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‘9-1-1’s Buck & Eddie: Should They or Shouldn’t They Get Together?
9-1-1 doesn’t just do pulse-pounding (and sometimes hard-to-look-at) emergencies well—it also has some of our favorite relationships on TV. Just look at Bobby (Peter Krause) and Athena (Angela Bassett), Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Karen (Tracie Thoms), and Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chimney (Kenneth Choi), all solid romances with characters who have gotten past some trying times both individually and together.
But what it doesn’t have is a workplace romance—though we do love when Bobby and Athena team up for a case—and the show could easily change that with the remaining two series regulars. There have been fans who have wanted Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) to get together since the latter’s introduction in the Season 2 premiere (how quickly Buck went from hating the guy to his biggest fan certainly helped), and we have to admit: It’s not like we don’t see the possibility.
But should 9-1-1 go there with Buck and Eddie? (Before getting into any of this, we do have to note that there has been nothing said that suggests Eddie isn’t straight. That being said, the same was true before Buck began exploring his sexuality in Season 7.) Could it end up being just as strong a relationship as the other main ones on the show? Or should it steer clear?
Below, we break down the pros and cons of a possible “Buddie” romance. Share your thoughts in the poll and comments section. Plus, check out our other Should They / Shouldn’t They polls.
9-1-1, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC
PRO: Who doesn’t love a good friends-to-lovers romance?
We have to admit: It’s one of our favorite tropes, and for good reason! There’s just something so special about watching a friendship grow, seeing that bond strengthen and become more, and being able to track it at each stage. We’ve already seen Buck and Eddie go from strangers and enemies (at least on the former’s side, briefly) to best friends.
CON: There’s been no outright statement of interest from either Buck or Eddie.
Now, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. But we have yet to see either express interest in the other—Buck being bisexual doesn’t mean anything here—and that’s something we’d expect to see on this show.
PRO: It’s been made clear just how important Buck and Eddie are to each other.
Put one of these two in danger and the other one’s going to panic. For example: Eddie being buried rescuing a kid in “Eddie Begins” (Buck was going to dig him out with his bare hands if he had to); Eddie being shot in “Suspicion”/”Survivors”; and Buck being struck by lightning in “In a Flash.” And who could forget the fact that Buck gets Eddie’s son Christopher (Gavin McHugh) if Eddie dies? Nothing says how much a person means to another and how much that person trusts another like that!
CON: That doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic.
Platonic bonds are just as important—and sometimes rare to see mean as much or more than a romantic relationship on TV—and everything we see from these two could easily be explained with that. Instead of turning Buck and Eddie into a romance, 9-1-1 can easily continue to embrace showing just that with them.
PRO: Buck and Eddie haven’t had the best luck with love with anyone else.
There’s a reason that none of their relationships ranked high in our list of the shows’ couples. Buck’s current relationship with Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) may be his best yet (though we know that challenges are coming their way), and Eddie’s last relationship ended because his girlfriend caught him with the doppelgänger of his late wife. Maybe they both just need to look a little closer to home to find a long-lasting relationship that could be up there with Bobby and Athena, Hen and Karen, and Maddie and Chimney.
CON: If it doesn’t work out…
While we do think that if 9-1-1 were to go there with Buck and Eddie, it would have to be endgame. Just imagine how messy things could get at the 118 and off-shift with a breakup—and one that’s not mature or mutual. People would have to choose sides. Bobby (assuming he’s back as captain) might have to move one of them to another shift. Christopher could get mad at his dad (again, assuming they’ve made up by then) about something regarding Buck. Eddie could end up yelling at Buck in a grocery store again.
PRO: How fun would it be if Buck and Eddie got together and tried to hide it from everyone?
Just imagine the hijinks. That alone is enough to want 9-1-1 to go this route. Sneaking around the firehouse, ducking out on plans with weak excuses, lying about off-shift plans… Then we could either get it coming out in a humorous way or in the middle of an emergency that puts one of them in serious danger and the others realize that something about their reactions is new…
CON: LAFD rules might prohibit them from working together.
We doubt that Bobby (again, assuming he’s back as captain) would say anything, but all it would take is the wrong person—Gerrard (Brian Thompson) is still alive—finding out about their relationship and raising concerns about having two firefighters in a relationship working the same shift together.
