The Cinematography of the Buddie Goodbye in 9-1-1 “Voices” Speaks Volumes

Even a procedural like ABC’s 9-1-1 tells an intricate story through its cinematography. And it’s latest episode “Voices,” where Buck and Eddie say goodbye to each other is proof of that. There are things that were said about the current state of their relationship and where it’s going through the way that the scene was filmed, framed, and that parting shot of Buck alone in the middle of the street. That’s why we wanted to break down the scene and give the team at 9-1-1 the flowers they deserve. Because this scene, there was intention there.

Before we dive in, a little bit more about cinematography. A cinematographer, also known as the Director of Photography, or DP, is the person responsible for creating the look, color, lighting, and framing of every shot in a film. It’s different from a director, who oversees the creative process of the entire production. The DP is highly focused on the visual elements. They help set the mood of what’s happening on screen. But they also serve and support it in combination with the actor’s dialogue and the script itself.

When we look at the goodbye scene between Buck and Eddie in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 10 “Voices” there’s so much that’s being said in the way that this scene was shot. And while I think Buddie is happening because of the script itself and overall story, the cinematography of it all backs it, especially in this final scene.

Note: I am not a film student. I just love film and what the way something is filmed tells about the scene in front of me and the characters within it. Or what comes next. And this is what I think the Buddie scene is telling me.

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The opening of the Buddie goodbye scene is a sweeping shot of Buck and Eddie with the final pieces of Eddie’s life in LA in their hands. The camera could’ve been closer for this. It wasn’t. It was creating distance already and preparing us for what’s to come. Same thing with the lighting. It was muted, setting the tone that this isn’t a happy moment.

Then there’s the way that Buck and Eddie are framed in front of the U-Haul in “Voices.” When it comes to cinematography, if it’s not in the frame, it doesn’t matter. Well, at the moment it doesn’t. And for me as a viewer, all I see is Buck and Eddie and the actual medium of Eddie leaving looming behind them. It’s a reminder of what’s to come. Again.

What follows is a shot of Buck. This is his story. And an individual shot pulls us away from it just being a Buck and Eddie moment. It’s a Buck moment too.

But it’s also an Eddie moment. This is his story. This is him going away. And in both of these frames, there’s an emphasis that they’re individuals, but there’s the looming side shot of each other in the other’s frame. Always present. Always there in each other’s lives.

The closing of the U-Haul door is the beginning of the end. But the way that the camera pulls out, it’s also about bringing the rest of the world into this small and intimate bubble they have created for themselves. The real world and Eddie leaving is looming as Buck watches.

Then we get one final shot of them together. It’s similar to the earlier shot, where all that is in focus is the truck and them. But the door is closed. This chapter is closing. And Eddie is taking a piece of Buck with him in his hands as he gets ready to say goodbye.

The hug that follows could be just seen as a hug between two friends saying goodbye…

If it wasn’t for the way that the camera zooms in on Buck. They want us to focus on him and for us to know that there is a struggle there that runs deeper. It also says something that they kept this shot tight. Nothing of the houses behind them or the truck. Buck is the only thing we should be looking at.

And when the camera switches to Eddie, we don’t get that zoom in like we did with Buck. And he’s smiling. He just told Buck that this is difficult for him. That’s true. But he’s going to see his son. And that makes him happy. Also, note how you see of the truck in his shot. The looming future.

And then we get another Buck shot of the Buddie hug. The smile is gone and his eyes look a little more distant as the camera pulls away. Not a lot. But it’s enough. It’s a signal to the viewer that there is more brewing here in Buck’s mind and we should pay attention to this moment.

What follows is Buck and Eddie separating. Eddie walks to the truck and Buck taps the U-Haul and basically says anything to fill the space that is growing between them. And Eddie, he looked back. His future looming in the background, Buck behind him and the distance growing between them, and he looked back. If he wasn’t going to come back, he wouldn’t have looked back and smiled at Buck.

This is where the sadness starts creeping in a little more and the muted nature of this shot becomes more apparent. We get Buck standing alone, framed to the side as the gloomy and rainy world starts pouring in more to the story.

As for Eddie, they didn’t have to frame him again looking back at Buck. But they did. They could’ve had it as the camera in front of him, making it so the viewer sees him driving bravely towards El Paso and whatever comes next. They don’t. Instead they have it from the POV of Buck, seeing Eddie in the mirror with a smile…

…and as he drives away, he waves at Buck. Waves at us. But he still looks back. Not forward.

What follows is a shot of Buck as Eddie, his best friend and family, drives away from him. And he’s left there. Alone. In the middle of the street. On a gloomy and rainy day, setting this tone of emptiness and loneliness on the horizon.

9-1-1 “Voices” could’ve given us, again, a shot of Eddie himself driving away towards his future to El Paso. But they didn’t. They gave us another shot of Buck watching his family drive away. From him. And from us the viewer.

Then the zoom in happens….

…getting closer and closer to Buck’s face…

…and closer as his face becoming more drawn…

…and closer as the real world around him is pushed out of the frame…

…and we’re left looking at Buck. Alone. On a rainy street. No one to comfort him. And outside of the home that once was Eddie’s but now is his. It’s not intimate. It him in LA, the world around him, and Eddie not there.

Overall, the intention of this Buddie goodbye in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 10 “Voices” is to ground the viewer in LA. The story is happening here. Not in El Paso. We’ll probably get a couple episodes of Eddie there trying to fix things with Christopher. But Eddie wasn’t looking towards his future as he drove away. He was looking at Buck. And Buck was looking back, the camera work continuously telling us that our eye needs to be on Buck because there is more brewing behind those eyes as the reality of Eddie’s goodbye hits him over and over again.

The only thing that can come after a goodbye that centered Buddie in such a way is discovery. I’m not sure about Eddie’s discovery yet. But for Buck, they drew out this scene, especially that zoom at the end. They were telling us, this is where your eye should land. This is where it should stay. And if we spent so much time zooming in on Buck, it’s because there’s something hidden within him that makes Eddie’s goodbye so much harder, so much lonelier, or so much more heartbreaking. As the viewer, I can’t wait to find out what that is.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10 ‘Voices’? Share with us in the comments below!

Also, check out our Tales From the 118 podcast if you want to listen to our review of “Voices” on audio! We’re on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Plus, if you want to leave your own rating/comment about the show, you can do so in our 9-1-1 hub!

9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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