Buck and Tommy aren’t endgame on ABC’s 9-1-1.
This isn’t something I’ve known from the very start of their relationship. Buck and Tommy had some chemistry in their first couple of meetings, even if I felt like Buck’s feelings were misplaced and I’m still bothered by that closet comment during their first date. Besides that, they’ve had cute moments that showed that something important was developing between them. With Tommy, Buck got an opportunity to navigate a later on in life queer awakening. We haven’t gotten an actual opportunity to see Tommy helping him navigate these queer spaces outside of their first kiss or date, but the fact remains that Buck wasn’t alone as he experienced multiple firsts with a man. And that’s important.
For season 8, I expected 9-1-1 to ramp things up a little bit for Buck and Tommy. By that, I meant dates, adventures like the ones he took Eddie on in season 7, and for Tommy to be integrated into the Fire Fam circle. Because if the show was going to make Buck/Tommy something that lasts, these keystone moments were important. None of those have happened. We have barely seen Tommy, and when he is around, they’re at Buck’s apartment or in a scene with others. Tommy isn’t taking Buck on any dates that explore Buck’s interests, and if there’s anything we know about Buck it’s that he’s an explorer who loves to learn and experience things with those he loves or cares about. We’re also not exploring Tommy’s likes and interests. And 9-1-1 has made a clear and deliberate choice to show that Tommy is on the outside — think about the group chat in 9-1-1 season 8 episode 5 “Masks,” with no one trying to pull him into the Fire Fam dynamic which Buck is part of as a main character.
MORE: Need a reminder how 9-1-1 season 8 started? Read our review for “Buzzkill.”
That’s when it became clear to me that Buck and Tommy aren’t endgame. They never were endgame. But just because I realize that, doesn’t take away from the importance of Buck and Tommy’s relationship. Let’s make that clear, first and foremost. Oliver Stark himself said so during an interview with TVFanatic. Because Buck is living his truth now and is a “more authentic version of himself.” He followed that up during the interview by saying, “And whether or not Tommy ends up being the forever partner for Buck, he will always have been his first. And there will always be, I think, huge importance placed upon it for those reasons.” This quote right here threw the fandom space for 9-1-1 into a tizzy; that includes those who think Bucky/Tommy are endgame and those who want other options for Buck to be explored.
A lot of time in fandom spaces, it’s either/or. I have to pick this ship and hate the other character. Or I have to like this person and then completely make the other a monster to fit the narrative as to why they weren’t the right fit for the individual’s OTP preference. But I think there’s a third option. One that feels more real and that I’ve experienced multiple times throughout my romantic life. Sometimes relationships don’t work out because you’re not the right fit for each other outside of a specific moment in time. And that’s ok. It doesn’t mean that the time spent together doesn’t matter or it wasn’t important to your journey. It is. It always will be. You’ll remember who you were with them and how you’ve changed or grown. And you’ll take that with you as you move onto the next phase of your life. When I think about Buck and Tommy, I think of this. They’re not endgame. They never were. They are just a stop on the road to something great beyond them.
If anything, Tommy is the new Marisol or Anna of 9-1-1. They were important enough to be with a lead character on the show in a romantic relationship. And they had some interactions with the Fire Fam. But the writers never integrated them into the Fire Fam or the lead’s life to make it seem like they were more than a temporary thing or a lesson to be learned. It was always surface level. That’s what Tommy is now. He’s the guy that Buck dated first when he was just figuring himself out. As for the lesson of it all, it could be that Buck can do this. He can be with a man and be his most authentic self. It’s just a part of him. The lesson that Buck learns when it comes to Tommy can absolutely change due to whatever leads to their breakup. But right now I’m focusing on the good and not how he can become a scar that Buck carries around with him in the same way he did with Abby at the beginning of 9-1-1.
The writing is on the wall when it comes to Buck and Tommy.
And if we compare their relationship to every other relationship on 9-1-1, from Bobby and Athena to Hen and Karen, their setup isn’t a great love story. It’s not a slow burn. It’s two people who just so happened to fall into something together as one figured out their bisexuality. It was good for a moment. And the writers have made it abundantly clear that they don’t plan on creating a history for Buck and Tommy that would require them to have their own section in the writers 9-1-1 show bible, for example. Buck will have his epic love story. Maybe Tommy will too. But it won’t be with each other. And that’s ok. Because they were an important moment in time on the road to finding the one each of them is meant to be with forever.
MORE: Bobby and Athena are what great ships are made of. Read more about what they can do together in our review for 9-1-1 season 8 episode “Final Approach.”
9-1-1 airs new episodes Thursdays on ABC.
Queerly Not Straight posts exclusively on Fangirlish with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBTQ+ community.
I hope they are as endgame as a currently airing TV like this can get. None of the couples on the show current or future are ever going to be stated endgame until the show ends. Anyone can leave at any point.
This show is not primarily about romantic relationships. These side stories are about character development, which I see is now happening with Buck and Tommy’s relationship. Tommy has brought much spark to the show, that’s key. And It’s not really fair to compare Tommy with other (long time) characters like Karen and definitely not Athena (btw, Athena was not part of the group chat either, she was reading off Bobby’s phone). Buck and Tommy doesn’t have to be endgame, but at the moment, I see things gearing more towards that. And that’s ok too. I hope my comment makes it through.
I agree wholeheartedly with this piece. Thats what most fans have been trying to say, whether we ship buddie or not, we all can see and follow what the writing, acting and story is saying. And this Opinion piece is spot on. Its not wishful thinking, or anything. It has nothing to do with buddie or any other ship logic. Its simply concluding based upon what the show is and has presented to the audience, and what it will continue to do. Tim minear said it best, its a great starting point for bucks mid 30s queer awakening. Its an “entry level relationship ” and theres nothing wrong with that. So people who like them, you do you. You can like them, but dont feel played when the inevitable conclusion eventually leads to them realizing their just not the right person for one another.
Its going to be a milestone relationship for our buck, being its his first ever with a man. You can like them, no ones saying you cant. Just dont attack and belittle and act superior to other fans (buddie fans or not buddie fans, makes no difference) just bc their “dating” , yes enjoy it while it lasts. Happy you like them, but just dont be rude and nasty to journalists, cast and crew, and fans (again whether they ship buddie or not, and dont ever just assume!) And none of has a crystal ball, i cant tell you when itll happen, but make no mistake it WILL end eventually. And thats not coming from any standpoint but based in logic and fact. Taking in what theyve put forth since 7×04 and reading it for what it IS. not what any person HOPES and wants it to be : there IS a difference. So i implore ALL fans to enjoy whoever they like paired, but in the end remember this is FICTION and thus its not that dier and in need of people being ugly to one another. It is 100% okay to like whatever pair you like, it is not okay to attack and get ugly towards people whos opinion doesnt line up with yours. No one asks or cares about yours, and you shouldnt get all up in arms bc an opinion piece isnt singing the praises of something YOU like. Its also a tv show and stuff is done intentionally. So if their not portraying Buck and tommy in that way, not giving them any sort of invancment that is INTENTIONAL.
None of this makes any sense in the context of the actual show? You omit massively important character and plot points that render your article pointless. The difference from other love interests is explicit:
A) Tommy is directly linked to each member of the firefam, meaning he’s already part of the ‘found family’ that is so critical to the show. He’s known Bobby, Chim, and Hen longer than Buck has, and he’s good friends with Eddie.
B) Tommy has shown up for Buck again, and again, and again. He showed up after fighting a wildfire for 24 hours in full dirty turnouts, because he said he would. He is “taking things at [Buck’s] pace. He kissed his boily faced boyfriend, took care of him, slept on a tiny loveseat just to make sure he was ok, and then wore a suit to a mummy funeral.
C) Why exactly do you think he’s the only character to consistently call Buck, “Evan”? It’s because the audience is supposed to infer that this relationship is different, and that Evan and Buck no longer have to be separate entities. Buck is realizing Evan is just as lovable and heroic and that’s beautiful.
Anyways, next time you want to do a very obviously pro-Buddie, anti-Bucktommy opinion piece, just say what you mean with your whole chest. No need to write an entire article this passive aggressive.
You literally didn’t watch as buck said his boyfriend hadn’t kissed him since the boils on the face happened dumbo
you’re just genuinely stupid b/c he quite literally did not kiss him, they made a whole point out of that
I personally don’t vibe with Tommy at all. But I have to agree. He is not written as a character that is here to stay. And they repeatedly show how not right for Buck he is. Nothing really big. But it is many small things. He is dismissive and condescending and treats Buck as a child. He is in a way all Buck’s previous relationships wrapped into one. And it is yet another relationship that Buck just fell into.
We don’t even really know what they like about each other, beyond the surface stuff, or frankly, the physical. Tommy put in more effort in wooing Eddie, than he is ever shown to put into Buck. He is also shown on the outside, as mentioned. Separate from both the narrative and Buck’s life. And we don’t know anything about him that was not said in the begins episodes, or in 7×04.
I think beside it being his first relationship with a man, it would be a good chance for him to get of the hamster wheel he has been on since Abby and finally get some agency in his romantic life. I had hopes after he broke up with OG TK, but alas, nothing came of it.
Did you watched a russian leak with corean subtitle founded in a dark web site? He didn’t kissed him lmao. Also, Evan and Buck not being to separate entities? He hates being Evan because this just reminds him of the family that never loved him.
LMAO you literally proved in one sentence that you have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. They literally made it a point in dialogue to say that Tommy did not kiss Buck when he had his boils. And that dialogue was so pointed because in any other situation it would call for Tommy to kiss Buck at that moment boils and all but he didn’t. You’re too stupid to realize that.
Also Tommy is very much on the outside, that’s the whole point of the scene at the hospital and getting mad and jealous. He’s not a part of the family, he’s on the outside and he always will be because the role he’s trying to fit in Buck’s life is one the show already has placed Eddie in and the episode showed that multiple times as well.
I REALLY cannot wait to come back and laugh at this woefully and deceptively misleading blog post and these long comments in ignorant agreement.