Last year, Minear said he wanted to give Buck and Tommy the "romantic comedy" treatment. He also said he loves to give couples hurdles because it means that if they work hard enough to win each other back, the relationship as a whole will be much more stronger and meaningful, therefore harder to break. Minear even warned that this [relationship woes] would apply to Buck and Tommy, as did Oliver Stark, for that matter. Minear didn’t use this exact phrasing, mind you, but he did express this exact sentiment in very similar terms. So far, everything we have seen on our screens in no way contradicts what was promised, including the breakup and 8x11 post-hook up misunderstanding between Buck and Tommy in the kitchen.

(Note: I do want to point out that while Minear followed this framework with couples like Bobby and Athena, Hen and Karen, and Chimney and Maddie, he did not do so between Buck and any of his previous love interests, when you really think about it, with the exception of Abby. Sure, Buck and all of his previous love interests experienced hurdles, but said hurdles were always the catalyst for the relationship ending very soon after, as if they were created for the sole purpose of ending that relationship, highlighted by the fact that Buck would often move on quite abruptly and his romantic partners would never be seen again, save for perhaps a small cameo. I would wager this is because Minear never really saw any of those love interests as having actual long term potential, making them unworthy of overcoming obstacles within the lens of a romantic comedy and its various tropes. Abby, again, came the closest to being the exception, but does she really count, when she was always guaranteed to leave after one season? If anything, I saw Abby as a way for Minear to establish that Buck ultimately wants more than sex and meaningless relationships. And when Abby left, Minear had Buck regress, establishing that while he may want something more, it's going to be a slippery slope to actually being ready for it.

Anyway, back to Buck and Tommy...)

I will always maintain that the 8x06 breakup was extremely open-ended for a reason, and I will always maintain that Minear wrote such a major obstacle knowing full well it was something for Buck and Tommy to overcome. Do I think Minear handled this storyline well? Not at all. It was messy and didn't match up with anything that had come before. That said, if Minear had truly developed cold feet and suddenly wanted a possible out for Buck and Tommy so he could explore other stories for Buck, as others have theorized, then the 8x06 breakup would have been the end of that relationship. Done. Fin. Finito. Only, that’s not what happened. Instead, Tommy remained an ongoing presence for much of his absence, all seen through Buck, who was dismayed and feeling like a fish out of water. And the funny thing is, I think we were almost all in agreement here about the breakup being a temporary obstacle, that is, until the “exit interviews”, which turned out to be comically anything but. I hate to call a spade a spade in this particular instance, but we really did let Buddies get in our heads and somewhat guide the narrative here. Hey, it happens to the best of people in every fandom.

Stark asked Minear to “let Buck fuck”. What was Minear’s reply? A resounding, "What the fuck? Nah, dude" (not really, but you get the gist). Instead, he had Buck relentlessly obsess over Tommy and work out his frustrations by *checks notes* … baking treats every time he had the urge to contact Tommy? Did I read that shit righ- Oh, I did? And he baked so many treats, that he gave a bunch away to family and friends and coworkers? Oh, the romantic comedy of it all. While we're on this topic, for the record, I think Stark’s “let Buck fuck” was all a deflection. He knew Tommy was coming back, as did Minear, as did Lou Ferrigno Jr. And speaking of Ferrigno Jr., his “confusion” and “uncertainty” after 8x06 was all such a blatant smokescreen. This is a tale as old as time when it concerns cast and crew trying to preserve the outcome of 'will they, won't they' storylines. And I know people love to claim that Minear writes completely on the fly and doesn’t know what he’s doing from episode to episode -- and to a degree, I believe there is some truth to that -- but the fact is, showrunners need a season outline, something that is often mandated by studios and networks. They can change elements as they go, sure, but an outline is still necessary for various reasons–-budgeting, contracts and modifications, rating censors, and to stamp out creative differences early on, as opposed to last minute. Yeah, I think Minear was fully aware Tommy was coming back prior to writing 8x06, and I think Stark and Ferrigno Jr. knew not long after, if not around the same time as Minear.

Nearly every conversation Buck has had about Tommy post-breakup has explicitly told us (more like screamed) that Buck still wants to be with Tommy. Even when other characters, including his own sister, advised him to let it go, he remained very much not okay with that option. The baking, the unusually prolonged depression, the text bubbles. Yeah. It was all there staring us down for ages. And having Buck and Tommy experience a random post-breakup 'meet cute’ in a bar? Followed by a lighthearted, yet sexually charged hookup romp in Buck’s place afterward? A hookup interpreted as more than just a hookup by both men? Again, the romantic comedy of it all. I would also like to point out that both Buck and Tommy were highly upset at the end, when they realized they had not, in fact, properly reconciled. Why make that a focal point of this ongoing narrative, if the breakup is inevitable? Why not just have the hookup actually serve as the closure they both need, where one or both of them ultimately realize they actually don’t need or miss each other as much as they initially thought? Instead, we got looks of utter devastation AND that insanely pointed “straight friend” line during Buck’s conversation with Maddie.

Furthermore, Tommy’s comment in the bar about wanting to reach out and driving by Buck’s place was clearly meant to establish (again, scream) that Tommy highly regrets the breakup. It's clear as day that he is all-in on being with Buck, and better yet, it's clearly reciprocated. Buck and Tommy are just too caught up in the noise of their own heads to recognize that, but that doesn't make it any less true. Tommy bought wine and cooked a nice breakfast for the both of them because, again, he thought their “hookup” the previous night was a reconciliation. Buck, meanwhile, woke up and felt immediate disappointment when he thought Tommy had just up and left. For goodness sake. Again, the romantic comedy of it all! Except, I don’t think it was written purely for comedy. It was written to establish that, for all their miscommunications and insecurities, both men DO want the exact same thing -- each other. The foundation being laid here is blatantly telling the audience -- not just the overt BuckTommy fans -- that these two boys simply need to finally talk their shit out properly, and if they do, good things can and will be on the horizon for them. And what do you know, they’re going to spend at least some of the two-parter together... in a small helicopter. The romantic comedy just sucker punched me in the face. Fuckin-A, that hurt.

People might disregard Minear sharing that BuckTommy video on Facebook last year, but I don’t. I think that was very pointed for what he wants. And then there is Ferrigno Jr's story about Minear visiting the set for the purpose of observing a BuckTommy scene get filmed (I believe it may have been for the first kiss, I'm not one hundred percent sure that was explicitly confirmed, so feel free to correct), only to then tell Ferrigno Jr not only how happy he was with what he saw, but to express that he was “not worried at all”. And when Minear left, another cast member informed Ferrigno Jr that Minear “NEVER” visits the set like this. Yeah. Minear blatantly likes Ferrigno Jr a lot and has said as much numerous times, and he was clearly satisfied with his decision to bring Ferrigno Jr back for Stark's next big storyline.

Speaking of fan videos, Ferrigno Jr very recently (as in, this last week) commented two separate times on the same BuckTommy fan edit, calling it “beautiful” and stating it made him cry. The title of that fan edit? “Endgame”. Feel free to say I’m reading into things – and no, I do not in any way believe this is proof of the pair actually being endgame – but I do not believe Ferrigno Jr would do something like this, if he knew some sort of grand reconciliation wasn’t in the cards at some point, at the very least.

Then, there is the Buddie of it all. Oh, Buddies, how you fascinate, amuse, and entertain me with your unearned confidence and delusions! There has been a very sudden, extremely sharp, shift in the way Buddie and its fans are being treated. We have all seen it. And, you know, Minear may not have written 8x11, but he still allowed that “straight friend” line Buck delivered to Maddie. He allowed it in every draft, let it survive the editing stage, and he finally let it reach the air. And afterward, Aisha Hinds made it clear that shutting down the idea of Buck having romantic feelings for Eddie was the intent. Not only that, but Hinds also made it clear, probably to Minear's dismay, that it was very much a collaborative process involving Minear. Minear may be trying to appear “open” to the possibility of Buddie in interviews, but that really doesn’t matter, not when what’s happening both on our screens and behind-the-scenes strongly says otherwise and holds more weight than some interviews spearheaded by Buddie journalists ever could.

I dig my fellow BuckTommy’s (y'all are great, hilarious, and mostly keep it kind-hearted in a way Buddies simply do not), but I do think we are too cynical and guarded for own good -- and I think some of that is, unfortunately, a coping mechanism and safeguard we've created for ourselves due to the rampant harassment, bizarre overconfidence, and general toxic insanity from Buddies.

But I would love to point out that our cynicism and skepticism has not always been correct. In fact, I'd wager we've been wrong far more often than we've been right, in this case. Just some examples: We began to convince ourselves that the breakup was final, despite all the evidence to the contrary, and that Ferrigno Jr/Tommy would never be seen again. Wrong. We (well, not me, because I don’t believe Buddies are capable of organizing like this or have the non-reactionary emotional discipline to carry it through) highly suspected Buddies had organized a scheme in which they would pretend to be angry about fake leaks pertaining to Buck hooking up with Tommy, just so we would be disappointed and embarrassed when it didn't actually happen. Wrong. So wrong. Some of us were so sure we wouldn’t get a legitimate kiss, let alone something more suggestive, if the hookup was true. Hey, guess what? Wrong, wrong, wrong. I guess I’m highlighting this because as much as people want to say Minear is still operating completely from his old bag of tricks, I’d say that’s partly wrong, too. He still struggles with his narratives and recycles storylines, as I personally suspect he will with Bobby very soon, I’m not arguing against that. But… I don’t agree that he’s not capable of exploring new territory, at least, in the case of Buck and Tommy. Buck and Tommy’s relationship is clearly very different from what has come before. And even the Buddies know this, which is why they are spiraling and getting angrier with each passing week.

(Look. I normally wouldn’t be so gleeful about Buddies not getting what they want, because I know what it's like to ship a pairing that will only ever exist outside of canon. However, Buddies have spent the last year being monumentally toxic and cruel as fuck in a myriad of ways. Seriously, it would actually be impressive, if it weren't so blatantly gross and mean-spirited. So, as it stands, I can’t help but be a "tad" gleeful at karma doing its thing. And the great thing is, even if Buck and Tommy don't work out, Buck and Eddie still won't happen. Anyone with a legitimate grasp of "media literacy" understands this.)

Stark recently said that while he views Buck as “whiny”, he also believes Buck is finally “maturing”. I agree, and I think it’s mighty interesting that a lot of his latest growth has been directly connected to his breakup with Tommy and wanting him back. If Minear wanted Buck to stay on the hamster wheel, then he would have, in fact, “let Buck fuck,” rather than dedicate all of 8B on Buck's spiral, and he would not be bringing Tommy back for a huge two-parter, as well as a major episode afterward dedicated to a highly traumatic moment for the entire ensemble/118 fam. I think it’s also extremely intentional that Tommy expressed back in 7x04 (right before the first kiss) how jealous he felt about the 118 being so close and present for each other… and that he wanted to be a part of that. And wouldn’t you know it, the two-parter is once again making him a part of the family, by having him directly assist in a rescue with Buck at his side and then participating in a meaningful ceremony not long afterward.

Have faith, everyone. There is a lot of actual “media literacy” working in our favor, despite what our cynicism and skepticism -- and Buddies -- might be trying to tell us otherwise.

P.S….

I know another worry is that if the show keeps getting renewed, it reduces the chances of proper endgame. But… I ain’t really worried about that. The ratings aren’t amazing, actors are getting visibly tired and certain big name cast members are only going to stick around for so much longer, the budget isn’t getting any smaller, etc. This show is no Grey’s or SVU, is what I’m gettin’ at. In fact, I think a key factor in why season 9 was greenlit is because of the Nashville spinoff coming soon. ABC isn’t going to cancel the main show the same year a spinoff is being introduced. Talk about ridiculously bad optics for marketing. I think Minear, at the very least, is aware of 911’s limited time. After all, 911 was initially cancelled by Fox before being saved by ABC and Lone Star WAS cancelled. Ideally, Minear could be doing the responsible thing here, by recognizing that the show could very well end at any time, whether that be one or two or three seasons from now, and accepting that he needs to start taking more narrative risks. I think Buck’s development and BuckTommy could very well prove to be indications of that.

P.S. #2:....

And man, there is still so much more I could write here. For instance, Tommy looking into the camera at the cemetery, essentially telling the audience that he wants Buck's "curse" to end, right after Buck gave that lovely speech? The fact that this scene was filmed after the breakup? Come on.