Spoilers ahead for the 9-1-1 fall finale, “Wannabes.”
9-1-1’s fall finale has come and gone on the 2024 TV schedule, and it left some questions that fans will keep fans curious heading into the new year. One of the biggest questions concerns a possible impending exit that will surely affect Buck moving forward while trying to get over his breakup with Tommy. To that end, showrunner Tim Minear addressed what will happen when the show returns on the 2025 TV schedule.
In “Wannabes,” Eddie once again tried to get Christopher home by promising him an autograph from Brad from the show Hotshots, only Christopher asked about shipping it. He was later looking at houses in El Paso to be closer to his son, and Buck found out right before he had a virtual meeting with a realtor. Buck immediately showed support and volunteered to help him find a place, even if it meant losing his best friend.
While things may be calm on the outside, however, Minear told TVLine that things are shaking up within:
Oh, I think there are fire alarms going off in his head right now. You can see it in Oliver’s performance, too. As soon as Eddie turns his back, Buck looks like he’s been hit in the head with a baseball bat, and that will figure in mightily when we come back.
There are a lot of changes going on with Buck, and now, instead of just worrying about keeping his mind off of Tommy, he has to worry about saying goodbye to his best friend. While Eddie has left the 118 before a few seasons ago, again to spend more time with Christopher, Buck was still able to hang out with him and be there for him. But with him moving states, Buck is going to be pretty lonely.
Buck's relationship with Eddie and Christopher is an important one, and not being around them is going to be hard. Not to mention the fact that he made a point a while ago about how people are always leaving him, such as his parents and Abby, now Tommy, and Eddie. It'll weigh on his mind quite a bit, according to the showrunner, who said:
Well, if Eddie is thinking about relocating and upending Buck’s life, Buck already has abandonment issues stretching back ages, so this is going to have an effect on him. It’s just a question of how he’s going to deal with it.
Buck has been doing a lot of baking to get his mind off of Tommy, and while he will likely take up something else once Eddie leaves, there’s only so much he can do to keep somewhat sane before he really does break and comes to the realization that basically, two of the most important men in his life left him. That being said, could Buck find his way back into the dating pool and move on?
Tim Minear shared the odds of that happening, and it sounds pretty good:
I would think so. I’m working out the back 10 now, and we’re hitting the ground running. We’ve got two episodes shot already, which are just going to be bananas. The idea is always to move every character’s story down the field a little bit.
As always, 9-1-1 is going to be crazy and unpredictable when it returns in the new year, and it sounds like there will be a lot to look forward to. Even if it means that Buck will be going through it, but he’s always going through it, so that’s not really anything new. He’s just going to be going through it without his bestie.
There is no telling what will happen when 9-1-1 returns on March 6, but at least the wait will definitely be worth it. In the meantime, those with a Hulu subscription will be able to watch all eight seasons now and catch up before the series comes back in 2025.
