How Buck’s Journey Is One Thread in 9-1-1’s Emotional Tapestry

When 9-1-1 first began, Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley was not the same character he is on 9-1-1 Season 8.

A cocky, brash, opinionated young firefighter, Buck was the youngest at the 118, and he certainly acted like it. But the Buck we met then didn’t know himself, and it was through his journey in Los Angeles, various relationships, and a look back at his past that he grew into the man he is today.

Even today, Buck is still growing and changing, learning more about himself as he goes through that crazy thing called life. He’ll be forced through an even bigger growth in the aftermath of his father figure’s death.

Buck’s emotional journey has always been a key element of 9-1-1, a show that is, at its core, about family.

When the show premiered back in 2018 (which seems like a lifetime ago), the marketing was geared towards big-name stars in Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, and Connie Britton, and fast-paced emergencies that would see police, firefighters, and dispatchers working together to help the citizens of Los Angeles.

Buck Was Trying to Figure Out His Life From The Beginning of 9-1-1

Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, and Oliver Stark rounded out the cast, and Stark made an immediate impact as a scene-stealer during 9-1-1 Season 1, which introduced audiences to Buck, a young man still figuring himself out through the job, his friendships with his found family, and his relationship with Abby.

The latter is often credited with “changing” Buck for the better, but Buck didn’t change because Abby waved a magic wand and turned him into a brand-new man.

If you ever re-watch the first season, you’ll see that his relationship with Abby and the friendships he develops with Bobby, Chimney, and Hen challenge his views on relationships. His past relationships were shrouded in insecurities and feelings of abandonment, which we learn more about in later seasons.

Sure, his relationship with Abby is monumental in his character’s trajectory. She represents his first “real” adult relationship and becomes a tentpole for Buck and his future relationships.

But she doesn’t get to take credit for helping Buck grow up; she is merely a footnote on his journey.

On 9-1-1 Season 2, Buck’s sister, Maddie, returned to his life. At the same time, he was introduced to Eddie. Maddie and Eddie became the two most important people in Buck’s life.

As his older sister, Maddie’s mere presence in his life helps Buck alleviate some of the sadness and overall untethered feeling that settled in him when Abby left. Their sibling connection has provided them with much comfort over the years.

In Maddie, Buck has the person who’s known him his whole life and can thus read and help him in a way that only someone who’s known you since before you could even talk can.

Their relationship has certainly been tested, but shared appreciation and unwavering support are at the heart of their bond.

What’s most beautiful about their relationship is that there is no jealousy or bottled-up resentment. When there have been issues, they always find their way back to one another through tough conversations and understanding.

You may be thinking, ‘Well, duh, they’re siblings! That’s the way it should be.’ But you’d be surprised how often it’s not the case.

Buck’s Life Changed Considerably Thanks to Maddie and Eddie

And to act as if Maddie’s reappearance in Buck’s adult life hasn’t had a supreme impact on Buck’s growth would do a disservice to the strength of their sibling bond and their respect for one another.

As previously mentioned, when Maddie came back into his life, he also met Eddie for the first time and soon procured himself the best friend he’s ever had in his life.

Much has been documented about the first meeting, which was fraught with tension, namely from Buck’s side. Once that thawed, their friendship took on a life of its own, as the two men found a partnership and security in one another that they embraced and nurtured into a beautiful connection.

Buck wears his heart on his sleeve, which can be in contrast to Eddie, but the two balance one another in an interesting way. Their bond is rooted in trust and vulnerability, and it’s the kind of relationship that’s helped Buck mature and understand how to navigate his most important relationships.

He’s still a work in progress, and he doesn’t have it all figured out, but as we’ve seen throughout 9-1-1 Season 8, his relationship with Eddie continues to be paramount in his emotional growth and self-awareness.

Buck is a human being who still makes mistakes, but Eddie trusts him implicitly because he knows Buck’s heart.

We’ve seen the two fight and argue, as will always happen when you spend as much time together as they do, but you also see how much care they have for each other.

When Eddie is struggling, Buck is the first person he goes to because Buck has proven time and time again to be not only a listening ear but also one who will always have his best interest at heart.

Being a part of the Diaz family, which Buck has surely become, has introduced Buck to patience and the unwavering support that comes in the form of a vibrant and loving family center, which was something supremely foreign to Buck, considering his childhood.

Buck Has a Heartbreaking Past

That childhood, marred by the premature death of an older brother that Buck never knew existed, shaped so much of the lost Buck who entered the 118 trying to find purpose and a home where he was accepted and allowed to be Buck.

Finding out about Daniel’s death during 9-1-1 Season 4 Episode 4 sets Buck on a path of anger and grief, though it ultimately pushes him to come to a place of understanding. This isn’t easy, and it is a product of Buck’s continued growth over the years, alongside the support of the family he’s chosen for himself in Los Angeles.

He can assess and work through many of his emotions because of how far he’s come in the years and how much he’s learned about processing and feeling his feelings in a healthier manner, as well as leaning on those around him.

There are many moments over time that you can point to as pivotal in Buck’s journey, and 9-1-1 has been more subtle with Buck instead of having him deliver big, sweeping speeches at every turn.

You see his growth in more nuanced ways, in how he reacts during certain situations where he may have acted out in the past, or in the ways he takes on more of a leadership role in rescues as opposed to running into danger at the first possible moment.

Again, he still has his moments of backpedaling. I hate to say regression because that word has negative connotations, and Buck may misstep. However, outright saying his character has somehow gone backward or fully returned to past tendencies would be a gross mischaracterization.

He’s still learning daily, especially as he becomes more comfortable in his own skin.

Buck’s sexuality journey, which began during 9-1-1 Season 7 when he engaged in a relationship with former 118 firefighter Tommy Kinard, has also been instrumental in allowing him the space to discover more about himself.  

Now, Buck will face another significantly challenging loss in the aftermath of Bobby’s death.

The emotional fallout from Bobby’s death during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 15 will be felt throughout the central characters in various ways, and to be honest, I’m not emotionally ready to see Athena without Bobby or the 118 without their captain.

Buck Was One of the Few People Who Said Goodbye to Bobby

Buck was one of the two people in Bobby’s life who got to say goodbye to him before he passed. It was as poignant as it was heartbreaking because he was trying to be strong for Buck, who was, in turn, trying to be strong for Bobby, as he requested, leading to this devastating moment between two men whose relationship was more akin to father and son than superior and subordinate.

Earlier in the season, we saw Buck struggle when Bobby was no longer at the 118 and again when Eddie decided to move to Texas, as his deep-seated fear of abandonment manifested and took up shop inside Buck’s heart.

Bobby’s death will not only bring up those feelings, but it’ll be wrapped in guilt and anguish, and it’ll change Buck’s life in ways he’s never truly had to deal with before.

What will it do for Buck’s continued journey of self-discovery and growth? How will he find himself moving forward when such an important person in his evolution is no longer there for him to lean on?

It’s just one of a mountain of questions to consider as we head into the final hours of 9-1-1 Season 8 and witness Buck’s continued life voyage and his place as one of the emotional centers of this overarching story.

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

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You can watch 9-1-1 on ABC at 8/7c on Thursdays.

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