Everything is coming up Buck on 9-1-1 Season 2 Episode 8, “Buck, Actually.” The greatest thing about that is how well Oliver Stark manages to carry the whole episode.
We have seen development and focus on Buck as a character before, but not as the main focus. Everything that happens on “Buck, Actually” revolves around Buck and his growth in some way.
From the very first moment to the very last, Buck is surprising us left and right. Each moment made that much more real because of Stark’s delivery and demeanor. It is great to see the showrunners put all their faith in Stark and have him flourish.
When Buck is helping that woman on the overpass sign it’s clear as day, he’s realizing things as he goes along. While he is talking her down Stark’s body language is all that we need to see Buck is not fully believing everything he says until he gets to one specific line.
It’s in that moment that we see it fully hit Buck, Abby left him, and he now must pick up the pieces. Sure, he wrote the letter that ultimately ended things, but this is the moment he starts to realize he has been holding onto nothing for months.
“Buck, Actually,” is really a dance where we watch Buck make a few leading moves and then step back and let someone else lead, so he can learn. It’s a beautiful sentiment and one that better sells the journey Buck goes on.
No one moment is insignificant, even when it’s just Buck having a conversation with Bobby about his love life. He tells Bobby he doesn’t want to revert to what he’s called, Buck 1.0, and Bobby delivers sound advice.
He tells Buck that he’s been single for months, so he is already better than Buck 1.0. It’s in this moment that we see a flicker of realization behind Buck’s denial. He says one thing, but his eyes tell us that he actually believes what Bobby, and Chim for that matter, have told him.
Once again, Stark’s quick reactions save this moment from falling away into the background. He has really grown since Season 1 regarding Buck’s emotions. Now there are layers to almost everything he says.
That realness and authenticity are what makes Buck a more interesting character. Part of that honestly has to do with Stark’s talent but some of it falls on his scene partners.
All last season we really only ever saw Buck interact with Bobby and Abby. The scenes with Bobby were so much stronger than those with Abby. Which is not from a lack of effort on Stark’s part, but on the blandness that came with any scene Abby was in.
No disrespect to Connie Britton, but 9-1-1 was just not her strongest performances in a long career of performances. There was something lacking in all that she did with Abby, which made me not care for the character at all.
Now that Buck is free to explore moments and relationships with others it frees Stark up to expand his skills and use different ones with different scene partners — a move that has really made Buck the character to watch this season.
Another big moment for Buck is when he realizes that the reporter, he has been hanging out with, is using him for sex and moving on. That’s a move that Old Buck trademarked.
To hear Maddie and Chim jokingly tell him he’s been “Bucked” is a nice lighthearted moment. It shows not only that Buck is susceptible to his own tricks but also that Maddie/Chim are actually good together as a couple.
I believe that Buck also sees that, and it gives him pause about his own approach to love. It’s around this time in the episode that we see a shift in Buck and how he views love.
The Chaddie scene coupled with Buck watching an elderly gay couple die within moments of each other is what sets him on the path to a meaningful relationship with someone. That someone ends up being totally unexpected, but nice nonetheless.
Buck is given a second chance at love, but he also gives a woman a second chance. We get to see Buck start a new relationship, towards the end, with the woman he helped save from the high-rise during the earthquake.
Totally unexpected, but the fire and hope found in Stark’s eyes are what really sells our belief in this. We want to believe in it because Buck believes in it. He feels that this woman might be the one that changes his luck even just a little bit.
For 9-1-1 to use this episode to allow Stark to shine as an actor they are telling us that he is worth our time and care. Buck isn’t just a pretty face anymore. He has a story, he has pain, he has baggage.
Buck is just as broken and hopeful as Bobby or Athena. A parallel that was clearly made when placing Bobby and Athena’s date scene alongside Buck’s. It gives us reason to believe in him.
