Months after its midseason finale, Fox’s 9-1-1 is finally nearing its return, following that surprise cliffhanger that saw major character Eddie Diaz leave the 118. With Eddie no longer part of the firehouse, one of the bigger questions going into the second half of the season is how his absence will affect his relationship with Buck. Now, co-showrunner Kristen Reidel is opening up and sharing her thoughts on the nature of their relationship.
Since the introduction of Eddie Diaz in the second season, fans have wondered whether there's more to the relationship between him and Buck than meets the eye. While there have been more than a few subtle hints that indicate it may not be platonic, including T.K.’s “gaydar” going off in last year’s crossover, it may seem like that ship has sailed. In a recent interview with TV Guide, Kristen Reidel details the struggles that comes with defining the relationship and reveals whether there's a romantic element to it:
I personally have always seen [Buck and Eddie] as a great friendship. But I think the struggle with the Buck and Eddie relationship is, we write a thing and we have an idea in our head of what the scene means and what those lines mean and an intention behind it, and then it goes out into the world. People may receive it in a way that we had not expected or that we had not planned on, and I'm not gonna tell people that they're watching the show wrong because people see what they see. But I think that they're very good friends, and in a lot of ways, they are family, and I think that's where they are right now.
Writing a bond like the two characters have doesn't seem easy. While the “friends to lovers” trope is always a favorite within TV shows and movies, this may not be the case for Buck and Eddie. They've have had an interesting friendship over the last few seasons, to say the least. In the beginning, Buck completely had it in for Eddie when he arrived to the 118 but, now, they're the best of friends. Also, Buck has become like a second father to Eddie's son, Chris and has seen has friend through some serious personal struggles.
Buck is still with reporter girlfriend Taylor Kelly, who recently opened up about her tragic past. In the spring premiere, the firefighter will make a big relationship decision, though it remains to be seen what that'll be. Fans have had mixed feelings about “Bucktaylor,” so reactions to the development should be interesting.
As for “Buddie,” viewers have been pining for the ship to become canon for quite some time now. In the past, actors Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman have both supported the idea of a relationship, but there hasn't been much movement on that front. Kristen Reidel’s quote makes it seem like may never happen, but things could change down the line. One thing that can be said for sure, though, is that they both have been through enough heartbreak.
9-1-1: Lone Star already has an LGBTQ+ couple in T.K. and Carlos (a.k.a Tarlos), which is still going strong despite some "scar tissue." Still, it would be nice to see more representation on the parent series. Sure, it's nice to see a non-toxic, platonic relationship between two males but a little healthy romance wouldn't be a bad thing, either.
For now, though, we’ll just have to see how Buck deals with Eddie not being a part of the 118. And there's also the question of how the latter deals with his new job. 9-1-1 returns Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. EST on Fox! And check out CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule for more on what's coming to the small screen.
