#i know we already had a positive coming out storyline with buck but who says we can‘t have two

[beep-beep-robin]

eddie feelings realization scene where he just breaks down and it looks bad and - oh fuck -

but it turns out he‘s actually breaking down because he finally figured it out. he finally realized what had always felt a bit off, what was always missing from not only his love life, but his view of himself as a person. he finally feels a bit more whole. he gets it, gets himself a bit more now.

and what if chris is there, and he thinks eddie‘s having a bad, bad breakdown again, and he calls buck. and of course, buck comes over as fast as he can - and to his surprise, when he gently touches eddie‘s shoulder to get his attention as to not scare him with his sudden presence, and eddie looks up at him, he doesn‘t look like he‘s devastated. sure, he looks quite rattled, but - the main thing buck can read on his face is relief. relief, hopefulness, and a bit of something else?

[lover-of-mine]

it’s so interesting that with previous love interests, it was normal and fine to not ship them and to still want buddie in the future, but now, we have to sit down and shut up and accept that it’s never happening and B/T are forever

oh no wait, it’s not interesting, it’s annoying and confusing and frankly just weird. misogynistic and borderline fetishistic

shipping non-canon couples, especially ones with 6 years of history and love and shared experiences, is the norm in literally every fandom, but now suddenly it’s wrong and how dare we

a fair few of the people saying this are also, conveniently, the ones implying that B’s bisexuality is tied to T and T alone and if we don’t ship them, we don’t support bi!B

how. very. interesting! /annoying/confusing/weird

So interesting. Dude, I got called homophobic because I didn't immediately look at them in 703 and decided they were true love. In 703. Because I didn't look at the shoulder touch and immediately started shipping them. Homophobic with all the letters. I got yelled at. After 703. Legit almost deleted this whole blog over some of the things that got sent. I was legitimately crying with friends who are not in the fandom if I was being unreasonable or insane or whatever else I got called for not jumping in instantly and to ask if I was actually doing something wrong. People were saying we were being weird about queer storylines. That we needed to shut the fuck up and enjoy the way Oliver Stark was gonna make out with a hot guy. That not being on board the ship meant that we had an unreasonable and ridiculous necessity of making sure Eddie was the only guy for Buck. Literally every single person in this fandom hc Buck 1.0 also hooked up with guys. Most people never acted as if Buck needs to be guided through his queerness by this hot older guy. Oh, wait, no, they did. With T. People automatically decided that Buck needed a queer Yoda. That he needed someone to hold his hand and be a guide. They added a fucked up power dynamic from the get go. With no information, Buck was already a baby that needed his hand held through his own sexuality. And let me tell you one thing, I know for a FACT that if it was Eddie, the automatic reaction wouldn't be putting T in this idealized experienced gay guide position when that would've made more sense (not that I think any of them needs a guide) because Eddie is the one with the body count you can count with one hand and a weird relationship with sex. But somehow I'm the one who's weird about Buck's sexuality. I don't want Buck to explore. I need Buck to only have loved Eddie. Sure. Look, I don't wanna multiship. The same way everyone is allowed to ship whatever the fuck they want, I'm allowed to not ship whatever the fuck I want. If it was a woman no one would've been in my inbox basically demanding I make the same level of analysis I make for buddie for them (let me tell you one thing too, if I made the level of analysis I do with buddie with bt, no one would like what I have to say ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯) but I'm still getting asked for it for some reason when I never indicated I ship the two.

But I'm not allowed to have any critical thoughts about anything involving bt or else I'm being weird and that's the mild term that's being used. I can't point out the fact that T left Buck in a curb and failed to communicate shit properly even though it happened in canon. I can't say that I think it felt kinda callous for him to say "they had henleys in the 80s" to Buck being upset T didn't dress on theme (also, the job requires them to change into a uniform by nature, he could've put a colorful shirt and indulged Buck a little bit there without it interfering with the way he was on standby but I can't say that or else I'm a hater). There is no criticism allowed in the ship but somehow I'm the one being weird. I don't think Buck should be in a relationship. I think Buck is still exhibiting the same patterns when it comes to love interests. And yes, I would feel the same way if it was Eddie. Buck doesn't know how to be happy alone and he will never be happy in a relationship until he learns that. I was saying that when it was Natalia and getting praised for my understanding of Buck's character. Now I'm locking Buck onto Eddie. Buck's bisexuality is only valid if he's actively kissing a guy for some people but I'm the one being weird. BT have so many visual parallels to bucktaylor, but if I say that's a bad sign I'm being a hater. I need to sit my ass down, ignore six seasons of buildup, accept that it's over, and that now making Eddie queer and getting buddie together would suck because it would destroy the friendship they built so bt are endgame and gonna get married and somehow I'm the one who's being weird about queer relationships and attaching Buck bisexuality to a person. The fandom lost its fucking mind when they saw Oliver kiss a guy and, yeah, it does feel misogynistic and borderline fetishizing. But somehow I'm the one getting blocked by half the fandom when I'm not even pointing everything I want out. I lose at least one mutual every time I even suggest maybe we should look at things a bit more critically. I have to sit here and justify things to an insane degree while people's reaction to any of the criticism is "uH BuT T Is hOt aNd hE Is a gUy sO It iS DiFfErEnT oKaY?" Critical thinking skills went out the window because now there's a guy involved and that's fucking weird. People are straight up erasing Eddie, the actual main character of the show, Buck's established partner of years, Buck's best friend, the only person in canon who never left Buck in any capacity, because some guy kissed Buck and, he, uh *check notes* treats Buck as an actual human being? so that means he's perfect. It's nuts. The bar is hell.

Yes, I know this is not everyone in the fandom and I know this is not everyone who ships them but if what I'm saying feels like a personal attack to you maybe you should do some thinking. Anyone can ship anything, you want to ship them go off, power to you, the weird part here is the way some people are demanding other people ship it too. We could all be coexisting if people didn't get weirdly comfortable demanding shit from other people in the fandom and deciding their opinion is the only one that matters so they need to call out anyone who thinks differently, but alas, that's too much to ask.

[buddiebeginz]

Guys don’t let spoilers for new eps rattle you. We’re closer to Buddie now than we have ever been. Just have to let the story play out.

Remember these things:

They’re not really pushing B/T in the press they’re doing for the show. Like sure they’ve talked about them but go read all the articles and watch the interviews T*mmy is being talked about more as a mentor figure for Buck and not a long term love interest.

The show has very deliberately connected Buck’s bi awakening including B/T to Eddie and compared T*mmy to Eddie.

They’ve literally with dialogue pointed out Buck wanted Eddie’s attention twice (once when Buck was talking to Maddie after the game and once when T*mmy says “my attention” a clear indication he knew Buck wanted Eddie’s attention).

They’ve full on paralleled B/T scenes and Buddie scenes (call Eddie/call T*mmy)

Buck was talking about how great Eddie is moments before T*mmy kissed him.

Eddie was the character they chose to have crash Buck’s first date with a guy. They chose to have it be where Eddie announces that Marisol is moving in and after the date was over and ended badly the main thing Buck focused on wasn’t T*mmy it was the fact he lied to Eddie.

They’ve made it a point to say in interviews that Buck isn’t going to be having any more one on one coming out scenes this season. Yet they had both of Buck’s important coming out scenes involve Eddie. Buck ends up coming out to Maddie because he’s talking about the date and how he’s upset he lied to Eddie. They also had some very deliberate dialogue when Maddie said “I just think maybe you’re not sure of your own feelings yet. And if there’s something you need to tell Eddie you will. In your own time.”

They devoted a whole intense scene to Buck coming out to Eddie including with a hug.

They keep promoting Buddie in interviews and the press and almost all of the promo videos and pics this season have included them. They’ve also had Ryan and Oliver front and center during the press early on and both seem excited about Buddie’s storyline together this season.

They’ve even made Maddie and Chim’s wedding about Buddie to a large degree. All the promos for it are 98% Buddie. They’re also wearing a couples costume, partying with drag queens, and being more physically close than we’ve ever seen them be. Remember this is also happening at an event we saw Buck invite T*mmy to and we know Eddie has a gf who should presumably be his +1.

Marisol has barely been in this season. We don’t really know her as a person or even her last name. We don’t even know how a relationship between her and Eddie functions because we’ve barely seen them together. The one ep Marisol was heavily featured in the show treated her more like a punchline than a fully fleshed out character and certainly not like a long term love interest to a main character.

They’ve already had Eddie talking about how he’s a nester this season. But they also had a very emotional scene where Chris talks about Shannon and how everyone leaves. Eddie having Marisol move in with him so quick (even if she did move back out) just proves he’s repeating old patterns. He’s looking to replace Shannon in his life and for Chris. Instead of looking at what he has and what he wants.

Also remember that Ryan was included with all the other cast members who play queer characters on that episode of Family Feud that’s likely to air during pride month.

I know a lot of people are nervous about what the show is going to do with Buddie but remember there is more incentive for them to make Buddie canon now than ever before. They’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback especially in the press from Buck’s bi storyline. Tim and Ryan and Oliver and the rest know how much people want to see Buddie happen and how much attention they will garner the show when it does. They’re in the perfect position to finally move these characters in that direction and I think they are slowly and steadily. We just have to be patient. We’re likely to have parts of the story suck as we get closer to Buddie but it will be worth it in the end.

[kinardsevan]

so I’ve been thinking about this for like two days now, and I’m gonna say it. 

I’m fucking bothered. The amount of crap going around right now into relation of Tommy as a character and the rhetoric it’s being equated to is infuriating. Now personally, I try not to speak on things I can’t chiefly relate to (i.e., I’m not a gay male firefighter, so I won’t speak on the reality of living that life), however, I’m highly concerned about the attitude people are giving off in relation to the way that Tommy is undeserving of a redeption arc/is an asshole because of who he was in the past. 

First of all, I want to remind those who would actually take the time to read this: he’s a television character, and in no way does that put Lou in the position of being deserving of any vitriol for the shit he’s had to put up with. Or has it already been so long that we’ve forgotten about the shit Isabel Gillies was put through when Elliot Stabler returned to L&O:SVU (a whopping 5 years ago)? To that end, these actors are just earning a paycheck. They don’t deserve the abuse spewed at them any more than any person who works in retail or food service does because someone makes a small mistake on your bad day.

Further though, I’m concerned by the attitude that there is hatred spewed towards the character of Tommy because of who he WAS. I find it highly unlikely that there’s a single person on this planet that hasn’t forgiven at least one person in their life for some shitty thing they did in the past. To that end: we clearly have seen based off the way s7 went that Hen and Chimney made that choice at some point. Does it excuse previous behavior? No. I don’t know that when you forgive someone that excusing bad behavior is the intention. However, you give them room to grow and flourish. To that end, the arc that Lou has been given for Tommy is clearly within those lines. 

None of this is to say that what the character of Tommy did was okay or acceptable. However, I’d venture to guess that if we’d never seen the recurrence of Tommy Kinard on the show in s7 (and most likely s8), no one would bat an eyelash at the mention of his character, because in terms of how his storyline was wrapped up in s2, things are left on good terms. However, because he’s now Buck’s love interest for the moment and possibly forseable future, he’s got all kinds of problems. He has all kinds of toxic behavior. Nevermind the fact that this rhetoric comes from the same people who fail to also concede that Eddie, the preferred option as a LI for Buck for a large crowd, also has his own toxic behaviors. Hell, he even has his own toxic behaviors towards Buck. But you don’t see those who appreciate Tommy as a character pointing fingers at those issues. 

If you want to call me toxic because I’m not afraid to point all of this out, so be it. It is canonically unfair to tell someone that they are a toxic person because of who they used to be, and not the person they are today. The attitude towards “Tommy blame Gerrard for his behavior”, as though the character is supposed to resolve every issue he previously created with other characters in the limited screen time he was given, given the contract extension. Although, something tells me that even if Tim & Co had put the effort into making the scenes all about that instead of devoting it to the point of his character development (Buck and Tommy’s relationship), people would still find something to complain about. 

I’m not saying you have to like Tommy with Buck. I’m not even saying you have to like Tommy, period. But it’s arguable to say that if you’re going to decide not to like him, first, Lou is not the person to blame (someone else very well could’ve played the character and yall would be doing the same thing). And second, maybe find some realistic reasoning behind not liking him other than the fact that it makes Evan unavailable to chase after Eddie (because some people clearly aren’t prepared for that discussion). 

~

[buckevantommy]

imho it actually would not be worth it to bring back gerrard if they hadn't already brought back (gay) tommy and let buck discover his bisexuality. bc chim and hen already had their gerrard arcs in their begins episodes (arguably hen more than chim, but that's by the by) whereas tommy never did, and buck obviously hasn't dealt with him before.

i mean, yes the current 118 main cast is made up of minorities (bar bobby) but without the tommy link i think bringing gerrard back would've felt like a hollow threat, especially if they hadn't given us bi!buck. yes there's still eddie and ravi, but with tommy we get a minority who endured gerrard the longest but never confronted him. even at the award ceremony chim got his licks in while tommy was stiff and wordless (when it came to defending himself) and he was so constrained during the ceremony and aftermath.

i know he's not a main character and he won't be working under gerrard's rule, but tommy has arguably the most unresolved trauma with the guy which should mean he'll have a significant role in the whole gerrard drama. plus the fact that his boyfriend is a main and a newly realised minority (whether gerrard knows it yet or not) adds even more intrigue to the whole shifted dynamic.

i am curious to see how hen and chim deal will with gerrard - will hen be obstinate and headstrong going against orders? will chim be hilariously and bravely snarky? and also: how will ravi react? what kind of headspace will eddie be in and how will that affect his behaviour? will bobby be working alongside his team but not as captain, or will he be out of a job temporarily, or will he be working at a different house for the timebeing?

and what about staunch ally buck - will he shove himself in the closet (maybe at the suggestion of others, particularly tommy even though he hated saying it)? will he butt heads with gerrard at every turn making himself a target anyway?

but i keep coming back to tommy, the og of all the 118 ogs, and how gerrard's return will affect him not just bc the guy is captaining his friends and his boyfriend but the fact that he's back at all, that he continues to hold a position of power despite his too-long bigoted reign of terror at the 118. tommy's storyline in regards to gerrard's return is the one with the most meat on the bone and i am hungry for it.

[sevensoulmates]

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on Tim saying in that recent interview that the choice to bring Marisol/Edy back was Ryan’s. We’ve seen how deeply Ryan understands Eddie, so I’m wondering why he specifically wanted that character back who has less than zero chemistry.

Mmm. Well, there's been a lot of talk going around about storylines being switched up. Apparently, both Buck AND Eddie were in talks for this coming out storyline (which--I'm still mind blown that this is info we even know). So obviously, there had to have been SOME conversations with Ryan about it.

It seemed to me like Tim's original plan was Natalia because he said he wanted to do something with her (not necessarily keep her around for a while, but give them an ending story arc). When the actress declined to come back, I think his second plan of action was Lucy. Okay, Lucy comes back and what? They explore a relationship? Idk. But when the actress ALSO couldn't come back and Tim was looking for someone else, I think the idea of bringing Tommy back led to a question for Tim: do I have him with Eddie or Buck?

Tim also says in the latest interview that he couldn't just have both of Buck and Eddie's love interests fizzle out over the hiatus, which says to me that Tim probably wasn't all that interested in Marisol either. I think that if Natalia had stayed as originally planned, Marisol would've been the one written out.

Lou said that from his first call with Tim, he was aware that his character was going to be gay and getting with one of their two main single men. I think that probably their earliest conversations was about him being with Eddie. And if Tim was talking to Lou about Eddie, I'm nearly positive the conversations had already happened with Ryan.

I think that the original plan from Tim was to have Eddie's arc this season be getting with a man, Buck's being with Natalia, and maybe having Lucy come in to once again throw in a wrench. But no Natalia led to Lucy possibly being his main LI. But no Lucy meant that now Tim was in a lurch with Buck. What can he do with him? Well, if the plan was always to get Buddie together eventually, and to have both characters have a coming-out arc at some point, they can do a switcheroo.

I think most likely Ryan suggested Marisol because he was aware that they were in a lurch for Buck, and probably because he felt the storyline fit better into Buck's story at the moment than Eddie's.

Tommy can get with Buck, and have Buck be the one to realize he's queer first. It makes sense because while Buck may be oblivious to his own feelings, he's not repressed like Eddie.

We still have Marisol around so we can use her as a backup and as a vehicle to have Eddie continue to deconstruct his compulsory heterosexuality, which in the end, Ryan probably realized was a story that needed to take its time to be scrutinized and handled well. He's aware that all of his past love interests (Ana and Marisol) have been "filler" in his words. He probably wanted to suggest that Marisol finally be given a bit more so that Eddie can actually LEARN something from these relationships instead of just the unending cycle of date random woman -> break up with random woman, ya know?

So, to answer your question, no. I don't think Ryan specifically asked for Marisol to come back because he particularly loved the character and wanted her around in his storyline. I think he recognized that there was somewhere his character could go with Marisol that would be interesting and fit his character arc and so he suggested it and Tim agreed.

[lemotmo]

I actually think Tommy/Lou has more chemistry with Eddie/Ryan than Buck/Oliver. I wonder if the chemistry test was done with Ryan since that was the original plan and the actress fell through after everything so they just swapped Eddie for Buck and left everything else the same. Having said that though it's hard to match Oliver's spark, which is why none of the other love interests have worked. Ryan is pretty much the only one who has been able to go toe to toe with him chemistry wise. The same goes for Ryan. Yes he had good chemistry with Devon but still nowhere near the level of Oliver. It's why they're in the position they're in. No one else is going to come close. It doesn't help that Oliver has made it very clear he doesn't want anyone else. I think Ryan can still go either way but I think he also knows it's the best story possibility and the one that makes the most, boarding on only, sense. I also just think they genuinely like one another and enjoy the give and take.

Hi Nonny!

I can't really say if Tommy has more chemistry with Eddie, because we haven't seen them together all that much after that one episode.

But I can't tell you how happy I am that they went with Buck's sexuality story first, before Eddie's. I don't see the spark between Buck and Tommy at all, but at least Buck is the kind of guy to go with the flow. He's infatuated right now. He'll have his thing with Tommy and when it will eventually end, he'll be hurt, but he'll still be okay and probably relieved, like he was after Taylor.

Eddie is a whole other story. To have his first queer romance with someone like Tommy? No. Eddie needs someone with oodles of patience and understanding. That is decidedly not Tommy. You know who is already in his life and knows him like no other? Buck. I also think Eddie's first queer romance should be his last. Meaning: Buck. I don't see Eddie dating around or sleeping around. Not everyone likes sleeping around. There is nothing wrong with that, but Eddie is not that guy. He will realise he has fallen for Buck and that will be that. There will be no one else for him.

And yeah, the chemistry Buck and Eddie (and Oliver and Ryan) have is unmatched by anyone. That's why I'm quite sure the show will go there in season 8. They wouldn't want to waste the opportunity to use that chemistry to lure in more viewers and to hype up one of the biggest fanbases of their show.

Oliver wants it to happen badly. He still hasn't awknowledged BT in any way outside of that one single interview. But he kept awknowledging Buddie through his social media, right up until after the finale.

And don't underestimate Ryan. I really think he is all in here. If that one 'insider' is right, he has known Eddie is queer for quite some time now, but ultimately Fox kept on blocking his story. This time he has the green light and he wants to do it right. He knows how important this storyline is to viewers.

I for one am sat. I'm so curious how all of this is going to play out in season 8.

[mischiefbuckley]

I want to see Eddie’s sisters on the show. I need to see this man who we have seen time and time again be an adoring and loving father to his son show us how protective and caring he is towards his sisters and especially with the dynamic of how they grew up with the parents they had as well like it would be very interesting to see say if there was an Eddie Begins Again/Eddie centric episode in season 8 to see how that plays into Eddie’s childhood and again the whole Mexican Catholic religious background he had growing up and how that’s affected his life time and time again from feeling forced into a marriage because he found out his girlfriend is pregnant and that was the right thing to do, but later signing up for the military because again he is the man of the house and is suppose to provide for his family, so he’s mirroring what he has seen growing up with his father never being present and always working.

When he does come back after the end of his first tour he’s met with medical debt in the form of his son Christopher being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, so again what does he do he signs up for another tour, so he is able to take care of the bills and make sure Shannon stays at home and takes care of Christopher because that’s the role his mom had when he was growing up, again mirroring his childhood experiences being that both him and Shannon were young parents and Eddie didn’t know any better. When he does come back after he’s awarded the silver star, he has trouble assimilating back to what his life is suppose to be. He’s suppose to be the supporting husband to his wife and kid and on top of still having his parents never thinking he is doing enough as the man of his own family now. When Shannon leaves him to go take care of her mom, his family immediately blames her for everything and tries to take advantage of the situation of Eddie being busy and trying to provide for his son by working 3 different jobs while also keep in mind already thinking of the future and he had been looking at other cities to move to because again he didn’t want his son being raised in the type of environment he was raised in. He got offers from Chicago and LA, but ultimately he ended up choosing LA and started his probationary year at the LAFD at station 118. And throughout his journey on the show we have seen him time and time again not only adjust to his new life now that’s he’s living in Los Angeles, but he has a positive support system around him including a new best friend who he can rely on and they have each others backs no matter what.

And when we get to season 5 where he’s going to therapy and talking about his past trauma and ptsd from being in the military and we see him be vulnerable and we see him as he has his mental breakdown after he finds out that the people he saved back in Afghanistan have all died, he’s at a lost for words and doesn’t know how to handle that pain so he completely loses it and the one person that comes to his rescue and supports him through everything is Buck. So it will be very interesting to see now with how season 8 pans out how they will tackle the whole catholic storyline if Eddie is going back to church now that he’s all alone and can’t really rely on his primary role of being a father because he’s son is away and for the first time in his life he is completely alone with all his emotions. It will again be very interesting to see what different storylines they have planned out for him, but even with the interview today that was released where Tim mentions that he’s even isolated in a sense from Buck with him being in a relationship and his time outside of work being limited on when they can hangout and it sounded like Eddie would be third wheeling so it will be something to watch with everything else he has going on if they are going down with the catholic guilt storyline with him coming to terms with his sexuality

[bucchus]

Honestly it just feels like 911 has been going in circles for a while now. During season 5 i was already kinda getting bored and frustrated with some aspects of it so i only watched season 6 sporadically when they then moved to abc i was like I’ll give it another chance… liked the opening disaster and was then positively surprised by bi buck. But looking at the show now… literally every character seems to be in the exact same place they were years ago there is nothing really new happening anymore i feel like I’ve been watching the exact same storylines over and over again. There are hardly any new faces popping in that could freshen it up and if they do the side characters are gone again after a few episodes. Bobby and Athene have communication problems every season and Athena is a cop that gets some copaganda shit to do. Henren always have drama when it comes to expanding their family and hen‘s job. Chim never has a storyline outside of his wife and maddy is only needed when something regarding abuse pops up. Buck just recycles through wanting to find love and being dumped (now with the addition of male love interests but they still can’t even say his sexuality on camera) and Eddie is still finding himself and trying to heal. It‘s getting so repetitive i kind of wish they will end the show after season 8 because it seems to be getting worse and worse.

i agree mostly. i think tim really meant it when he said characters shouldn't change. i just took it to mean that their core characteristics should be kept intact while still growing into better versions of themselves. it's weird that tim seems to have forgotten about that part. recycling the same issues over and over doesn't make for good storytelling, imo—it just gets boring. the outcome is always the same—it seems like a given character has finally found the answer or made peace with themselves, only to circle back a season or two later. it's exhausting.

that said, it does remind me of real life in a way. people often think they've learned a lesson, only to end up repeating the same patterns over and over again. it takes tremendous self-discipline to change how we approach things, since we tend to stick with what feels most comfortable. so, in a way, i get why some of these characters fall back into the same habits—it's realistic. but here's where this argument falls short—as oliver likes to point out, this show is not a documentary. it doesn't have to reflect real life 1:1. honestly, who wants to watch characters constantly go in circles? it may work for a little while, but there comes a point where you have to know when to stop. i think buck's had enough failed relationships to have learned how to navigate or fight for one. i think bobby and athena have had enough conversations about difficult topics to understand that it's better to approach the situation in a healthier manner.

i'm not saying these problems need to disappear completely. i'm saying that it'd be nice to see the impact of the previous situations on the current one, with a character actually drawing from past experiences and trying to do better. it doesn't mean the character has to suddenly be perfect in that aspect—just that they're clearly trying. it'd be enough, and i think it would make for some compelling storylines. and once that's done, why not introduce some new challenges? why stick to the same tried-and-true approach? sure, it worked in the past, but that absolutely does not mean it's still the best option moving forward.

and don't get me even started on henren—or on CHIMNEY. who's chimney outside of being maddie's husband, jee's father and a paramedic? because i don't think even the writers know. that's why he's missing for like six episodes in season 5. maddie's gone, and suddenly no one knows what to do with him anymore, so they just write him off.

and when it so happens that chimney, maddie, eddie do get individual storylines, they’re always tied to the same past we’ve already revisited a thousand times. i get that it’s part of who they are, obviously, but is that really all there is to those characters? how about creating something new for them to go through and then exploring the repercussions of that instead? not just pretending the arc is over and leaving the consequences behind? seriously, is it really that hard?

[extasiswings]

I've been managing my expectations but I have to say I'm really excited for 6B. Most of the characters are facing serious tension. Subtext and themes have been consistent (couches and chairs, donor vs. dad). And now, because of Eddie's loud-and-clear evasion of the donor topic, we know that things between him and Buck have to come to a head. It's looking good! The fandom negativity is wildly out of proportion IMO.

I completely agree. The thing is, I am an impatient bitch and I definitely get frustrated when I feel like things aren't moving fast enough or going exactly how I want, but I also recognize that is a personal problem about me and doesn't necessarily translate to a valid criticism of the show. I do have some minor gripes with some of the pacing choices this season (mainly re: the sperm donor arc), but even with that I can understand why they might have done certain things the way they have.

With that arc in particular, it's a process that in itself takes time--weeks to do all the screenings and whatnot to get to the point of donation, weeks to do fertilization and implantation, still more weeks to find out if the process has taken and there's a viable pregnancy in process, so that's months of time right there without even getting to the actual 9-months of pregnancy. So in that sense, the on-again-off-again nature of how the storyline is playing out isn't that strange, it's just that audiences have gotten used to (especially in the era of bingewatching), focusing on one arc at a time/expecting that as soon as something is introduced it will be consistently emphasized until resolved. Could they have written it differently and had Buck not go through with it for one reason or another and proceeded from there? Sure. But that would have been a totally different story (and not necessarily better, we have no way of saying that one way or another, but different)--they are explicitly using this arc as part of Buck's journey of self-discovery, and a major piece of that is the level of regret and pain he's going to experience because he jumped into doing this selfless thing without thinking about the consequences (even though he was warned), an impulsive character trait that ties back to his root trauma of Daniel (which he hasn't dealt with). They've basically said outright that's what they're doing, and also that part of the reason to do a self-discovery arc for Buck is that because he doesn't know himself/what he wants generally, he can't see who he wants to be in a relationship with which...hello???

And as you said, the themes have been consistent. The season opened very explicitly with the idea of not knowing what you want/not being able to see what you already have/not allowing yourself to want certain things because you don't think they're attainable (and/or because you're afraid to want them). It's all one big play on fantasy vs. reality and what that looks like for different people/in different situations. And we've watched those themes play out character-by-character.

Maddie and Chim got back together and have been rebuilding their life together, learning what it looks like to be a family again, and their 6A arc on that front closed with them finding their dream house.

Athena and Bobby have dealt with it on a lesser scale, with the Florida trip and investigation. The idea of putting people on pedestals, and therefore not being able to see them for who they are, not being able to recognize reality. And we're going to get into it more with Bobby it seems like due to this whole situation with his sponsor.

Hen was struggling with med school vs. being a firefighter and paramedic. She thought she wanted to be a doctor in part because she didn't think it was possible to progress further in her career with the LAFD until she was actually given the chance to be interim captain. And when she was put in a position where she finally had to choose, she chose the LAFD because she could have it all and because her family was her real dream. Now, she's heading into a related arc with Denny that ties directly into Buck's (and Eddie's). Denny's the one now looking outside of what he already has, thinking he needs something more (a dad) while Buck is going to be struggling with being overly invested in the sperm donor situation because he didn't get it through his head that being a donor does NOT make him a dad and Eddie/Christopher/the will of it all is very loud.

I don't need to repeat all of the ways Buck's arc fits this theme, but he is the most explicit about actively not being able to see what's right in front of him/what he already has (that he has a partner in Eddie, that he's a father to Christopher, that they're a family, etc etc etc).

Eddie's arc is still in-progress. But his arc has also focused on these ideas of not talking about or acknowledging certain things (including things you want) because they're scary and/or because you think they're unattainable (especially if they're supposedly unattainable because of "difference" in some capacity--for Hen at the LAFD it was her race/gender/sexuality, for Christopher it was his disability, for Eddie...I mean come on, there's one answer here...). We've seen him do the things that he thinks are "expected" of him, try to fit the fantasy mold of a heteronormative nuclear family, and fail fantastically (fantasy not living up to reality). And we've seen him on his own journey of self-discovery, becoming his own person separate from Christopher, while the question of what following his heart really means remains open (and is going to be a focus of 6B as they return explicitly to him and Romance).

Idk, I've been enjoying this season a lot and I'm excited about 6B and I've been surprised by the amount of negativity as well. In S5, it felt like everyone was complaining that it was too dark, and when this season started people were happy that it was a return to more lightness. But now, that seems to have shifted as well and I see that being turned into a criticism that the writers aren't taking certain things seriously enough or giving them the weight they're due. I don't feel like the pacing is any worse than other seasons, I don't think the arcs are any more frustrating (like...I cannot emphasize enough how much I hate the lawsuit arc and street fighting arc and Maddie's stalker era, I really can't, and as important as the tsunami arc is overall for the show I felt like it was largely disconnected from the specific arcs of the season for most characters, but I don't claim that S3 is badly written just because I personally dislike certain dramatic choices that were made), and I don't think the introduction of new arcs or set-ups for continuations of established arcs in this episode was any different from any other midseason finale.

As with any kind of longform storytelling though, everything looks different in hindsight once you get the whole picture. I've made my peace with the fact that the writers have a plan that I can't see all of yet, but I trust them to create something that will answer the questions we have and deal with the things that we have complaints about if we just give them time/watch the rest of the season. We have 9 more episodes, there's a lot of exciting potential, and frankly, when I look back over the full seasons after seeing how all the arcs have played out, the writers have never truly let me down. I don't expect that to be any different this season. We just need to be patient and let them tell the story.

...this got really long, but anyway...tldr; they've been very consistent with subtext (and text) and themes and I don't think there's any real reason not to expect that to continue and I'm looking forward to 6B!

[littlerosetrove]

I have some... thoughts for now, and my thoughts may be seen as negative to some. Wank, if you will. So if you don’t wish to read my “salty” thoughts, which do focus on Shannon (since she’s particularly uh. relevant again because of the 6x15 promo), then please do not read any further.  ....

And side note? This is my corner over here. Just like anyone else, I’m allowed to express and share my thoughts on this show, whether positive or negative. In this case, I do have some negative leaning thoughts. I’ll tag this post accordingly. 

Okay, my scattered thoughts are: --> The new promo showing us when Shannon was born, has really thrown canonical ages for a loop, to put it lightly. I’ve reblogged a post about how the math ain’t mathin in many regards for 9-1-1 (for both character ages and storylines), but here we are apparently. While we knew Shannon and Eddie were young when Chris was born, the new “canon info” is it seems placing Shanon at 18-19 when she had Chris. On top of that, I believe Shannon may have been 20-21 when her mom got sick? Yes, Shannon was very young when these big events happened. I’m... kinda side eying the writers for this in the sense that, perhaps (idk for sure, I’m not the writers) the writers are trying to garner more sympathy for Shannon in general. And I’ve, uh, already witnessed this sympathy on my dash.   Personally, I haven’t been a fan of Shannon since I originally watched season 2 (which was in August or September of 2021 for reference?). I can’t say I outright hate her (I don’t hate her, nor do I think she’s a villain), but I just don’t like her. Can’t say I ever will, for several reasons. At the top of the list, regardless of this new age and timeline thing, Shannon still full on abandoned her child because it was “too hard to handle.” Chris being not able bodied was too hard to handle. I don’t even have a kid, but that’s not excusable, no matter her circumstances. Do I have empathy for Shannon being a young mother and her mom being sick? Yes. But I will not let it slide that, again, Shannon full on abandoned her kid, zero contact, for something like three years. And the only reason she came back into Chris’s life was because Eddie reached out (because he had to). 

(and something that has never been clear to me in the show was... in the episode where Shannon was asking for a divorce (which was the right call, but a little poorly handled on her part), i think? Shannon said something about she needed to learn how to be a mom. however, what i’m unclear on is whether Shannon was planning on leaving again to “learn how to be a mom.” idk, maybe i’m dumb for this part, but i never understood if Shannon was actually sticking around for Chris this time, or was gonna leave again for who knows how long.)

--> My other scattered-ish thought is, while I’m glad that the writers never forget or leave big events and traumas in the past, that they allow their characters to still be effected years later, however that may look, because that’s life. What I’m not sure how I feel about yet - because the episode hasn’t aired - is the fact that. Wait. Well the previous couple episodes have already shown this: it’s been something like four years since Shannon passed away. And okay, everyone deals with traumas differently and in their own time. But, idk. We’re saying that even four years later, Eddie is just now getting to the point where he’s ready to officially move on from that and he can Now date someone else?  Eddie has definitely gone through Some Shit. He’s been very traumatized and repressed for sure. He’s also only recently, in the past year, properly gone to therapy, I get that. But idk idk idk, again I need to think more on this but... there’s something here that I’m not sure I agree with I guess? I’m not sure I agree that, yes, even given Who Eddie Is, it would have taken him four years to want and be okay with moving on to someone else (and that someone being Buck. come on those two have been inevitable for years). 

But yeah, my main thing is, uh, even with the new timeline information, I’m still not a fan of Shannon, and I don’t have to be.  EDIT: Just wanting to reiterate that there is definitely layers and nuance to Shannon’s story. She was under unbelievable stress. I do see and recognize that. I can recognize her circumstance and challenges, but still not like her. I can do both. (what I can’t do is ignore her clear abelism though)

[strangertaylor]

I'll get over myself but it doesn't change how this fandom has been a giant let down, never have I seen people shipping a pairing for so long just jump ship like it's nothing. This to me is a problem bc it says you don't ship the ship at all, you ship anything that is queer. Are you really that hungry for queer content? Literally every single show has queer characters. It's honestly making me feel so sad about whats happening here

Hi anon, I do hope you can understand my pov because this does sound more genuine than the last message so I want to answer it well -

I want buddie to be endgame, but that doesn’t mean I want it to just happen as soon as possible, its clear the writers are setting up a story where these boys can learn what it is they want before being rushed into a relationship. If they are given the space to grow as individuals, they will have an even stronger connection as a team.

I have never seen a show where a character is written queer and then actually gets to grow as a person outside of that. In my experience, if a character is queer, that’s the storyline. If they decide to make a pairing happen then it does, the writers lose interest unless they are having an awful time of it or one of them is dying (bury your gays, anyone?)

The good bit of storytelling comes from the pining stage, and this is clearly set to be a slow burn.

Right now, Buck is the focus - he is learning about himself and that is great, it’s like they said in the interview, he needs to work out the kinks. This isn’t going to be the endgame, but Buck is starting a good, healthy relationship. He has not had a healthy relationship since the show began. I am happy for him to work out those kinks, because we know that when Eddie comes out, he is going to need support. That support will be Buck.

Acknowledging that an on-screen relationship is sweet is not the same as jumping ship. It’s just that; acknowledgement that character growth is happening.

Also - who cares if other people are “jumping ship”? There’s still so much Buddie content being produced by amazing people everyday. That corner of the internet has not grown any smaller, and there are loads more fans joining it even now!

As for the “hungry for queer content” comment - this feels a little disingenuous. I started watching the show because a friend put me on it back in season 2. I came for the plot, stayed for representation. 9-1-1 does not treat their queer characters as plot devices, and they do a great job of showing their lives the same they do any straight characters.

I can’t speak for everyone, but a lot of people are coming to the show now because of the representation, and that can only be a good thing - it means more seasons and due to the (largely) positive feedback, more confidence that they can give Eddie a storyline that fans have been asking for.

We already know that the writers are listening to what we have to say, we can trust that Buddie will happen. After this season I have more faith than ever. It’s baby steps. We’re headed in the right direction, we just can’t slam other peoples views as they’re entitled to them.

That being said, if you wanna gush about Buddie in the meantime, my dms are open, maybe come off anon and we can have a more candid chat?

[buddiebeginz]

I'm sorry but I don't know why you keep making these kinds of posts and stirring up stuff and making people worry about where the rest of this season is going when you don't have any direct confirmation about the things you're talking about. It just seems like you’re taking guesses based on what you assume are leaks from the show. Unless you personally know someone who works for the show you can't possibly know that what they're showing you is the actual scripts. And even if it is things get changed. They were working on Buck's coming out story not long before the episode even aired. They may have had a different trajectory all together for season 7 and changed it after deciding to make Buck bi.

The other thing is you keep saying that based on what you've seen (from these alleged leaks) and based on interviews and Buck saying things like Eddie slept with Shannon (in the first ep of this season) that they're going to write Eddie even straighter than usual. You do realize that this could be because Eddie is not wanting to deal with his feelings for Buck right? Hyper masculinity can sometimes be a response from a guy who is afraid to deal with his feelings for another guy. And Buck’s line about Shannon seemed to me to be the shows way of saying Eddie mainly married Shannon because she got pregnant. The convo wasn’t about his sex life it was about him being a “nester”.

Also why would they even write the 100th episode the way they did where it almost exclusively revolved around Buddie? It was never Tommy's attention Buck wanted it was Eddie's. Why write an episode like that if the show never has any intention of making Buddie happen? Why put Ryan and Oliver in all the press stuff before the season even started? Why does Ryan seem just as excited about this season as Oliver? Why did Ryan say that Buck and Eddie get closer than ever this season and that they're trying to give the audience what we want? They know we want Buddie.

I'm not saying that Buddie has to happen for them to do a bi storyline with Buck but I do think given they know how much people ship Buddie it would just be really stupid (and cruel in a way) to have Buck’s bi awakening be so intrinsically linked to Eddie (as they’ve made it) if there was never an intention of making Buddie canon. They've also said in interviews that everyone behind the scenes knows how much people ship Buddie so I highly doubt they'd be that careless with such an important storyline.

If they didn't want to do a Buddie storyline they could have easily had Buck and Tommy start hanging out on their own and have Eddie off with his new girlfriend like in season 5 when Buck was spending more time with Taylor.

There's also the fact that most shows want to give the audience a couple to root for and all the couples that are on the show right now (minus Eddie and Marisol) are settled and after this season will all be married. The show needs a new exciting couple. No one is going to be rooting for or tuning in to watch Eddie and Marisol and I'm positive Tim knows that.

As far as Buck and Tommy go (since they’re not a couple yet) allegedly Lou (Tommy) isn’t sticking around but even if he was Buck and Tommy don’t have six seasons of history behind them. They don’t have callbacks and inside jokes and parallels the show can make or a much easier ability for the show to build storylines and connections with the other characters. And I’m not saying people can’t or shouldn’t support newer couples but it’s just not the same.

Plus given 911 is in its seventh season, on a new network, and neither Buck nor Eddie have ever really been give successful canon love interests and again without Buddie 911 has no big will they/won’t they couple. Buddie makes the most sense. A predominant part of the audience is already hugely invested in Buddie and their story. All Tim and the writers have to do is build upon that and people will watch and get excited for the episodes like we’ve been doing. Which I’m sure abc notices considering they’ve make it a point to put Buddie in all the promo stuff.

Back to Eddie and Marisol you’ve said that you think they might be moving in together but again that could be tying into what's going on with Buddie. They could easily have Buck and or Eddie slowly recognize their feelings for one another while they're with other people. It heightens the drama. Also Eddie and Marisol could talk about moving in together and than it could not happen. From what I've heard the actress hasn't been filming recently so people have speculated that her time on set is done. Personally I don’t see them keeping her around for longer than necessary regardless of Buddie. They’re doing an important lgbtq storyline that’s getting a lot of press and she's repeatedly said transphobic and homophobic stuff online and most fans do not like her. I’m honestly surprised they haven’t gotten rid of her sooner.

You also brought up (in another post) how Tim really down played Buddie in his recent interview. What else was he supposed to say if Buddie is in the works? Heads up everyone we're planning on making them kiss in episode 6. Like no this is what they all do in these interviews especially for a will they or won't they couple. They pretend the couple isn't going to happen so it's a surprise when they finally do and so people will keep tuning in as the story unfolds.

This isn't even about how much I want Buddie to happen the show has literally set the pieces in motion for it to. They've even set Buck up with a guy who is incredibly like Eddie. Not to replace Eddie (since Lou isn’t even staying) but to make it obvious who he really has feelings for. They’re having Eddie crash Buck’s first date, they’re having Buddie have an intimate moment alone in Buck’s kitchen that mimics the previous ep when he kissed Tommy. The story beats are telling us the audience that Buddie is only a matter of time. Something I think will be even more apparent after this week’s ep.

So I’m not sure what it is you’ve been seeing in these leaks but something doesn’t add up and like I said unless you have confirmation where they’re from or you know that’s how the episode is going to play out it’s not fair to get people upset thinking Buddie is never going to happen. We really just need to be patient and watch the episodes play out.

So I feel like we’re all thinking that Eddie sat on the side of the booth with Marisol to watch Buck, and yeah I can believe that, but since we know that this episode is heavily focused on Eddie and Marisol’s relationship and their intimacy issues and all the [redacted] stuff from the leaks… I think it’s equally as likely that they blocked him sitting on the same side to show how loving they are as a couple, how they can’t keep their hands off each other, how they have to be pressed up next to each other at all times, how intimate they are together, (gag) to contrast with what Eddie finds out about Marisol’s past and her intimacy issues, and also to provide context for something Eddie does at the end of the episode with her. (Someone saw a hickey in the gym still, so it’s all connecting together)

Based on leaks and connecting that with the interviews Ryan has given… Him being written as a super straight man with his “boobielicious” girlfriend is making so much sense. I don’t like it, but I’m pretty confident I’ve figured out his entire season arc already

[matan4il]

Buddie 518 meta

I have to admit, we talked about Taylor breaking Buck’s trust, we considered the implications of her breaking the story on Chim and Hen (possibly putting them in harm’s way), I even took into account that Greenway might use her story to try and counter the actions taken against him from a legal position. But I have to admit, I did not think of the implications for Buck at work. TBH, it’s not fair that there would be any, but Taylor’s worked with off the record sources before, she must have been aware that the world is unfair in this manner, and that her actions could jeopardize Buck’s work. Now her words about hating for things to get messy for him at the fire station in 516 land even more of a punch. She knew, and she still went ahead. She knew, and she still didn’t think of giving him even just the benefit of a warning. This season’s B/T storyline started with Taylor ignoring Buck and his feelings for the sake of obsessing over the news in 501 and it ends in the same spot. It was always spelled out for us. ~

Eddie made me so proud in this episode. We already knew that he was progressing and healing, but it was damn fantastic to see him go from where he was in 511, at his lowest, snapping at Bobby, to getting to a place where Eddie could thank his captain for the help, which included exactly the thing for which Eddie had snapped back then.

The ending of these scenes was even similarly shot, with Bobby down below in the living room, looking up at Eddie (though in the finale, the distance between them is physically smaller). More than that, after the low point of 511, we go to Eddie starting to improve his r/s with his father in 517 and then on to him coming full circle and being able to (unknowingly) help save his father figure in this ep by thanking Bobby for being saved by him. This is the stuff that keeps us all watching, isn’t it? ~

I just have to say how happy I am that Buck finally realized he gets to walk away from a relationship if it doesn’t suit him. It was so clear he had such a fear of being left, that he ended up clinging to someone who he didn’t really love and didn’t make him happy. Realizing through his talk with Maddie in 513 that that’s what he’s doing, he was ready to confess to Taylor about kissing someone else, ready to take her wrath or a break up, but he still wasn’t in a place where he felt like it was okay for him to break up the relationship. That it was okay to walk away even if the other person was willing to stay. That sometimes, it’s the right thing to leave. He told Eddie it was in 502, but he still didn’t fully embrace it for himself, because all he’s ever known was being the one abandoned. He couldn’t bring himself to do that to someone else. He finally knows that he’s not going to be able to suppress how he feels about Taylor choosing her job over actual people. He can’t learn to live with it. She was willing to change, but he finally grasped that something was fundamentally broken between them, and chose to end their relationship. This is why things needed more time to unfold, so he could get to this point where he gets to choose himself.

Just like Eddie had to do the same with Ana at the beginning of s5, realize that he can’t stick it out for Christopher’s sake. We’ve seen these men’s romantic journeys, so often tied closely together, and in this season, we got to see both of them having reparative experiences for what they didn’t get to do in a romantic relationship before, getting to choose themselves and their own happiness over the need to be in one at any cost. ~

The Buddie scene fixing Eddie’s walls together was something else entirely! It obviously referenced the talk they had in the classic balcony scene earlier this season in 504, where Eddie told Buck he’s the guy who likes to fix things. Clearly, this shows how much what Eddie says resonates with Buck, and to make the connection even more blatant, Buck seems to even be wearing the same hoodie! I also adored how easily Eddie can read Buck and what’s up with him, that’s another ongoing theme with these two, figuring out exactly what’s going on with their best friend even before he spills the beans. And let’s not talk about the insanely domestic nature of Buck going to Eddie when he can’t be in his own home.

Remember Buck in 407 talking about the need for his loft to be his safe space? Remember him saying in 311 he’s not really a guest in Eddie’s house? This bit cements that Buck’s safe space and home away from home is wherever Eddie is, even when the place is physically still torn apart. But this scene was also a parallel to when Buck gave Eddie a wake up call about needing to break up with his girlfriend, and the next thing we knew, Eddie did. Buck’s break up with Taylor starts here, with Eddie’s words. For real, these break ups truly were the parallel bookends of this season in so many ways (I’m not talking only about the bigger things that I addressed in the previous paragraph, I’m also talking about stuff like the color of the couples’ clothes or the choice to do both in the kitchen), it’s truly unhinged. Except it continues the perfect tradition of Buck and Eddie’s love lives being intertwined, so really, it’s in perfect alignment with what 911 has always done. And if that domesticity wasn’t enough, they were literally finishing each other’s sentences in this scene, they are officially the most married people on TV ever. And they were also so content simply to be together here? They each had their own arc to wrap up in this scene, coming to a climax in the flashes we get during the wedding. Buck has to break things off with Taylor. Eddie has to talk to Bobby and reclaim his place with the 118. Those are good, satisfying moments for them. But we see them being the softest and most content to just be in the moment despite everything else they need to take care of, it’s this scene, when they’re together, literally helping and having each other’s back (precisely as Ravi mentioned in this very ep), Buck physically helping to repair Eddie’s home after also being there for him and their family unit, Eddie being there to stir Buck in the right direction.

And this scene is included in the same ep in which Buck spells out to Maddie what true love, true romantic partnership is like. To be there with that partner when each is hitting their worst and still choose this togetherness over and over again, just like we see the amnesia couple do in this ep. We already knew Buddie have been there for each other through the worst and lowest points in their lives, but this scene literally depicted that and their choice of their togetherness in the most perfect, wholesome way. If Buddie are not true love, it just doesn’t exist. ~

Speaking of the amnesia couple being at their lowest, but choosing each other, I just had to add in this one last, small detail about them. They begin and then they also start over by agreeing to go out and eat together. This specific line threw me back to how Buck and Eddie began as rivals in 201, but as soon as they got to vowing to always have each other’s back, meaning once they agreed to start over, Eddie asked Buck and Bobby to go and grab something to eat together. It may not seem that romantic, since he also invited Bobby along, but it stood out as being more romantically coded when Eddie repeated the gesture in 313, at roughly the same time he was thinking of maybe starting over, begin dating again, as is implied by his talk with Chim in that ep. ~

I don’t write Madney meta despite loving them, so I kinda got out some of my love for Chim, Maddie and Madney by posting this. However, I do have to point out that one of the ways in which we can tell they're destined to get back together is that neither one of them was very happy with the idea of dating others. Kind of like how we’ve never really seen either Buck or Eddie truly embrace each other’s girlfriends. Just think of how Karen is embraced by Bathena and Chim. Or David became a part of Michael’s gang together with Bobby. Partners on this show are also a part of this extended family, but Buddie’s external Love Interests never became that to their boyfriend’s best friend, they either remained far removed from them or showed active signs of unspoken dislike, the biggest case in point being Eddie with Taylor. These men aren’t fans of the idea that their partner is dating others, either. TBH, they don’t seem to be fans of dating others themselves, given how awkward the Eddie and Ana as well as the Buck and Taylor relationships have been. ~ Oh, but apparently I’m not totally done with Madney related comparisons, because hey, I pointed out Buck was their truth-teller back in 208. He takes that role upon himself again in the s5 finale, trying to imply to Chim that Maddie still has feelings for him. This is lovely in itself, but it also took me back to when Buck first did this, and how it was paralleled with Maddie being Buck and Eddie’s own truth-teller in 204, when she called out Buck’s crush on Eddie. ~

It was interesting to me that even though we saw Buck break up with Taylor before the ep moves on to Henren’s wedding, 911 still chose to add one more scene to truly wrap this arc up, when she returns the loft’s key to him. I just had to quietly squeal to myself, because this stands in such contrast with us all knowing Eddie has had Buck’s key since before 301, and 513 indicating clearly that Buck also has one for Eddie’s place. The show really made the key to someone’s home into the symbol of being their partner in the same season in which it reminded us that Buddie have each other’s keys. (also, my first time making one of these meta gifs myself. I hope it’s okay!) ~

I just adored that the happy ending of this season, that final moment when things slot into place and the world is a better place than it was, is when Eddie is finally back with the 118. Oh, but what made it better is that everyone on the team was so intense, everyone other than Buck. He glances over at Eddie, who’s finally there to determinedly stride along with them, and only then do we see this one singular dazzling smile on Buck’s face. Yes, everything is right with the world again at this moment, but this one smile lets us know it’s to a great degree because Buck has his partner back (as giffed here). I think 5b was great in terms of the team’s arcs, but many of the calls just weren’t quite the same without our iconic battlefield boyfriends. Can’t wait for them to ride together again in s6! ~ If you’ve enjoyed any of my meta posts, if you’d like to keep seeing them in the future as well, please let me know in the tags. Thank you so much for reading what I have put out and for any and all support! I’ll still be here during the hiatus and I wish us all a good time getting through it together! Also, I’m endlessly grateful to the wonderful @judsonryder​ and @whosoldherout​, who added so much life to my meta with their dazzling gifs! xoxox

[actingwithportals]

Since we’re talking about the deplorable Portal movie again, I’m gonna drop my two cents into why this bothers me particularly, on a personal level, in what a Portal movie might do to the story. (Buckle in, this is a long post.)

(Also, for anyone who doesn’t know the “Portal Movie” has been in production hell for literal years and it feels pretty unlikely it will escape that anytime soon, if the movie does eventually get made at all, so this is a mostly theoretical discussion but one I think is important nonetheless.)

(Also also I’m going under the assumption of a Portal movie following the characters and story we already know from the games as opposed to giving us new characters and plot and just centering it around the concept of Portal. This is also theoretical and isn’t confirmed that that’s how an actual Portal movie would go.)

So, I think the objective biggest concern to have with what could possibly go grossly wrong with a Portal movie is the Hollywood need to whitewash characters of color, aka Chell in this instance. Plus how they might handle her muteness, how they would handle her as a woman protagonist, how they would handle GLaDOS as a woman antagonist, and the overall themes of Portal that ultimately centers around these two women characters who both experienced abuse, either from each other or from Aperture itself. But there are people who are more informed to speak on those issues than I am, so I’m gonna leave that to them and talk about something that I’ve got the experience to discuss instead.

My boy Doug Rattmann. (note: I’m schizophrenic.)

In the event of a Portal movie that follows the main storyline of the game(s), Rattmann isn’t likely to be a character we actually see (outside of potential flashbacks), but his presence would be made known because his presence and influence in Aperture are both very integral to the story and Chell’s ultimate success. It’s very likely he would get brought up, even if just by showing us his murals and referencing who he was in life and the role he played as an Aperture employee, and as the only person to survive GLaDOS’s attack that put the facility into the position Chell wakes to find it in.

And I don’t trust like that. I don’t trust that filmmakers with the motivation of fame and financial gain will take a character like Rattmann - a schizophrenic who throughout most of his relevance to the main story is unmedicated and in the midst of a very severe psychotic episode - and treat him with care and respect and sympathy.

We see how movies treat mentally ill people, especially those of us with “scary” illnesses like schizophrenia. We see how we’re constantly reduced to being “crazy and unhinged and morally dubious because the voices in our heads tell us to hurt people”. We see how we’re used as jokes, as villains, as “pathetic” fodder to get killed off for shallow sympathy and shock value, and you know what? I don’t anticipate Rattmann would get a much more nuanced approach from a JJ Abrams film than... that. It’s hard for me to imagine he would be presented to the audience as anything much more than the “crazy ps*cho” who survived because of his paranoia (because “a broken clock is still right two times a day”) and wrote some funny iconic line on the walls in his madness such as “the cake is a lie”. That’s what I fear we’d get, because I know that’s how most of the world sees us. Because that’s how people see me when they learn I’m schizophrenic.

The Lab Rat comic did something that’s rarely seen in a lot of mainstream media I think. It gave us a schizophrenic protagonist who we as the readers got to see both in a successful career - medicated and well and seemingly having an average life despite where he worked - and in the midst of what was a very frightening psychotic episode, because medication was not available to him and he had no other option but to let things progress to that point. And he was Still a hero. He was Still sympathetic. He was Still treated with respect and as someone we were meant to root for and connect with. His humanity wasn’t taken from him, and in fact it shone through clearly. Because psychotic people are still people even when we’re experiencing psychosis.

And, you know, let alone the fact that the comic didn’t drop him into the trope of becoming a violent or otherwise “evil” person when he was unmedicated. He retained the same morals he had when he was medicated - the paranoia didn’t take that away from him. I like to think that my paranoia doesn’t take that away from me too.

I just.. I don’t feel good at the thought of something so beautifully done, something that we almost never get, being reduced to bad tropes for the sake of suspense and theatrics and a good buck. I mean, it might not happen; I might just be critical and overthinking. But it usually does, and I’m usually not. There’s endless evidence in media to support this pattern, and I think it’s a valid concern to have.

I don’t think people can’t be excited about a Portal movie - I know that I would be over the moon if a Portal movie came out that did the source material justice. But people are going to have concerns due to the fact that many things in these games were done with a lot of nuance and care, and it’s hard to believe something like this could be repeated, especially when copied over to a new medium. I mean, as it was recently pointed out to me even Valve themselves dropped the ball by lightening Chell’s character model between P1 and P2. The source material itself still does have its faults despite its successes, so who’s to say people can’t be worried that a movie would do something equally egregious or worse?

Portal means a lot to me. It has for many years and it will continue to mean a lot to me for a long time to come. The validation I found in Rattmann’s character at the exact moment in my life when I needed it most is not something that just happens any day. So I’m going to be critical, I’m going to be skeptical. I’m happy for people who are excited, but please don’t tell me or others that we shouldn’t be concerned.

I’ve got this one really incredible schizophrenic rep that Portal Lab Rat gave us. I’m allowed to fear that getting taken away.

[lovecolibri]

Noah: young black man crushed under his father’s gambling debts and threats of violence against his mother. Maddie: somehow the real victim. 😵‍💫 Like I’m not saying black characters can never do wrong, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to choose to portray these things. Framing Noah as the bad guy is the wrong way.

This is tough to answer because it's not my place to speak on how characters of color should be portrayed in media, but I can speak to my personal viewing experience and how I felt watching it play out since Noah was introduced. And I can say that I was already pretty disgusted seeing a very sweet young man come on screen and have a perfectly normal interaction with Maddie that was reminiscent of her training May and of Buck's enthusiasm to go above and beyond, expressing a desire to learn everything he could and being in awe of Maddie and all she's gone through at dispatch, only to see people on social media immediately calling him "suspicious" and "creepy" and thinking he was "after" Maddie and would try to get her away from Chim or harm her in some way. It really, really irks me that those kinds of people were proven "right" by the direction the showrunner chose to take with this storyline, especially since it didn't have to happen that way to still be a story involving Maddie!

I will say the show didn't make Noah outright evil, or someone who was out to "get" Maddie from the start at least. They give him some sympathy, and a reason for his actions but a) if he was cooperating and also a victim of the robbers, being coerced with physical violence against people in his family into helping them why is he cuffed in slow motion and lead in a walk of shame out of the office? Why did we need to see that and not the men with guns being lead away in cuffs? b) if he wasn't out to frame Maddie, which they tell us he isn't, why was he using her password when he has his own he could have used? which leads us to c) why did he have to use Maddie's password to make her involved in this storyline, when we COULD have had him coming to a mentor he trusts to ask for help because he's being pressured and Maddie helping him and working with Athena to get through this? Do we really need some contrived plot to give Maddie trust issues? Really? With her backstory? And this was the best they could come up with?

This plot is stupid any way you slice it, and regardless of what character they put in Noah's place, but it's pretty hard to ignore the optics of how this story played out with them pitting a young black man against a white "poor victim" woman, and I personally felt pretty icky about it, especially since there were other options to take that wouldn't have put Noah in the position of "going after" Maddie and wouldn't have painted her as Noah's "victim". It certainly could have been worse, but it sure as hell could have been better. I think this post summed up really well how storylines like these just do not fit with the heart of what this show is about and this one really left a bad taste in my mouth. All the comments from people crowing about being right all along knowing he was "shady" for talking to Maddie certainly Does Not Help. Maybe those are not the kinds of fans we should cater to, hmm?

And on a final note, I'm also annoyed because I liked Alfonso Caballero, I think he did a great job, and I would have like to see more of him, and more of Maddie stepping into that training role, and maybe seeing more of dispatch being their own little family like the 118 is and welcoming the new kid into their group.