better buck next time

pls be nice...

my theory(s)

this is confirmed 9x16 and based on other bts (the building they were filming at for like a week) im assuming that they get suspended or something akin to that because they get framed for a crime (maybe arson), which is also why the public were like throwing shit at them.

i'm assuming this bts is either them at court testifying OR it's them giving statements to the LAFD, kind of like how when buck sued the LAFD they all went into that office building and were questioned - maybe the guy wearing the gold uniform is like an LAFD inspections/internal affairs guy

could also explain why they were all at the building where the emergency is in their civilian clothes - they're trying to figure out what happened. it also explains what, seemingly is the entire 118, is doing at dispatch (wanting to hear the original 9-1-1 call or smth??)

also makes sense with the episode title because 'where there's smoke' is apart of the phrase where there's smoke there's fire, which refers to gossip or speculation -> the public speculate the 118 are criminals or arsonists or something

buck doesn't want to think of eddie as a potential romantic partner because, to him, eddie is straight. buck would hate it if he created a rift or tension between the two of them, and he doesn't want to break their bond or their relationship because it's so important to him. i think, because of that, buck is very reluctant to even think about his potential feelings because he doesn't want to deal with the blowout it could cause and also because he doesn't want to get himself hurt.

eddie, on the other hand, doesn't think of buck as a potential romantic partner simply because he doesn't think of himself and romance in the same context. we've seen multiple times this season eddie simply shutting down anything romantic, and i know it's gay as hell, but it also shows us that he doesn't think about himself as someone who should/could be in a relationship. and so, add all than on top of his notion that he has to date women, he'd never consider buck as a partner in that sense because he doesn't think about romance at all.

and in my opinion, if they are to do buddie, it should be eddie initiating it. and so, for that to happen, we'd need to see eddie actually considering to go out with people and date, then realise he doesn't like women, then realise buck is an option, and then actually act on it.

it sounds simple, i know, but it really isn't. that's not something they can do in like one or two episodes, that feels like something they need to do in an entire season. they need to put a lot of care and effort into making sure it comes out correctly and doesn't feel rushed, etc. and with the tragectory we're on this season? i doubt it'll happen.

buck is traumatised, rightfully so, and i doubt eddie is going to go out and date when his best friend is struggling so much. like that doesn't make sense narratively. and i know you could say, well maybe he realises his feelings for buck during this time, but i don't think he will. and that's because he doesn't ever think of romance himself and so any feelings he experiences he wouldn't associate with romance, he'd just be like 'those are my buck feelings because he's my best friend'.

-1: hostage situation !

-read a fic once which absolutely slapped and it was about the 118 being taken over by criminals so they could yk, do crime. this would be great because it doesn't cost much (they wouldn't need to leave the 118 set outside of dispatch or wherever athena be at) and also can have much higher emotional stakes than a lot of openers - everyone at the 118 is at risk, could have someone have a NDE... and so on and so forth.

-2: sandstorm !

-could be very fun - lots of emergencies that they have never done before (on the main show at least), is a lot cheaper because it doesn't require CGI/VFX (they'd only need to do quick shots of sand flying around which, compared to other stuff.. cough cough space.. is much cheaper). it's more grounded than prior seasons and also doesn't put athena on another vehicle

-3: flood !

-we've had mudslides and tsunamis, but we haven't had a good ol' flood. can have similar emergencies to the tsunami, if they wanted, or entirely new ones. they could have dispatch, for example, be flooded and the 118 need to go and save them or smth - literally anything they want could happen with a flood, plus it's probably cheaper.

-4: heatwave !

-hot wind idk what else to say, could cause some fires n shit.

-5: wildfires

i can see it with her getting promoted to captain / taking over from elaine, and so then we don't see her as much because she isn't in the field but when we do see her it's something different from normal (thus different storylines for her).

ive noticed how they're referencing past seasons a lot, and i have thought of a lovely way to introduce buddie - bathena style.

the last like 6 episodes could have eddie's realisation(s), maybe even a coming out - the last episode, somewhere nearer to the end, we see buck and eddie on a date like bobby and athena in 1x10.

then if we get S10, the first episode could be secret relationship buddie and then the opening arc could expose them as a couple, so a nde for one of them

i've been seeing that interview with ostark saying that buck and chris have moments together circulate but, obviously, we haven't seen that yet this season.

i've seen people think it's been cut out or something but i think ostark could have been talking about this abigail/chrisnapping arc.

why, you may ask? well! abigail was introduced in 9x05, and i think it's been proven that some scenes for that episode were filmed in late July / start or middle of august (that still of buck in the attic comes to mind because that released like a month before S9 premiered or something like that), and that would mean that they had created abigail by that point, and so one deduce from that that they planned this arc out at that point as well. maybe they didn't have scripts ready but they probably had scene ideas and stuff like that, idk how writers rooms work ok?

in the 9x11 promo, when athena kicks down that door, abigail is to her side - she's not pointing that gun at abigail. so who is she pointing that gun at?

who else is in the trailer (barely) who is connected to abigail? alex.

9-1-1 loves misleading people. think about maddie's storyline last season where the missing homocide detective was the kidnapper / killer - what if alex has a similar role?

don't get me wrong, this wee woo show is whimsical as hell, but it isn't EVERY episode that is full of whimsy. it does whimsical SO well and it's genuinely one of my favourite aspects of the show.lots of episodes have fun and whimsy, and i love that sm, but a lot of episodes also deal with tricky subjects and heavy topics.

one big complaint ive seen for season 9 is that it's too heavy. yet i think, based on the fact that bobby died (which makes it more filled with grief anyways - and is justified), and the fact that lots of episodes have very fun moments (like 9x07), i don't think that complaint is warranted.

past seasons have had both whimsical episodes and dark / heavy topics, yet people praise those seasons so much (and are absolutely right to, i love all of them!) but constantly look to diss season 9. every single season of the show has different themes across episodes - some seasons are arguably more heavy (like season 5) then others, but i don't think it dismisses the quality of those episodes either. just because it's sometimes a bit darker doesn't make it any less 9-1-1. every single episode is completely different and has different themes, and they often juggle a variety of themes. which is what makes the show so good imo!!

i love 9-1-1 and i will constantly defend so !

hen didn't tell anyone because their family is fractured - none of them are actually talking about bobby's death to each other, they're just confronting their own grief and trying to live one day at a time. because of this, she might not feel completely comfortable talking about her mysterious illness with anyone because she 1. doesn't want anyone to worry when she doesn't have the answers, but mainly 2. she doesn't know how they'll react to it anymore. they stopped talking about their true feelings, essentially. they stopped relying on each other, they stopped relying on their family, and all individually got trapped in their own grief. because of this, I think it makes complete sense that hen wouldn't tell anyone because she doesn't know how to talk about it with anyone (because they're not truly talking about deep stuff anymore) and she doesn't know how they'd respond. i think it's a really good symbolism of how their family isn't the same anymore and how they need to talk about things, because it could literally be life or death.