#i doubt that they're setting buck and the new guy up as endgame

[jjs-other-other-blog]

The ship war in the 911 fandom is so much worse than anything I ever experienced on spnblr. Didn't expect to see the day.

[coal15]

My current theories re: Buddie vs Tevan after 7x10 and which ship is "obviously winning" . . . while I would like something definitive and rock solid, I think, because tv shows LOVE to do this, it will depend on which set of shipper goggles you're wearing.

Ex: Buck spends the bulk of the episode supporting Eddie through his crisis, but ends the episode still all cozy with Tommy:

Buddie fans reaction: He could have cared less about Tommy for most of the episode, it was all about his relationship with Eddie and Christopher. He will always ditch Tommy for Eddie because they're in love and s8 will be about them realizing and admitting their feelings! Buddie obvious endgame!

Tevan fans reaction: What kind of person wouldn't drop everything to help their family of 6 years thru a massive crisis?! And Buck was still all heart-eyes at Tommy, even if their scenes were brief. Nothing hinted at a break up. They're fine and will be further developed/deepened in s8 when we have a full 18 episodes to work with. Tevan obvious endgame!

Ahem. I guess we'll see where my opinion falls after the end credits roll (and also reading interviews over the next few days)

Meanwhile, some stray theories I've seen floating around:

Tommy getting all butthurt or pissed about Eddie's stuff taking up most of Buck's attention, which I guess is possible but I highly doubt it. He's an adult and probably realizes Eddie simply needs more of Bucks attention atm. And as a boyfriend(?) of a few months(?) he has no right to expect first priority status in that situation. I'll be surprised if this is what happens.

There's also the "Tommy flat out tells Buck he has romantic feelings for Eddie" theory. Then there's "either Buck, Eddie, or both realize their romantic feelings, this made clear though flim/acting/soundtrack choices. But nothing is said out loud so Buck does still end the season dating Tommy. Doomed but still together. Which would annoy me like crazy, but hey. TV. Sometimes it's a hellscape out here.

As far as Eddie feeling isolated I've seen "Buck tells Eddie I'm sorry but this is something I can't fix for you, only you can figure yourself out," I've seen "Eddie realizes he's in love with Buck but can't say anything because he thinks Buck is happy with Tommy and doesn't want to ruin that, so he withdraws instead" and I've seen "given the religious motif in Eddie's storyline in s7 and the fact that his worst decisions almost always revolve around trying to find the right woman cuz that's what he's 'supposed to do,' he wonders if maybe that's not the life he's meant for. He turns to God in his isolation and wonders if perhaps he's meant for the clergy." (I gotta admit it would be interesting to see Eddie become a Firehouse Chaplain)

When asked about Eddie's s8 storyline Ryan said something about him 'adjusting to a whole new lifestyle' (or something to that effect) which could easily be a gay realization and coming out arc (which would most likely but not necessarily mean buddie endgame). Or, if he has decided to join the clergy, wildly transforming his relationship with God and perception of his role in society. Both options are pretty drastic, interesting changes. The 'gay realization' thing wouldn't be such a huge change if Eddie came from a different history/background. Coming out would be harder and more traumatic for him than it was for Buck, who pretty much just had to incorporate an awareness of liking guys into his perception of self, then life went on.

I can see this season ending a lot of different ways for Eddie, Buck, and Tommy, both as individuals and parts of a ship. (also, totally unrelated to buddie or tevan I can't wait to find out what this season's big cliffhanger is going to be. Is it about Henren? Madney? Bathena? Any of the individual characters? A new huge disaster?) **pins and needles**