Culture

9-1-1: Buck coming out to Eddie has fans “bawling”

By Sam Damshenas

12th April 2024

Buck coming out to his best friend Eddie in the latest episode of 9-1-1 has been praised by fans.

Following on from last week’s episode, which saw Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) explore his sexuality for the first time with former firefighter and LAFD Air Operations pilot Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.), the duo went on their first date.

Tommy could sense Buck’s nervousness, with Buck insisting that, although this is his “first date with a dude”, he’s not “weirded out”. He continued to tell him that he’s a staunch ally of the LGBTQIA+ community because he puts a “rainbow sticker” on his Instagram every Pride Month. (Yikes, but also, cute?)

Their date was interrupted by the surprise arrival of Buck’s best friend Eddie (Ryan Guzman) and his girlfriend Marisol (Edy Ganem). Buck, who is yet to come out to Eddie, tells the couple that he and Tommy’s plans were to “find some hot chicks, because chicks love firefighters”. Yeah, disaster.

Tommy ends the date early, telling Buck that he thinks he’s “adorable” but “I don’t think you’re ready. I’ll see you around”.

After confiding in his sister Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) about his disastrous date, coming out to her in process, Buck reveals the truth about his relationship with Tommy to Eddie.

“It was a date when you and Marisol ran into me and Tommy,” says Buck to a surprised Eddie, who immediately reveals that he didn’t know about Tommy’s sexuality, “not that it would have mattered”.

Tommy reassures his bestie that “this doesn’t change a thing between us”, and, like all fans, the moment had us weeping. The scene has been praised for Buck’s nonchalant approach to how he discusses his sexuality and Tommy’s reaction, subverting the tired tropes that are usually married with the coming out arc.

“I just watched the Buck coming out to Eddie scene like 10 times in a row and I’m fucking bawling my eyes out,” tweeted one fan, while another wrote: “I actually do think the way Buck came out to Eddie and Maddie was realistic.”

The episode ends with Buck apologising to Tommy over coffee, with the latter revealing that he didn’t want to “pressure” him. Buck responds: “The truth is, I don’t know what I’m ready for. But I’m ready for something, and I think that maybe something could be with you.”

Buck then invites Tommy to be his date as Maddie and Chimney’s wedding.

Check out the best responses from the episode below.

 

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Guzman said it was important for him and the 9-1-1 team to handle Eddie’s reaction to Buck’s sexuality “with care” and reflected on how the scene mirrored his own life.

“Luckily for me, I’ve had an experience in my life where a friend trusted me with their own coming out, and I got to understand first person that it wasn’t so much about me accepting them, it was more about me allowing them to feel safe and loved,” he said.

“So I wanted to exemplify that in this scene. Like, ‘Hey man, you can say whatever you got. I’m not going anywhere. Okay? This connection remains.’

“That was something that forever changed my life — in my personal life, with my friend — so this had to feel the same for the millions of people who are going to see it, because some may not be getting this from their friends.

“Some may be scared to do this in front of their friends, and maybe this gives them the opportunity to find their own bravery, as Buck did, and go to their closest friend and say, ‘Hey, this is how I feel nowadays. Can you explore this with me?’ I love that scene.”

Following the revelation of Buck’s sexuality in last week’s episode, Stark shut down biphobic rhetoric from a select group of so-called ‘fans’ who had taken to his social media comments.

“Humbled and overwhelmed by the positive reaction to Buck’s storyline. I’ve read so many of your messages, and I couldn’t be prouder,” Stark wrote at the start of his statement.

“If you are one of the smaller group of people commenting on my posts about how this has ruined the show. I would like you to know that I truly don’t care.

“This is a show about love and inclusion. It’s featured queer relationships from the very beginning, including a beautiful Black lesbian marriage played out by two of the best actresses I’ve ever watched.

“If one other character finds a new facet to his sexuality and realising his bisexuality is your deal breaker – I fear you’ve missed the entire point of the show.”

Toward the end of his statement, Stark iconically reminded unhappy viewers that an announcement of their departure from the 9-1-1 fandom is “not required”.

9-1-1 airs every Thursday in the US on ABC.