Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for the 100th episode of 9-1-1, called "Buck, Bothered and Bewildered."
9-1-1 reached a major milestone with its 100th episode, and rarely has an episode been more aptly named than "Buck, Bothered and Bewildered." In an episode that featured an ABC crossover with The Bachelor (courtesy of Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Eddie injured, a lovely quiet moment in Buck's apartment turned out to be the biggest development. Who could have predicted an end-of-episode scene with Buck sharing a kiss with Tommy and finally feeling "free"? I sure didn't, even after what Oliver Stark told CinemaBlend earlier in the 2024 TV schedule!
First things first! For the majority of the episode, Buck seemed to be feeling some major pangs of jealousy when Tommy was bonding with Eddie, to the point that he was on babysitting duty while Eddie and the helicopter pilot did karaoke. It took the better part of an hour and a conversation with his sister for the dots to connect for Buck, and he realized he hadn't injured Eddie because he wanted Eddie's attention; he wanted Tommy's attention, and Tommy certainly didn't mind once Buck figured it out.
It was a very sweet moment when Tommy planted a kiss on Buck, made sure that it was okay – and it definitely was for Buck, who was making his way out of the "Bewildered" portion of the episode – and then set up plans for Saturday night, asking if the firefighter was available. In what seemed to be a response with a double meaning, Buck simply said "I'm free." How perfect is the timing that this big step for Buck comes just after 9-1-1 was renewed for Season 8 at ABC, and how sweet for Buck?
This went down weeks after the Season 7 premiere revealed that Buck was once again in the wake of a failed relationship, and people ranging from fans of the show (and the hypothetical "Buddie" relationship) to 9-1-1: Lone Star's T.K. in a crossover have speculated about the character's sexuality over the years. While it remains to be seen if/how 9-1-1 will explore a relationship between Buck and Tommy, I can certainly understand now why Oliver Stark described the 100th episode as "intimate" and character driven.
I spoke with the actor earlier in Season 7 about the cruise ship crisis as well as new crossover potential at ABC, not long after the reveal that Buck was single again. I suggested that he'd been "unlucky in love" and asked if the character now has a clearer idea of what he's looking for in a partner, and Oliver Stark responded:
I do. I almost in the nicest way possible want to challenge the word 'unlucky.' You know, I think it's actually part of the process of growing, and as you say, finding the relationship you want is sometimes experiencing the relationship that you don't want. So I think his failed relationships are only moving him closer towards the right relationship for him, but I don't think he's in a place where he is going to be pursuing anything anytime soon. He's not the one to lead that charge. I think he's going to be taking a step back and letting life come to him, which I think is a healthier way to go about it anyway.
Now, the 100th episode hadn't yet aired when I spoke with Stark, so there was no way of knowing that Buck would make a romantic connection with Tommy shortly into Season 7. But his thoughtful response about Buck's growth in relationships certainly set the stage for the development in "Buck, Bothered and Bewildered," even if I didn't know it at the time, and I'm interested to see if the idea that Buck isn't going to "be pursuing anything anytime soon" will hold true after the sweet moment with Tommy.
All in all, it's safe to say that the 100th episode was a game-changer, even if the crises of the week weren't quite as thrilling as a capsized cruise ship or a crushing tsunami that Oliver Stark described as "brutal and physically exhausting." To see what's next for Buck after feeling "free" with the kiss with Tommy, keep tuning in to ABC on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes. If you want to revisit the 100th episode or any of the 99 that came before, you can do so streaming with a Hulu subscription.
