#bucktommy as a stepping stone

[lemotmo]

Where is the promised romcom?

So I’ve been mulling something over in my head for days now. In one of his cameos/interview Lou said that Tim called him up to play Tommy again and that he would eventually get involved with Buck. He said that Tim wanted to create some kind of a romcom situation for Buck. (Did Tim mention the same thing in an interview somewhere? Or did I just make that up in my head? I’m not sure. I thought he said something in the same vein, but I might be wrong. Not that it’s relevant to this post.)

Well, where is the romcom?

Buck and Tommy basically met in 7x03, exchanged one simple look and then nothing until 7x04 where he spent all of this time obsessing over Eddie having a new friend, only to reveal in the end that he liked Tommy. (Which… really? Even Tommy was all ‘My attention?’ Are you sure about that?) Cue Buck and Tommy kiss. Then in 7x05 they go on a very awkward date. Buck ends up saying something very dumb, so Tommy leaves. In the end he asks him to meet for coffee and they reconcile. (Then Buck proceeds to be dumb again as he asks Tommy to be his date to his sister’s wedding. Which is sooo not a good idea for a second date. But whatever.) I’m sure we’ll see them being cute together at the wedding and there might even be a dance and/or kiss. But it’s all so bland and uninteresting. Where's the chemistry? Where’s the tension?

So again, where is the romcom in this scenario?

Compare it to this:

Buck and Eddie meet in season 2. When Buck sees Eddie for the first time ‘Whatta man’ is playing as introduction music. There is some hostility at first, but they get over it pretty quickly. They become fast best friends that help each other through hardships. They support each other through the lawsuit (which hurts their friendship, but only briefly), the tsunami, the firetruck falling on top of Buck’s leg, the shooting, the Eddie breakdown, different relationships… They are there for each other, through everything. Buck also forms a very tight bond with Eddie’s son: Christopher.

Next to that, they are there for each other on an emotional level. They understand each other better than anyone else. They’re like two peas in a pod.

So basically, they are a unit at this point. Sure, they still see each other as best friends, but that isn’t a problem, because best friends realise they’re in love with each other all the time in romcoms.

This is such a great set up for a romcom. They love each other through and through, but never considered there might be more to it. (Although I still headcanon that Eddie knows exactly how he feels about Buck. He has known since the shooting. But that’s neither here nor there.) Now one of them comes out as bisexual (which again YAY!) and the other will be forced to rethink their relationship. Eddie will see Buck and Tommy together and he will be confronted with them at the wedding. Romcom-wise this could be an excellent opportunity to introduce some feelings of discomfort in Eddie, when he sees them together. Or they could go with the romcom trope of the current ‘boyfriend’ (Even though Tommy isn’t his boyfriend yet. They haven’t even gone out on a second date.) realising that his love interest is completely gone over his best friend and gently remind him of that or make him realise that’s what it is. Or maybe they will reveal to us that Eddie has been aware of his feelings all this time, he just didn’t think he ever stood a chance with Buck.

There are so many ways to go with this scenario. If it’s just bucktommy, there is no real romcom scenario to explore. But if you add Buddie to that story, it just becomes so much more interesting and potentially romcommy (Is that even a word?).

This isn’t saying that Eddie (nor Buck for that matter) doesn’t still have a lot to unpack in his personal life and that everything will be peachy with Buck as soon as they realise they are into each other, but it will set up a great narrative for them to try to ‘hide’ their feelings from each other, telling other people while trying to act ‘normal’ when they’re spending time together. Eddie still thinking bucktommy are together, when in reality they have become just friends. Buck thinking that Eddie would never be interested in him because he is ‘straight’. Endless romcom scenarios to choose from right there.

Finally, I know there has been a rumour going around that Buck won’t be able to afford his loft anymore and he’ll move in with Eddie. It’s just speculation based on a few random facts and observations, but I swear, if we get this scenario? I will ascend! It would be the peak romcom scenario: Two friends moving in together while one of them (or maybe both?) is still possibly in a relationship? I have seen this movie before, many times. And let me tell you… the people forced to co-habit because of outside circumstances? They always end up together.

TLDR, in the end, in a romcom you want the audience to cheer on the couple with the deepest connection and chemistry. The superficial love interest (Which fits Tommy to a T. I mean, what do we even know about the guy? Nothing, only that he is brought in to help Buck out of the closet. What does Buck know about him? Not a lot. He hardly spends time with him before he gets kissed by him.) never turns out to be ‘the one’.

I don’t know guys. All of this just makes so much sense to me. Only time will tell if I’m right (or wrong).

Thoughts?

[bucchus]

a friendly reminder: buck is bi because he's attracted to both men and women and NOT because he has underlying feelings for eddie! hope that helps <3

[daisysmalia]

I don’t wanna sound whiny but I really need people to stop tagging BuckTommy in their buddie spec, please 🙏 I don’t wanna see it in the BuckTommy tag

[fookinstevienicks]

please let me be petty vicariously how are bobs mad

Oliver and Lou are doing a joint interview on Access Hollywood tomorrow. bobs were assuming, based on nothing as usual, that bucktommy were breaking up in the episode then that tweet dropped

and they been going on about "it's not going to last because they're not doing any press together!" SO. this was a shock to their delicate little systems

anyhow, if they were breaking them up by the end of the season, this appearance would most likely not be happening at all. I can't recall anything like it for any prior LI of bucks, even Taylor who was around for a very long time.

some of that is the queer aspect of course, it makes for better ratings, but they would have done press before now if they planned on ending it swiftly, imo. like, coming out and date episode, do the press rounds while you have Lou, then move on to wrap it up. that's not what they did at all

it's a message but not one the b*ddie stans are capable of hearing, just like everything else they've said in press for the last month

[pigeonxp]

if u think the 911 ratings went up bc buck kissed TUMOR and not bc they canonized a theory that had been going on for YEARS by making buck bisexual then honestly youre genuinely dumb idk what else to tell u

[feelbetterlove-books]

Oughhhh okay first of all, I am SO happy to see Bucktommy back on our screens and I WILL be mass reblogging things about them soon, fair warning! I took a bit after the ep to stop jumping up and down about how good it was, but then I came across the subject of this post and so first, to get it out of my system: a rant! It's not about the episode, probably not of any interest to most people, especially Bucktommy fans trying to protect their peace, so feel absolutely free to ignore this, I'll put it under a cut, I just have to get it out. I've been holding my tongue where bobs are concerned for the most part because I don't want to be mean/have a bunch of negativity on my blog/have any of them find and come after me like they're known to do, but idc rn.

So, there's this author I follow on insta, have followed for years, have read a few of her books and had the rest on my tbr. The ones I've read weren't mind-blowing or anything tbh, but for contemporary romances (not my usual genre) I had fun with them. What I really liked about her was that she is so outspoken about all of her books having bi characters: f/f and m/f. Bi4bi m/f, bi woman x straight man, bi woman x lesbian etc. I love to see bi rep and her efforts to make bi characters visible are great, I respected her for it and I found out last season, she's also a 911 fan! A Buck fan! Cool! She ships B*ddi3 but usually idc ship and let ship, I didn't think she was a Bucktommy hater.

That is, until tonight when I went on insta and saw her post. Bee cupcakes as the first pic, I went oh cute, for 911!! But then I scroll through the post and find this bingo card, the more I looked at it, the more I was like 😬 oh so she's a bob, huh? She only cares about Buck and his bisexuality if he's with E**ie? I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but then there's this in her stories (edits by me to highlight what I'm on about):

And I've blocked a LOT of blogs to try and avoid Tommy/Bucktommy hate so getting blindsided by this when I was in such a good mood enjoying our favorite guy's scene sucked. I literally felt sick about it for a while afterwards and I've decided to unfollow her and unhaul the books I own without reading more. It's not the first time I've stopped supporting an artist I was a fan of, granted this reasoning may seem dumb or petty to other people but I just can't get over it, I mean-

You're a romance author with 5 books published, I didn't think it was a stretch to assume you at least had some decent media literacy and appreciation for a good story/a sweet, queer, rom-com inspired ship. But you hate Tommy just because he's in the way of your ship? You champion bi characters, but will hate on the gay boyfriend of one who is breaking stereotypes and making people feel represented because you think his straight best friend would be a better match? Seriously?

And it's not only these two things, I looked her up on tw*tter, which I'm never usually on, but had logged into today to look at Lou's posts, and I found that she follows multiple people who I know to be particularly nasty Tommy haters/bobs. So. Yeah. I'm out of there, I just can't look at her the same anymore, not to be parasocial or whatever but she always seemed cool, I liked her, I wanted to support her work, I HAVE supported her work personally and as someone who works as a bookseller, I've pointed people to her books and sold them.

But now I just have a bad taste in my mouth. There has been SO much hate towards Tommy, Bucktommy, and worse, the real people who ship them, Lou, and even Oliver over the last few months, because it's constantly being stirred up by this kind of B*ddi3 shipper. I would feel sorry for them for how desperate and bitter they are if not for the fact that I simply cannot stand them anymore. They are miserable and determined to make Bucktommy shippers miserable, too.

I just don't get why people can't stay in their fandom lane and leave others alone?? Like, getting mad that Buck's ESTABLISHED BOYFRIEND and E**ie's FRIEND, WHO HE LIKES, was in one (1) scene, when it narratively made sense for him to be there to remind the ga of him, is pathetic. Tommy came to support E at the virtual birthday party of his estranged teenager, and make a heavy scene lighter and you're acting like he's some kind of monster. I can't even, I'm done!

I hope all the bestie boos will start to leave the fandom soon, when Tommy sticks around, because tbh they only care about one thing that's never going to happen and they don't even seem to have fun on their side of the "ship war". They're too busy being nasty all the time, can't talk about their ship without dragging ours down.

Anyway this rant is becoming more generalized than what I planned to say about that person and has already gotten sooo long, so I'm just going to post it to throw all my anger and frustration out there with it and then bury it with happy Bucktommy posts!! If any Bucktommy fan for some reason actually reads this 1. Oof. Sorry! 2. I 💙 you, Bucktommy fans are the best and I'm so glad to be in this fandom despite everything!!

[queerdiazs]

once again you weirdos are too busy complaining that we got canon bi buck with somebody that isn’t eddie to appreciate the fact we got canon bi buck

[thepastneverforgets]

no but honestly. "ill see you around, buck" is literally the last cliffhanger line thats dropped on like chapter six of a ten chapter break-up and make-up fic that ends with an epilogue of them moving into their own place together, and not the loft. and pls is the show just going to go break-up? is this really the end? stereotypical, 'im your first and so we're doomed if i try to be your last' bs???

like yeah buck was showing his impulsiveness again and doubling down, but just communicate! set realistic expectations and boundaries! grow together dammit!

[shaunashipman]

I'm gonna need ppl to properly tag ships on ao3, cause it's starting to feel intentional at this point

[gingerwerk]

So yeah was not aware that toxic bitches are wishing death on Eddie so buck and Tommy can raise Chris?????? Maybe some people should check to see if they have a gas leak in their Josie because what the fuck

[half-oz-eddie]

I’m up early thinking about how fast people went from being cool about Tommy (and Lou) and the first kiss to absolutely hating him and wanting him dead.

At first, seeing the kiss brought everyone together, but also not really. Everyone was excited about the kiss, how it was executed and the fact that Buck was bisexual, but the thing is, many people were excited for completely different reasons.

Some people were excited because they thought Buck was written as bisexual for them. For their ship. To fit into their headcanons.

So at first, they were willing to ride the wave of Buck and Tommy, thinking he was only gonna be around for 4 episodes. They read Lou’s interviews, thought it was great that he improvised the chin grab, and he received a great deal of approval for how gentle he was with Buck. It wasn’t just bucktommy shippers that wanted to interact with Lou on twitter at one point in time.

Then, people started showing interest in Buck and Tommy as a ship and not a stepping stone and bucktommy shippers were being side-eyed like “hey haha wtf are you doing, this is temporary.” There was a lot of disappointment and resentment because people were “closing” on one ship to enjoy a very real and canon ship, and then the ship itself grew to 1,000 fics in a very short period of time and again, people were like “hey haha wtf, can you literally fucking stop? you’re being weird over a 4 episode fling.” and then people were showing Lou a lot of love, booking his Cameos and constantly praising bucktommy as a couple. And once more, people were like “yo, what the FUCK, you’re gonna make them last longer STOP TALKING ABOUT IT.”

So then the heavier resentment began and there was a very nasty shift. It was “bucktommy bones xx episode trust” every week until it wasn’t, and people became angrier and angrier about it.

Some people already didn’t like Tommy, but they were willing to speak on it either privately or not very aggressively until, well, Tommy received a lot of support and was *checks notes* around for too fucking long. And then hundreds of people started being so aggressive about it that some people felt forced to pick a side for sanity.

People were showing interest in Tommy in a way that was upsetting to people because it made him too significant. Like, when people asked for a Tommy begins episode and fatphobic jokes were made in response.

Shippers have been single-handedly blamed for Tommy being around beyond the 4 episodes. A lot of people thought he would simply disappear and Buck would move on to the relationship people believed he was made bisexual for.

I watched this happen and things became more and more uncomfortable with every week that passed until it was insufferable and I deactivated my old twt account and recently made a new one and blocked a bunch of people.

[mintedwitcher]

I want Tommy to stick around. I want Buck to finally have a romantic partner who GETS him, who gets all the insane shit and the risks and the dangers of the job that Buck is crazy enough to love so much, because he has the same job, and he's just as crazy as Buck is about it. I want Tommy to be there through the shitstorm, through the chaos, and finally be a safe place for Buck to land in a romantic sense.

(Bear with me, I'm specifying romantic for a reason.)

I don't want bucktommy to be the "lead in" to Buddie. I don't want Tommy to be the stepping stone between them. I want Buck to have a happy, fulfilling relationship with Tommy for as long as it takes. And if/when it ends, I don't want it to have a single fucking thing to do with Eddie.

If/when Buck and Tommy split up, I want it to be amicable. I want it to be fair and decent and kind, and I want them to stay friends. I want them to still hang out. I want them to keep interacting.

Every single one of Buck's exes walked out of his life and never came back. Abby ghosted him. Ali dumped him right after he broke his leg. Taylor wrote a fucking BOOK about him/the 118. Natalia was such a non-event that we didn't even SEE their breakup.

I want Tommy to break the pattern in more than one way. I want him to stay. I want him to be the one at last to look at Evan Buckley and decide "he's not too much."

And then, later down the line, when Eddie has his awakening, I want to see Buck and Tommy BOTH supporting him through it. And when Eddie and Buck eventually realise their mutual feelings for each other, I want Tommy to be their biggest supporter.

Basically, 911 writers, I want Tommy to be more than a brief LI who vanishes into the ether once his "purpose" is finished, and I do not want buddie piggybacking off kinkley. Give them some fucking space to BREATHE. Give Buck more queer friends. Give Eddie a chance to awaken and get comfortable with himself. Otherwise buddie is going to crash and burn, and the last five seasons of groundwork will have been for nothing.

[hannigramislife]

Me when Tommy first appeared: Omg he kissed Buck!! I knew Buck was bi, and I'm so happy we get to see that!! This is a stepping stone to buddie, I'm so sure! Let's get this over and done with so we can finally get buddie canon after years of waiting!!

Me when bucktommy broke up: If buddie ends up canon after this, I'm gonna do the mature thing and kill myself. If anyone even hints at buddie right now in my mourning period, I'll castrate you. Tommy, get the fuck back here and apologize to your boyfriend or i swear to god I'll learn Muay Thai to kick some sense into you.

[badasscoffeemug]

okay, so, i tried to pull as many interviews as i could to see if i could parse what the original plan for bucktommy was (or if there even was any), and subsequently, if there had been a pivot of any kind. now, we are not privy to any bts talk, and storylines are never set in stone, even from when they've been teased or promoted (henchim friction? hello?) but interviews are really all we have to go off of. so, idk, i compiled some quotes, all bolded emphasis is mine.

i kinda got the impression that it really was supposed to be a 4-episode arc for tommy, after which he would gracefully bow out and leave buck a newly realized single bisexual. for some reason, that changed and they chose to keep him around and extend that storyline (gelled rather well in the story? opening the door for potential future storylines?). except then they had them break up anyway, leaving buck in much the same place he would have been had they called it quits in 7x06, only much more heartbroken (essentially wasting over half a season's worth of buck storyline, except he's sadder now, i guess). but, judge for yourself.

march 28, 2024, TM: Showrunner Tim Minear also teased future episodes for Tommy. “He’s going to be around for a little bit. He’s not going to be a member of the 118 again, but he is going to be involved in some stories.”

april 4, 2024, TM: “I was kind of bored with the hamster wheel of the relationships [Buck] had been in. His story needed a slap. It needed some something fresh. This felt like it could be important to some people, and it felt like it was right for the character.”

OS: “I’ve always had in my head that I wanted a partner for Buck to be someone where it wasn’t easy”

TM: “That’s what I like about this. He’s not siloed off into some love interest story with a character who has nothing to do with the main characters.”

Minear noted that Tommy is currently an important romantic partner for Buck, largely because “it’s sort of the entry-level relationship.” Yet at the same time, he noted that he doesn’t think “anybody’s making wedding plans.”

“It really is a first fling for Buck right now. What that might amount to, only time can tell. But what I’m interested in is not something that’s fraught. I’m interested in something that’s tender and positive”

april 4, 2024, OS: “The focus was on it being important, but also not wanting it to feel like the bravest episode in television. We just wanted to tell a lighthearted love story that happens to be a queer love story.”

april 5, 2024, TM: “[what] I don't want to do is the mistake that I think we've made with some of the other love interests, which is siloing those characters off into their love life and they have no kind of organic connection to the rest of the characters in the story. [...] Going with Tommy allowed us to start to play a story without just inventing a whole new character just for the purpose of being the bi character or the gay character or the male love interest for Buck.”

april 12, 2024, TM: “that moment at the end of the episode where he sits down with Tommy and says, “You said I wasn’t ready. I don’t know what I’m ready for, but I’m ready for something. I’m just sure what that is yet.” But he feels safe with Tommy. So even though he doesn’t know exactly what road he’s stepping onto, he’s willing to roll the dice.”

april 12, 2024, LFJ: "So, it happens in phases. My manager said 9-1-1 called, and I was like, 'Cool.' And then he is like, 'All right, well, they called for an arc.' And I'm like, 'Four episodes? Cool.'

"Given the circumstances, we just kissed. There's something there. We go on a date, and then Eddie happens to show up because there's only one restaurant, I guess, in L.A., and I would totally understand if he was nervous and whatnot." (this quote has nothing to do with my point really i just think it's so fucking funny. this entire interview is so messy.)

"I have no idea," he explained when asked what the future could hold for the duo. "If the writers do choose to extend this storyline and make it into its own thing [...] I'm just as excited as you are to find out."

april 12, 2024, OS: "I just hope he continues down that path and I think we will see him opening up more and more, and being louder and prouder about it. I want to tell real stories where not everything is going to be straightforward, but I don’t want the angst or the trauma to be in these kind of negative troupes that we’ve seen before. I want them to have real world problems that couples or people who are first dating have, but I don’t want it to be rooted in outside people being homophobic or anything like that. Those are stories we have seen and we’ve told, and sure, of course, happen in the real world, but I want to tell a happy story between these people and a real story. They have issues and they have things to deal with, but I just want them to be real world, everyday relationship issues."

april 18, 2024, OS: "we want to tell it in an honest way where not everything is going to be easy and carefree. There are going to be issues, but we also don't want it to feel like it's down or too heavy. We want to tell this queer love story in a very honest way, but also in a very loving way."

"Tarlos is a beautiful relationship," Stark says. "I'm just honored to get to tell a story that can kind of partner up with that and maybe continue with a similar thread."

"I really want to see Buck continue to explore what it is that really speaks to him, and what he's into," Stark says. "He's obviously going to continue down this path with Tommy for now. I don't know what that story is going to end up being, but I would really like for Tommy to stay a part of Buck's life, regardless. He's obviously opened this door for him, and I think it would be really nice if [Tommy] was able to continue to hold [Buck's] hand and could help guide him through this process. As somebody who's a little older and more experienced, to kind of help shepherd Buck into this new phase of understanding who he is."

april 23, 2024, OS: “I really enjoy [Lou]. I really enjoy working with him. I think he’s been a great addition to the show, and I look forward to — assuming Tommy sticks around for a while — continuing to develop that relationship with him on-screen and off-screen.”

may 2, 2024, JLH: "I’m really excited for Buck, because I think he’s a person that has never quite settled into who he is. And if this is who he is, it’s beautiful,” Hewitt said. “I was so happy Maddie felt that way, because that’s how I would feel. And I’m really happy that she’s there for him. In Season 8, the actor hopes Maddie gets to “understand what all that means, be in that with [Buck], and get to know Tommy better.”

may 3, 2024, KC: “I think it was the brilliance of [co-creator] Tim [Minear]. Even introducing the storyline of Buck and Tommy, he said, "I don't want it to be this very special episode of 9-1-1. I'm going to make this a f---ing romantic comedy, man. You won't see it coming. It'll come out of left field." And I think that's the same thing he did with the revelation. There's no sit down, there's no big discussion or talk about it. It's what it would be. This guy has found love fina…. Well, I think love finally.”

may 3, 2024, KC: "When I heard about the storyline, I was super excited. And on a selfish note, I'm really happy because they brought Lou Ferrigno Jr. back. We've become really good friends, as he was in "Hen Begins," "Bobby Begins Again," and of course "Chimney Begins," and we formed a tight personal bond. I think he's a terrific actor, and I think this new dynamic brings this newfound energy into that storyline and into the show, and I'm excited to see how it blossoms."

not dated? post-7x06, KC: “It’s one of my favorite scenes,” Choi says. “It’s a reveal for most of the characters that Buck has found a love interest he’s actually interested in. It’s adorable, it’s cute, it’s perfect, and the audience is going to love it.”

OS: Stark likens Buck’s journey to “a hamster wheel”: “He’s been taking one step forward and two steps back, as is quite typical of being in your late 20s and early 30s, trying to find yourself,” the actor explains. “As we’ve moved into this seventh season, he’s found a way to really discover who he wants to be.”

july 8, 2024: 7x09 deleted scene released

september 9, 2024, TM: “They’re still getting to know each other a little better”

september 11, 2024, TM: Minear says not much time has passed between the events of the season 7 finale and the season 8 premiere, so there haven't been many developments in Buck and Tommy's relationship. "But we see that they're more comfortable together," he explains. "We'd definitely call them a couple. Obviously they're comfortable hanging out with Eddie, but when you couple with somebody, it takes up some of your time, so that also leaves Eddie a little bit out in the cold. Well, not out in the cold, but Buck doesn't have as much free time as he did before, let's put it that way." (yeah so, this barely happened?)

september 20, 2024, OS: “We don’t really have too much of a time jump moving into this season, so the relationship with Tommy is much where it was left off,” explains Stark. “It is in its early stages. They’re still learning and figuring things out about each other and what a relationship might or could look like.”

[bucchus]

tommy is not merely a catalyst for buck's bi awakening – he is a love interest. this is first and foremost A LOVE STORY, not so much a queer story (although, yes, it certainly is an element of it). if you treat bucktommy as just a stepping stone to buddie and invalidate buck's feelings for tommy by saying he is simply confused, i'd argue you have never really cared about bi representation. you just wanted to see YOUR ship sail. sure, you have every right not to like the pairing but being bitchy about it and creating theories that completely trash buck as a character is just not it. do better.

[reyesranch]

I remember someone posted about how if bucktommy never continued past their failed date then they wonder if the hatred for Lou/Tommy would be as bad as it is now and like, I feel like the answer if pretty obvious because people really only started going after him once the ship continued to go on in the show instead of his character being dropped like ppl expected. I feel like I can remember in real time, each week seeing people become increasingly more agitated, upset and angry that Tommy was still there, that he was being mentioned, that he was in another episode and he and Buck didn't break-up like they speculated they would. People seemed to be super chill at first. Like Tommy was supposed to be the "stepping-stone" and they were cool about it because soon enough he'd be gone and boom their ship would happen. Then it didn't and it didn't and it didn't and it didn't and it didn't. Each time people became more and more petty and began trying to dig for shit about the actor, villainizing his character and hyping everyone up into joining the entirely unnecessary hate parade. At some point it's started to sound like Mermaid Man shouting "EVILLLLLLL"