If there is anything 9-1-1 is good at — and it’s good at a lot — it’s great relationship building. From the unexpected romance of Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) and Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) to the best friendship of Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds) and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), and many others, 9-1-1 has done an excellent job creating powerful and enjoyable relationships that fans have fallen in love with. One of the things television show fans love to do most is “ship” two characters, whether they’re together or not, and when it comes to 9-1-1, there is no relationship fans enjoy “shipping” more than Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) and Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark).
Evan “Buck” Buckley has been with 9-1-1 since the show’s premiere, though he is now a very different character than he was when the show began. Eddie Diaz joined 9-1-1 in Season 2, Episode 1, “Under Pressure,” and while Buck was initially unsure about Eddie, their relationship has grown into a very close one. Affectionately referred to by fans as “Buddie,” the relationship between Eddie and Buck may have started as colleagues and moved to friendship, but fans are hopeful that one day — perhaps even in Season 8 — the relationship will progress to one of romantic love. In the 100th episode of 9-1-1 — Season 7, Episode 4, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” — Oliver Stark’s Buck discovered he was bisexual and shared his first kiss with a man, another firefighter named Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno, Jr.). Though there was some backlash from the episode, most fans appreciated the character being able to find more of himself and look forward to seeing how it might progress in the upcoming season — with or without Eddie.
Buck Supports Eddie Through His Son’s Departure
Throughout 9-1-1‘s seventh season, Eddie faced some pretty unexpected drama. In Season 7, Episode 7, “Ghost of a Second Chance,” Eddie met a woman named Kim (Devin Kelley), who looked exactly like Eddie’s dead wife — and Christopher’s mother — Shannon Diaz (also played by Devin Kelley). After spending time with her in secret, Eddie finally tells Kim about Shannon in Season 7, Episode 9, “Ashes, Ashes,” expecting to never see her again. Instead, Kim returns to Eddie’s home in Season 7, Episode 10, “All Fall Down,” dressed as Shannon in an attempt to help Eddie gain some closure, a gesture that seemed kind, if not slightly bizarre. Things took a turn for the even worse when Eddie’s son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), and Eddie’s girlfriend, Marisol (Edy Ganem), caught them in an embrace.
Despite Eddie’s efforts to resolve things with Christopher, including calling Buck in for reinforcements, Chris called his grandparents in Texas and asked them to come to Los Angeles and get him so that he could spend the summer away from his father. Buck, who had already attempted to get the teenager to come out of his room and talk to Eddie, returned from visiting Bobby Nash at the hospital with Eddie and tried to get Chris to stay, to no avail. The moment Chris leaves with his grandparents is a heartwrenching one, and Buck’s presence appears to be the only thing that gets Eddie through it. It’s a testament to their friendship and how much Buck supports both Eddie and Chris.
Eddie and Buck Steal the Show at May’s Graduation
Set in 2020 but filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most graduations and their celebrations, Season 3, Episode 18, “What’s Next,” featured the graduation celebration for May Grant (Corrine Massiah), who was a 2020 high school graduate. At the event in 9-1-1‘s season finale, Buck was seen spending a lot of time with both Eddie and Chris, though almost nothing could top the photos Eddie and Buck took in the photo booth.
The final montage of “What’s Next” showed many of the members of the 118 and their LAPD and 9-1-1 dispatch colleagues taking advantage of the photo booth and the props, but Eddie and Buck proved to be the most fun. Season 3 of 9-1-1 was tough for Buck and Eddie both individually and as friends, so it was great for fans to see them having a fun time together as the season wrapped.
Buck and Eddie Go Treasure Hunting
Season 4 of 9-1-1, which was a short season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had a number of really incredible episodes, and Season 4, Episode 12, “Treasure Hunt,” was definitely one of them. After the unexpected death of a local author, the team from the 118 and Athena get called to multiple incidents where treasure hunters get hurt trying to solve clues from a riddle left by the author. The 9-1-1 dispatchers start trying to guess for themselves, and even Bobby Nash gets into it, buying a whiteboard on his way home so that he can lay out all the clues and his theories — much to Athena’s chagrin.
The treasure hunt and its accompanying problems in 9-1-1 ‘s Season 4, Episode 12, “Treasure Hunt,” is inspired by The Secret by Byron Preiss. The Secret , published in 1982, holds the clues to 12 treasure boxes buried throughout the United States and Canada. If someone located one of the treasure boxes, they could exchange it for a precious gem from Preiss — or his estate after his unexpected death in 2005. Since the book was published in 1982, only three of the twelve boxes have been found.
Though Buck initially partners with Taylor Kelly (Megan West), he eventually brings Eddie in on the search. Buck and Eddie work together to try and glean information from the events on their shift and from probie Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody), who works on a different shift. They nearly give up, but then Taylor remembers a clue that leads them to the location of the treasure, though they manage to arrive at the same time as the rest of the 118. The episode is fun for all the characters and gives audiences a chance to see Eddie and Buck use the partnership they’ve built in a whole new way.
Eddie Tries to Cheer Up Buck
After Buck quits his job in what can only be described as an adult tantrum when Bobby tells him that he’s no longer cleared to work in Season 3, Episode 1, “Kids Today,” and spends the rest of the week in bed, Eddie takes it upon himself to get Buck out of bed and out of the house. Eddie needs someone to watch Christopher, who has cerebral palsy, while he’s at work, and who better than his best friend, who has nothing else to do?
Later, Buck takes Christopher to the Santa Monica Pier, putting both of them in unexpected danger when a tsunami arrives, but it is the moment when Eddie leaves Chris with Buck that tends to resonate most with viewers. “Take him out, have some fun, maybe you’ll learn something,” Eddie says. “He never feels sorry for himself.” It’s the first of many reminders for Buck that being temporarily out of a job isn’t actually as bad as he’s making it seem.
Buck and Eddie Get Dosed on LSD
Season 2, Episode 6, “Dosed,” is an interesting combination of tough moments and hilarious ones for the 9-1-1 characters. After the 118 saves traffic reporter Taylor Kelly when her helicopter goes down, Taylor follows the 118 around for a few days to put together a story on them for the news. While she’s there, the 118 responds to a call at an exotic pet store where a man is choking on crickets from an eating contest. The owner, wanting to thank the 118 for all the work they do, sends over brownies that everyone except Chimney gets to eat.
While on a call at a beauty pageant, Athena realizes that Hen, Eddie, and Buck are high and incapable of doing their jobs. The exchanges between Eddie and Buck at the pageant are hilarious, and help offset the feeling viewers get when they watch Bobby — a recovering alcoholic and drug addict — experience his high back at the firehouse. Chimney is the only sober one, which leads him to believe it was the brownies, though it takes a comment from the exotic pet store owner in Taylor Kelly’s new report to finally confirm it.
Buck Finds Solace at Eddie’s House
Buck, still recovering from the lightning strike in Season 6, Episode 10, “In a Flash,” spends most of his day during Season 6, Episode 12, “Recovery,” dealing with visitors sent over by his sister, Maddie Buckley (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Though Maddie is trying to help, ultimately all the visitors end up tiring Buck out, and he escapes his apartment to go to the only other place he feels like he can relax — Eddie’s house.
Though Buck initially tells Eddie that he can’t ask him how he’s doing and then abruptly falls asleep on the couch, eventually the two friends are able to have a frank conversation about what they’ve both experienced. Both of them have had near-death experiences, and they’re able to talk about what it’s like to recover and move forward. It’s an important moment in their relationship and in Buck’s healing from the lightning strike.
