a movie with you. Yeah. Like what? Like how do you—? Come to find out it was just for a paycheck. So I'm like, okay. So those kind of things are defeating. But then you work with Rosario Dawson. You work with certain individuals like Angela Bassett.

M: Like, yeah.

R: My God. They give you this new sense of energy, this new like, like, this is why I do this, you know?

M: I was going to save this question for the private one because we already flown in it and you can plead the fifth, bro. But there was another podcast interview from a homie of mine called the No Chaser Podcast. Shout out No Chaser. And he brought on an ex of yours who mentioned that there was an ex of hers who that person worked on a movie where that actress forced him to pretend to be single and went public and faked a relationship for press for the movie.

R: Yeah.

M: Some legitimacy behind that?

R: To fake to be single? Nah, there was no faking to be single, but it did seem like I-I don't know, because I was going everywhere with, we're talking about Jennifer Lopez, right?

M: We are, yeah.

R: I was going everywhere with Jennifer Lopez and, like, rumors get spread and that's kind of what it was. And I'm kind of new to the whole, like, fame thing and at that point, so I done Step Up and stuff, that's a certain fame, but Jennifer Lopez is on a different level. So I wasn't used to everybody being in my business and asking crazy outlandish questions. Seeing me by her side, I'm thinking it's all promotional for the movie, and then it turned into this other thing.

M: Well, I mean, when she's like, you think it's promotion and she's like, yeah, promotion and just slips you one of these or leans in a little bit too close and is like, hey, I'm going to head out. You need to leave with me. Like, just walk me to my car, but don't tell people why. Just let's go.

R: Like, it was nothing like that. It was like, yeah, because had it been like that. She's a vet.

M: She knows what to do.

R: She knows what she's doing. But I, at the time, didn't, and I was just going with the flow pretty much. And I had, yeah, at that point in time, I had a girlfriend. Everything was on the up and up. I told her, you know, everything that was going down and everything. And I think she had been talking to Casper at that point.

M: Jen.

R: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they were on and off and on.

M: That's how I met Jen was through Casper.

R: Relationship kind of thing, yeah. So everything was exactly what it should have been. And again, I'm thinking, I killed this shit on the movie. So I'm like, I want people to see this. So you're asking me to do promotion with you? Yes.

M: Let's go.

R: Let's do it. I'm going to do everything I possibly can. Oh, you want to bring me on a whatever show? I'm there.

M: Yeah.

R: So I'm saying yes to everything. Yeah. So it can be perceived as something else. But to be honest, I never had that interest as crazy as it sounds. I don't know if a lot of people have been like, I'm not that, I'm not that. And if you really know me, then you understand that I'm not that. But yeah, and when I got that, that peek into her lifestyle, it's even more the fact that I don't want to be famous.

M: Yeah.

R: And I don't want all of that, that comes with her and everything. So I'll be a friend of hers.

M: Sure.

R: I'll support her from this side.

M: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the first time I met Jen, I was in her house. I didn't even know it was her house. Casper had a, we were doing something with Ian Eastwood for Tyga, and we were rehearsing at this place, and Casper was like, yo, just do rehearsal at my house. So I show up to Casper's house, and it's in Calabasas. I need a freaking password to get into the neighborhood. All this other shit. I'm like, yo, what is happening? And I pulled to this house. I was like, there's no way a dancer lives here, bro. You got to have like 46-

R: That's the one with the theater room in it, right? Big old theater room.

M: In the studio? Or in the house?

R: In the house.

M: I didn't get to view the whole house. There was like three wings. There was like three wings. I only went where the dance studio slash gym was.

R: I know what you're talking about. It had a big-ass gym and had a boxing bag.

M: Big old gym, boxing. Yeah, a whole set up, bro. And I walk in that joint, and I'm just like, there's no way you live here, bro. So I was like, I don't know whose house this is, but whatever. And then we rehearsing, and Casper's on the call, and he's like, yo, Jen's on her way home. She wants to come in and watch. And everybody's like, oh, no pressure, all that stuff. And I was like, I don't know who the fuck Jen is. Who's Jen?

R: Yeah.

M: Like, there's a million Jens in the world.

R: Ms. Lopez herself.

M: Yeah. And she just got off of work. At the time, I think she was a guest judge on American Idol or something like that. So she comes in, dolled up, heels, whatever, looking like she just got off the fucking national TV show. And then she just walks in, takes her heels off, sits down, wipes her butt, and shakes my hand. And I was just like, well, there go that hand.

R: You haven't washed it since?

M: I mean, I run it under water. Nah, that was a while ago. That was back in, I don't know, 2013, 2014. It's been a while. But I just, yeah, I had no idea this was her crib. And then it clicked, I was like, oh, okay, yeah. All right, Casper, you went, really? How? How do you do that? How do you pull that? Are y'all like Britney and Kevin Fed? Like, K-Fed? Is that what's going on? And they're like, yeah, pretty much. I'm like, all right, this ain't gonna last. This ain't gonna last very long. And it didn't. Shout out to Casper.

R: Yo, that's a crazy shout out right there. That's a crazy shout out.

M: Well, honestly, man, I don't like, I got respect for Casper, everything that he's done. That job, I got through Ian. So like, I don't, you know, credit Casper for like putting me in that situation. I do remember working with Casper one extra time, and he showed up to set as a creative director in rain boots, basketball shorts, and like a peacoat, and that was his fit of choice for the day. So I was like, okay, huh, that's interesting. Yeah. Yeah. And at that point, I was like, you lost me, bro. Like, you lost me. I don't know what's happening now. No disrespect, though. Like, you're talented, you're cool, like, we cool. But as a person who was your friend for like two hours, we got to talk about that fit. And that's just public help. So working with Jen on the show or in the film was good. It was a good experience.

R: I had a great time.

M: Well, I mean, yeah, we all saw the movie. We saw.

R: Yeah, it was intense on many, many levels.

M: You were like, I need another take. I got to run that back. I can do better.

R: The whole thing was crazy. I was, I mean, obviously, it's Jennifer Lopez. I'm a no name person from Step Up series, which I don't think anybody saw at that time.

M: Yeah.

R: Come to find out later on, it's like one of my bigger movies.

M: Big community.

R: Yeah. Yeah. Shout out to everybody that supported me and all the dancers out there. You know that. So I'm thinking coming in to this thing, like I got to work a trillion times harder as if I just started Step Up. Like I'm not a dancer, I'm not an actor, so I got to work a trillion times harder to get this role. Same thing with Boy Next Door. This girl is established, she's had plenty of things. I'm talking to Selena. So like I need to step up my game in all aspects.

M: No pun intended.

R: And I literally felt every single day the pressure of like, how do I still give her all her glory and shine to make her look good, but also stand out?

M: That's a nice balance. That's a hard balance.

R: Yeah, because you don't want to try and outshine somebody.

M: It's hard to do.

R: Yeah, I mean, but people try and do that and it backfires on them.

M: You look thirsty. Yeah, it looks real bad.

R: It looks really bad. Nobody wants to work with you or anything. So I like—there's a level of respect that you always want to have, and I always gave her that level of respect. It was kind of reciprocated and I think it was an open environment that we created together. So it lent itself to just what it is now and why people enjoy it. And yeah, there's campiness to the movie, which I think again makes it an enjoyable film. If everything was supposed to be serious and everything was supposed to be like—

I was just on a radio show talking about how my character gives her a first edition book that should have never been given to her. And like, there's no way, like unless I robbed the Vatican, I would never have been able to give her this book. So, you know, there is some like level of levity to the whole film. But the whole fact that we were able to work cohesively and play off each other so well and it be kind of nice and comfortable, which was partly because of her as well.

M: Yeah.

R: Yeah, you know, I didn't feel anything crazy and it felt like natural.

M: That's good. That's good. Honestly, man, like, and this is also speaking from slight experience, but there's actors and actresses out there that you got to catch them in certain stages of their life to have those type of experiences with them. I feel like if you would have booked this movie with her maybe two years ago, you probably would have had a completely different experience.

R: Yes, I would have.

M: You know, based on where you are in life but also the things that she's gone through.

R: Yeah, I've heard the other stuff. Yeah, and like I can't relate to be honest.

M: That's great. So, okay. So have you been asked about that specific scene with her before?

R: Too many times.

M: Yeah, kind of like how that came about.

R: Came with a lot of Jen and a lot of Rob, which is the director.

M: Yeah.

R: Those two individuals came with the whole scene. I stayed quiet. I didn't do nothing.

M: You're like, just tell me where you want me.

R: I was like, what? You want me to do what? And with what? What? Okay. Let me wrap my head around this because…

M: Is this your first sex scene?

R: That was my first sex scene.

M: Like in your career? I mean…

R: Yeah, yeah, that was. Yeah.

M: That's scary.

R: Yeah.

M: To have your first sex scene with Jen, bro? Like, she's already a sex icon.

R: All these different things. And like, bro, I got nervous at one point in time in the middle of filming. I think it was like our first or second take. And I was supposed to pick her up and I grabbed her. And I was so nervous.

M: Is this okay?

R: Nah, I grabbed her and I accidentally put too much behind it. And I threw her ass into the roof. Like, she hit her head into the roof. And I was like, oh my God. I'm like, I just damaged the like, the lead of the film.

M: Am I fired?

R: Yeah, I'm thinking like, I'm blushing and everything. I'm like, I'm freaking out.

M: I'll get my stuff.

R: Exactly. They already found out. Casper's about to swoop in and take the ball. But it's one of the things, like the whole time, I'm trying to stay calm and copacetic and just be like, alright, where do you need me? What do you need me to do? And I don't want to make it a weird, it's already weird to be doing a sex scene amongst like, in general, you know, seven, eight people.

M: Yeah.

R: And a bunch of, you look up, a bunch of dudes are just sitting there like this. [stares]

M: Like, all right, look.

R: Yeah.

M: Go get a snack, man.

R: It's not as sexy as everybody thinks it is, no matter who you're doing it with.

M: Right. It's still awkward.

R: It's still very awkward.

M: See, I could, man, like—the first time, I mean, once you've done a couple, okay, your first one ever being with Jen, I'm questioning, can I ask, can I, is this like consent? You know what I mean?

R: Yeah. I mean, luckily again, she was the one controlling everything and I think that's how it should be in the sex scenes where, you know, females are just like, you know, I'll give you my two cents on where I feel like the character is coming from.That being said, like, tell me what you're comfortable with, because I will not, I don't want to step over the boundaries or anything like that. So, and she was, and she is that kind of person. She's very directional. So she knows which direction she wants to go to. And Rob, you know—this is another thing, like nobody would understand how awkward this situation was. As much as it looks sexy, we're trying to sell that sexiness and intimacy.

Picture this: me, Rob is right here. He's like, alright, you're gonna lower your hand. Okay, then you're gonna go to her neck. So, it's not like…

M: You got a grown man whispering in your ear while you're trying to touch on Jennifer Lopez.

R: I got a grown man telling me how to make love to this woman.

M: I know what I'm doing, Rob.

R: Yeah. So, it's not what it seems. And the whole fact that people resonated with that and that scene kind of went so much. It's like, we did our job then.

M: Yeah.

R: Because you don't feel a person right next to me talking to me like this.

M: And honestly, and you telling me that like, your real mindset was like… The first thing that it went to was, I feel like this is what the character needs, as opposed to, Mikey is about to touch Jennifer, not my character is about to touch her character.

R: Yeah, not gonna go that way.

M: You know what I mean? So to have that switch is like, that's hard to do, brother.

R: For me, it's not, to be honest. And I think maybe also being in a relationship at the same time, like, I did feel weird, because I mean, yes, we're actors and we're doing what we're told to do. But in my personal life, I'm giving my everything to this girl.

M: Sure.

R: You know, and you know me, I happen to be very devout when it comes to being respectful to my women that I'm with, and I don't want to cross any of those boundaries. So I'm forced to cross this boundary in this film. Yeah. So I'm like, alright, I got to make this more businesslike. And I know a lot of men out there, you know, a lot of friends out there would come to me and be like, nah, bro, if I was in this situation...

M: But you're not.

R: That's why you didn't get the job.

M: But you're not.

R: And that's why you probably wouldn't be in it. So like, you know, I have to get the respect to who I'm working with.

M: Is there any role out there that you feel uncomfortable with? Are you like down for whatever? Are you one of those actors that's like…

R: No, I got my boundaries.

M: You got your boundaries? Good, good, good.

R: Yeah. And I don't think I'll ever, you know, really explain my boundaries.

M: Voice those, yeah. That's for you.

R: Yeah. It'll just be like, no, I don't want to do that.

M: Got you.

R: I'm gonna stay over here.

M: Got you. Is it more situations or like characters in general?

R: All the above. It depends on what I'm resonating with or not resonating with. Because I want the character now, at this point in my life, I need the character to resonate in truth.

M: Yeah.

R: You know, even if it's a comedy or not, right, you know, I'm trying to up my acting as much as I can every single year.

M: I feel you.

R: So if I can't be truthful in it, then I don't feel like I'm doing it justice.

M: Yeah. I mean, as an aspiring actor, I know, you know, I've been like taking classes. I'm not like anywhere near what you got going on. But you know that it's a goal one day and I'm working towards it. You know, you already start the picture in your mind, your dream goals, but then like your dream roles. But you also start the picture like—because I'm so new and you feel like you want to say yes to everything because you don't have anything on your resume yet. Like if a major motion picture, John Wick 7, whatever, I don't even know what number they're on now, hits me up and we're like, yo, we want you to play a role and be a significant part of the film. It's really hard to say no to something like that, but they're like, you have to play a racist who says the n word 46 times. I have trouble living with myself being that character. You know what I mean?

R: You have every right to at the same time. Like you don't—just because it's Quentin Tarantino doesn't mean you have to do it.

M: I know.

R: But it is Quentin Tarantino. So a lot of people will be like, all right, well, I got the pass now. You know?

M: Yeah.

R: I got the culture pass like...

M: Yeah, it's for the arts, for the films, for you know.

R: And if it is meant, it's all about how you interpret it. And so anybody that does do certain things that I probably wouldn't do, there's nothing against any of that. And they found their way through that, and you know, it probably came out with an incredible, you know, performance.

M: Yeah.

R: What was the BlacKkKlansman? That? Yeah. Like, so you see certain people do certain things on that. You're like, oh, I don't know if I could do that.

M: I probably couldn't do it.

R: So, you know, all power to them, and we're all storytelling at the same time. So there's an understanding and a kind of like acknowledgement that this is for an art and this is for the story itself, this has no representation on your personal life.

M: Yeah.

R: But again, it's the interpretation of the artist.

M: Also, though, with that, it is not a personal, like, indication on who you are as a person. But when it's your first project and you blow up from it, a lot of people recognize you as that. Somebody who's already established, who have done 10, 20 different roles at this point, you know, Johnny Depp comes out with a movie tomorrow where he's super racist. No one's gonna look at him as the racist guy in the street. They're like, he's playing a role.

R: Exactly.

M: But if you've never seen me before in your life and now every time you see me, you just think of, oh, he's the one that was…

R: Oh, he's that guy that did that.

M: He's that guy from the—You hate me no matter what. Even though you know it's a role.

R: Yeah.

M: You know what I mean?

R: That's gonna be the nature of the business, man.

M: You said that a little too believable, man. You said that a little too believable.

R: But literally, that's how it's gonna be for the rest of your acting career, man. People are gonna resonate with a certain character from your career, and they'll always see you as that character. When I go out, nowadays, I'm either Sean from Step Up—

M: Or you Eddie

R: Or I'm Eddie from 911. I'm not Ryan. And I gotta understand that. So the way I break the barrier down is, when you come up to me as a fan of the show or a fan of the character, I come up back to you and I'm like, hey, so what's your name? Tell me something about you. And that kind of breaks this whole, like, you know, actor barrier that allows it a little bit more ease, and then you get to see Ryan rather than Eddie. But that's something that you'll come upon, like John Wick 7 comes through and you have to be this crazy person over here and that somebody sees you as that person for the next couple years.

M: It's the nature.

R: That's the nature. You gotta learn how to navigate.

M: You got to be the guy who slept with JLo for a couple of years though. That was who people saw you as.

R: Yeah, that was crazy. Yeah, I mean, that's on so many levels.

M: I'll do that. I'll take that.

R: You could tell the type of fan because it was Step Up and Boy Next Door at that time. And certain fans show up and I'm like, oh, Step Up from the jump. Step Up. Alright. And then the other person be like, looking at me a little differently, alright. I know what scene you're thinking of.

M: Well, let's pick up with Step Up. That audition process, because you weren't a dancer before. And I'm pretty sure out of all, was it like four or five, five films, five Step Ups?

R: Now there's five.

M: Five, yeah. Out of all five step ups, I'm pretty sure Rob Hoffman was the only one who was a dancer prior as far as lead roles go. You get a, you get a call from your agent saying there's an audition for a role. Can you dance? Or I guess the audition process of Step Up specifically, because as a dancer, we know what our audition is like as dancers for a step up film. But like as an actor role, like walking through that a little bit.

R: Yeah. So I just got my manager like two, three months prior.

M: That's a good manager.

R: Yeah, man. I stayed with him this whole time. Like shout out to Tim Taylor. Yeah. I hear from another individual they're going out for the bad guy in Step Up. Like the guy that's trying to take down all the people that are trying to do these flash mobs.

M: He's so mean. He just looked like it.

R: I hear this and I'm like, bro, alright, I need to try, at least try, you know. I've seen the first Step Up. I really liked it. I love dancing. Even though I'm not a professional dancer, they would have like little sessions, little battles and stuff in Sacramento. And I remember I throw myself in the middle of the circle.

M: Got a big community over there.

R: Yeah, I love it. It's like a Bay Area influence, but we're not the Bay. So it's like, you know, we're the capital. We have our own little vibe too. So I would love to be in those like little situations. I'm like, alright, I know I have rhythm. I know I can dance. I'm not on that level, but I'm competitive. So just throw me in there real quick as like one of the side characters. And then my manager hits me back that same day. He's like, alright, you got an audition for the lead role. No, I said side character. I don't know if you heard me. And he goes, no, no, no, you're not a side character. You're a leading man. Like, so you're going to go out for the leading man. Again, for him to have that kind of vision for me, like that set my career path. I read it. I called a friend of mine. We went over the audition. I did my best version of Channing Tatum.

M: Which is what? Which is what?

R: I can't even tell you right now, because I like-

M: Let's see it, let's give me your Channing.

R: It was a version of Step Up 1, you know, like endearing, but kind of like got the street wisdom to it, and like I can move, and I got that little like, I don't know, the charisma was there and everything.

M: Well, he was a stripper before, so that kind of helps.

R: He was a stripper. Yeah, I wasn't a stripper. So he had all that in his bag, but for me it's...

M: There's still time. Magic Mike 5.

R: I'm gonna follow this man's career the whole time.

M: Why not?

R: Yeah, so I went in there, I did my thing and then, bro, that was the longest audition process I've ever had in my entire life. It was four or five acting auditions and then four or five dance auditions on top. So I remember doing the first audition hearing right away that I'm gonna get a call back. I'm flipping. So I'm like, okay. And the next audition was a dance audition. I'm like, I didn't know that. Okay, we gotta go there. So I'm on YouTube trying to figure out like, what's the new move out there? Like, how do I even get into this choreo thing?

M: I was gonna say, you gotta learn choreo or they want you to freestyle?

R: I didn't know, but I was gonna prepare both.

M: Regardless, yeah

R: And mind you, I showed up not prepared because like, you can only prepare so much in the night. So, or even a week. And I come in and come to find out I'm going to Jamal Sims, like, leading choreographer out there. And he's still doing, killing things right now. And he's teaching the choreographed session to Chris Brown's song. I can't remember what song it was, but—and then Don Draco Johnson was helping out as well.

M: Yeah, Draco.

R: And man, after a certain amount of time, like, you know what, I'm just going to be, again, competitive. I come from, you know, sports. I come from fighting. I'm going to just try outwork them. I know I don't have the talent they do, so I might as well just outwork these motherfuckers. So, like, that's what I did, and I think it kind of showed. And later on, we got paired up. I think it was four of us, Misha. Gabriel was up for the role of the main guy. And then I remember the last audition, they brought us all in, and they kind of just paired us up as duos. And they were trying to find the best friend kind of dynamic, and they found me.

M: He ended up being the best friend, right?

R: He ended up being the best friend, yeah. And it was his first acting role, my first acting role. Obviously had dance experience with MJ and everything. So I was leaning heavily on these people. Then I got the role, and then honestly that changed my life. And I met my family, my Step Up family to this day.

M: Yeah.

R: You know what I call my family. So Draco, Twitch, Marvelous, Bianca Brewett and Tony Bellissimo, all these individuals I still keep in contact with.

M: Y'all had a good squad, man.

R: Yeah, man.

M: For those films. And what I'll say too, and this is something that I told one of my last guests, my boy Terrence. You know Terrence Green? Ex-dancer who's one of the characters in the Step Up TV show, The High Water.

R: I met him through Marvelous, actually. Yeah. He sings and dances, right? Or no, he raps.

M: Raps, Yeah. So we were talking about his audition a little bit. And what I told him, when it comes to auditioning for a role like that, you're looking for an actor who can dance, not a dancer who can act, because acting is harder than dancing. And you wouldn't think it is, but it is. And like you can clearly out dance me.

R: Can you sell the role?

M: 80% of the movie is conversation. And then 20% of it is dance. So if you can't hold a conversation, if you can't deliver a line like that, even as good as the dancing is, it's not going to matter. You know what I mean? If you're a good enough dancer, but people are going to want to hear you talk more, then we can shadow the dancing, put you in your best limelight in these moments and then let the professional dancers around you carry the dance aspect of it. You know what I mean?

R: 100%.

M: So acting comes first, and then what you need me to do as the character when it comes to physicality, as long as, like you said, you have the will to be competitive and to learn and adapt quick and learn quick, and I have to be told things twice and you're willing to work at it. Those things can happen a lot quicker for you than, hey, you have to go learn how to deliver a line. That takes time to build a character and learn that, you know what I mean?

R: Yeah, I wanted my best just to, I think that that's the key to success in anything, to be honest. Stay open to people that are way more knowledgeable about whatever you're trying to get into, and I just happen to be blessed to be around some of the greatest dancers of all time.

M: Facts.

R: And again, shout out to my brother.

M: Thank you, man, I appreciate that. That's love, man.

R: So, it's like, yeah, man, I've had a great opportunity to be surrounded by some incredible individuals, and my success is partly because of them. So, yeah.

M: You know, you're on 9-1-1, what, nine months of the year, right? And then when you're off, you go shoot a movie real quick in a week, and so you're always trying to stay working. Do you find time to go watch film? Like, do you watch movies? Do you go watch, you go to the theater?

R: All the time. Yeah, I try to. Yeah, because I mean, I feel like I'm just starting, to be honest. I didn't call my, I've said this in so many other interviews. I didn't call myself an actor for the longest time, just because I felt like so many other people were more talented than me. And again, I was going off the basis, like I'm just gonna outwork you. And to this day, I've only had one acting lesson, like one acting class.

So I'm not pulling from the stereotypical thing or what most actors would come from, that background. So I'm like, this is gonna be degrading to hear, this man comes out of nowhere, doesn't want class, and gets all these jobs.

M: With some Will Smith shit.

R: Yeah, I can't do that to these individuals, these artists. So let me just shut up about my stuff and do my thing. And it wasn't until a couple years ago, my boy Kenny Choi, who's on 9-1-1, straightened me out and gave me some wise words. And he's since then been my voice of reason in this whole acting game. And has handed me books that I've been reading and learning. So, yes, it's been a process. So like, I always stay open to new movies, to new act—like Austin Butler is killing things right now. Shia LaBeouf has always been on his game.

M: Directing game, you say.

R: Just in general, like these individual artists have this captivating, you know, sense of who they are as an actor, that when you see them on a big screen, their minimal movement allows you to be like, engaged. Oh my God.

M: For sure.

R: So that's what you really want to study is like, you know, how do I encapsulate that in my own way? And then how can I continue to build each time? What I love, like an actor like Robert Downey Jr. who's had a successful career since he was young, and he's still getting better. Like, he does roles now that we've never seen him do. And just like, how you still kind of outdoing yourself, that's the type of artist I want to be.

M: Just continue to build and try to find new ways to adapt and bring on new characters. So with that, so going back to you watching film, movie of the year.

R: Movie of the year...

M: And there's a right answer, don't fuck this up.

R: Movie of the year, I don't know if I have a movie of the year.

M: I watch this movie every day, Cause of Zo, but continue.

R: Cause of Zo?

M: Yeah.

R: Oh man, so you're going kid movie? No?

M: You would think.

R: Damn, um...I loved Everything Everywhere All at Once. To be honest, it was so outlandish, it was crazy.

M: That last year too though?

R: That was last year too. So this year?

M: Yeah. I mean, I mean,

R: I don't know.

M: It's already July.

R: Yeah. To be honest, I don't know. Nothing, nothing pops into my mind.

M: Dang, you heard it here first. Ryan thinks every movie that came out this year is trash.

R: I've been more in the TV shows, to be honest.

M: Okay, so which TV show?

R: The Bear.

M: The Bear?

R: The Bear is incredible.

M: Okay.

R: Yeah. Have you seen it?

M: Nah, I saw Cocaine Bear. That was crazy.

R: Nah, not that one. The Bear is on the second season or third season.

M: Okay.

R: Third? Yeah. And just the cinematography alone is top tier, but the acting itself is incredible.

M: I'm gonna peep it up.

R: Yeah, Shogun was amazing. I don't know if you've seen that one.

M: Which one?

R: Shogun.

M: Shogun. Okay. Nah, I haven't seen it. I know what it is, though.

R: Shogun is incredible. But those kind of like… I think a lot of what we thought was back in the day, I'm talking about like you, you know, the movie star or TV star, they blended this now with the whole streaming services. So we're seeing a lot of movie stars go into television.

M: Yeah.

R: They're telling what they couldn't do in two-hour movie or three-hour movie into a full-length series, and that's why I kind of lead more towards the series.

M: No, I feel like that's a lot of people's goals right now, because first off, when people like—I couldn't tell you their actor names right now, but when the three leads in Big Bang Theory started banging out a million dollars an episode, and then you go for 15 seasons of 15 to 20 episodes per season, like that's… Yeah, let's do that.

You know what I mean? Let's do that. I could see why being a lead in a TV series that pushes the, you know, Grey's Anatomy of the world and like all of those people who just keep banging out seasons and then you forget the show even exists, but there's enough fans out there to make season 36 for no reason because there's still money coming in.

Like that's the ultimate goal in longevity in this kind of… You know what I mean? As far as finances go anyway, and like being able to hold a character with so much value for so long.

R: Yeah, that's why I have so much gratitude towards 9-1-1.

M: Being Eddie, yeah.

R: Yeah, man. I mean, we're on our eighth season and we're kind of a dying breed, to be honest, as a procedural. There's not too much of procedural is out right now that are successful and making the numbers that we are. So again, to the crew and the cast that create this show, it's just like we've been on cloud nine. And I feel like most of us now that have been here for the long haul have depth now in that gratitude.

So, yeah, to your point, yeah, man, and like having longevity is everything you need. And then having the ability to kind of like step outside and do a movie every now and then. You know, Angela Bassett, bro, like, I'm working with one of the top actresses in the world. And then I get to go play some other actress-Rosario Dawson. I'm literally living in my dream. And it's a pinch me moment all the time. So, yeah.

M: All right. So my favorite movie of the year.

R: What was it?

M: And I want you to find a way to be a part of the third one. Somehow, someway, Godzilla x Kong: New Empire.

R: That was it?

M: Did you see it?

R: I saw Godzilla Minus One, which was incredible.

M: Yes, but not bro. Kong, Godzilla, some epic shit. First of all, one of my favorite like movie. Maybe I just like Gorillas, bro. Maybe I see what it is because I love the Planet of the Apes series.

R: Oh, that was a good one too, yeah.

M: You know what I mean? I mean, they just dropped a new one that was OK. I think it's because of the lack of the Caesar character not being in this one. Maybe just kind of threw me a little bit. But the other three, I just love that shit, right? But Kong x Godzilla from…And I watched a lot of BTS and how they wrote it and what they wanted to do with it. They made Godzilla thinner, more agile, diving in the shit, doing the most. Kong got a gray beard because he's getting old, bro.

R: So the aesthetics got you.

M: Yeah, the way they're building it and the connection between it, but then the way they got the action of them teaming up and fighting the other shit was bugged. The characters behind it, the way they—I don't know, bro. I'm gonna send you a BTS video. And I had you tap in because I think you could find it on Amazon Prime. That's where I watch it. But Zo asked for it every day, every single day. And I bought him the toys and he just got some toys he watches and he does the thing. But I'm super into it. I fucking loved it.

R: I'll check it out just because you said.

M: You're welcome. You're welcome.

R: Alright. Yeah, but the Godzilla Minus One was nice.

M: It was. It was.

R: It brought you back to the actual like rendition, first rendition.

M: Yeah, where it's less about Godzilla and it's more about the character.

R: Them being scared of this massive ass lizard walking around killing people. Yeah.

M: Yeah. Could you imagine like some real life shit having titans in this world? Even if like you're not by it, but you know that they're there.

R: No amount of martial arts, no amount of, like, weaponry can help you.

M: There's nothing.

R: No, you just got to sit back and watch this thing.

M: Find a bunker.

R: Yeah, bro. I'm digging a big asshole in the earth.

M: Huge.

R: Yeah. And I'm putting my family and friends in it.

M: 100%.

R: Yeah. That sounds bad, but I'm going to make a bunker.

M: Yeah. I'm going to get a hole and put my friends in it. Yeah. [talking to someone off camera] I'm going have you grab that. Can you grab that for me, bro? That paper and that metal thing.

Okay. So me and Ryan are about to do something a little fun, but at the same time, I'm going to ask him some fan questions. So this segment of the show is going to be on Patreon. So go to patreon.com/lnlpod to see the extended version and catch this part of the show. Go right now.

[PATREON Q&A. APPROX 15 MINUTES]

R: [talking about the film The Present and the advice costar Isla Fisher gave him.] You know, I thought it was funny and I thought it was, you know, really quality stuff. So it showed me that like, yeah, what she's saying is correct. I need to believe in myself a little bit more. Even having a 14-year successful career, I think people should understand that I didn't feel that for the longest time. I did not believe in myself and I felt like I was always again, trying to outwork the individual. Since I put in so much work already, I kind of need to sit back and realize and let it sit in and take advantage of it and shout out to her and many other individuals that allow me to kind of reflect on that.

M: Bro, like people, 14 years is a lot. And I know we compare ourselves to those we look up to and we go, they've been successful for 40 years. They've done this, that, and third. Until I'm that, I ain't shit, which ain't true because you got to remember that that's the 1% of the industry. To have that kind of success. You know what I mean? Having a 14-year career, where you have multiple projects, people would dream to do one of them and never get the chance to do. Their entire resume is extras on set for things.

R: Yeah.

M: You know what I mean? Or just praying, like, I hope they give me one line, so I can say I acted in this movie.

R: Yeah.

M: You know what I mean?

R: Yeah.

M: So like, from going from Step Up to Boy Next Door to 9-1-1 and everything in between, and even some of the smaller stuff you've done and the bigger stuff you've done, these are all things that you gotta be proud of, man.

R: I got you, thank you.

M: You gotta be proud of, because one is leaf-frogging you to the next, you know what I mean? And you don't have to feel like it's a fresh start every single time, because you know that what got you there is the past and everything that you presented yourself in before.

R: Yeah.

M: You know what I mean?

R: Yeah. Thank you for that. I take that. And again, when I do get stuff like this now, I try to take it a little differently than I would before. I mean, beforehand, I probably would have been like, oh, thank you so much, you know that. And I still not think that way. But right now, I'm really allowing that to marinate the individual, so I appreciate what you say. Thank you.

M: Yeah, no, fuck it. I mean, you got to respect yourself enough to be like—know that there's so much more I can do and so much more room to grow. And that's the exciting part. But I'm not going to pretend like I ain't done shit in my life either. I'm not going to pretend like my resume is not something about, you know what I mean? Like I've done some cool shit. And I feel you, and same with dance, man. Like there's, when someone books me on a job or as a choreographer or brings me out to a country to teach. And sometimes I sit there and I get like…

R: Imposter syndrome?

M: Imposter syndrome, where I'm just like, man, do I even deserve to be on this lineup with these other hitters? And I'm like, yeah, because they wouldn't have asked me to be here, bro.

R: Yes, you do.

M: They wouldn't have asked me to do this if like I wasn't. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like they spent all this money on me to bring me out to this country to do all this with all these people. Like they see me in line with these people for a reason. Why the fuck don't I? You know what I mean? So like, I hear you. But then you got to remind yourself.

R: Sometimes it takes somebody else outside to really acknowledge that and then you to hear that. Because I remember when I first met you, I'd already known about your dancing. I've seen plenty of videos. And I don't know if you remember when I came up to you. I was like, bro, I'm a huge fan.

M: Yeah.

R: Yeah.

M: Yeah.I introduced myself and you're like, I know who you are. I was like, pssst.

R: Like, nah, bro, I know exactly what you are in. Like, it shows, like, you know, like to get to where you are in your dance, and it takes years upon years, but also you have to find your own little niche, your own little style, and you did. And that style has resonated with so many other individuals. So again, giving you your flowers back, it's just like, yeah, man, I would like to recognize what you offer to this whole artistic spectrum in the dance community.

M: Yo, thank you, man. That's fucking love, man. I really appreciate that kind of shit. You don't hear it too much and you get in your head a lot. But from one friend to another, man, if you need that reminder, man, you call me.

R: I appreciate that, bro.

M: You call me.

R: That's what we need to show more of, man. You know, like, man, helping each other out, you know. A lot of us, I feel like, and I've spoken on this on plenty of other platforms. It's just like we got toughen up. And to an extent, yeah, I get that. You know, you do have to be tough as a man.

M: Time and place.

R: And time and place. But like you also have to have your brothers to to open up to it, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because we all got here as a community. No one got here by themselves. So, yeah, you know-

M: And we gonna stay there as a community.

R: Exactly. The stronger your community, the stronger you'll be.

M: All the most successful dancers, actors in the world, people you look up to, all have teams that have been together since the jump. You know what I mean?

R: All right, let me see this.

M: All right, all right, all right. So before we reveal these, we're back from the Patreon. All right, we back in the episode. We're going to wrap this up here. What we did on Patreon is we got a sketchbook and he drew me and I drew him while we did some fan questions. So we're going to reveal these pictures as the last little segment before we head out.

Before we show these pictures, I just want to give a quick sign off. Everybody, please join the Patreon and enjoy that. Spotify, Apple Podcast, please give a five-star review and check out the other seven episodes and keep an eye out for Season Two that's coming.

If you're on YouTube, like, subscribe, all of that, comment, share with your mom and your grandmama, all them peoples. Spread the word. We want to make Season Two even bigger and better and keep bringing y'all quality. Keep an eye out for The Lab between me and Ryan because it is a special project, but it is a big project. It's gonna take some time. He's back filming 9-1-1, so it might take some time.

We're gonna write some things together. We're not gonna tell you the idea because we don't want none of y'all biting it because we know how y'all get. But it's a pretty good concept. It's a really good idea. It's gonna be a short film that involves comedy, acting and dancing. And we've already been chopping it up about it.

So keep an eye out for that, but it's gonna take some time. Be patient. But the more Patreon members, the more money that comes in, the bigger the budget is gonna be, and the better we can make the project. So please show love. We appreciate it. Ryan, anything you want to say before we head out?

R: Man, all love to you and all love to this, that you cultivated yourself, man, and everybody that watches this. I hope you are thriving in all the dreams that you choose to give your energy to.

M: Thank you, man. All right. Enough of that talk, man. All right. Me first, you first?

R: I go first.

M: You go first? Yeah, yeah, all right, all right, all right. Damn! Alright, you get close up, get close up. Yeah.

R: Yeah, mine was a quick sketch, so I couldn't put too much detail to it.

M: Just a quick little whatever, man. Oh, shit.

R: Yeah, yeah.

M: Yeah, you kept it small. I should have made mine smaller. Probably would have been cleaner.

R: Yeah.

M: Yeah. I'm keeping that. Don't throw it out. And you got to keep this one, too. It's better to go in the fridge.

R: I put it in my refrigerator, yeah.

M: Bro, so when Mateo [Ryan's son] asked who drew that, he knows, what's up, Uncle Mikey rocked this, all right?

R: Hey, you captured my facial hair. In the… In my little swoop. Am I swooping right now? Yeah, you got my swoop.

M: I caught the swoop.

R: Yeah, the mic looks like a mic.

M: Yeah, you know, it's mic-ish.

R: I appreciate your effort.

M: Yeah. Oh, come on, it's not that bad.

R: Why I look like Joe Campbell?

M: I made the head a little long. Your head is not this long. I didn't have an eraser.

R: Yeah, me neither, bro.

M: No, whatever. All right, well, I'm going to let you keep this. Yeah, you can put it.

R: Let me sign this for you, too.

M: Yeah, yeah, sign that. Sign that. You know, I have a picture in my bathroom. It's a lion. It's a drawn lion from 98. It's beautiful. My uncle did it. Yeah. He was an artist back in the day and like used to draw a lot of shit and he framed it and gave it to me. His name is Matthew DellaVella.

R: Okay.

M: He signed it "M. DellaVella"

R: M. DellaVella. So technically you're an artist.

M: I've been taking full credit for that painting and that drawing since I was a child.

R: Clearly, you made that painting.

M: People go into my bathroom when they use it, when they visit and they go, yo, that's, I saw, and you drew that? Yeah, man, like it's a long time ago. I don't really do that anymore, but it was fun back in the day.

R: So I need to get a frame for this, to be honest.

M: Yeah, you should, man. This is cold. This is, man, my mic is better.

R: Yeah, your mic is better.

M: Well, I did a mic stand, so I got the arm.

R: You got the arm for sure.

M: Yeah, yeah.

R: Yeah.

M: Yeah, no, this is quite lovely. This is quite lovely, Ryan. Thank you.

R: I appreciate that, bro.

M: Thank you my boy. Love you bro.

[turquoise91]

So this is probably gonna get me yelled at, but I think I need to say it. Can we as a fandom just take a collective breath and take a step back from the hyper-intensity over this most recent few episodes of 9-1-1. I know it's a fast paced drama with amazing characters, a fantastic cast and we love it to pieces, but people are starting to take the show, the characters and the actors a little too seriously. Like, guy on the ledge who needs Brad Torrence to talk him down, kinda crazy. Breathe. Relax. I get it. Some of the storyline is problematic, the characters aren't doing what we want and the actors aren't behaving in ways we like but it's just a show and the actors are not responsible for our feelings. I love 9-1-1 and I love Buddie and I love the characters (most of the time) and I like the cast but the behavior on the internet is getting very intense and very scary right now.

First, the storyline: yes it sucks that Eddie is gone and Buck slept with a gargoyle who never really appreciated Buck while he had him and the Diaz parents suck and if anyone dies I will cry into a gallon of ice cream but one thing about writers that I've learned is that they are on their own effing program and they are not taking your calls and will not get back to you in 3-5 business days. This is Tim's world and we're just as stuck with it as the actors. Moreso, because at least he gives them a heads up and a courtesy "hey, you cool with this?" call. We can accept that things are happening at their own speed and hope for the best while preparing for the worst, or we can change the channel and start all over again with a different show (like I did with The Flash and Teen Wolf. Ugh! Bad writing everywhere).

Right now the storyline is Eddie in Texas, focusing in fixing things with Chris (as he should be). As much as I would love for him to miraculously open a portal back to LA to save the day with Buck and Athena, his number 1 priority needs to be his relationship with his son. We know that Ryan/Eddie will be back eventually so just hold onto that knowledge and let the rest go. I know it sucks to see him be sidelined so much but that is as much a schedule thing as it is a storytelling thing. Is Gavin even coming back to the show on a regular basis? That needs to be worked out so they can plan accordingly on how to incorporate him back into the show and figure out a way to bring the Diaz boys back to LA. I have faith the Diaz boys will return. We have a month, 2 months, left before the season ends. We will get through this.

With Buck and the whole Eddie/Tommy/Ravi business, like Ryan said in an interview, that is for Buck to work out on his own. Nobody knows what will happen except Tim. All the BTS videos and pics and "Will They/Won't They" is your typical carrot and string and a stick used to keep us on the edge of our seats and Tim is the one holding the damn stick. Stop getting mad at fictional people and the actors playing them for not spilling the Tea. They barely know more than we do and what they do know, they're under contract to keep their traps shut. They have PR and media reps who coach them about what they can and can't say and whether they want to push a storyline or pairing is such a thing they can't talk about. They get asked all the time and if you're seeing behavior that reads as stand-offish, annoyed, rude, disinterested, it's probably because they're tired of beating a dead horse. They don't know, they can't stay, they don't have any control over anything and what they want (short of a safe set, minimal chance of bodily harm, and trust with their scene partner so nothing bad happens) is not relevant. It sucks, but that's what it is. If Stark, Guzman or anyone else seems to not be supportive of Buddie anymore it's probably because they can't seem like they're baiting the audience, making false promises and avoiding being called liars, homophobes or anything else when what we want doesn't pan out. Fandoms can get very intense and protective of their favorite pairings and characters and the amount of ugly and negative comments they get on social media, I'd avoid social media too. Death threats? Seriously? What is wrong with people? This a job for them, they didn't write the story, they don't make the creative decisions. Leave the actors alone!

I'd love for Buddie to go Canon. I've shipped plenty of people who never went Canon and it's sad but it's not the end of the world. Do I think anyone else would realistically fit with either of them better than each other? No I do not, but that's because of 7 years of friendship so intimate that anyone new or even a former love interest or another friend becoming a love interest is just not plausible. It doesn't have the same emotional impact. Tommy, Ravi, Kim, Marisol, Ana, Taylor...whoever, none of them fit into Buck and Eddie's life in a way that says "I love this person and I know they love their best friend and a kid and a sister and a father figure and I might never be first, second or even third priority and I am secure enough in my love for them and theirs for me that I'm okay with it". It's just not possible. Not even if someone ends up dying. No one comes first and second in Buck and Eddie's life other than Chris and Buck or Eddie. Tommy had his shot, he screwed up. If he's so insecure that he screws up that many times and tries again, the only person he's hurting is himself. If Ravi is crazy enough to get involved after hours of Drunken Buck waxing poetic and composing sonnets about Eddie and his Silver Star, he's brave but out of his league. Also incredibly unrealistic.

As for the actors. Oliver and Ryan have been in the acting game since 2011/2012. Babies compared to Peter, Angela and Jennifer. I'll be honest, I didn't even know who Oliver was before 9-1-1. I'd (to my knowledge) never seen him in anything prior. When I looked up his filmography and saw he was in Underworld: Blood Wars, I had to go back and find clips because I did not remember seeing him at all. Hint: he plays a Lycan (werewolf) that repeatedly gets his ass kicked by Selene (Kate Beckinsale). I don't even know if his character survives the final fight, that's how small his part was. Ryan I knew of a bit more because of Pretty Little Liars and Step Up. He has more credits (more recognizable ones anyway) to his name and he does other projects while 9-1-1 is on hiatus. He has a life outside of the show. His not being as present when it comes to promoting the show is not a surprise to me. Especially when compared to Stark who does not really have any projects going on besides 9-1-1. The show is his biggest acting credit. It's earned him a lot of recognition, so of course he is so invested in promoting it, especially with episodes that he gets to flex his acting muscles as much as his literal ones. Being able to show his growth as an actor and for the character instead of just being eye candy, the reckless frat boy with good intentions. Both Stark and Buck have grown up together really. There are a lot of people who relate to the character of Buck and considering how much crap the character goes through, he tends to get a lot of love for his portrayal of that character. I don't know for sure if promoting is part of the contract or if he gets paid for it, but he has spoken about how grateful he is for the love of the character. I'd promote the hell out of him too considering the evolution Buck has gone through since season 1 and what that's done for Stark and his career. Pretty sure he said once that Buck wasn't even supposed to be a main character but people liked him so he stayed. If Buck hadn't worked out Stark would have quit acting. We wouldn't even have Buck then so maybe give the guy some grace. I don't think he's trying to be an asshole but the amount of pressure and social media harassment for something he has no control over is probably waring on him.

As for him promoting Anirudh and Ravi, the guy is also a newbie, relatively unknown and mostly in minor roles so this also is probably an opportunity to spread his wings. Oliver giving encouragement and hyping his performance is a kind thing to do for anyone in the business who does not have the Veteran status as Peter and Angela. Even JLH is getting a great opportunity to branch out and be funny, dramatic, tragic, flawed, a mom, a sister, a hero, victim, survivor, etc. She's showing more sides of her acting capacity than just strutting around in lingerie and a smile (the number of posts on here that I scroll past of her in her underwear is uncomfortable for me). Credit where credit is due and right now Oliver giving Anirudh credit for his performance is good, especially in a business like acting in a procedural drama when so many people are being cruel just for the hell of it.

I'm sure that Ryan will and does get credit for his own storylines and shining moments and for people to say Eddie's moments are outshined by Buck or even Chris are forgetting that Buck is his partner and Chris is his son. Those two own his heart and soul, he will fight to come home to his family, so of course they have a great deal of importance in his big moments. Eddie lives and breathes for the people he loves most, it's one of his defining features. If people are worried that he is a secondary character in his own story, remember that Ryan's recent interview said that the past 7 years in backstory in preparation for these upcoming episodes. I assume that means finally coming full circle and addressing the dead wife/doppelganger/elephant in the room as well as the Diaz parents and finally allowing Eddie and Chris to gain closure, set boundaries and come to an understanding that allows them to address and move on from the trauma, realize home is in LA with Buck and the 118 and leave the Purgatory aka El Paso behind for good. Patience folks. We're almost there. Ryan is not being sidelined, Eddie and Chris are not forgotten, they're just working things out while trauma is happening elsewhere.

Whether Ryan and Oliver are besties or not doesn't really have a whole lot of relevance unless it effects the quality of their performance and the writing of the storyline. I would imagine they get along well enough if they're both able to do interview and BTS together, if no one has talked about leaving, killing off the characters or outright saying "hell no" to Buddie. They might have other reasons for not interacting as much as the fandom wants them to, maybe they're trying to keep a low profile considering all the speculation both for Buddie and for the actors. Maybe there are those in the "Ryliver" fandom that are coming on too strong and they're being distant for propriety's sake. Some actors are uncomfortable with conclusions being drawn regarding their relationships or lack thereof with costars and prefer boundaries over speculation. Whatever the case, they're friendly enough that they can work together and not let it effect their performance on the job. Let them be. Just enjoy the show and the work the actors put into their performances. If you're a Buddie shipper, enjoy the ride, and hope our ship becomes Canon and no one dies. There's so much bad stuff in the world already, don't let it infect other people's enjoyment of a good show. The negativity ruins it for the rest of us.

[inairthings]

911 and Controversial Decisions

I have so many things to say (with my imperfect english) that I don't think I can remember even half of them, and I'm sure I'll write a lot of them out of order. I'm going to copy and paste, adding more stuff, a comment I posted on Buddie's Reddit this morning, which if you're a Buddie fan, I highly recommend.

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

I refuse to believe that Bobby is dead and I want to think that it was someone's dream, his own for example, that everything will be resolved at the end of episode 8x16, if Peter Krause wanted to leave the show there were many other ways to do it without killing him off always leaving the door open for him to return even if it was just for one episode, or if he was struggling to keep up with the rhythm of work instead of 18 episodes it would be 6 for example, he can afford that luxury. If it was really a script thing, a creative decision, then it was a tremendously awful idea that is going to bring a lot of controversy, and they are doing it right after the renewal for season 9. That he was fired due to financial problems? Then it doesn't occur to them NOT to do a spin-off, 911 Nashville with Chris O'Donnell and Jessica Capshaw, next season and you will try by all means to retain your star actor?, yes, Peter Krause, the actor who could lead to a possible cancellation of the show and ABC deciding that there will no longer be a Season 9.

If it turns out to be all false and he hasn't died, then everything is planned down to the last detail. There's no confusion in the broadcast order, in other words, episode 13 isn't 15. They knew there would be a week break. It's two weeks of nonstop talk about the series, with tons of interviews, all of that is promotion, although it may not turn out the way they intended, but in a negative way because it could taint the spin-off, which hasn't even started yet. The farewell letter that Peter Krause wrote, he could very well write a thank-you letter and it could be used as a farewell, when perhaps it isn't.

There are some leaked scenes from Bobby's funeral in which Tommy and Gerrard also appear (it seems that this show (or Tim Minear) likes racism and homophobia because of the mania for bringing back these two elements), Eddie also appears (thank god), I don't believe this leak was a coincidence, there are images and videos that, due to the shots, the close-up, etc., were taken from within and not by the public who could have been watching them work. No, all of that was deliberately leaked, and I think it was to study people's reaction. Were they going to let something so important come to light? When there are plots that were kept secret until the end, isn't that too much of a coincidence? Is it really all a dream of Bobby's own? Let's hope so.

Let's go with Eddie . The character who can currently contribute the most interesting plots, and I'm not saying this because he's my favorite, I think everything has already been said, it was already suspected that he wouldn't be in episode 8x15 either, the mistreatment towards this character, I don't know what to call it anymore, it's INSULTING, I want to believe that he hasn't been in these two episodes because his schedule must have been a little crazy perhaps because he had to adapt to Gavin McHugh for El Paso (crappy)storyline, it's the explanation that makes the most sense to me, incompatibility to shooting different scenes at the same time in different places, that's why Bobby's death seems so strange to me and that Eddie is so isolated in that and that they're not even going to show us the call where they tell him what happened, something confirmed by Tim Minear himself. At this point I wouldn't be surprised at all if Ryan Guzman decided to leave the show but on the other hand it's a secure job and he has two small children, but if you are the main character and they treat the secondary characters as more important it's completely discouraging. I just hope he plays a significant role in the remaining episodes, but right now, I feel like Eddie is just even less than a supporting actor, just an extra. Honestly, I don't see Buddie as canon this season, and with all the trailers, it's starting to get tiring that they never ends up being just another promo/selling point for the show.

Now it's Tommy's turn, and I think I'm not going to mince my words anymore, I hate this character, not only is he boring but he's flat, he contributes absolutely nothing to the show, maybe except muscle, the actor is very bad and that translates to the character, you can't get something from where there is nothing, he's just a nepo who is an actor thanks to his last name but who is not good for that job, I'm sorry to be disrespectful, but that's what I feel. My anger right now with Tim Minear is brutal, not only are they bringing him back but now he intends to establish a love triangle? and not only that but it's giving wings to think that BuckTommy, a couple with zero chemistry, is going to return, which would be a giant hypocrisy considering what happened in 8x11, why do this if they already had in their hands to end Buddie definitively? I only have one explanation, that it is Tommy who triggers Buddie canon, isn't there a rumor that says that he is the one who calls Eddie? If BT returns we will be facing the biggest queerbaiting in universal history, using Buddie so that in the end it is BT, the white couple composed of a normal guy and a guy with a racist and homophobic past, and not the really interesting one, which is biracial or multiracial, white and Latino, a Latino, Eddie Diaz, who represents values ​​that Tommy will never reach, to name a few, a war veteran decorated with a Silver Star, the 3rd most important medal for valor (Tommy is also veteran but he doesn't have a Silver Star), also a single father of a lovely teenager with special needs.

Tim Minear is covering himself in glory shit, we complained about others but he is the worst, if the series is too big for him or he is tired of it he should simply leave and leave his place to another showrunner who has good ideas and knows how to develop the plots correctly, he should go to Nashville to see how long the series lasts, and I'm sorry because I love Chris O'Donnell, or rather how long will 911 last if Bobby is really dead? We will see how the audiences have been, on IMDb the score of the episode is one of those that does a lot of damage, right now (04/18/2025 8:40 PM CEST) it is 3.9 / 10.

I have so many things left to say, but I can't think anymore right now, and this post is already too long.

[fanaticallyfleeky]

the Eddie Buck "epic friendship" or "brotherhood" in my view is some mythical phantom creature that gets talked about constantly by cast, journalists, writers and in fandom but you never actually get to see it. We see Buck being a friend but not Eddie and I don´t even remember it ever being different in previous seasons either.

I start to see the same problem with Eddie being a "good father". It gets talked about but when was the last time we got to actually see it? And I think it all comes down to Tim not being able to write Eddie. He just wants to see Ryan Guzman on screen, that is where his ambitions for Eddie as a character start and end and why he puts Eddie in tighty whiteys, has him dance in his living room and calls it a day. The actual storytelling and character development gets outsourced to post episode interviews. No wonder we get flooded with those after every single episode

You know what Nonny, I think you’re pretty much dead-on. And I love to know that you felt welcome and save enough to share this with me in my inbox❤️

I honestly had to put my phone away, take a walk and remind myself that I’m an adult and this just a fictional show, because my blood was boiling. Seeing all the BoBs scream and shout how this was the perfect buddie episode and “this definitely means bddie canon 2025 omg”. How?! Genuine question. how?! This seems more and more like a toxic platonic friendship, let alone a romantic one.

I don’t know why this depiction of their so-called “friendship” makes me so angry and sad at the same time. Maybe it hits a little too close to home because I’ve been hurt by an - in hindsight - very much one-sided friendship? Could be. I think everyone has this experience at least once in their life. Maybe it’s because once upon a time I did enjoy Buck and Eddie [and in a real dark past bddie too, but shht] and I too thought they had the perfect ride or die co-parent friendship. Maybe it makes me sad that, without those rose-coloured glasses on, I know start to notice how toxic it actually is and has been in the past seasons as well.

I don’t know. I do know that it makes me want to continue watching this show even less.

I do want to emphasise two things. One, I don’t think Buck is a perfect little uwu angle who does nothing wrong. He is an adult man with some serious flaws he should work on and he really can act out like we saw this episode.

However

What makes me sad is that the overarching theme seems to be that Buck always needs to stuff down his own feelings in favour of everyone else (*cough* especially and very often in favour of Eddie *cough*). And if he tries to communicate how he feels he gets hit with the good old “stop making this about you Buck”.

Two, in my heart, I do think Eddie is a good father. Or at least he tries to be. We have seen him go above and beyond for Chris, but I also must admit this was mostly in the earlier seasons. And something I also said when the whole Shannon/Kim debacle happened: there is no doubt that Eddie loves Chris more than anything in the world. But he has some serious issues he refuses to work on as well and it came to the point where this was seriously affecting his son. And speaking from experience, no amount of love from your parent can save you from the damage their emotional or mental instability can cause.

With regard to Tim not being able to write Eddie. Well… I currently feel like Tim doesn’t know how to write any of his characters. Because this season it’s not just Buck that’s stuck on the hamster wheel. It’s like everyone is allergic to character development. Which - again - makes me want to watch the show even less.

Anyway, sorry for this rant and know that my inbox is always open and a safe space to share you’re takes with me (with the exception of hate-spreading trolls from a certain fandom which shall not be named)

[buddiebeginz]

Since everyone is so up in arms over Ryan's recent interview I wanted to compile some of what he's said in other interviews this season. There are a lot of breadcrumbs here that show Eddie's sexuality storyline is in the works it's just going to take some time to get fleshed out especially since there has been so much focus on Buck and his coming out this season.

----

But what about Eddie and Buck? Is there still a chance for romance between them?

"As far as [Eddie's] sexuality, I think it's pretty clear that he's tried to fill in this motherly, this wife type role—that's all he knows," Guzman explained. "And he's a man [that] first off, he's Catholic. Second off, he's from the military. So those are very straight-edge kind of lifestyles that don't offer too much of exploring. But through the 118, he's had this epiphany each year, like, 'Well, maybe I don't know as much as I thought I did. And maybe I should be exploring a little bit more and maybe I should understand myself a little bit more and even seek a therapist,' which is something new for Eddie. So I feel the representation is reflective of the inclusivity that Ryan Murphy's show likes to have and Tim Minear likes to write."

Parade

----

Did you have a personal reaction when you found out about the reveal of this moment and the change in Buck's character? Was it something you saw coming, or was it a surprise?

GUZMAN: Since there's so much talk about our characters, it wasn't a shock to me. For Buck's character, I feel like it kind of tracks. And I think that we trust Tim [Minear], to be honest. He's such a great, incredible writer, and he's very inclusive in his writing. And it shows beyond the sexuality, beyond representation. It shows humanity, and that's what I love about these characters. You can do whatever you want in the bedroom, but at the end of the day, that love remains, brother-sister, intimate relationship, whatever that kind of connection is. We allow the audience to get a sense of the human side. And I think we explore that in new ways every single season. So, this season, getting that opportunity to see Buck evolve into who he is has been just a beautiful storyline.

You've mentioned it a little bit already, but I can't not talk about the potential of romance between these two characters. It's such a huge aspect of the fandom around this show and around the commentary of this show. Did the reveal make you consider a romance between these two characters? Have you considered it seriously before? Or was it always, "We'll see where it goes, we'll see where it takes us"?

GUZMAN: It's always kind of been a "we'll see where it goes, we'll see where it takes us." Because, at the end of the day, it's a fine line between giving the fans what they want and also staying true to the characters themselves. As an actor, your one job is to give your character truth. And what I love about this whole world that we play in 9-1-1 is that truth changes at a moment's notice. So, we allow ourselves to stay open to all possibilities. At this moment, Eddie's got so much going on in his life as far as his relationship with himself, and Marisol, and God, that he's got his plate full. And to take on anything else at this moment, I don't know, he might crack again! [Laughs] So, who knows what happens with him, and we're here for Buck and his relationship. And, again, I think that strengthening of that bond is crucial.

I don't think either of these characters are ready for this yet. They need to settle their own lives first before anything happens in that direction!

GUZMAN: Yeah.

Collider

----

Do you think it was the right decision for Marisol to move back out?

Eddie has shown himself to go from zero to 100 all the time. He finds one girl that checks off a couple boxes in his list and he's like, "Ah, that'd be good enough. Let's get married." This time, thank God, he didn't need a Carla in his life to say "Slow down." He did it himself. He had a conversation with Bobby, he had a conversation with Buck, he figures it out and he goes, "Okay, maybe it's time to have some growth on my end." He is doing a big thing for not only him, but for his son. He's not trying to fill in this space that was left open by Shannon and he's taking care of that relationship that [Gavin McHugh's] Christopher has with his mother that passed. He realizes he has to take it a lot slower. It seems like a step back, but it is so many steps forward for Eddie in what that means to him and his family dynamic.

How did you react when you found out Buck was going to explore his bisexuality? And what did you think when you first read the scene where he comes out to Eddie?

I think we felt this scene was coming one way or another — and we knew we had to handle this with care, because there are so many people who have attached themselves.... Oliver and I are so grateful for the people who have attached themselves to our characters, and what they do with it. And so we really wanted to give this scene a sense of groundedness. And luckily for me, I've had an experience in my life where a friend trusted me with their own coming out, and I got to understand first person that it wasn't so much about me accepting them, it was more about me allowing them to feel safe and loved. So I wanted to exemplify that in this scene. Like, "Hey man, you can say whatever you got. I'm not going anywhere. Okay? This connection remains." That was something that forever changed my life — in my personal life, with my friend — so this had to feel the same for the millions of people who are going to see it, because some may not be getting this from their friends. Some may be scared to do this in front of their friends, and maybe this gives them the opportunity to find their own bravery, as Buck did, and go to their closest friend and say, "Hey, this is how I feel nowadays. Can you explore this with me?" I love that scene.

What else can you tease for Eddie this season?

Now that Eddie's taken that step forward with Marisol, that offers a lot of new obstacles. This is unknown territory — much like Buck's character, it's unknown territory. And that is something to be a little bit more scared of, to be honest, because we have no clue how to handle the unknown. So I think with Marisol and Eddie, their relationship is strengthening, but there's so many traumatic moments that Eddie still has yet to answer for himself in his own past. So how that plays into this present moment is a balancing act. And what I'd like to see is him handle it with ease, but that doesn't offer great TV. So yeah, he's going to be a mess just as much as he was — as we all are, really.

EW

[carladuquette]

personally, i found valerio’s ending in elite very dissatisfying (definitely not the worst ending a character got but still kinda meh). what are your thoughts? do you think his ending was fitting or do you wish the writers went in a different direction?

lu definitely got one of the best endings in the show, but do you think it was deserved given her mistakes throughout the show? was there anything about her individual character arc you’d have change? i know you’re an avid lu and valerio fan (me too!) so i’m curious to hear your thoughts :)

This is a fantastic ask for this Valu girlie, and I am beyond sorry it took me more than a month to get to it!

So, Valerio… sigh. He dealt drugs, so I’m not saying he shouldn’t be punished. But I did feel bad for him, getting caught like this on the last day of school. And he was the only one of those last-day-suspendees who didn’t get to come back to finish his education. (Yes, I know there were behind the scenes reasons for this, but let’s stay in show.) This was already his second attempt at his final year of school, so maybe he was just sick of it. But also – Val had no one to fight for him and that makes me sad. Lu normally would have advocated for him to be allowed to return, but she was clearly in no state to do so after graduation. So with things being as they were, good for him to get that job with Carla, I guess. I’m just still mad that we never saw him again, because he still was in Madrid and I feel like he and Rebeka would maybe sometimes still hang out. But again, Jorge was done with the show, I get it.

As for Lu… Ok. Ok. I will be honest and say that it’s hard for me to be objective here. She was responsible for someone’s death, so should she have gone to prison? Maybe? But then that goes for a lot of other characters in the show. And you asked for my personal opinion 😈 so yes, I think she deserved her somewhat happy ending of going to New York with Nadia. She worked hard to excel in school the entire time we’ve seen her and she wasn’t ready to take the scholarship when it meant taking it from Nadia. She said she always protects the ones she loves, and I do think we have seen that from her throughout. Lu has shown enormous growth and I was very, very happy to see this ending for her, that doesn’t rely on some romantic relationship, but brings her fulfillment because it’s something she has worked hard for and wanted for herself. And let’s not pretend she gets off without any consequences – I wrote a 190k-word fanfic about the trauma I firmly believe Lu has to deal with for a long time after killing Polo.

There was one thing I wish we would’ve seen in Lu’s storyline: her apologizing to Nadia for posting that video of her and Guzman online. To me, this was the worst thing Lu did period, and yes, that includes her actually killing someone. The scene midway through season three where Nadia apologizes to Lu in the library for breaking her heart when she slept with Guzman while he was still with Lu is one of my favorite Elite moments, and I think it’s a shame that we didn’t get a mirror scene with Lu apologizing for humiliating Nadia like this, and for what she must have known could have even endangered Nadia‘s life.

In total though, given how many other characters got off, I am more or less happy with how Lu and Val got to leave the show. Before season four, I was sad that Danna and Jorge wouldn’t come back, even separately if they couldn’t work together anymore. But I am so grateful now that they stuck to their guns. Who knows what the writers of the later seasons would have had in store for them 😅

Thanks again for your ask. I love talking about Elite, and I’m especially excited to hear from other Lu and Valerio fans ❤️

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ELITE UPDATE 2: THREE SEASONS FINISHED

Ookayyy let's go so my first elite (let's say review) was after watching just 4 episodes and forming a holy shit amount of opinions for every character coz boy was I wrong..anyways I just finished 3 seasons of elite!.. like wow can't believe that. so let's talk about it. Firstly I get that this is a murder mystery show but like do we get someone or the other getting killed of in the end or like what? okay first things first I said some wild things about some of my babies and i really wanna retract my statement because these people are my babies.. guzman, lu, omar and ander lord i had absolutely no idea that there characters would be here now, like god! okay nadia and guzman I was shipping it then and I am shipping it now (although they broke up, but fuck that! they're still together for me) yeah, so like, believe me no one I repeat not a single person saw the whole nadia and lu friendship coming , like it literally hit me and I was like wha-

THE throuple ended, some people died and we got our second favorite couple - samuel and carla!! aghhh they were soo cute. love them so much! just fyi if you also love them, then don't see the short stories they literally broke up every single couple in there) now coming back to the elephant in the room- POLO*** jesus but I from a hundred miles away could not even think this was gonna happen, like my 1st update is evidence of that, I was so indifferent towards him coz I just didn't care! he was a sidekick imo but somehow this guy even after MURDERING someone made me feel sympathetic for him!! for a murderer like how did they do that!? Polo's death actually made me cry more than marina's ( never liked her but still). He was going through so much . He was in pain. like watching him struggle through life was insanely difficult and his mom supporting patriarchy after being in a lesbian relationship was another level of rage for me. But boy the guy did have a thing for throuples (I am still wrapping my head around the first one) ooh and newbies-- cayetana ,rebeka ( not sure i spelled it right), valerio (*heart eyes*) oh and emir ( idk if that's the name but carla's rich bf) These people somehow pulled the rug right out of my feet. Valerio was in the headlines in s2 and s3. Firstly s2 the whole thing with lu..ooh but that was a bit (no actually very much) weird. Let's not go there. Yeah and the whole cayetana thing..nicee ( as in story wise not in disrespecting your mother for her work wise) i don't really like her tbh but I have a strong gut feeling that I would eventually end up loving her. I still wanna say sorry to guzman. You're the best srsly. samuel I love you, but what you did to rebeka was wrong. So fuck you ( but like gently) yeah uhm rebeka.. okay so new story and lots of drama *widens eyes* obv I love her like how could anyone NOT love her. She's a total babe. ugh this is getting really long okay yeah so about my future elite plans...? none for now, I feel like s3 ended on a good note for me. And if I am being honest. I dug up a bit and found out that samuel and guzman have some beef over a girl in s4 and I am def not in the mood for seeing there friendship get messed up. So yeah for now it's a goodbye to elite. I feel like there should be one more update coz I missed some major plot points like the whole ander and omar thing, and nadia's dad and yeah lu and party scene but *shrugs* let's see.

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Wicked Natures - The Ghoul/OC (Female Character) Chapter Fifteen

Summary: Bounty hunters are frequent customers at Mulholland's Saloon, and Rue's taken quite a shine to one gunslinger in particular: a cantankerous, old Ghoul in a tattered duster. Witness her unabashedly lust after him in all his irradiated glory (as we are all currently doing), as well as navigate the precarious relationship she unfortunately has with local law enforcement.

Minors, do not interact.

Content Warnings: the usual swearing, descriptions of injuries, drinking, and sweetness -which is to say, Rue loves on the Ghoul the way she's been wanting to.

Enjoy <3

Chapter Fifteen: Come Alive

Rue stopped thinking when she remembered Artie –everything. She’s rotten at it, and it never does anything but dig her into deeper pits. She’s operating purely by feel, leaning heavily into spur of the moment inclinations more so than she usually does. And so, she didn’t even think about the fact that any of the injured, burning boys from Deck’s house would end up in her sick room. It didn’t cross her mind that pretty much all of Dust would wake up and start swarming like ants, trying to put out the fire. Trying to help. Trying to figure out what happened.

Those in the house don’t currently have any answers. They aren’t in the state where crisp, clear thinking is possible.

Most were out drinking, but Lucky, Yannis, Guzman, Myers, and some nameless man were snoozing away when disaster struck. Lucky is soot-stained, minorly burned, and quietly staring into nothing. Guzman –who always looks sunburned– is just a bit toastier than normal, but he’s coughing like his throat’s been scorched. Yannis is extra crispy, body more burn than whole flesh. Myers is dead, and Rue doesn’t know if they brought him down here dead or if he passed while they were carting him and they didn’t notice. But he’s definitely dead, glassy-eyed and cooling –from smoke inhalation, maybe? Physically, he’s in pretty okay shape –a little sooty and red here and there– so, it has to be something on the inside. But that’s beyond Rue. So is the nameless man’s condition. His left leg is flattened, dangly, and weird; and Guzman just barely manages to cough out, “Beam fell on him,” to let Doc Nguyen know why.

The good doctor is grim for the beat of the heart, but then slips into the straight-faced professionalism she’s known for. She orders everyone –exempting Rue and those injured– out of the room and instructs Rue to tend to Lucky and Guzman while she works on Yannis and No-Name.

Rue does what she can, taking in the destruction she wrought up close. She wipes the soot off an exhausted Lucky, rubbing aloe on minor burns, and does the same for Guzman. She gives them both water to drink, and then watches a Stimpak do the best it can to heal Yannis’ charred form, leaving him tight and shiny with burn scars but still bloody and raw in some places. She helps Nguyen move Myers’ dead body so No-Name can stretch out on the sickbed, and for a moment, she holds No-Name’s hand while Doc Nguyen puts him under. The leg must go.

Doc Nguyen pulls a privacy curtain closed, and Rue helps Lucky and Guzman from the room once the sawing and squelching, squishing sounds become too much for the two men to handle. She gets them settled in the front room, into saggy chairs with their feet kicked up. And they talk to Rue with bowed heads and shaky timbers, telling her they awoke to swirling red and heat. They have no idea what happened, and the last look Lucky took over his shoulder just showed a bonfire blazing on the hill. He doesn’t think there will be much left.

He’s right. When morning comes and Rue picks her way to her home, she sees blackened, skeletal remains smoking on the hill. One wouldn’t know a house used to stand there unless they were aware of its previous existence.

Rue breathes easier without it there, towering over her, and she goes about the mundane with a pep to her step. She does laundry for what is likely the last time. She feeds Eggshells, delighting in the fact that the bobcat lets her give it a few chin scratches that have it purring like a chainsaw. And after accidentally leaving the door wide open in all her back and forth with chores, she comes in at one point to find the bobcat perched all pretty on her kitchenette. It feels like a victory, but Rue mindfully doesn’t act like it’s a big deal. She lets Eggshells be.

She cleans her rifle, checking it over to see if it’s still in operating order, and it is –it even has a bullet in the chamber. She needs a helluva lot more than that, though…. She tunes Baby Destiny, playing a snippet of Some Enchanted Evening for Eggshells before stowing the instrument and packing the guitar case with a few clothing items. She empties out her over-the-shoulder bag of any useless junk and leaves it empty. It’ll be strictly for water, food items, and bullets.

When afternoon comes crawling in, Rue pauses in her work to allow Mrs. Ira Jean and Mrs. Rosa into her home for a dinner of tamales so delicious and flavourful –spicy– she nearly sheds tears. She keeps topics light, changing them when she has to, and does her best to keep both women laughing to keep them from questioning and worrying. And they both really are worried. Mrs. Ira Jean insists Rue come to her ranch, and Mrs. Rosa even chimes in, trying to tempt Rue with the promise of her cooking –breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day (and fuck, is it tempting).

Rue’s mind is made up, though. She can’t be swayed, she can't stay, and her answer is a, “Maybe soon,” that makes no promises. Then she pulls out a bottle of gin to distract them.

It works. The rest of the visit is all of stories and laughter, not another word of worry. When the two lovely ladies leave for the night, they do so with hugs and firm but kindly reminder from Mrs. Ira Jean that, “You’re welcome with us. Ya always will be. I’ll come runnin’ when you’re ready.”

And Rue, more than just a little bit tipsy, can’t help but say, “I love you lots, Mrs. Ira Jean.”

The rancher smiles as she kisses Rue on the hair. “I love you, too, honey.” She squeezes Rue’s shoulder before pulling away to step off the porch and take her wife’s hand. “You be good and careful.”

Rue promises she will (though, it feels like a bit of a lie) and bids them goodnight and safe travels, watching as they hit the road.

If she wasn’t more than a little drunk, Rue might snatch up her bag and hit the road, too.

But she really is, and she doesn’t plan on sobering up. No, she plans to finish the bottle and eat leftover tamales at dawn, and then she’s going to sleep until… midafternoon, probably. Then she’s taking what’s likely to be her last good bath for a while, and then she’ll hit the road.  

So, Rue drinks. She spins around her home, bottle in hand and the radio playing too loud. She sings along with it, dancing when a song is meant for dancing. Disassociating when the music gets a bit too sentimental. At one point, Eggshells wanders back in (and she is leaving the door open for this express purpose now) and hops up on the kitchenette, watching Rue with yellow eyes of searing, heavy disapproval. But Rue doesn’t care. The Wanderer plays on the radio, driving her mood back up. She risks her physical wellbeing by shimmying up to the pretty kitty and scooping it up in one fell swoop.

And Eggshells is so fucking fluffy. So soft. And despite the hateful look it gives her, it purrs up a storm in her arms. Lets her give it a little kiss on its perfect, little head as she turns gently.

In the midst of that turn, as Rue briefly faces the front door, she notices that it had opened wider. Wide enough for death’s specter to post up, back pressing into the doorframe as he regards her in what is clear amusement. His ruined lips quirk with it, and goddamn, does Rue want to kiss death on the mouth.

“I always find you doin’ the dumbest shit.”

“I’m havin’ myself a good time,” Rue tells the Ghoul, matter-of-fact. “You’re just jealous it’s not you in my arms.”

He snorts, eyes rolling hard, and Rue finishes her spin, placing Eggshells neatly back onto the kitchenette before spinning her way towards the Ghoul. The music shifts, becoming Ella Fitzgerald’s rendition of Blue Moon. She offers him a hand that he just stares at.

“Are you drunk?”

That offered hand turns into a fingergun. “Only a lil’.” And then it becomes a hand of beckoning. “Don’t break my heart, sugar.”

His eyes roll again. “How ‘bout I break that hand.”

Rue sweeps a little closer, holding out both. She looks up at him with a small, hopeful smile. “Just one dance? I won’t bother ya again.”

The Ghoul’s dark gaze ticks away, mouth pursing. He grumbles out, “You ain’t botherin’ me. I just… I don’t really do that anymore. Not in years.”

A soft sigh leaves Rue’s lips, and her hopeful hands curl inwards. They cross over her chest as she holds herself and whirls away. “I bet ya were smooth as silk on your feet…. I used to have a guy that’d spin me ‘round in the dark. He didn’t have the fanciest of footwork, but it was sweet he tried, y’know? That’s all that really mattered….” Her heart gives a sad, guilty twist. “I didn’t do right by the poor boy. I loved him, but I didn’t love him. I feel like I led him on in a way, dancin’ with him in the dark.”

Among other things….

Rue turns again, shooting the bounty hunter a sleepy smile. Dream softens everything around the edges, and she sighs. Rue loves their dynamic. She does. She doesn’t mind it’s all moonlight visits with ghosts of fondness –it’s fun; it’s what she wanted since she first saw him– but she’s hooked on something different now. On starlit nights where they just talk. On hearing him breathing –deep and even– from close by.

But she supposes they’ll just have to be what they are. Her something carnal –a good time– and he’ll just keep being the moons and stars that make her come alive. …Is that what she was to Bram? Are their rolls reversed now?

Rue sighs a third time. “Ya ever love someone who didn’t love ya back?”

“Lovin’ ain’t somethin’ I much fool with anymore.” But he pushes off the doorframe, catching her in the middle of a spin. She thumps against his chest, heart pounding away at her ribcage when one hand presses at the small of her back and the other captures one of her own. “You’re sentimental when you’re drunk.”

Rue grins wide. “Ain’t everyone? But I ain’t drunk-drunk. Just a lil’ tipsy. Perfectly in my right mind.”

“Nothin’ ‘bout your mind is right, honey.”

Rue makes a, “tsk,” sound but smiles brighter. “I saw that one comin’ the second that came out my mouth.”

He chuckles softly, finishing the turn with her and guiding her through small, gentle movements. “You always give me a good set up.”

The sound, the motion, makes Rue giddy and dizzy. “I like it when ya laugh,” comes dumbly from her lips.

“It’s hard not to laugh when you’re goofy as all shit.”

“I think that’s one of my most desirable traits,” Rue says factually. “Right behind my perky tits and winnin’ smile.”

The Ghoul gives a snorting, “Fuck’s sake, Rue,” as they glide into a moonbeam cutting across the floor. She only grins up at him, letting him get another look at that winning smile. And for a heartbeat, he’s got a handsome half-smile pinned on her.

But it drops off his face in the blink of an eye, replaced by a narrow-eyed intensity as he comes to an abrupt stop. As the hand that holds hers pulls away to brush lightly at the right side of her head. “What the fuck happened?”

“Oh, I got shot.” She’s nonchalant about it, shrugging her shoulders and trying to take his hand back, but he’s got her by the jaw now, turning her face so he can get a better look. “Sweet, it’s nothin’ that don’t happen to everyone out here. It was just my turn is all.”

His grip tightens, both the one on her jaw and the one at her back, fingers pressing into her spine. Which is actually kind of nice….

“Who the fuck shot you?”

Rue’s drifting mind comes back, finding his gaze sharper, darker. His jaw works. “Bounty hunter named Geraldine.”

He clicks his tongue, and there’s a grave simplicity to his query of, “She skip town or is she in lock-up?”

“Oh, she’s dead,” Rue comes out with it plainly. “I bashed her face in so good I knocked her nose bone into her brain.” And she lifts her hands to show him the remnants of her mental break. “Look. I split almost all my knuckles, and I dislocated three fingers. Ooh, and look.” She pulls down the collar of her blouse, letting him get a peek at the scar on her shoulder. “That one went through and through.”

The hand at her jaw slips away, ghosting against the scar. “Shit, that’s right by an artery.”

“That’s what Doc Nguyen said –the uh… the subclavian? Yeah, yeah. That sounds right.”

The Ghoul doesn’t say anything to that, his gaze just goes darker and darker. Burning and burning. His fingers slip more to the center of her neckline, pulling down the collar before he ultimately rips her blouse off to get a look at the bruising on her chest from where Geraldine hoofed her square between the tits. They’re yellowish, fading slow. Not the prettiest thing to look at.

Rue tries to joke, “Sweet, all ya had to do was ask, and I’d gladly take it off for ya.”

“Don’t be cute with me right now,” the Ghoul snaps. Rue has to swallow down her giggles and the shivers that try to rattle up and down her spine at such a… commanding tone. Such a scorching gaze….

But Rue goes quiet. She’s not cute at all. She just stands there in the moonlight, letting him inspect and swear and feeling just a little special that he’s bent out of shape. That he… that he cares.

“It’s really not that bad,” she tells him, unable to repress the shiver that goes through her when the smooth leather covering his thumb drags over the bruising on her left breast. She’s doubly sensitive –due to her nature and how tender the flesh is. “Honey, ya just told me I couldn’t be cute, and then you’re gonna go touchin’ like that? It ain’t fair.”

The Ghoul exhales sharply, hand pulling away and curling inwards into a fist that ultimately drops to his side. Rue debates on whether or not she should try to take it again. The mood feels pretty dead, and the radio’s gone to soft static.

“You ain’t hurt anywhere else?” he asks, still tight-jawed but his eyes aren’t half as stormy.

“My ass is a lil’ sore.”

He almost snorts, but he smothers it quick, shaking his head as he asks, “What happened?”

Rue gives him the shortened, easy version. She failed to avoid Geraldine in all her running around the saloon, and the bounty hunter took great offense. Rue’s brain took great offense to being pushed down and having a gun drawn on her, and… tackling, gunfire, and face bashing ensued. Followed quickly by a panicked Hal running Rue to Doc Nguyen.

He’s quiet with the knowledge for a moment before he says, a bit baffled and a bit amused, “It’s hard to imagine lil’, ol’ you doin’ any of that.”

“I keep tryin’ to tell ya I’m tough, but you just think I’m dumb and soft and spoiled.”

“’Cause you are.” And he flicks her on the nose. “It sounds like ya just got lucky.”

Rue almost flicks him right back but quickly remembers the absence on his face. She could poke him in there, but what if she poked his brain? …If she angled her head just right, could she see his brain?

“You got somethin’ weird goin’ on in there,” the Ghoul interrupts the line of thought, finger tapping on the left side of her head as he eyes her narrowly. “I can tell.”

“Nah.” Rue rubs her nose. “I’m just thinkin’ you oughta take me more seriously, considerin’ I can kill people with my bare hands.”

“It’s hard to take ya seriously when you don’t take nothin’ seriously,” he says it factually, the hands that fell away slowly coming back. One runs along the swell of her breasts while the other presses into the softness of her left side. “I can be threatenin’ ya physically, and all ya do is bat your eyes up at me and smile like I just told ya you’re the prettiest thing I’ve seen since the world ended.”

Rue’s mind whirlwinds, body shaking in response to such small stimuli. She most certainly bats her eyes up at him. “I’m the prettiest thing you’ve seen since the world ended?”

The Ghoul’s lips wobble, fighting a smile and a laugh that ultimately come tumbling out of him. Rue basks in the sound, the sight, warm and bubbly with it. Her fingers want to trace the curves of his mouth, dance along the line of his jaw. She wants to feel the laughter on her skin….

“Hey, I know ya got a thing ‘bout it, but can I touch ya?” she asks him as suddenly as the urge struck her, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “With my hands? Please?”

Laughter ceases, so do those trailing touches. The Ghoul’s head tilts and those deep-whiskey eyes narrow. His tone is a touch hostile when he asks, “Whatcha mean I got a ‘thing’?”

Rue simply explains, “The times we’ve fooled ‘round, ya tied my hands, so I figured ya don’t like bein’ touched.”

The fingers that press at her side suddenly pinch, and Rue jumps, not quite able to stop the small yelp –though, it is more of surprise than pain. The Ghoul deflects, gaze averting. “Ya not into it or somethin’?”

Rue moves a little closer, head tilting until she’s back in his line of sight. She grins up at him. “Sweetheart, I am into it, but I wanna do some of that sweet, coddlin’ shit.”

The Ghoul glowers at her silently, but that grip at her side eases, turning into a flexing. A tip-tapping. A surprisingly gentle caress that is mirrored on her right side, pulling her flush.

All of these are very good signs, but he still hasn’t given his consent.

“Just a lil’ bit,” Rue pleads, voice like honey, saccharine and smooth. “Unless ya like it, and then I’ll do it lots.”

He clicks his tongue, eyes rolling, and then sighs through his no-nose. “You get too handsy,” he grumbles, “and I’m cuttin’ ‘em off.”

“Fair.” Rue bounces, excited. “Can I kiss ya a bit?”

His petting hands rest firm as his head angles down. “A bit.”

And that’s an invitation if Rue’s ever seen one. She seizes it, her arms wrapping around his neck as she rises to the balls of her feet and seals the distance with a slow kiss that quickly becomes so hungry, so needful, on both their parts. The bounty hunter gets grabby, petting and squeezing, and the sounds Rue makes against and in his mouth earn her a groan from him.

She walks him back, knowing her bed is close, but he turns her around and pushes her back so that she hits the mattress first. Then he’s atop her, pushing her into the mattress and stealing the breath from her lungs with devouring, exploratory kisses. Rue lets him for a minute, responds to every touch; but eventually, she places a hand to his chest. She pushes against him, turning her face; his lips press against her cheek.

“Lemme be sweet to you.”

The Ghoul is quiet. Still.

“C’mon. Ya already agreed.”

His deep-set eyes roll. “I was just tryin’ to getcha in bed.”

“And I’m in bed, but I’m tryin’ to getcha out that duster. And vest. And shirt. And trousers. Boots.” She kisses the corner of his mouth. “Please.”

The gunslinger swears sharply, a yielding, “Goddammit.” He pulls back. “How… what…. Tell me what to do.”

Rue sits up. “Kick those boots off.”

She hears them thump to the floor, and the gloves she bids him to take off soon follow. And then she holds out her hand. “Hat.”

His eyes narrow. “The hat stays on.”

“Hat.”

Slowly, reluctantly, and eyeing her like he wants to slap her in the mouth, the Ghoul removes his hat and puts it at the foot of the bed.

That works just fine for Rue. “Put your gun down there, too.”

He makes a, “tch,” sound but complies.

“Bandolier.”

The Ghoul grumbles, ever grouchier, “I’m surprised y’know the fuckin’ word for it.”

Rue laughs. “We’re goin’ for sweetness, darlin’, remember?”

“Never said I’d be sweet –said you could.” Yet he dumps the bandolier, along with the rest of his accessories, at the foot of the bed. “That good, sweetheart? Or do I-?”

Rue shuts that snatchy tone up with a kiss, a hand touching his face ever so gently and drawing him towards her. “That was so good,” she murmurs, pulling back only to place a quick kiss to his mouth. A second that lingers slightly longer. “Thank ya.” The hand not skimming his jaw presses to his chest, softly guiding him to rest on his back.

The bounty hunter is reluctant to go down, catching himself on his elbows. Rue relents. She can work with this. She doesn’t want to make him too uncomfortable, and she can tell he is. Her touches have him stiffer and stiffer, his body a taught wire ready to snap –but not in that good, tensing way because something’s so sweet it just about hurts. It’s like he’s waiting for something to happen. To hit. To hurt. And that… that makes Rue sad for him.

She knows he must not get a lot of softness from people. Most folks barely tolerate Ghouls from what she’s seen, and it always burns her up. They’re the same people they were before radiation started picking them apart. They’re human. They deserve proper loving. Gentleness. Everyone needs it. Even Rue does despite her inclination towards rougher sex. It has to be tempered by some sugariness from time to time so she doesn’t forget, so she doesn’t harden to stone.

So, she’s patient. Her touches careful and slow so they don’t surprise him. She trails her fingers along the back of his head, his neck. Her other hand ghosts along his collar, dipping down for just the barest of grazes at his chest. She feels all his ridges, craters, and ruination. She shivers.

He shivers, the smallest, loveliest of groans rattling from him.

Rue’s smile is gentle, gaze half-lidded as she reaches for his hand. She takes it in her own and raises it to her face where she leans into it, ghosting her lips along his pulse as his rough fingers skim her face.

Wide-eyed shock. Disbelief. They transform the Ghoul’s face, softening all his hard edges and allowing her to see a different shade of him. Something hidden and soft and so wanting. His mouth parts slightly. Closes. He wets his lips with the tip of his tongue but still says nothing. Rue kisses his palm, nuzzling his open hand. He keeps it there, holding it steady himself, caressing her of his own volition.

“Can I take your duster off?” she asks of him.

The Ghoul nods his assent, allowing her to guide him into a sitting position and remove the tattered thing. She repeats the process with the vest beneath: asking for permission and waiting for consent before removing another layer. And again when she comes to the faded blue and gold of the button-up beneath. She’s particularly slow about removing it –the last of his upper layers. She brushes the fabric down his shoulders, pressing her lips to the newly-revealed skin and unhurriedly pets his chest when he’s fully bared.

Withered but toned. Strong. Lovely. She admires him as she once more directs him onto his back.

He goes all the way down for her this time, back flush with the mattress and head landing upon a thin but good enough pillow. Rue persists with her slow, loving work: petting, kissing, trailing, rubbing, and simply lavishing him. She slowly crawls atop him, sitting back on his lap as she unhooks and discards her brassiere. Then she dips forward, pressing her chest to his, and the sigh that escapes him… it’s hitching, breathless, tailed by a moan.

Rue kisses his neck and mouth, smiling wide when his arms drape around her, drawing her tightly to him. The feel of his skin against hers is pure magic, almost sinful it’s so damn good. She prickles all over, limbs trembling. A soft, breathy sigh of pleasure leaves her lips, feathers against his, and his tongue flits across her mouth to taste it.

The bounty hunter shakes when she pulls back, but she hardly notices. Rue’s too intent on doing all the things she’s desired for what feels like forever. Her fingers press soft to his cheeks, trace his jaw. Her heart absolutely soars when those soft, whiskey eyes flutter and he leans into her touch. When his hands and arms move to pull her flush against him once more. One hand finds the small of her back; the other cradles the back of her head as he turns them on their sides.

He engulfs her, entwining their bodies. Rubbing her, kissing her, like no other has in the entirety of her life. So deep, needful, and longing –as if he’s starving. Like he’s been craving what she has offered all his life, and now that he’s had a taste… well, there’s no stopping what she started.

Rue moves with him, grasping him just as dearly, wrapping herself up in him. She only stops to coax him out of his trousers, and he doesn’t need much prodding at this point. He readily comes out of them and his underwear –he’s insistent in getting her out of her skirt and panties– and then he immediately pulls her back into his embrace with a rough, breathless, “Come back here.”

“I didn’t go nowhere,” she says with soft laughter promptly stolen away by the most fervent French-kissing she’s experienced to date. There’s not an inch of her mouth left untouched. Not a single breath he doesn’t devour.

Rue’s on cloud nine. Fuzzy, dizzy, and drunk on more than just gin. Her whole world is bright, soft, and humming. Singing when those rough hands being so sweet touch her in a similar fashion as to how she touched him. Skimming. Careful. Exploratory. Then threatening her sanity when one hand winds lower to be just a little harsh with her. It’s nirvana combined with the tenderness of everything else, especially when gets to fucking her with his fingers, slow and purposeful.

She reaches for him, feeling him in her hands for the first time. His strong, firm shaft with all its ridges and length. She pumps him experimentally, smiling bright when the Ghoul groans into her neck.

“You’ve got such soft hands,” he tells her, lips dragging along her shoulder. “Such soft everything. Fuck.”

“Told ya the first time ya shoulda let me use ‘em.”

“Hush,” he mumbles against her skin. “You can use ‘em now.”

A panting, teasing, “Ya sure?”

He bites her pulse, not as rough as she has come to expect of him but still enough to make her breath catch in her throat and her toes curl. “All ya do is fuckin’ tease.”

“I do much, much more than that.” She continues to stroke him as she hooks a leg around his waist. Her free hand draws his face from her neck, cupping his cheek and jaw, and pulls him in for sugary, slow, greedy kisses. “I give ya every bit of me, every time. I think I deserve to be a lil’ cute ‘bout it.”

Rue guides him into her –initially. Once he figures out what she’s doing, he handles the rest, pressing slowly into her. Sparks and shivers go up and down Rue’s spine until she’s full to the brim with him.

“Ya fit so good,” she mumbles against his lips, peppering him with small kisses. “I wanna feel you behind my eyes.”

The Ghoul moans into her mouth, an arm wedging beneath the leg she has hooked around him so it rests in the crook of his elbow. He hikes her leg up; he sinks in deeper.

Rue’s entirety lights up, unravels. She gasps and grasps at him, fingernails skimming his neck and the back of his head. His hips pull back, pressing in slow and deep again. She pleads for that –as much of that as he can give her.

“Know I shouldn’t spoil ya, but fuck, when ya ask so sweet….” Another pull back; another slow, dragging, firm press that has Rue whimpering. “Ya got a dangerous mouth, darlin’.”

“Ya got a… a mind-n-numbin’ s-stroke and a drawl –ah, mh, please, please. It’s so good. You’re so good. S…sugar, just the sound of ya makes me wet.” The gunslinger groans; Rue’s eyes roll at another toe-curling push of his hips into hers. “Kiss me more. I –mmhm– I don’t wanna breathe.”

The Ghoul eats her up, his hold on her tightening and his lips melding with hers. Hot and molten. Tongue trailing, consuming every sound and plea and praise. All she can see are stars. Her heartbeat and his growls fill her head. She’s melting slow. She’s spinning on an edge.

“This sweet enough for ya?” the Ghoul asks, lips stilling just long enough for her to pull in a breath of air.

“S-so sweet. You’re l…like honey.”

A chuckle rumbles out of him. It makes her warm and dizzy.

“Lemme ride ya. I can be honey, too.”

“You’re more like caramel.” The bounty hunter flips them, exposing Rue’s back to the mild air and moonglow. She shakily drags herself upright.

“Caramel?” She’s never heard of it.

He nods, hands running roughly up and down her thighs. It’s what you get when ya cook sugar, add some butter and cream to it. It’s sweet and warm.” Those calloused hands travel up, gripping her waist and pulling her forward. Rue gasps and quivers at the circles he rubs into her skin. “It gets stuck in your teeth.”

“Fuck.” Rue’s hips roll without her permission, hooded eyes watching as the Ghoul’s head falls back on the pillows. “Ya make it sound so sexy….” Her eyes trace his throat, intently watching the way it bobs when he swallows thick. Something so simple makes her ludicrously wet, ravenous. She dips forward, pressing her chest to his and kissing her way up the column of his throat, along his jaw. Then she holds his face to kiss him dumb and breathless.

She rides him, doing everything she knows to undo him. Her hips roll or grind. She bounces upon the ridged length of him. She pulls back so she can watch him watch her, to see the fixation of his whiskey eyes as she musses her hair or touches her breasts (she also hits her sweet spot a tick better in the upright position). When he reaches for her, when his rough fingers trail against her pert breasts or rub against her clit, Rue forgets everything. Her name. Who she is. Every awful thing that’s ever happened to her.

There’s only the Ghoul. The feel of him inside her, of his ruined skin along the soft, no-longer so pristineness of hers. The sweep of his eyes, the heat of them. The curve of his lips and the praise and roughness that slip from them. And when his arms loop around her, pulling her flush to his chest, she wants to sink into him. To feel the strength and heat and coarseness until… until she’s really okay again. Not masking or stomping things down into the pit of her.

He makes her feel okay again, and goddammit, she must make sure he feels amazing.

She focuses on his pleasure, on meeting his upward strokes and finding his lips when they are wanting. She listens to the quick hitching of his breath, her name breathed like a prayer. She feels his trembles. Tremors. Quick, unsteady snaps of his hips.

“Come on, sweet, fill me up,” she bids, voice husky. A purr. “I’ll be right there with ya. I’m s-so close.”

“Then take it, darlin’.” His hips drive up hard. He holds her down firm, and for a moment, she swears he’s behind her eyes. And the thumb of his right hand mercilessly rubs her clit. The jolt. The pressure. The pleasure. The deep hit and warmth flooding her core. His growling, rasping praise of, “You’re such a good girl. Takin’ it. Lovin’ it. Show me how much you love it.”

It’s a sucker-punch of divinity. Everything she wants. Everything she needs. Sweet, sharp, hot, and molten. Dragging on, coaxed further, with gentler touches that take absolutely everything out of her. Make her so weak and flimsy that she goes to the bounty hunter’s chest. She’s waves of pleasure. Aftershocks. Starbursts and soda bubbles.

When it subsides, she’s a quivering mess, every particle of her shiny and new and tender. His arms around her are almost too much, but it’s all she wants. So are those lips that press to her hair, speaking her name gently. Laughing at the dumb, drooling puddle of idiot that she is.

“Ya called me a good girl,” she mumbles against the warmth of him, “and I ‘bout blacked out.”

The gunslinger laughs louder, and Rue smiles so bright she could probably light the room. Maybe the planet. Fuck the sun.

“You’re a mess.” But it’s said so fondly, accompanied by the sweep of his hand through her hair before it trails down her jaw. Tips her chin up so that she looks at him. “But you are such a good girl.”

Rue about spasms, whimpering again. Shaking from her head to her toes when a thumb brushes across her bottom lip. She immediately sucks upon it, bringing a soft swear from him. A jump from down below where he’s still sheathed within her.

On unsteady arms, Rue pushes herself back up. She finds her breath and one or two pieces of her sense. She doesn’t need them all, not for this. The goal is for him to be senseless and fucked-out. She wants him to be a quivering puddle beneath her.

“Well, don’t you look serious,” the Ghoul’s tone is teasing, curious, as he pets her. He props himself up just close enough to kiss. “What’s that face about?”

“Shh, darlin’,” Rue says softly, taking his face into her hands and brushing her lips against his. “I ain’t finished takin’ care of you yet.”

[ineedmojoe]

Two more times Ryan described Eddie as straight

We're back! Let me know if I missed any other instances.

9-1-1’s Ryan Guzman on Dancing in His Underwear Like Tom Cruise — November 7, 2024 — Max Gao — TV Guide

If I'm not mistaken, tonight's episode marks the first time that Eddie has explicitly called himself straight, but there are a number of fans who have always seen him differently. You're obviously aware of the fans online who see the romantic potential in Buck and Eddie's relationship. Where do you stand in that conversation? Has that ever been a conscious consideration in your mind?

Guzman: Yeah. Me and Oliver are well-aware of the fandom and where everybody else sees the characters going, and I've seen this as people are going to see what they want to see and they want to believe what they want to believe. I'm not here to say that's right or wrong. I'm very indifferent to it. I love the love, and I've always said that.

For me, I thought it was a beautiful indication, a beautiful opportunity, especially when Buck comes out as bisexual, to showcase to the world a heterosexual man and a bisexual man living or hanging around each other and being best friends, brothers, without anything changing, without any kind of awkwardness or weirdness. Let's showcase to the world how you should treat each other. Your sexuality shouldn't change how you interact with an individual. You should still be able to love them.

And whatever implications other people have on Eddie for why he might be the way they see him, I would say, "Let's revisit that. Let's see that. Let's bring that to the table and talk about it," because I think men should be vulnerable. I think men should be able to be vulnerable, especially with other men, [regardless of] any indication of any sexual preference. So I think Tim and I did have a conversation about this, and I just thought it was an incredible opportunity — especially now, with the state of the world and state of America, it's like: We need this. We need to showcase togetherness and unity and inclusion without it being highlighted so much. It's like, you don't have to go through the spiel of who you are. I already accept you, and I already love you. 

‘9-1-1’ Actor Ryan Guzman On His TV Journey And Living In The Moment — February 12, 2025 — Jeff Conway — Forbes

With fans and social media often speculating the depth of the supportive and sometimes emotional bond between Eddie and Buck on-screen, I was curious if Guzman feels there could be more to this close friendship, and if a romantic turn of events in the script was ever pitched to him, would he be open to it, or does he feel that this would not be the path for Eddie? Guzman said, “I see something very specific. I pull from my own experience. I’ve had plenty of friends - not so much bisexual, but more so homosexual - that I’ve seen them live their lives. I like to advocate the environment of safety and the ability of trust between different sexualities and different individuals. So, I think there’s such a strong storyline within that and the opportunity to showcase to the world - and the now ever-changing environment and with the new political environment we’re in, that there shouldn’t be a division between individuals. I think that comes priority, to be honest, rather than let’s say leading people on into thinking anything else.”

Six times Ryan described Eddie as straight

(Bolding is mine. I’ve highlighted where he’s said Eddie is straight as well as his point that he wants to “dispel” that just because Buck and Eddie are vulnerable with one another, it doesn’t mean Eddie is queer. I also bold where he says that it’s more important to show audiences that Eddie, a straight man and ally, can be friends with a queer man, and it doesn’t affect their friendship or "change the sexuality" of the straight man. I’ll also note that he answered almost every interview question that implied Eddie was queer this way during the end-of-s7 interviews. He seems to only not go into this spiel if the interview question is clearly about Buck and Eddie's platonic relationship. Edit: I want to add that I think the queer Eddie headcanon is totally valid, and I see how people see and write that from various moments in the show. It just seems like they have no plans to go there in canon.) 

9-1-1’ Star Ryan Guzman on Buck & Eddie: ‘It’s Baby Steps Towards Anything & If Anything’ — May 9, 2024 — Meredith Jacobs — Swooon (formerly on TVInsider)

Even before 9-1-1 Season 7, fans have wondered if the drama would eventually pair Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) together romantically. And now, with this season featuring Buck exploring his bisexuality—he’s with former 118 member Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.)—the question does have to be asked if the show could go there with him and his best friend.

“We just got to the point where Buck is having this own personal growth of himself, so it’s like baby steps towards anything and if anything,” Guzman tells TV Insider.

Furthermore, he’s especially enjoying what this arc is “showcasing on national television: a bisexual man coming out to a heterosexual man and having the strength to do such, and then having the heterosexual man giving that man a safe space to be caught in and to be loved and nurtured. I think there’s still an air out there in the world that your sexuality preference determines if you’re weak or not, or determines if you’re capable or not, of being just a good human being, which is such a crazy thing to think about,” Guzman continues. “I love that we get to dispel that ideology and we get to showcase and reflect to the world that your sexual preference has no meaning in friendships and connection. Accept people for who they are, love people for who they are, and let’s keep it pushing. Let’s have fun. Let’s have a great time.”

9-1-1′s Ryan Guzman Reacts to [Spoiler]’s Return and Eddie’s Betrayal: ‘He’s Weaving a Dangerous Web’ — May 9, 2024 — Andy Swift — TVLine

TVLINE | I think I have more appreciation for Eddie this season after watching his friendship with Buck reach a new level. Buck is in such a vulnerable place, and it’s given Eddie a chance to step up and support him. A lot of guys come out and worry that things won’t be the same with their straight friends, but Eddie handled everything perfectly. He’s a true ally, that one.

I just access from my own personal life with friends that have come out to me. I think we were all raised in a generation where men were expected to be hardened and not access our feelings. … You can still be that type of man and be friends with a person who has a completely different sexuality than you. It has nothing to do with you. It doesn’t make his jokes less funny, the time you hang out with him isn’t any weirder or more awkward. If it does, the person who’s feeling that way has something they’re going through that they maybe need to come out to, too.

I would love to reflect onto the world that you should be there for your brother, you know, be there for your sister. If someone comes out to you, handle it with a net of safety and love and just keep it pushing after that. Like, “That must have been hard for you. Now that we’re past that, let’s go enjoy your lives.”

9-1-1’s Ryan Guzman on Eddie’s Shocking New Love Interest and the Consequences He’ll Face — May 10, 2024 — Ashley Bissette Sumerel — Tell-Tale TV

Guzman also discussed Eddie’s reaction to Buck coming out as bisexual earlier this season. 

“[Buck] coming out as a bisexual man to a person who is, not necessarily machismo, but a typical heterosexual individual with all these accolades behind him, that could be very scary for a man like Buck to come out to,” he noted.

However, when Buck reveals to Eddie that he and Tommy had been on a date, Eddie’s reaction is one of acceptance and love.

“Partly why I love that specific scene so much is because it was an opportunity to showcase to the world [that] this is how you handle that situation — that sexual preference doesn’t dictate how we should interact with each other and how I should treat you as a human being. And that doesn’t make me love you any less or think of you any less,” Guzman said.

“It just shows me what you like. I’ve already shown you what I like… and clearly, it’s my dead wife,” he laughed.

“Oliver [Stark] and I are aware that everybody has their own renditions of what Buck and Eddie are to be,” Guzman continued, referring to the hope many fans have that Buck and Eddie will eventually develop a romance.

“We love the love. We love that they’re invested so much into these characters,” Guzman said.

“Everything has to fall in its own truth, and at this moment, I think the beauty and the truth is that a man saw another man in need and was seeing another man be so vulnerable in front of him. And what he did was say, ‘Hey, I got you, brother. Don’t worry.'”

Speaking of the possibility of a Buddie romance, Guzman said that while he didn’t want to speculate, his feeling is that audiences are drawn to the vulnerability between the two characters.

“I can’t read the audience’s mind, and I don’t want to speculate on anything that I don’t know, but I think that people tend to lean on the vulnerability side. That’s something that I’ve always tried to explore in this character specifically because I can relate to it,” he said. “A lot of people feel that just because you’re vulnerable, it means that you’re a certain thing or not. And I’ve always wanted to dispel that a little bit.”

“You can be a very macho man and be vulnerable at the same time, but it’s who you’re vulnerable to. Because vulnerability is a gift. You just don’t share it out to the world. And if you do, you better have strength in that vulnerability and confidence in that vulnerability. It’s gotta be tried and true.”

“So, I think that this is another great opportunity to showcase that men can be vulnerable with each other and allow for that space of growth. And we might’ve met each other at one time in our lives, but it doesn’t mean that we have to hold each other to that point,” Guzman said.

‘9-1-1’ Star Ryan Guzman Breaks Down That Emotional Finale Goodbye — May 30, 2024 — Max Gao — The Hollywood Reporter

Eddie was raised with the toxic masculine ideal that he had to suppress his emotions, and it’s only been through his relationships at the 118 that he has begun to feel more comfortable with expressing his feelings. How do you think Eddie’s upbringing has influenced the kind of person he is in the present day? And as someone who has drawn plenty of parallels between yourself and Eddie, what parts of your own lived experiences have you drawn from?

I pull from a lot of my own personal history. I always had emotions when I was younger. Growing up in Sacramento, it was always frowned upon to have these emotions and even trying to understand them. Actually, I was told that it was homosexual to feel these feelings, and I’m like, “Wait, so having feelings makes me be this kind of person? I don’t understand this.” So it was always something that I never could understand in the setting that I was growing up in.

Now I use that as a conduit to Eddie, because the setting he was growing up in was similar. Coming into this new family of seeing Hen and now Buck being versions of themselves who are living in their truth, it now allows Eddie to live in his truth and see there is new life and new opportunity. He’s allowing himself to be vulnerable and realize, “No, [being vulnerable] doesn’t make me less of a man, and it’s not an indication that my sexuality has to completely change because I feel these emotions. I’m still the same man. I just now have a greater awareness and greater depth of who I am because of these emotions.” This has always been something that I’ve wanted to portray on camera, and having Eddie be the conduit for that has been an incredible opportunity for myself as an actor and as a person. I love the fact that I’m able to show to the world, through Eddie, that having this vulnerability with your brothers or your sisters doesn’t make you anything that the world might throw at you as a title. It just makes you more aware of who you are and gives you an opportunity for some emotional intelligence. 

Ryan Guzman of 9-1-1 — May 20, 2024 — Tommy DiDario — I've Never Said This Before With Tommy DiDario (Podcast)

Tommy (12:46): You can't predict the future. Nobody can on this show. But if the opportunity one day happened to come your way where they were like, "This storyline might be explored between Buck and Eddie," would you be open to that storyline in the future? I see you smiling. Oliver had the same reaction, a big grin on his face when I asked this.

Ryan (13:06): Yeah, you know, like I said, it's got to live in the truth. And I think right now we live at a moment, or me, I live moment to moment. So I love the fact that the biggest plot point between these two characters is one happens to be bi, one happens to be hetero, and they have this vulnerability towards each other. And that is the truth to me. It's the fact that you have such a safe space, and it doesn't matter your sexuality, that you have a safe space to talk to this individual, and he can fully accept you. If we can stay with that, then whatever happens happens. But I don't necessarily want to push the fact that because you're vulnerable, you have to be one way or the other in your sexuality. I would hate to, you know, have a lot of other men who are struggling mentally and not sure about, "Oh, do I even open up? Will that make me something that I'm not?" I would hate to push that narrative. So if we live in the truth, whatever happens happens. And again, I'm here for it all.

9-1-1’s Ryan Guzman Breaks Down Eddie’s Biggest Season 7 Moments: Bachelor Party Hijinks and More — June 10, 2024 — Kat Pettibone — Us Weekly

Whether it be through his military duty, being Latino, his religion or his relationship with Buck — which some fans perceive as romantic — Eddie Diaz is someone who makes viewers feel seen. Playing a character who can connect to so many, Guzman shared, is something he takes seriously.

[Note: Kat Pettibone shared that this is the specific question she asked here: “There are a lot of queer fans who see themselves in Eddie Diaz despite him not being canonically queer himself. How does it feel to play someone who makes people feel seen and represented — in a multitude of ways, but for queer people as well?”]

“I love the ambiguity of Eddie and that there’s connective tissue there — for queer people or not — to relate and to fall in love and to find themselves in who Eddie is,” he said. “I mean, there’s a vulnerability in Eddie, there’s also a chaos in Eddie. There’s so much realness in Eddie. And I love that there’s so many fans out there of all demographics that find themselves in Eddie.”

Guzman said that he hopes to show “the more humane side” of Eddie, highlighting that “within community, we can all heal.”

“That’s what I see the 118 being for Eddie,” he continued. “It’s this therapy, this family, whether you’re lesbian like Hen or you’re bisexual like Buck, it does not matter your sexual orientation. We can all share the same dinner plate and we can all love each other and feel safe enough to say whatever it is we want to say. That’s the kind of world I want to live in. And that’s what I love about Eddie. And the fact that he gets to portray to all these other individuals who are militant and raised Catholic and very hard-edged, to let those boundaries go.”

[tehamelie]

Sex, lies and videotapes (Community 1.5)

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I bought my first mouse! Yes, I've worked and played with PCs daily for 22 years and I've never had to specifically buy a mouse before. So nice to not double and triple click on everything I try to click on. I also managed to move my Community DVD from the standalone DVD player I was duped into buying once so I feel obligated to use it as much as possible, to my DVD drive one step away so now we can do screenshots. Now let's catch up with those crazy college kids.

Community rewatch S1E5: Advanced criminal law

We're introduced to Greendale's most famous alumnus, celebrated actor and "model Puerto Rican American" Luis Guzman. Wait, Puerto Rico is already in the United States. Or maybe you can immigrate since it's a colony or something? I'm just assuming there's something off here since it's the dean talking. With a statue of Guzman and a school song due this week, he assures us "this sure feels like a real college to me!"

Duncan tells Jeff he's into Britta, even though he doesn't remember her name. They, or rather Duncan by himself, comes to a gentleman's agreement to let Jeff "finish striking out with her first." I wish more people were this honest about their intentions cause it feels like it would make some people who deserve to be lonely very lonely people.

Troy introduces the concept of messing with someone to Abed, with some hilarious claims like he's Barack Obama's nephew (we all expected Glover to be related to Hollywood superstar Danny Glover) and he invented the Ferrari. (Ferrari did that.)

Starburns wants to be called Alex; Señor Chang suggests he spends five hours carving that into his face. The Starburns story so far fascinates me. This man with his overly elaborate ostentatious facial hair who only ever interacts with a teacher who, while he has a lot of character and he's almost the only teacher we've been introduced to, is still presumed to be a minor side character like teachers are in students' lives. And we can already see he's tired of being defined by his starburns. (Yet he never shaves them off.)

Chang goes off the deep end when he finds someone's cheat sheet and promises to fail the whole class if no one takes the blame. The stakes have never been, okay I don't think anybody thinks he can do that. The study group has a study group moment where they make it clear all of them suspect everyone else.

Then Pierce asks Annie if she's a musician (since she's on the school song committee) and her immediate response is "Ew, no" which has to be one of the more surreal moments in this entire show. Is it Pierce who offends her, or musicians, or music? Only cartoon villains hate music.

Abed discovers lying is fun if you do it with comedic intent. Really, couldn't anything be funny if you want it to be funny? "This isn't a table. Ha!" might foreshadow the symbolically important role the study room table will come to play.

Come on Jeff, you've never studied anything.

Pierce discovers talking yourself up as an accomplished professional genius musician might lead to people expecting you to compose songs in a reasonable timeframe. It's impossible for me to imagine how people can just make up songs, but I have seen it happen on live streams and it can be done in mere minutes. Pierce immediately going into panic mode when they need it done "this Friday?" would be funny if he was even good, but it's even funnier cause he thinks he's absolutely brilliant.

Over in Spanish class, Britta goes Spartacus to save everyone from the wrath of Señor Chang. That sounds so much funnier than it is if you say it like that. But it gets pretty funny when the whole class instantly bombards her with rolled up papers on command. Britta faces tribunal by the swimming pool which affords Jeff an opportunity to gain some attorney-client privilege, if you know what I mean. (Britta sure does.)

Meanwhile Abed pulls the extremely Autism-relatable move of taking things further than anyone expects or even thought possible. He leads Troy to think he still doesn't get how to mess with people ("Did you hear, all dogs are blue now") and makes bleeping sounds while he takes notes in a script that reminds me of the Zodiac killer's little code messages. It's probably Arabic, right? At least Abed says it's "probably Arabic." (It looks nothing like Arabic.)

So the reason Britta's tribunal is in the bathhouse is so the judges get to use the fancy judges table they just got installed. What kind of swimming competition level does Greendale have? Is this another weirdly competent branch of the school like air conditioner repair we don't ever see?

And Pierce promises Annie to write a song that will make the Devil poop God's pants although from what she sees of his process, or "throbbing cosmic womb of creativity," I'd have doubts. I can't tell if he's faking confidence cause he thinks he can bullshit his way through the job like a real fraud or if he's trying to convince himself he can do it.

"I move this case be thrown out of the pool area." Dang, this episode is full of staggeringly good one-liners. Britta changes her story, catching her lawyer off guard (protip: don't ever do that if you have a real lawyer) and is saved from handing the case to the prosecution only because the trial is interrupted by a splash of water on the judge's table. How fancy is this wood?

And Abed makes Troy think he might possibly be a space alien for real, and It's lucky Abed doesn't know how fantastically naive Troy really is yet or this would be much meaner. And he's not done yet!

(Is Troy just trying to act like he's seen it all because he's not yet sure of himself enough to let out all his childlike wonder and enthusiasm, or did they not have his final character figured out at this point? That seems like a silly question once you see him sucking on a lollipop at the end of this scene.)

Here's a distinct core of raw humanity at the center of the episode that I'm not even sure how to approach. Jeff makes a naked appeal to be Britta's friend and I feel I did really judge him too harshly in previous episodes. ("I just didn't want to take sex off the table* without doing my due diligence.") And Britta tells us she's so used to being worthless and fucking everything up it's comfortingly familiar to her.

There's a moment when every great comedy stops being a comedy. . .oh that was it, now we're going back to the trial with a comical insanity defense. "Do we really want to make it a crime to be crazy at Greendale?"

Cue the first appearance of Leonard, naked in the pool yelling that he's not crazy. He may be my favorite.

Britta is exonerated mainly so Duncan can try to sleep with her under the pretext of giving therapy. You know, there's a point in the third season when we get Sucker Punched and it seems Greendale actually was a creepy old mental hospital all along, well, we'll get there in time.

Troy is really not buying Abed's prank and tells him he's gone way too far. Between shooting a greenscreen video to have a conversation with an identical copy of himself on TV in the darkened Spanish classroom, making a T-shirt with even weirder alien writing on it and a costume for Garrett (hey, first time we get a name for him too), it would seem like too much, wouldn't it. They make a pact of no more pranks, we see their handshake for the first time and everyone's friends. I wish my school experience had been more like this instead of people getting creeped out or angry and shutting me out.

Over to Pierce, who it seems manages to independently invent the tune to "Twinkle twinkle little star" and plays it for several seconds before recognizing it. He gives up and admits to Annie he's no more a songwriter than Billy Joel is. (Billy Joel burn count: 1) It turns out the one song he did write (to sell Hawthorn wipes) was just "She'll be coming round the mountain". But after a pep talk from Annie involving a questionable amount of references to being a teenage girl, even considering she's quoting a speech she was given by her mother verbatim, he comes up with a pretty great song (stolen from Bill Hornsby) and we get a grand closing scene outdoors with the statue and the music (and our heroes talking about how they'll definitely get sued.)

The stinger has a sweet gag where it seems the pranks continue with Abed putting 36 pens in Troy's mouth while he's sleeping, but it turns out he's just zoned out in order not to gag as they are taking turns checking to see how many pens they can fit in their mouths. Good, clean, drooly fun.

Learning fact of the week: Ferrari makes terrible vanity cars that you basically don't buy but spend millions of dollars and sign a contract to live a Ferrari-approved lifestyle that fits their brand to be allowed to lease. Buy Lamborghini instead, if you have that kind of car money.

*And then they eventually have sex on the table! In the episode where someone first calls attention to the table. And the whole subplot with the judge's table too. This is either the best foreshadowing in history or a coincidence using a very common turn of phrase.

[yeah-uh-the-pilot]

I wanna hear more about why you think Ryan Guzman auditioned for Blaine and if he got the roll how do you think it would’ve played out?

Hi!!! So, this is something that just came out of my mouth as a joke when my brother started watching 911.

Because I remember watching this interview Ryan and Oliver did at the beginning of S2, and Ryan said that he never really auditioned for 911, he got the role because he auditioned for another character in another show, that didn’t pan out but he was liked enough to propose Eddie to him.

Which fair.

And because he never said who that character was (afaik at least) that got me wondering about, you know, actors his age and the kind of roles they got - especially within the Ryan Murphy Cinematic Universe.

(Tbf, I think he auditioned for either American Horror Story or American Crime Story. Something like… The Assassination of Gianni Versace)

And because I was joking, it was like… what if he auditioned for Glee? What if he auditioned as Blaine (both Darren Criss and Ryan were born in 1987)??? And it was actually a pretty hilarious conversation because my bro thought Ryan was too old for that and I remember saying ‘dude, he’s actually younger than like… most of the Glee cast, what are you talking about?????’

(My brother was just grappling with the fact he’s getting old)

So it’s not like I believe in this theory but it’s funny to think about.

Also I feel like Ryan would have been hilarious in Glee. I think he would have learned a lot with that cast (let’s face it. Ryan has gotten so much better than he used to be) and he would have been able to dance and sing in the meantime! It’s quite difficult to imagine how the story would have gone with him as Blaine - I don’t think it would have changed much, but love him or hate him Darren was a powerhouse, what with his voice and how he managed to make every single song his (to this day, listening Teenage Dream sung by Katy Perry is kinda weird to me). So I don’t know. I just like to believe he would have had fun. And it’s such a shame he and Naya Rivera will never have the chance to work together.