As an intensely obsessed fan of the ABC series 9-1-1, it has been a long two months since the midseason finale aired on November 21st.
There was so much left unsaid that I went a bit off the rocker thinking up theories for the rest of the season. I mean, c’mon! I want to know what’s happening with Eddie in El Paso (and Buck’s reaction!); I want to know what’s going on with Maddy and Chim’s second kid; I want to know what Hen and Karen are up to, now reunited with Mara; I want to know what big event Athena and Bobby will prevail through next!
I spiraled when the 8b teaser came out with Angela Bassett talking about a serial killer! There are clips of Maddy being taken (which, yikes! Kidnapping her again, really?), but what stuck out to me was an inconsistency with Athena’s words. She says “he’s a damn serial killer, and it looks like he took Maddy with him,” but the word “Maddy,” seems out of place. It is almost as if it was cut from another scene. Everything about the teaser is extremely unusual.
9-1-1, I want to know your secrets!
As for what I’m thinking, Maddy is not the only one being kidnapped in the premiere because of this cut dialogue. I’m inclined to suspect Eddie will be kidnapped as well—he is not present in the teaser, but the kidnapping could take place after he leaves for El Paso. My next best guess is Buck. He is Maddy’s brother, and if there’s an underlying reason for the serial killings (which, usually there are), then it could be connected to their family.
Speaking of Buck—and switching to less perilous topics—I was ecstatic at his and Tommy’s breakup.
Don’t get me wrong, Buck is 100% my favorite character, and I’m so happy he got to discover the experience of being in a relationship with a man. But I did not like Tommy. At all.
Tommy was actively shown to be racist in season one. He treated Hen and Chimney (both POCs) poorly when they were first hired to the 118. I can’t excuse that!
Their relationship was pivotal in Buck’s coming out arc, which is likely why there was so much fan adoration for their relationship. Plus, he wasn’t mentioned much past season one, and with seven seasons between then and now, it’s easy to forget about his character.
But yes, I was cheesing when Buck and Tommy broke up. Not because of Buck’s hurt feelings of course, but where he ended up after!
Enter: Eddie’s house.
Since season two, fans have been curious what the bromance between Buck and Eddie might lead to. (Eddie put Buck in his will, and they constantly talk about how important they are to each other. Whenever one of them almost died the only thing the other could think about was their ‘bro’ and not the dangerous situation they stumbled upon—lightning strike, sniper shooting, buried alive, etc., etc.).
With Buck’s bisexual awakening in season 7, a domino effect began putting pieces into place for a future relationship.
People love ‘buddie.’ I mean, heck, they were number 7 on the top 100 AO3 ships this year. Fans want them together.
Eddie, though professing he is ‘straight,’ is not entirely off the board yet. Throughout 8b and the rest of the show, there could definitely be a romantic development between him and Buck.
But, also, who am I to assume someone’s sexuality? Eddie said point blank to a priest: “No offense, but I’m straight.” Though, personally, the action felt forced (just like the 8b teaser. Lots of secrets are to be unraveled!). He’s had consistently terrible relationships with the women in his life (dead, broken up with, cheated), and yeah, he could just be an idiot when it comes to relationships, 8a was a transforming season for him.
When Eddie’s relationship turmoil started to impact his son, Chris, his parents decided it would be a good idea to separate them for a little while. Chris left for El Paso, Texas at the end of season 7. Eddie then had to face this separation head-on.
He went to confession and talked to a priest, who emphasized that Eddie tends to deny himself joy (as in, sulking about his past guilts instead of focusing on his present situation); this was explained mostly because of the religious aspect of Eddie’s life—being raised Catholic and having a pressured belief in god.
While this makes sense, it feels like there’s a lot more at play than just Eddie’s failed relationships. In the scene where the priest told Eddie he wasn’t letting himself feel joy, it was because Eddie chose water over a fruit drink. Queer people are often referred to as ‘fruity,’ so perhaps this was supposed to be an allusion to Eddie not only denying himself joy but also repressing his sexuality. I wouldn’t be surprised. As someone raised Catholic who didn’t discover my queerness until later in life, I can recognize my past tendencies in Eddie.
(Or, maybe it is just a drink.)
I may be looking into this too much, but hey, I’m a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers slow burn.
Regardless of what happens to Buck and Eddie while they maneuver their ‘friendship’ around the distance, I’m excited to see what plays out. As with all the other characters, I need to know where they will end up.
Will Eddie move back to LA after reconnecting with his son? How many sweets can Buck bake in order to handle his sister being kidnapped and his best friend moving away? Will Maddy be okay, especially with another kid on the way? How will Chim deal with Maddy being kidnapped again? Will Hen and Karen get to keep Mara without any more interference? Will Athena and Bobby retire soon?
There’s so much to discuss, and absolutely no answers for any of it!
So far the only things we know about 8b are the kidnapping from the teaser, Eddie’s moving to El Paso, and Ravi, after being absent from 8a, coming back to the series.
I miss my firefighter show! I am so happy to have it back soon.
Remember to tune into the 8b season premiere on March 6 at 8 PM CST!