Buck is STILL just the donor; he's not Theo's dad!
Look, I'll start with the obvious, I've been MIA from Tumblr for almost 5 months because I didn't like how 9A ended as a big nothing burger and 9B wasn't looking promising. Then 9x13 happened and I was excited again but the BS that followed pissed me off even more. I won't get into all of that now or probably ever because this is my blog and I post what I want and when I want.
Any who, when the speculation about Buck's sperm donor baby was circulating during the month of April, I literally rolled my eyes several times because I hoped this wouldn't be the direction the show was going in. Alas, they did and here we are knee deep in the season 6 trenches of the infamous sperm donation storyline. 🙄 I thought this battle was over but it only took one scene in 9x17 to realize I was wrong since this storyline keeps showing up like a fungus that won't go away.
Initially, I was pissed off because I hoped it would remain in season 6 where it belonged and I was annoyed when Connor and Kameron showed up on screen again in 9x17. However, after I took some time to rewatch the episode, I stopped focusing on people's speculation regarding "Buck possibly adopting Theo" (I mean let's be real, even in 9-1-1 standards that would be a wild leap for numerous reasons but mainly because Buck is a single guy who just went through a drug dependency or whatever but that's not the point), I started to pay close attention to the actual narrative the show intertwined throughout the episode and by Buck's last scene, it was crystal clear to me that Buck finally got the message that he stated himself back in season 6 before he agreed to be Connor's and Kameron's sperm donor.
Any who, fast forward three and a half years and a lot happened within episode 9x17 with Buck and Theo. I won't get into a lot of it in this post because I don't want to and I'm not in the mood to go into a lot of details but based on Buck's actions after the car accident, it was clear he was about to misunderstand the assignment yet again which means he was likely considering who would take care of Theo since his parents died. I think he was seriously considering stepping up to be that person until Maddie reminded him that "It's not your job" then she proceeded to explain Deidre is good at her job and she'll figure it out.
However, during Buck's last scene of the episode, he realized he's still just the "Donor" not the "Dad" and Theo was the one who helped him understand that he doesn't have a definitive role in his life (see below).
Back in 6x10, Buck told his parents and the Hans, "I'm the donor, Connor is the father" and he was right because he is in fact just the donor. Other than being biologically connected to him, he doesn't have any rights to Theo since Connor and Kameron were his parents.
The truth is Buck doesn't have any LEGAL RIGHTS TO THEO either and unless they named him to be Theo's guardian in the event they both died, Buck doesn't have anything connecting him to their son. He can't just show up in court and say, "I'm the donor" and even if he did, the judge would laugh him out of the courtroom. To even be considered as a foster parent, he'll have to take classes and prove he could do it and with his recent issues, that's unlikely. Also, Buck works a dangerous job and he doesn't have a spouse like Hen and Chimney have.
Additionally, to Theo, Buck is just the firefighter who rescued him and that's who he'll always be until someone, i.e., Buck or someone else, tells him that Buck is the sperm donor and he's the reason why Theo was able to be conceived and born. Theo even colored a picture of a firefighter and gave it to Buck as a gift. He's only 4 years old (he should really be 3 since May 2023 to May 2026 is three years but Tim does whatever he wants with characters' ages on this show, i.e., see Harry's age, so there's that) and Buck said it himself that Theo doesn't understand what happened to his parents.
Therefore, in their last scene, when Buck asked Theo if he could stop by and check on him sometimes to see how he's doing, Theo quickly responded with "Only if my dad says it's ok" and the look on Buck's face illustrated how he realized he's still the "donor" and he'll never be Theo's "dad" because Connor was his father and he's all Theo's ever known. He didn't meet Buck until the rescue so, Buck's a stranger to him.
Now, unless 9-1-1 does some really dramatic acrobatics in 9x18, it's unlikely Buck will adopt Theo. I know there's a "Call Sheet" that's supposedly from 9x18 floating around but I think it's fake just like the "Bobby's buried alive" script that floated around in April 2025 and we all saw how that ended. Therefore, I'll continue to think that until the episode airs and it's proven what Buck will and won't do regarding Theo.
In my opinion, it would be a bad idea if the show went down the path of having Buck step in to foster and/or adopt him because it will nullify the very meaning of sperm donation and how it actually works in the real world. Also, Chimney said it best when he told Buck that he gave Connor and Kameron a gift by being their sperm donor and anyone who gives a selfless gift, understands they won't get anything in return. So, Buck wasn't expecting anything and he shouldn't get anything for doing what he said he would do and that's him being the donor. If Connor and Kameron would have lived, then Buck wouldn't be expected to adopt Theo and just because they died, he shouldn't be expected to do it now either.
I'm ending this but before I do, reminder, Eddie's MY FAVORITE CHARACTER and he gave Buck a gift back in 2020 when he named him to be Chris' legal guardian. Eddie changed it after the well but he waited until 2021 to tell Buck about his decision.
Therefore, since Eddie will get injured in 9x18, it's possible him naming Buck to be Chris' legal guardian in his WILL might finally see the light of day.
I'm not saying Buddie is going CANON in the final episode but I am saying if the narrative from 9x17 continues, then Buck's about to be faced with the gift he was given years ago by Eddie and that just might lead to both of them finally admitting they can't live without each other.
I had planned to include a lot more in this but I don't want to and I'm not going to. But my suggestion to anyone who's frustrated by the return of the sperm donor baby is to rewatch the episode and tune all of the toxic and gossipy noise out. Some people have an agenda and they want to see Buck with a kid that's biologically related to him but 9x17 clearly illustrated that's not the direction they're heading.
When anyone rewatches it, they should look at the scenes and pay close attention to the way they happened. First, Buck rescued a kid he didn't know was conceived with his sperm and he spent who knows how long entertaining him at the firehouse until Connor and Kameron showed up. Second, that's when his demeanor changed and he became hesitant and he didn't want to meet with them. Third, he decided to do it and based on the look on his face, he wished he wouldn't have. The bottom line is Buck had no plans to remain in Theo's life until Connor and Kameron died but Theo was the one who reminded Buck that his dad is Connor not him and that's where their scene ended.
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