The concept of found family has always been a central tenet of 9-1-1. Buck and Eddie aren’t related by blood, but they’re family. Buck and Chris aren’t related by blood, but they’re family. Chimney and Hen aren’t related by blood, but they’re family. Hen and Eddie aren’t related by blood, but they’re family. The list goes on. And in Season 10 Episode 5 “Who’s Your Daddy?” we see that message of found family tested in surprising and meaningful ways.
This is also what makes 9-1-1 a unicorn of a show. Because what do you mean that a show that has gone to space and just had a volcano can have me crying about Theo leaving and then Chimney thinking that John was gone? And it’s really because this show knows who they are, doesn’t care, and just goes with it. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Every show has problems. But the found family of it all makes up for so much and is the reason why I’m still watching.
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Nothing Casual About Eddie and Buck
There’s nothing casual about Buck and Eddie in “Who’s Your Daddy?” Buck has made a decision and admitted that he can’t take care of Theo by himself. There’s bravery in that decision even if Eddie disagrees with him. And Eddie, he’s going to stand by Buck no matter what because Buck isn’t just his best friend. Buck is Eddie’s family.
Looking back at this episode, and their entire history, why I think it’s not casual goes back to that line that Josh told Buck: “Do you think about him when he’s not around? Are his concerns your concerns? Is his happiness at least as important to you as yours?” That’s Eddie with Buck. Eddie was thinking about Buck at Hen and Karen’s. He was thinking about Buck, concerned about Buck, and worried about his happiness and if he was making the right choice when it comes to Theo.
This episode also makes me think about the sacrifices that Buck has made in the past to make Eddie’s life easier. Like when he rented Eddie’s house so he didn’t have to worry and could go to Texas to get to Christopher. Buck has been there, a guiding hand at every turn for Eddie. And I think it’s got to be a shocker to Eddie to see the man that has helped him so much be so lost. That’s part of the reason why Eddie took Theo in: to have Buck’s back when he can’t have his own or Theo’s.
I also think that Eddie agreed to foster Theo for himself. He’s connected to Theo in an unexpected way. And after “Who’s Your Daddy?” going on and on about how biology doesn’t necessarily mean family, he’s come to realize that his concerns for Buck and Theo also have to do with him thinking of Theo as his. But that also goes back to the why Eddie got here in the first place. It’s almost like Eddie and Buck are a unit in the same way that Maddie and Chimney are or Hen and Karen.
Point being, there’s nothing casual here.
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Buck’s Self-Worth Issues
Buck admitting that he can’t do this and ending his fostering of Theo isn’t an easy decision. It’s a brave one born out of finally admitting your own limits. But it’s also a consequence of Buck not asking for help in raising Theo. He’s been so independent to his own detriment because I think he thinks he needs to do it by himself, which is also a consequence of how he was raised. And that hurt him and Theo.
When Theo was removed from the house, I also want to note that his casualness isn’t because he cares nothing for Buck, despite his trauma with firefighters. Theo is hurting just like Buck. And Chris was right that kids that age do remember the things that happen in their younger years. So Theo will remember this just like Buck will. And someone needs to tell Buck that because he definitely believes that he has had zero impact in Theo’s life.
Then there’s the anger Buck now holds for Eddie after the latter took Theo in. That had nothing to do with Eddie. Or Theo. That was all about Buck and his feelings of inadequacy and self-worth. Because he “gave up” on Theo because he couldn’t do it. And he feels like Eddie fostering Theo just proves that the problem is Buck all along instead of how his best friend cares enough for Theo to treat him like family too.
Luckily for Buck, Eddie is his family. And he’s not going to go away. He’s going to do what’s necessary until Buck realizes that there is nothing wrong with him and that he can raise Theo.
MORE: 9-1-1 Giving us Buddie Divorce Era (Again) is a Good Thing
Chimney and His Dad John
KENNETH CHOI
Buck, Eddie, and Theo weren’t the only ones who were dealing with a found family situation in “Who’s Your Daddy?” Chimney has long had issues with his biological father. And it’s haunted him like it would anyone else. But Chimney has a dad. It just took him until he almost lost him to realize that.
As I mentioned in the beginning of my review, the concept of found family was a little heavy-handed in this episode. That’s especially true with having Chimney have that conversation with the dad stuck in the wood chipper. But by the end of the episode, I didn’t care because it was such a powerful moment watching Chimney decide to tell John, going to that hospital room and finding it empty, and then for John to call him their son.
This is where the bawling started for me. The hug that followed was pure relief that John was alive. But it was also letting go of that hesitation to care for John and Anne as if they were his own family. There’s power in letting yourself feel loved like this. There’s freedom and certainty too. And Chimney’s life will forever be changed because of that acceptance.
9-1-1 airs new episodes every Thursday at 8/7c on ABC.
