#though having eddie and buck in a costume couple with both tommy and marisol there would have been a little funny

[caroandcats]

"Didn't know you could bring a date to a bachelor party" except it's because clipboard Buck kept strongly implying that there was a very strict guest list because he didn't want to see Marisol. Me 🤝 Buck.

[exhuastedpigeon]

One thing that I'm so intrigued by this season is the narrative framing around Buck, Eddie, their romantic relationships, and each other.

From the very first episode of the season Eddie and Buck are framed as a unit - both at work and off the clock. Not just a duo though, they're framed as a family unit - Eddie, Buck, and Christopher. Eddie asks Buck to help him talk to Christopher about something that Eddie doesn't have experience with - he trusts Buck to have a really hard conversation with his son.

We've all noticed how Eddie is haunting Buck's coming out arc and his relationship with Tommy - from Eddie's name being mentioned like 7 times in the scene where Buck and Tommy kiss to Eddie accidentally crashing their date.

Buck was confused about who he was jealous of and why in 704. Buck was upset about lying to Eddie about his date with Tommy. Buck was upset that he hurt Eddie. Eddie is the reason Buck called Tommy again after their disaster ending of their first date. Buck is the reason Eddie kept trying with Marisol.

But what's more interesting to me than how Buck and Eddie are being framed together, it's the juxtaposition to their own romantic relationships.

Eddie fills a lot of the spaces in Buck's life that a romantic partner would fill - from the matching costumes to Eddie being the only person who stuck around at the party. They could have easily had Tommy stay or had Tommy dress up or had Tommy mention he didn't dress up because he was on standby, but they didn't. all of those moments in real life wouldn't matter much, but on a show it's is intentional.

And Buck fills a lot of the spaces that a co-parent and partner would fill for Eddie. I mentioned Buck talking to Chris about dating, but beyond that Buck is still one of the most important people in Chris's life. They chose to have Buck watch Chris before Eddie's date with Kim. That was an active choice to show Eddie dropping Chris off with Buck almost like a divorced couple. They chose to show Buck trying to make a new lasagna for Chris.

That was a scene that easily could have included Tommy or a mention of Tommy, but it didn't. Eddie could have said 'what, no Tommy?' and Buck could have said he was working. Tommy could have been there to hang out too - he knows Chris and Eddie. Chris and Eddie both really like Tommy.

Instead we get Buck and Chris hanging out just the two of them, kind of like a family, while Eddie goes on a date. A date with a woman that he hasn't told either of them about because Eddie knows what he's doing is wrong, he just doesn't care because he's so caught up in maybe having the magic he had with Shannon again, of having someone who looks and sounds like Shannon again.

Does this post make sense? Maybe not. I'm just really intrigued by the choices they're making this season around Buck and Eddie. I'm intrigued at the narrative choices with their respective romantic relationships because they are choices that are being made on purpose!