#while Hen and Karen are having Plot happen to them

[infiniteaugends]

Okay! I need to get this out of my head. I’ve seen some posts that are upset that people are upset about the BuckTommy break up. The core gripe of these posts is that the show still has HenKaren and so we shouldn’t be upset about the handling of the other main queer couple. Which makes no sense because BuckTommy and HenKaren fulfill different niches. One is a bisexual man exploring a new relationship and the other is two gay women who are settled with multiple kids.

However, this post is to talk about HenKaren. Yes I love them! They were the main thing that drew me to the show long before bi Buck became a thing. They are two black women in a relationship. Neither is ‘conventionally’ attractive. Hen is pretty visually queer. I love them. I want more of them in the show. However I don’t relate to them. Almost all of their storylines revolve around motherhood. There is very limited exploration of them as queer women outside of motherhood. Karen is a literal rocket scientist and that has never even been used as any sort of plot point. Like the amount of physics she knows and understands could be used to great effect. Micheal got to help break into a bank vault with Bobby, but Karen has never been used in a similar way. Like the amount of STEM knowledge stored in her brain 100% could have solved at least a few rescues. Can we explore these amazing woman as queer women instead of mothers just sometimes pls.

I read a fanfic that explored how Don’t ask, Don’t tell could have affected Karen. That she couldn’t become an astronaut because of it. I would love more of that energy in the show.

So yes you are right I am bemoaning the way Buck and Tommy’s break up was handled. I am bemoaning the lack of care given to exploring Buck’s bisexuality within monogamy. I am allowed to be upset. I am allowed to not relate to the storylines given to Hen and Karen. What happened to Hen being kinda witchy and blaming the moon cycle for her cheating? What happened to Hen and Karen and Athena’s wine mom nights? Where is our exploration of Karen as partner to a woman in a dangerous field of work? Where is our exploration of their relationship outside of kids?

You want me to appreciate the crumbs of queer representation being tossed my way? Well won’t you’re right we should be angry that Hen and Karen are treated as second class citizens in the narrative. We should be upset that their importance has been reduced to only motherhood. We should be upset that this show is mishandling all of its queer characters and letting Eddie Diaz have freedom and joy while our queer representation suffers.

BuckTommy was the straw that broke the camels trust in 911 ability to craft realistic queer lives and continue to care about them more than a diversity check mark. I will continue to watch HenKaren clips on YouTube and read fan-fiction. I will continue to engage with Bi Buck fan-fiction that heals the parts of me that Glee and this show have bruised. I will not thank them for the stale crumbs they brush from the table. Do I love Hen and Karen? Yes! Is it enough? Not anymore!

Anyway, I got a little heated and upset, but all this discourse is really just rubbing me the wrong way. Let people be upset and hurt. Their feelings are valid whether you agree.

[thoughtsofthegirlwiththecurl]

Man, I'm not gonna lie, I feel like I picked an excellent time to succumb to the gifs and binge all of 911. Got here just in time for couch symbolism and whatever the queer fuckery yesterday's episode was.

[andavs]

One last unhinged theory before the finale kicks off, inspired by @captain-hen’s genius anon: witness protection

Councilwoman Olivia Ortiz is back for reasons, maybe she’s running for mayor or something

She’s buried the details around her son’s death while running a tough on crime platform or maybe getting drugs out of the city, but she’s actually corrupt and has some shady criminal connections

There’s a warehouse fire that’s related to something she’s connected to, 118 responds and they find evidence that wasn’t fully destroyed—not about Ortiz specifically, but something shady happening there

A Bad Guy sees the names Wilson, Han, and Diaz on their turnouts as they're talking to the cops and handing over the evidence they found—maybe Buck and Bobby were in a different section of the building at the time

Ortiz realizes that’s also the team that responded to her son’s accident and they can bring down her entire career if they figure out she’s involved

Her shady connections realize that if she goes down, their pull with the local government also goes down, so they take matters into their own hands to protect their interests

The shady contacts organize a way to take out Hen, Chimney, and Eddie, but Ortiz goes to Athena to warn them because she doesn’t want three innocent people to die

To keep the bad guys from continuing to pursue them or going after anyone else, they fake that the murder plot worked and announce that Hen, Chimney, and Eddie all died in the line of duty

They get one last goodbye at the station before they get hustled into nondescript vans and taken into protection while Athena builds a case with Ortiz to bring down her criminal connections

Their families know they’re actually alive but have to keep up the facade of grieving, and also they’re apart and can’t communicate with each other, except maybe sending rare messages/photos through Athena that they don’t get to keep. 

It’s a storyline that gives everyone something to do:

Hen, Chimney, and Eddie are suddenly isolated somewhere new and living under new names

Chimney finally married the love of his life and now they can’t even be together until the case is finished, and now he’s the one watching Jee grow up from afar

Maddie’s completely on her own with Jee for the first time since her PPD, but now she’s totally got this mom thing down—she just has to juggle that with work so maybe we get more of the Lees!

Hen and Karen have Mara who’s only just getting comfortable with them, only for Hen to be taken away and for Karen to suddenly have to handle all of it by herself

Who is Hen when she’s not a firefighter, paramedic, or mother? 

Eddie’s finally over Shannon and ready to move forward and then he’s yanked out of his life and completely isolated, probably working as a mechanic or something

Buck has to move into Eddie’s house with Chris and actually take on the role of full time parent, even though they both know Eddie will be back in a few months

(Maybe Buck and Eddie had a Moment but all of this happened before they got to talk about it and now they can’t talk about but they both know something shifted but will it still be shifted when all of this is finally over?)

Athena’s working on a seriously high profile case and all the dangers that come with it

Bobby’s holding the remains of his team together while knowing it’s temporary, and also probably still recovering from whatever the fuck is about to happen to him, if not physically then mentally

[notafragilething]

911: Tommy is mentioned in the synopsis and why I think it's important.

I was going to save this for the update to my ramble tonight but I decided this deserved it's own post because I think this might be another sign Tommy's sticking around / is a bigger part of the next episode then we think? If you haven't seen the synopsis for next week's episode please check it out:

The 118 and Tommy are presented with the Medal of Valor for their work on the cruise ship rescue. Meanwhile, Hen and Karen encounter an unforeseen hurdle in their foster care journey, while Eddie’s emotional affair develops further.

So I immediately noticed Tommy was listed, which isn't new information (we saw him in the promo), but something immediately screamed "this seems important that he's named." And I couldn't figure out why.

Because obviously Tommy's been listed in these before, right?

Wrong.

I went back and looked at all of this season's episode synopsis and looked at who was listed by name in them. I made main cast bold, re-occurring regulars like family and love interests italics and everyone else normal.

Abandon 'Ships: Athena, Bobby

Rock the Boat: Bobby, Athena, Hen

Capsized: Athena, Bobby, Hen

Buck Bothered and Bewildered: Athena, Harry, Buck, Eddie

You Don't Know Me: Hen, Karen, Eddie, Marisol, Buck

There Goes the Groom: Maddie, Chimney

Ghosts of a Second Chance: Maddie, Athena, Hen, Karen, Mara, Eddie

Step Nine: Bobby

Ashes, Ashes: Tommy, Hen, Karen, Eddie

Out of the many names listed, there are only two other characters who aren't part of the main/re-occurring cast that got listed. Most of the time they were vague and descriptive if another character was featured.

Such as referring to Tommy as "someone else," Mara being referred to as "a new addition to the family," and Amir as "a victim of the apartment fire."

So let's look at those two other names and the roles they played in their respective episodes.

We have Marisol getting her name in the summary for episode 5: You Don't Know Me. She doesn't necessarily appear a ton in this episode but is pretty significant in the plot since Eddie's storyline revolves around finding out she was a nun and how the impacts him. She was in 3 scenes and talked about in multiple others.

Mara was named in Ghost of a Second Chance, which was her second appearance. This episode had Karen and Hen's storyline focused pretty heavily on her and reuniting her with her brother.

So the fact they name dropped Tommy? Would only happen for one of two reasons.

He's going to be in multiple scenes this week or important to the plot.

They know people want to see him and are listing him to pull in viewers.

Both are fairly good signs for people who want him to stick around.

I also want to point out that Marisol, Mara and Tommy all have something in common. They're three characters that have the potential to move into a more re-occurring longterm role in the series next season.

Mara has the potential to become family (assuming they get over whatever hurdle is happening next week) which would put her in the same category as the other children in the show.

Marisol and Tommy both have the potential to be re-occurring role as a longterm love interest like Karen.

I was convinced Marisol was going to be gone but the fact that they are referring to this as an emotional affair and Ryan has made comments about how Eddie could see himself long term with her and loves her? I could see it going either way on whether or not they keep her since they might try to make the case he didn't physically cheat on her (even though I really hope she's gone soon simply because of the actress).

Thoughts?

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buddie: Buck and Eddie are each other's person/people!

They found one another in 2x1 when they agreed to have each other's backs and 9-1-1 illustrated this fact AGAIN at the end of episode 8x4!

The song that played during the montage is "Find Your People" by Drew Holcomb and the same way songs that were played in CANON during previous seasons (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) include meaningful lyrics, the ones in this song MEAN SOMETHING too and if they didn't, they wouldn't have played it (related posts linked here, here and here). (I used a version of the episode that includes closed captions so the lyrics to the song would be included in the GIFs.) I haven't done a META like this in a while but I'm ready to do them again because the show is finally back on track with a clear narrative and 8x4 is proof of that.

Please note: T*mmy Kinard is NOT Buck's person because if he was, he would have been included in the montage! He's not there because he's a plot device and in 7x4 Buck WAS NOT trying to get his attention!

If the show wanted to, they could have shoehorned in a scene of the two of them, the same way they did in 7x10 but they didn't because he's on his way out!

Now back to the regularly scheduled program...

The song started playing right after Hen took down Councilwoman Ortiz and the lyrics are crystal clear. Let's review them for kicks and giggles.

The song begins with "You got to find your people. The ones who make you feel alright" and that's when Hen walked back to the 118 and Bobby walked away from Gerrard to be with his found family!

Eddie's scene with Weston, Mike and Stacy was next and the lyrics that can be heard when Weston is wheeled toward Eddie are "You got to find your people, the ones that won't leave your side when you lose control. The ones that don't let you lose your soul." BE CLEAR... the lyrics are specific to the main character in the scene and I can prove Eddie's scene relates to him and Buck and it also illustrates how Eddie's not looking for another mother for Chris.

In 5x18, Buck defined what love means to him. He said, "Is that really love? I mean shouldn't it be when you're at your worst and their at their worst, you have every reason to give up and you still decide you want to try again!" (Related post linked here.) The lyrics for Eddie state for him to find his people, someone who'll be by his side when he loses control (THAT'S BUCK! He was there when Eddie broke down) and the ones who won't let you lose your soul (THAT'S BUCK TOO!)

Furthermore, at the end of the scene, Eddie watches Weston and his parents walk away from him and that was a mom, dad and a son. Eddie's not looking for a mother for Chris anymore and it was a callback to earlier in the episode with the wrapping of Mike's hand like he wrapped Ana Flores' hand in 4x6 "Jinx" but there aren't any Jinxes or Curses related to what happened in 8x4. Eddie's relationship with Ana was JINXED from the start the same way his relationship with Marisol was something but it wasn't going to last because once again he was looking for a mother for Chris instead of him looking for the person he already has in his life, BUCK!

Also, Eddie DOESN'T WANT MIKE! (There have been some posts in the tags that says he does but he doesn't because he only has eyes for BUCK! I blocked those people just like I blocked the ones that said Eddie wants the priest 🙄.) The show clearly illustrated that with the scenes they shared in the episode. The touches, the looks and everything else that happened between Eddie and Buck were intentional. Trust that Eddie Diaz only has eyes for Evan Buckley.

The next scene was Henren and Madney. The lyrics that played during this scene after Mara walked over to Hen, Karen and Denny are "In a world full of strangers, all you see is danger" which relates to Mara because she was around strangers when she was at the group home and she had been involved in a dangerous situation before Hen and Karen became her foster parents.

Also, the lyrics that played while Maddie and Chimney were hugging are "You can't go it alone. Everybody needs help. You got to find your people then you'll find yourself." Well, Madney were the ones who helped when they stepped in to foster Mara until Henren's foster care license was reinstated.

Bathena's scene was next and just like the other scenes, the lyrics fit their current situation. It began with Athena talking about rebuilding the house Michael designed for her but after Bobby said he didn't want to rebuild that house, the lyrics in the song indicated the exact reason why.

During their conversation Drew sings, "You got to find your people. The ones that make you feel alright. That tell you the truth and wish you well. You got to find your people then you'll find yourself."

Bobby told Athena the truth about the house and she agreed that they needed to build something new.

The next to the last scene is when Bobby walks back into the 118. The lyrics that were playing are "In a world full of strangers, you don't know who to trust. All you see is danger trying to find what you lost. You can't go it alone, everybody needs help." Well, Bobby was in a world full of strangers when he was at the Hotshots set and since he didn't know them, he couldn't trust them. But Hen went to see him earlier in the episode and she gave him the information he needed so he could go back to his firehouse and when he went back to the 118, he was with his found family again.

Even though they were talking, the song was still playing in the background. (I didn't include the scene with Gerrard because I didn't want to but he found his people too... I guess since he was finally able to tell people what to do on "Hotshots.")

Even though Buck and Eddie didn't have a lot of scenes together in 8x4, the ones they did have are VERY IMPORTANT and one of them was another callback to 4x13 and 4x14.

At the beginning of the episode, they weren't standing right beside each other but they were close enough and Hen was in between them with Chimney to Eddie's left and Buck to Hen's right.

When they went to the high school football game, Eddie got out of the engine right behind Buck and Buck looked at him when Gerrard asked him if he played football in high school. Now this is my speculation but it seems like Buck told Eddie the same thing he told Bobby later in the episode except it happened off screen. At the end of 8x3, when Gerrard hugged Buck, he was weirded out by it (who wouldn't be) but everyone knows Buck talks to Eddie about the things that bother him (reminder T*mmy DOESN'T LISTEN TO BUCK! He makes sex jokes instead of listening to him and when he finally complimented him in 8x1, it was an obscure statement about cones or some other BS. All he had to say was, "You're cute" but he didn't. That dude has NO GAME! 🙄), therefore he probably told Eddie he didn't like the way Gerrard kept touching him. He was looking at his soulmate and future husband for reassurance.

When they arrived at the tiger call, Eddie was behind Buck again.

The scene above could have been done with Hen and Eddie standing behind Chimney but NO... the show is doing a callback to the shooting here. It was the second time this season it was alluded to. The first time was in 8x1 when Eddie said, "I've been shot before" when they were talking about the bees and he said it in front of Buck. Reminder, Chimney and Hen were in the ambulance when Captain Mehta made the call to dispatch about Eddie being shot. Also, Ethan Copeland was a trained LAPD sniper who had a scope on his gun with Buck in the crosshair. Buck was in shock and didn't notice it but Captain Mehta tackled him to the ground (related video here).

Finally, while they were sitting in the courtroom, Buck and Eddie were sitting right beside each other and they were doing the same thing they always do, glancing and looking at one another. It's who they are and what they do.

The point of this post is to illustrate... T*MMY WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE MONTAGE BECAUSE HE'S NOT BUCK'S PERSON!

EDDIE IS BUCK'S PERSON AND BUCK IS EDDIE'S PERSON.

BUDDIE has always been the plan and for anyone who's choosing not to see it or is constantly searching for reassurances that it will happen; the only proof anyone who doesn't work for the show can provide are the things that are happening in CANON. Everything else is speculation!

THE SHOW IS NOT BEING SUBTLE ANYMORE!

[njwinterquartz]

While the episode will obviously focus on Hen and Karen with the ortiz keeping Mara away from them. I do think with the title of “no place like home” we could get a little montage or small scenes of the other characters interacting with the title. Or at least a little montage like that would be a cute idea, even though some people would obviously have less happy scenes.

Bobby at work at the studio wanting to go back to the 118 because he had a small taste of being a captain again. Potentially small scene about Bobby and Athena looking at house hunting again.

Maddie and Chimney having time to themselves at home with Jee and Mara. Potentially having some small amount of set up for their later story of thinking about expanding their family.

Eddie going home to an empty house, forcing him to start facing the facts of what he did and how that lead to him being alone. Maybe him trying to reach out to Chris again only to be turned away or only get a small conversation with him.

Hen and Karen going home and spending time with Denny and trying to figure out another way to get Mara back after this attempt to reach Ortiz failed.

Buck going back to the loft and kinda feeling like it isn’t right/going to see Tommy at his place/some other set up for the potential Buck moving out of the loft and in with Tommy theory. Or Buck missing Bobby because he was briefly able to work with him again in the opener.

I’d just love a little refresher of where everyone is after the opener. But doubt it’ll happen because it’s a Hen and Karen episode (they have the A plot) and the usual facts of these episodes are crammed with stuff already.

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

These are my confessions, just when I thought that I was starting to fall in love, my boyfriend unceremoniously decided to dump me.

After a week off and a presidential election that felt like a season of American Horror Story, we finally got a new episode of the gay firefighter show. Unfortunately I was spoiled by the episode's ending courtesy of Tumblr but nothing could've ever prepared me for how infuriating things would get. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. This reaction is for the season 8, sixth episode "Confessions" which originally aired November 7th, 2024. The episode was written by Andrew Meyers and directed by Life Goes On and Pretty Little Liars actor, Chad Lowe! Spoilers ahead!

Best plot?

This week's episode focuses on a handful of our main characters. We finally get some time with Eddie and we get a bonkers storyline involving Buck and Tommy. However, it is Maddie and Chimney's plot that is my favorite. A few episodes ago, Hen and Karen regained custody of Mara which means Jee-Yun is back to being an only child. Maddie laments that Jee-Yun is having trouble adjusting to a life where Mara isn't her big sister anymore even though the two see quite a bit of each other. She suggests having a second child but Chimney has some trepidation about having another kid.  During an emergency involving a little kid getting stuck in a drain pipe a la "Eddie Begins", Chimney consoles his older brother who blames himself for his little brother wandering off and winding up in a dangerous situation. The little boy (played by Tiberius Byrd) volunteers himself to be lowered down in the pipe so he can pull his absolutely adorable baby brother out of the drain. Afterwards, Chimney warms to the idea of having a little brother or sister for Jee-Yun.

In their final scene, Chimney and Maddie have a raw and open conversation regarding their concerns about having another child. Chimney tearfully tells Maddie that if she is ever feeling sad or overwhelmed, she needs to come to him. She doesn't get to leave or try to figure it out on her own. He asks for total and complete transparency. Wow! I think we sometimes forget that while Maddie is a trauma magnet, Chimney has been right there since the beginning experiencing those tragedies with her. He went through the Doug situation with her. He spent six months raising Jee-Yun on his own while looking for Maddie. For him, having another child could send Maddie back down that same dark path again.

Now Maddie has some conditions of her own. She tells Chimney that they can't go into her pregnancy acting like she's broken. Oh, and yes you read that correctly. Maddie is pregnant! Yay!!! This is the best thing to come out of the episode and it makes me excited for this couple. Hopefully this time around, things will be much better for them.

Best emergency sequence?

We got three emergency sequences this episode but the best by far is the one involving veteran actor Jonathan Silverman. The Weekend at Bernie's and more recently Goosebumps actor plays a man named Walter Schaffer who is in the middle of a nasty divorce. His soon-to-be ex-wife, Liza Schaffer (played by Silverman's real-life wife Jennifer Finnigan) points out that Walter sneezes when he's lying and Walter has been sneezing a LOT! As things reach a boiling point between the two, Walter lets out one last sneeze which causes his stomach to split open and his guts to fall out. I really wish I could've taken a picture of my mom when this happened, She hasn't been this horrified by a 9-1-1 show since Owen Strand decided to perform CPR on a man frozen solid by his cryotherapy chamber. 

This whole scene is mostly played for laughs even though Walter has been eviscerated. After last episode's gut-wrenching accident involving Denny Wilson, it was nice to have a low stakes emergency. Also, it was good to see Jonathan Silverman. I love when they bring veteran actors in to have them perform these small roles. It's one of the reasons I like Ryan Murphy shows so much. He always pays homage to the legends. Oh, and Walter is okay. Even though he spilled his guts, he's still a creep! You made the right decision, Liza!

Episode MVP?

This was a tough one. None of our main characters did anything particularly outstanding this week. This episode is giving filler but I still enjoyed it. However, since I do need to pick someone to be this week's MVP, I'm going to choose everyone's favorite dispatcher - Josh Russo. Josh mostly serves as comic relief in this series but I thought what he had to say to Buck was particularly noteworthy. As someone who is part of the pre-Glee world. I relate so hard to what people like Josh and Tommy have gone through as gay men. I graduated in the early-2000s and even though life was much improved for LGBTQ+ people than let's say the 70s, 80s, and 90s, I still didn't feel comfortable coming out until my late-20's. Buck's coming out was so simple and much of that is due in part to the queer people that came before him. I'm sure someone like Josh had a difficult time prior to coming out and Tommy went as far as getting into a serious relationship with a woman before he finally made the decision to come out. Had the end of this episode gone a lot differently, I think Josh's monologue would be even better. I also love that he called Buck in instead of calling him out. I wish we got more scenes with Josh and Buck because as of right now they are the only two queer male characters on the show. 

 BuckTommy Corner

I've been dreading writing this part of the reaction mostly because it might be the last BuckTommy Corner we ever get. A lot of fellow shippers online seem to think that we may see Buck and Tommy reunite but the ending of this episode has me convinced that we aren't getting the BuckTommy endgame many of you have been asking for since the two first touched lips. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself again.

After last episode's stellar development of Buck and Tommy's relationship, this episode's writer decided to burn it all down. Our first scene between Buck and Tommy finds them back where it all began. It's their six-month anniversary and Tommy has gotten Buck basketball tickets. Things seem to be going swimmingly between the two of them until some hot blonde comes over and asks Buck to take a picture of her and her friends. Buck seems very awkward by the situation but Tommy assures him it's okay for him to find other women attractive. Whew! Crisis averted! I was so sure this was going to be the conflict of the episode.

Then we get Tommy admitting to Buck that he is a Kinsey scale six which means he's g-g-gay ... even though once upon a time he was engaged to a 9-1-1 dispatcher with the most amazing hair. Yes, folks, Tommy Kinard was engaged to Abby Clark. Tommy mentions that after he ended things, Abby went on to date a himbo. Buck is completely shooketh by this revelation and goes to his sister for advice. This is where we get the fantastic monologue from Josh. Buck decides to come clean to Tommy and figures that this changes nothing about their relationship.

Tommy apologizes for calling Buck a himbo and the latter asks Tommy to move in with him. Then everything goes to absolute shit. Tommy spouts some bullshit about being Buck's first (male) relationship but he will not be his last. Tommy says he doesn't want to get his heart broken again and then throws up the deuces to a very confused Buck. I'm sorry, y'all! What in the absolute hell just happened! I don't know who that man was. I know he looked like Lou Ferrigno Jr. playing Tommy Kinard but it's like some alien took over Tommy's body during this scene. This is not the same man we have gotten to know over the few seasons. Yes, Tommy did have some reservations about getting into a relationship with Buck so soon after his coming out but they squashed all of that way back in 7x05. Since then, these two have been building something amazing only to have it blown up so unceremoniously at the end of this episode.

Now, as I mentioned prior, the ending to this episode was spoiled. After learning about the breakup, I immediately went to the BuckTommy Reddit and learned that others were as similarly confused as I was. To make matters worse, it appears that Lou Ferrigno Jr, is as equally flummoxed by the decision to end things as the viewers, which is not a good look for the show. Why give us all that development in "Masks" only for Tommy to exit stage left. Thankfully, Lou announced that he will be returning to S.W.A.T. so I'm comforted that I will get to see him again in a skin-tight black T-shirt. One thing I will say about Lou is the man stays working. Check out his IMDb. He may not be the series lead but he stays working and he will continue to work because he seems to be an extremely competent and professional actor. 

The end of this episode left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm not just saying that because of the BuckTommy breakup. I've somewhat suspected that things have not been good with this show for a very long time but as long as I got scenes with Buck and Tommy, I was willing to keep going. This show is in its eighth season and we keep putting these characters through the same paces. Eddie's still trying to figure out how to be a good dad to Christopher seven seasons later. Maybe the show is getting a bit stale? I dunno. This episode just felt less fun for some reason. Perhaps I need to watch it again.

With that said, I will continue to watch 9-1-1 because I do love the characters on this show and the actors that play them. Oh, and by the way, please do not give Lou or Oliver any hate for simply playing what was written for them. Also, a lot of you are upset with Oliver and calling him biphobic. Now, do I think he said some problematic things in the last interview he did? Yes. Do I think he needs to be nailed to the cross for it? Absolutely not! I think we as viewers and members of the LGBTQ+ community need to take a page out of the Book of Josh and start calling people in instead of calling people out. We are very reactionary people and I totally get it. Being part of a marginalized group (or two, or three) especially here in America is rough and we find ways to protect ourselves to prevent harm from being inflicted on us. With that said, I believe it is quite possible to take an ally to task without potentially alienating them. As an elder, millennial gay, I think that's something we can all get better at! Until next time ...

[haven-of-dusk]

Thoughts/theories/predictions/ideas/possible plotlines/etc. for S8

I thought I would compile these so I don't create seven or eight posts in a flurry.

Bobby/Athena: Some type of tandem storyline as part of Bobby reclaiming the 118 from Gerrard's grip where he and Athena uncover a corruption scandal in the LAFD tying to Councilwoman Ortiz, Gerrard (obviously) and others. If more plotline is needed for them after that (if it wraps up by the midseason finale for example) then I would like seeing Bobby's health issues worsen bit by bit and him struggle to be honest with the rest of the team about that. Related to that plot, perhaps have Athena learn from Harry that Michael's cancer resurfaced with a vengeance and claimed his life (it's not like we're getting Michael back on the show anytime soon considering the actor's behavior), which compiles with learning about Bobby's health and starting to worry she'll lose him too. Plus both of them spending more time with Harry.

Hen: In addition to participating in Bobby and Athena's plotline of uncovering corruption and taking down Ortiz, I'd love to see Hen become more comfortable with leadership around the 118, especially in response to Gerrard. Perhaps have something happen in the field where Hen contradicts Gerrard's orders and the rest of the team (beyond even just our main cast, the whole rest of the team) follows her orders instead of his. And subsequently when he tries to punish her, say, by trying to make her scrub the rigs by herself, he finds the entire group cleaning together, chatting, and having fun (Hen didn't ask them to help, they just did so of their own volition) Despite being enraged, Gerrard struggles to find a way to punish them since it's not like he can fire the whole house, and any punishment he tries they find a way to circumvent, with Hen leading the charge. Basically she gets to be the ringleader of the 118's internal war with Gerrard. And along the way we get more Henren home stuff and building on the connection with Mara.

Chimney: WHERE THE HELL WAS ALBERT?! I would not at all mind Chimney having an arc where he realizes he hasn't heard from Albert in a while and ends up decrypting where Albert ended up (could be as malicious or innocent as they want, anything from Albert deciding to join an Amish community temporarily while traveling the country and not having a phone while there to straight up human trafficking. Take your pic, writers). Outside of that, I want more of Chimney getting to be the Dad he never had. More of him and Jee-Yun in general. Along the way, maybe have Gerrard's treatment trigger Chimney? Situations Gerrard puts him in drag up Chimney's trauma about Kevin, something like that.

Maddie: I don't really know what I want for Maddie per se, outside of I wouldn't mind this season being her turn to not have trauma or pain. Kind of the way her brother got off easy this season. See more of her interactions with everyone, give her the occasional intense dispatch call to show off her skills, show her being happy and domestic with Chimney and Jee-Yun, all that good stuff. If we need to give her a full plotline, perhaps she could get involved if something were to happen between Buck and their parents (we'll talk about that in a sec in his section), or be a rallying point for the other plotlines whenever they need her help, or, if we wanted to go far afield from her usual stuff, perhaps have her express interest in returning to the medical field to some degree, maybe even thinking about trying to be a paramedic? Idk, I love Maddie, but I'm not certain what to do with her character at the moment outside of just letting her be happy, since she probably got the least amount of setup from S7.

Buck: What I most want from Buck, at least in the first half of the season, is to focus on how his bisexuality affects him and his mental health and let him continue to explore those emotions, perhaps with conversations with Hen, Josh, Karen, etc. As the season continues, he realizes his relationship with Tommy has...stagnated, they go on dates, they hang out occasionally, but there's just not much energy to the proceedings, so Buck thinks maybe that means it's time to propose. (This may not be going where you think it's going). So he has an episode where he goes around to Henren, Bathena, Madney, asking all of his married friends basically how they knew they wanted to get married, and while they give different, unique answers, the general takeaway is that you shouldn't feel you have to marry someone, but that you want to. That they are your forever person. And the episode ends with Buck going to look at rings...and deciding not to buy one, leaving the store looking a bit conflicted. Within a couple episodes of that, he and Tommy break up. (I would probably want it to be amicable in this scenario, to demonstrate Buck making the mature decision that he didn't have anything against Tommy, he just wasn't his forever person, but if there had to be some drama there, Tommy making a nasty comment after Buck says he wants to break up to reassure Buck's decision and leave him with no regrets. Then after that...give Buck time to realize that Tommy was, in a lot of ways, store-brand Eddie. But Buck doesn't like Eddie, right? I mean he likes him, but he doesn't like him, right? (Spoiler alert, he does)

Eddie/Chris: The first half of the season needs to be Eddie in therapy leading to Chris' return, though I would love for Chris' choice to be...borderline untethered from Eddie's plotline. Not in the way that it his absence then subsequent return has no effect on Eddie, but I think it would be good for Chris' character to have him converse with Eddie's parents, family, etc, and have him realize on his own what his father has been through and the extent to which Eddie loves him, and then the talk with Eddie is the final piece of the puzzle, not the only piece of the puzzle, if that makes sense. And I also think it's crucial that Eddie not be "cured" when Chris returns. He's still working on himself, he's still healing, but Chris is ready to be back with him and stay with him. Building on that, I think it'd be powerful for Chris to be the one to force Eddie to confront the idealized version of Shannon he's built up in his head. Even if it happens indirectly through something Chris says, it'd be powerful for them to start healing that wound together. Then once Chris is back in LA (by the second half of the season at the latest), part of Eddie's therapy arc involves him realizing piece by piece how much he's pushed the past few seasons' girlfriends away, and why, and perhaps even he runs into Ana again and finds out she has a fiancé, and they chat about finding love like that. Along the way have Eddie talk to Athena for sure, since for some reason they haven't really interacted despite her being a pretty perfect person to talk about lost loves (Bobby too, but he and Eddie have talked more than once). But all this forces Eddie to confront who he is, who he's always been, what he's been pushing down and pushing away for years, and when that arc collides with Buck realizing his feelings, the season ends with the big Buddie canonization.

I realize I went into more detail with Buck and Eddie than the others, but part of that is down to mixing their personal arcs with the 'relationship' arc which could honestly be its own section. And possibly should have been.

Every section here is compressed anyway, but part of this post's purpose is to be an organizer for my thoughts that I can add to and expand upon as more come during this hiatus (as relatively brief as it is, it will probably continue to get more and more brutal)

I can also obviously expound on something if someone wants me to...though I know that's unlikely.

[hollersparrow]

just some 9-1-1 headcanons/plot bunnies

so i've kinda gone on a 9-1-1 deep dive that started out casual and rapidly turned into an obsession. a few things to note, i definitely think that buck and eddie have something (whether it's romantic or queerplatonic is up for grabs but there's something beyond friendship there and no one can convince me otherwise) and i am a strong subscriber to any tropes that strongly encourage found family/families so...make of that what you will

anyway, after binging all of the available episodes, i have several headcanons that i want to put out there (for some reason a lot of them are from season 5???)

ana realizing that there's more to eddie and buck's relationship than it seems in that scene from s5e2 when she brings christopher to the station. buck clocks that eddie has started panicking immediately and ana just like. *looks* at him for a few seconds in a way that just makes me think that this woman clocked that they have a deeper than normal connection to one another. that or she's heard about buck but obviously has never seen eddie and buck interact and is suddenly realizing exactly what people keep trying to tell her about

a buck/eddie-focused exploration of the aftermath of 'brawl in cell block 9-1-1'. buck freaking out once mitchell's been carted off to get his heart taken out and refusing to let eddie go anywhere while checking him for injuries, eddie having some uncomfortable realizations about just how affected buck was by the whole experience. personally, i feel that would lead to them actually talking about the sniper and all the mess that goes with it

lots of potential for temporary angst with eddie having a lot of big feelings about having failed as a husband in his marriage to shannon and not wanting to get married again b/c of it (thinks he doesn't deserve another shot at it? thinks there's something fundamentally wrong with him to where he can't? don't know how this would manifest exactly). personally, i see this eventually leading to him and buck realizing that they're more or less functionally married and they may as well reap some tax benefits from it but you can do whatever you want with that

buck goes to the funerals of many of the people who die on calls that he's a part of. it's mostly people that he directly worked on and he doesn't tend to tell anyone that he's a first responder that was involved (b/c of how devon's sister reacted in s1) but he does go to them.

kinda of tied to the headcanon above this but! buck getting adopted by a bunch of older queer folk following the deaths of mitchell and thomas in s2. he goes to the joint funeral that was planned for the two of them, in part b/c he wants/needs to and in part bc he accidentally took a few photos from the scrapbook from the scene (he shoved them in his pocket on instinct when thomas collapses). anyway, he shows up and the older queer community has rallied to show up at the funeral and they recognize him as someone who needs more found family and just adopt him into their ranks. i could see the 118 finding out about this soon after it happens or not until years later; maybe karen and hen finding out sooner than everyone else but buck asks them to keep it quiet?

s5e14 where jee-yun gets sick? what if it actually WAS leukemia and she somehow ends up needing some sort of donation (plasma? bone marrow? idk really anything about how cancer is treated). jee's put on a list and they start testing family members, none of whom work out until...buck. cue maddie not wanting to ask that of buck b/c of all the baggage that comes with daniel and the buckley parents are absolute assholes about it (along the lines of completely disregarding buck's autonomy as a human being in the face of their precious granddaughter being in trouble), maybe a chimney that isn't trying to be pushy about it but also just...can't help pushing a bit, a buck that so overwhelmed with everything that he's feeling that he goes off the rails a bit. obviously everything works out and buck donates or whatever needs to happen and jee-yun is completely fine b/c i don't actually want it to end badly

the entire 'buck's a sperm donor' family argument and maraget saying "you're a miracle baby yourself" made my fucking blood boil and i want to see a better exploration of the fallout of that statement b/c you just know that there was more to it than it just getting brushed off

buck telling maddie that he has a checklist that he goes through every time he wakes up post-coma in s6e12. chris and eddie being part of that list, where buck is just constantly checking up on them to make sure that they're still in LA (part of the reason why it's so easy for him to fall asleep/relax on the diaz couch or in their house in general). eddie doesn't notice the uptick in check-ins b/c he's too busy figuring out the least intrusive ways for him to check in on buck at all times b/c he NEEDS to know that buck is alive/breathing. once eddie notices though, he confronts buck about it

maddie asking buck to be her maid of honor for her wedding since hen is obviously going to have best man privileges. mostly just exploring the ridiculous that this brings up and everyone joking about buck in a dress (up to you whether he actually wears one to the wedding or not), but i have to include a side note that the buckley parents are dicks about it and have no sense of humour/fun

literally anything featuring athena being worried about buck as a maternal figure, i was so disappointed by her lack of interaction when buck was struck by lightning and, while i'm so fucking happy to have may acknowledging that buck is bobby's son too, we missed out on athena being devastated by the situation as well

there will probably be more of these to come at some point knowing myself.

[mastercherry]

Throwback Thursday Eve to my Buddie AU where everyone is some type of were-creature.

(Trigger warning for the Buckleys being bad parents and mentions of Doug and his stupid self.)

Eddie and the Diaz family are wolves.

Hen, Karen, and Deny are bears. So is Bobby.

Athena and her family are lions.

Chimney and Albert are tigers.

Buck, Maddie, and the Buckleys are from a long line of raptors. Like, the birds of prey. Hawks, eagles, stuff like that.

Maybe you're thinking, hey, Megan, this seems pretty cool but what's this story about? What's the catch? What's the plot?

Let me tell you.

Buck is a very rare, very prized, very amazing raptor mutation. He's not a hawk or falcon like his family. He's an actual raptor. Like the dinosaur. It happens to 1 in a millions raptor families.

But here's the problem, it made him incompatible to help Daniel. Which is why his parents treat him the way they do. And which is also why they raise him to hide his shift. That he's not natural and he's bad. And people will be scared of him. And he can never show anyone what he really is. Because he's a monster. Although, they don't start saying stuff like that until they've married their daughter off to an actual monster.

Anyways, so the 118 family wants to know what Buck is, but he's never told them. Never showed them. And they won't push. They can tell something is wrong. So they let him just be Buck.

When Maddie shows up with her pretty brown feathers, then they know what Buck probably is, another falcon or a hawk. But still, he won't shift. Which Maddie doesn't understand for a while. Then she finally gets him to open up to her when she opens up to him about Doug. They help each other heal, but he still won't shift.

But then, maybe, the tsunami hits and he loses Christopher. And he knows if he just shifted then he could find him. But he doesn't want to run around as a monster, terrifying people who have already had a bad day. And... he feels really bad about it, but the thought of turning and Chris being scared of him.... A crushing wave of ocean water is much easier to survive than that.

So yeah... what makes him shift finally? Can you imagine the huge amount of support and love from his fire fam? Can you imagine how excited Christopher would be? Eddie would just be in awe.

Right? Wouldn't that be cool?

[gregorygerwitz]

I'm right there with you. Cheating plot-lines are huge squicks for me. I almost stopped watching the show bc of Hen's cheating in s1, and again when Buck cheated. Part of the disappointment now is that it's a THIRD time they've had a cheating plotline- actually FOURTH since Michael had a secret relationship when he and Athena were still married, even if they hadn't been sleeping together for a while.

So I think part of it for me is "I know this is different, but I don't want to go through this AGAIN."

Either way, I save my own sanity by fast-forwarding through scenes that I don't want to see, and I'll infer/learn things from other people who have watched the show later.

I hate it here so much and, honestly, with how this show usually treats cheating storylines, I don't actually have that much faith that this will get the fallout it should.

With Michael, I understand the handwave - they were separated, for all intents and purposes, and that was discussed afterwards and Athena sees where he's coming from now. And them writing canonically queer characters into cheating arcs that end poorly would be messy, even if they don't necessarily learn anything from it.

Hen... did face consequences for her actions. We got to see the fallout of it with her and Karen, and how they handled it. But I feel like most of that was off screen, and then they forgot about it beyond season one.

Buck's "cheating" storyline was wild, in a way that... was barely cheating? He was on the receiving end of the kiss that only happened once, he kissed back in the moment because he was drunk. Lucy is not the bad guy in this situation either, because she had no idea he was in a relationship and was also drunk. Should Buck have told Taylor sooner? Yes. Was the entire storyline a mess for other reasons too? Also yes.

This... it feels different but the same. No, Eddie hasn't done anything physical with Kim that we know of, but this is the first time, other than Michael whose cheating didn't get much of a storyline beyond cementing the end of his relationship with Athena, that it has been a consistent choice made over and over again. Hen slept with Eva the night of the full moon and then that was over. Buck and Lucy was one drunken night that didn't go beyond a kiss or two. This? Eddie is going after Kim and her attention again and again.

He's showing up at her job. He's taking her out to dinner. He's telling her he's single. And it's really shitty. I just have to cross my fingers and pray this doesn't get brushed off like every other time.

(and I totally understand fast forwarding when you have that ability, definitely do whatever you have to do 💛)

[lemotmo]

Hello! Welcome to a post 8.5 world lol. I am as always very curious to hear your thoughts on the episode. (I am also by extension intrigued by Ali’s thoughts if any of those lovely anons send them your way. )

For me I’d give the episode a B rating I think. I enjoyed the Halloween aspect of it all. It was nice to see that brought back. And there was def some funny moments. And the Buck and Eddie being BuckandEddie was always nice. The Buck Chim dynamic was great. The Madney Henren scenes were top notch. Karen wanting Hen there for the big moments of their family felt real and authentic.

Some side eye moments with the whole buck loudly declaring lube flying in and then immediately going ok Eddie. 😂

Eddie sucking that ring pop while looking at buck in the hospital near the end of the episode 😂

Eddie and Buck definitely had a lot of husband coded moments. And the contrast with Tommy in them was interesting to see as well.

And I did genuinely enjoy everyone’s costumes.

Now the not so good stuff.

I know we all say it happens but actually seeing Tommy being so..dismissive of Buck? As he’s telling his tale in the hospital. As he’s at home doing his research deep dive. Seeing him trying so hard to make that connection just for Tommy to brush it off. Make jokes. Or just flat out tell him it’s time to be quiet because he’s exhausted was just not fun to watch.

Eddie. Outside of the Buck and Eddie moments and honestly even in some of them, he seemed a little…ooc this episode. I don’t know if that was on purpose because of what’s coming storyline wise for him or if it was because this episode was Directed by Taylor Wong and she’s never been a very big Eddie fan. And she tends to write him very… straight and just ooc. Which honestly it being Eddie the former might explain the later lol. But then also like he literally watches Denny flatline? Watches Henren suffer over their child and then not even a mention of Chris? Nothing to show he even tried to reach out? Just him looking at a photo at the end of the episode? Idk that was not my Eddie Diaz tonight.

Henren. Not gonna lie the stuff with Denny while it did get me because it was so emotional and even knowing he was gonna be fine, i honestly could have done without it. I really really wish they’d find a new plot for Henren other than constantly making them suffer and traumatized. Like they literally just dealt with Mara last episode. And they couldn’t even have 1 episode to be happy.

The journalists. I love them dearly but I am baffled by how much they hyped up that Eddie and Buck handshake still when it wasn’t even in the episode. We saw Eddie out his hand out but then that was it. The rest was cut. And they knew that because they had seen the episode by that point. So didn’t enjoy how much they hyped up a deleted scene essentially. And then a lot of their articles tonight were just to much Tommy’s a good person. Tommy’s good for Buck. Nothings wrong with Tommy. For my taste.

And then Oliver. His pre episode 5 interviews. I am also confused by these. Because he gave such a different vibe for this episode than what we actually saw. Like was Tommy super helpful? No. But he was still a little helpful. And the way Oliver spoke you’d think he wouldn’t have done anything at all. It also sounded like the hurdles would begin tonight and idk maybe I just completely missed them but I didn’t really see any of it? I think they touched on Tommy’s jealousy of the 118 at the very end but that’s was about it and it’s not a new thing. Idk if they pulled another 7.6 on this poor man where they had him out here hyping up the bachelor party and karaoke scene only to then switch it up when the episode aired and cut things out while simultaneously seeming to extend BT, but either that happened again or he’s lost his ability to interview for episodes accurately lolol.

Now of course no closing in buddie. Just very confused and slightly frustrated with this episode I think. 1-4 were so good with pacing and story beats and this one just was not it. It felt like they were trying to cram maybe one or two things extra into it to get ready for 8..6 that they prob shouldn’t have.

Honorable mention: as I said before the difference in Eddie and Tommy was interesting. Eddie in the hospital room vs Tommy outside until the doctor left. Eddie teasing Buck with Buck vs Tommy laughing at Buck with his harbor crew. Tommy not being able to get Boil Buck to calm down vs Eddie being able to. The graveyard scene with Tommy behind Buck and a bit away vs Buddie graveyard scene Seaosn 6 standing shoulder to shoulder. There was a lot of these little moments where you could feel Eddie was in bucks life. Part of it. And Tommy was just..there but not? Like he didn’t fit in.

We also found out (and it’s floating around Twitter and tumblr but I’ll try to remember to send a link later) that Buck and Eddie both have a photo of Buck and Chris from the season 3 Christmas party at their houses. Which is just 😭😭😭. Buck who also now just has decorations in his fridge at all; has the photo of Buck and Chris from season 3 on the pier. So they are a family your honor. This got so much longer then I ever meant I’m so sorry 😂😂

Oh Nonny, you came up with some excellent points here. You can find my own thoughts and opinions on my blog. I just posted them.

Overall I agree with everything you said here. I'm not going to go into the details, since I just posted a very long post about this, but I genuinly don't understand why everybody was hyping up this episode? It was okay, but it wasn't special at all. I expected more Buck growth as well, but instead we got... boils and curses. It was a bit of a let-down, I agree.

I do think we saw some stirrings of beginning problems between Buck and Tommy though. There was a jarring lack of romantic energy, chemistry and intimicay between these two men. There was absolutely nothing, no kiss, no handholding, no hug... nothing. In fact, in most scenes they were very far apart from each other as well. They were intentionally seperated.

I think their 'struggles' will be that they lack that 'spark' you need to keep the relationship alive. They didn't seem like boyfriends, but like ordinary friends. So now I'm thinking that their inevitable breakup will be mutual. Them just deciding that they don't work as boyfriends, but they should remain friends.

Tommy was still kept away from everyone else. The only people he really interacted with was Buck and Eddie. So, the vibes of him being a 'plot device haven't changed at all. In fact, they've increased.

So yeah, I found that interesting.

What was that about that photo? I'll have to look that one up. 😋

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞

Oh new stuff is always exciting! And those are very fun ideas!

Also everything is looking up in the thruple fic, that's great they all really needed a break. Surely nothing bad will happen now.

Thank you!!! And haha nooo nothing bad AT ALL.

15 for 🔼:

---

Surely she can manage an appointment by herself with Christopher. 

Wrong.

She’s wrong. 

She actually badly needs a second set of hands today and, honestly, a second brain, too. So whatever Eddie is plotting, she’s all on board. She is happy to benefit as a co-conspirator. 

First of all, she hardly slept. Not only can her baby not seem to keep her legs still in the night, but neither can Shannon. Restless leg syndrome. Apparently it will pass but it’s making her want to scream. So while she is dead tired, her eight year-old is apparently a bundle of energy. Chris is a pretty bright and bubbly kid most days, but it seems turned up a notch today. Or maybe it just feels like more because she’s so tired? She can’t tell. 

---

15 for ❄️:

---

So he falls in line, keeps a low profile. It’s not so different than the army, if he squints. 

The only problem with not discussing the group therapy outside of the group itself and Frank, is Buck. Buck has been hover-y since Chris left. Which is understandable. Eddie would be too, if their positions were flipped. He wants to make sure Eddie is okay, and Eddie’s not really okay, admittedly, so he keeps hovering. Very Buck of him. But it also means that Eddie struggles to blow him off without explaining himself. 

“What are you doing Friday? On our day off?” Buck asks one shift.

“Uh, I have an appointment,” Eddie says, knowing Buck would otherwise offer to come over. Not that Eddie doesn’t want him there. But he wants a solid gap of time to process before and after group therapy. 

---

15 for 🪞:

---

“There is no way we can have three kids in this house,” Maddie says when Buck brings it up. “No.” 

Yeah, that is a bit cramped… But they could make it work! 

“It would only be three for now,” Buck reminds them. “Hen and Karen are going to get Mara back. But Dove will still need a home. And look, uh, Jee loves having a big sister around!”

Maddie and Chim exchange an uneasy glance. 

“I don’t know, Buck,” Chim sighs. “This was… We never talked about this being a permanent thing.”

“The goal was always to help Mara stay with her family,” Maddie adds. “We haven’t had a conversation about a second kid being permanent.” 

“And that’s probably something we should do, you know, without you,” Chim says. 

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

Hi! I’ve been following you for a while and so have seen a lot of your 911 content and it’s made me pretty interested in watching the show. (I thought Buck/Eddie was canon for the longest time because of your blog and was genuinely disappointed when i realised they weren’t😭)

I’m very aware though that it may be another queerbaiting situation and I don’t know if I have the energy to invest in that D: Do you think there’s any hope for Buck/Eddie? Should I watch the show despite that?

I'm going to be very firm in my answer here: it is not queerbaiting.

Regardless of whether or not the show goes canon, it is not queerbaiting.

When the Rizzoli & Isles marketing team from day one (literally before the pilot even aired) were putting out billboards and advertisements in magazines going "ooh are they just friends or are they partners in more ways than one?" - that was queerbaiting. They did this throughout the entire run of the show.

When the Teen Wolf team had the actors for the popular ship Sterek cuddling on a boat making shipping jokes and telling us to tune in to the new season of Teen Wolf and winking at us - that was queerbaiting.

When the BBC Sherlock writers threw in line after line of third parties stating that John was married to Sherlock, that Sherlock was John's boyfriend, that John was clearly in love with Sherlock, only for them to turn around and literally make fun of viewers for thinking that they were being serious - that was queerbaiting.

When the Supernatural writers made wink wink references to Dean Winchester knowing about/visiting popular gay bars in Miami and suggesting he and Cas run away to the one state that had gay marriage legalized at the time - that was queerbaiting.

The 911 writers haven't done one of those wink wink references since season two. They have not used the Buddie ship in marketing tools and advertisements. They have not had third parties joke that Buck and Eddie are gay for each other.

The fact that the writers are crafting a story where we, the viewers, see the only logical conclusion to the character arcs being Buck and Eddie falling for each other and dating is not queerbaiting. Queerbaiting is a tactic to lure in a queer audience without any intention of following through.

This 'queerbaiting' accusation is especially heinous in regards to 911 because 911 is a show that has five significant queer characters: Hen Wilson and her wife Karen, Athena's ex-husband Michael, Michael's fiancé David, and Maddie's coworker Josh. Michael and David are currently not on the show due to Michael's actor refusing to follow vaccination guidelines, but Hen and Karen just got a huge damn backstory episode showing how they fell in love.

911 loves and respects its queer characters and storylines, so to have the fandom constantly accusing them of queerbaiting because the ship they want to happen hasn't happened (yet), is insulting and disrespectful, in my very, very, very tired opinion.

So, to wit: whether or not they go canon, Buck and Eddie are not queerbaiting. 911 is not queerbaiting us. Full stop.

Now, we do not know for certain that they will be going canon. The show writers are not going to confirm that ahead of time, just like they wouldn't for a het ship like Bones/Booth, Castle/Beckett, or most recently Chenford over on The Rookie. That would be spoiling a big plot moment if that's where they're headed. So asking for confirmation from them is rather unfair. As I've said before and will say again: no, het ships do not get a guarantee and a pre-canon confirmation. If you think they do, then I would've loved to see where you were in the late 90s/early 00s when I was in the trenches.

However, with het ships, writers will play with the audience and tease them a bit more. Because with het ships, if they do that, they won't be queerbaiting if it doesn't happen. Therefore, the 911 writers are going to stay mum. We won't know from the writers if Buddie is going canon until it's shown on screen through a third party love confession or other means.

Although we do not have a confirmation that they're going canon, I have faith that they are. The writing points to it. I don't have time to list all the reasons. If you go into my blog and search '911 spec' or 'meta' you should get some good results. Otherwise if you go to @extasiswings blog and do some searching you'll see a lot of great meta from herself and others. @yramesoruniverse also has great meta. There are others but I'm fried and rushing out the door so can't think of anything specific at the moment.

My point is, people in this fandom have outlined how the writing in this show, to them, points to Buddie going canon, and I agree. Do some light digging and you'll see.

Finally, a ship going canon or not is not why you should ship something. Ship something because you love the dynamic. Geraskier is never going canon but I'm still having a rip-roaring good time with them. But at the end of the day, nonny, it's up to you.

If you want to wait and watch from the sidelines to see if Buddie goes canon before investing, that's totally valid and your choice. I can't decide that for you. I know what it's like to ship something and hope it goes canon only to have it not come to fruition (RIP Garcy, among others), and it sucks, so I get it if you don't want to do that. But it's your choice and yours alone.

I will say that 911 is a fantastic show even without Buddie going canon, and that I adore every single one of the characters, and I don't even like medical dramas. So I think it's a worthwhile show to get into, Buddie or no Buddie.

To summarize: We don't know if they're going canon yet but it's not queerbaiting, the show is good either way and worth a shot, only you can decide if you want to invest in a ship that may or may not go canon.

I hope you have a good day and take care of yourself. Stay safe.

[pansysgothgf]

The Buddie Grey’s Anatomy AU I wrote is done so here’s the rest of my moodboards for it + the rambling thoughts I have about the characters :)

Hen!! Hen’s the character I was the most excited about but also the character I feel like I did the least with because as much as I adore Cristina, so many of her plot points in the show seemed to revolve around her truly horrific boyfriends/fiancés/husbands. My hatred of Owen Hunt runs deep, so Karen ended up being partially inspired by Burke. I ended up mostly focusing on Hen and Buck becoming friends, but I do wish I got to spend a little more time on her :(

I ended up sharing Bailey’s plot lines and character between Maddie and Chim, which I’m pretty happy with tbh! My favourite scene to write with them was actually the first one of theirs I wrote for this fic, which was my whumptober submission that ended up being a chunk of chapter two. While they’re mostly based after Bailey, Maddie also reminded me a little bit of Jo (both of them surviving abusive husbands) and I gave her one of April’s plot lines in the final chapter, which was exciting! I did briefly consider incorporating Lexi, Molly or Maggie’s plot lines in for Maddie (the whole ‘secret sibling’ thing) but it just didn’t work with the way I set it up.

LUCY MY LOVE!! I became so unintentionally attached to Lucy while writing this so she got WAY more plot than I was initially intending haha! There’s something so magical about watching the first few seasons of Grey’s and seeing the dynamic between all of the roommates, which I tried really hard to incorporate into the fic. Then I realized I’d become attached to Lucy and Ravi and went… oh shit I’m going to have to actually give them plots rip. I had so much fun choosing which Izzie plots to give to Lucy since Izzie has some really amazing stuff to work with in the show. I ended up going with the two biggest plots (imo). Because I changed so much though, I ended up combining Izzie’s cancer plot line and Amelia’s brain tumour to create what I ended up with. I’m pretty happy with it, honestly, I hope I built it up sufficiently enough :)

Ravi!!! Ravi is what people wish George O’Malley could’ve been. As I’ve previously stated, I do not like the majority of Grey’s men, and this includes George. I ended up focusing mostly on George’s issues with confidence and his complicated relationship with his family. I also elected not to go the bus route with Ravi, you’re all welcome. Fun fact! I made Lena the orthopaedic surgeon because my biggest crack ship in all of 9-1-1 is Lena/Ravi. I headcannon them to be a lesbian and a gay man but they match each other’s freak, and they’re both just as surprised about it as anyone.

Honourable mentions (aka characters I want to yap about but didn’t make moodboards for):

Shannon: I based Shannon off of Addison Forbes-Montgomery-Shepherd SPECIFICALLY because of the season 1 finale. They’re both the secret wives that show up and create chaos which I love lol. I specifically left Shannon’s ending pretty ambiguous, mainly because I don’t know if she would’ve stuck around had she lived in 9-1-1. If we’re going off of Grey’s though, she’s living her best life in LA with a group of friends who she cares a lot about. I like to think that at some point Chris reaches out (probably when he’s a lot older) and they create a tentative relationship.

Tommy: I gave Tommy elements of both Mark Sloan and Owen Hunt (just his position at the hospital because seriously, fuck Owen Hunt). I decided on Tommy as Mark before Season 7 started airing which is WILD because I basically flipped a coin between him and Sal, but went with Tommy since he showed up to fly the plane in season 2. I wrote him and Buck kissing after Buck, Bothered and Bewildered though lol! I don’t really think about what happens to Tommy after the ending of the fic, although it’s definitely not what happened to Mark. Seeing as Owen doesn’t exist in this world, neither does the plane crash <3

Ok that’s it thanks for coming to my ted talk :)

[mayasdeluca]

thinking about the double standards at how 9-1-1 and abc/fox are going all out with buddie, a non canon mlm pairing while marina, a canon wlw that have stayed together since s3 of station 19, gets scraps

The men are always treated better than the women and that's what it comes down to. The fact that the people that are 'outraged' that this new awakening with Buck's sexuality has now ruined 911 as if there hasn't been a gay couple on the show already since the beginning of the show just speaks volumes as to how Hen/Karen have been treated from the start. It's as if they barely exist and some people have no idea they're even together and that's sad. They have yet to get a real plot of substance this season and I know it's coming next episode but it took halfway through the season for that to happen. And yes Tracie is a recurring role but still...they aren't treated well at all and I'm tired of certain people in that fandom using them for their arguments to say otherwise just to try and preach they have wlw representation when it's hardly anything of substance. All representation matters and yet wlw representation continues to be secondary and it's frustrating and tiresome.