Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 5 of 9-1-1 Season 7, called "You Don't Know Me."
After the heroes of 9-1-1 went all-out during the cruise ship crisis premiere event, Buck came to a powerful realization about himself when it hit him why he was trying so hard to get Tommy's attention. That didn't mean that he was fully ready to open up about his bisexuality at the start of "You Don't Know Me" in the 2024 TV schedule, but by the end of the hour, he was doing so well that I was thinking back to what Oliver Stark told CinemaBlend about how important Eddie and the Diaz family are to his character.
First things first: what went down in the episode. Despite Buck feeling "free" at the end of the 100th episode after sharing a sweet kiss with Tommy, he wasn't quite so comfortable with people in his life knowing that he was on a date with his fellow first responder to start Episode 5... and he didn't handle it well, loudly insisting to Eddie and Marisol that he and Tommy were going to look for "hot chicks" and leading Tommy to believe that Buck wasn't "ready." For his part, Buck couldn't stop thinking about Tommy, but was also wracked with guilt about lying to Eddie.
Eddie was dealing with his own issues, as discovering that Marisol nearly became a Catholic nun derailed his plans to move in with her, with Christopher out of town for a few days. All in all, I had my doubts that Buck would come clean about the lie in "You Don't Know Me," when he had so much to process himself and Eddie was preoccupied with some very different relationship woes, but I was thrilled to be wrong.
Buck finally told Eddie the truth, Eddie didn't make a big deal out of it, and he gave his best friend some much-needed advice. Learning that Buck was interested in men clearly surprised Eddie, but it was almost a nonevent. He did acknowledge Buck's struggle in telling him, though, and shared a lovely hug before leaving to face Marisol. All in all, 9-1-1 didn't drag out or overdramatize the reveal, and now I just can't wait to see if Buck tells Christopher as well.
And that makes me think back to a conversation with Oliver Stark earlier this year, about everything from Buck going to therapy to crossover potential now that 9-1-1 airs on ABC. I also asked the actor how important the Diaz family unit is to his character, and he responded:
I think it's one of his only stable relationships. I think he almost gets a lot of his – maybe this isn't a particularly great thing – but I think he gets a lot of his self worth by who he is to the Diaz family. He is certainly grown up and we've seen these kind of fatherly instincts in Buck through his relationship with Christopher and through Eddie leaning on him. And I think that relationship is growing. We've seen Eddie ask this season for Buck to get involved and give him advice, and I don't think that's something that has happened before where Eddie has asked Buck to be the one to step in. Buck has stepped in, but not I don't at think Eddie's request. It's a relationship that is still growing and evolving and taking on new forms. It's exciting, and I think it's super important for who Buck is.
While the episode with Buck sharing a kiss with Tommy hadn't yet aired when I spoke with Stark, his comments about having "stable relationships" with Eddie and his son really emphasize how important they are to him and add context to his stress about lying to Eddie. Sure, their friendship has endured a lot – up to and including Buck accidentally losing Christopher in the tsunami – but the lie to Eddie in "You Don't Know Me" naturally made the character nervous.
All in all, I think my heart grew a few sizes watching Buck's relief at telling Eddie the truth and the two sharing a hug. It was very sweet, and I really appreciate that 9-1-1 didn't try to stretch Buck's secret into an arc of Season 7. He told the truth, has the support of Eddie and Maddie, and intended to take Tommy as his date to the wedding.
Of course, there's no saying if the wedding will happen at this point, though. The final scene of the episode featured a lovely but very stressed Maddie in her wedding dress, fretting over the fact that Chimney was already half an hour late. Buck and Eddie showed up looking worse for the wear in their '80s-themed suits, with Chim nowhere to be seen. I think it's a safe bet that if the wedding actually happens, it won't be without a few emergencies beforehand! Check out the promo:
Keep tuning in to ABC on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes of 9-1-1, which was recently renewed for Season 8. You can also revisit earlier seasons of the hit series (prior to its cancellation by Fox) streaming with a Hulu subscription now.
