We've come a long way, and I think it's worth appreciating.
Even before meeting Buddy face-to-face in Toffee Break, Deacon had already formed a strong opinion of him. Based on Chase's description, Deacon was adamant that "We have to treat him like he IS a threat, because we can't be sure he isn't." It is important to note that this perception of Buddy continued until very recently in season two, when it slowly started to change.
The first time Deacon and Buddy interacted with each other was in Toffe Break, and it was NOT a pleasant first meeting.
That first image is Deacon's first impresion of Buddy btw.
Buddy's words towards Deacon are intended to cause hurt and are delivered with malice. In all their interactions in Toffee Break, there is no room for a truce — Buddy has essentially declared WAR on Deacon from the moment he saw him. And we all know why that is. Apart from the obvious fact that he feels Deacon can't be trusted, and the shock and anger at finding Chase has yet another key, there's that other thing...
This is when Buddy's jealousy first appears, which will later become an important factor in determining how well he and Deacon get along, until Buddy ultimately discovers that Deacon and Chase are actually cousins (poor Buddy, spending almost a month with that impresion).
"W-wait... are you jealous I brought someone else with me?"
The first time we see any change to this dynamic is in Sick Day, when Buddy reluctantly saves Deacon's life at Chase's request, and then has a conversation with him that is crucial to his character development in season 1.
For Deacon to recognise the importance of every role in a story and the responsibility that comes with playing each one, this was probably the most significant turning point. After the Sick Day arc, he is determined to change for the better, apologising to Bronze and making a real effort in All That Glitters in order to play his role correctly, no matter how humiliating it is for him.
In HAT, we don't get to see much more interaction between them, but jealous Buddy is at his prime.
Yeah yeah, we get it, moving on...
Then we got to Requiem, oh boy
In ROBAM, Buddy gets so jealous of Dracifer that he accepts making a truce with Deacon to become homewreckers and stop the wedding.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, you know.
And look, don't get me wrong, they still absolutely despise each other. Even when working together, it's quite evident that they would rather be eaten alive than spend another second near the other. But they were still able to put their differences aside (kind of) for a short time, which was incredible to see!!
And okay, Buddy does throw Deacon to be eaten alive by wolves but hey, it's still development!! (and their beef this arc was the funniest thing ever so we won, like always)
They're both so petty, I love them.
At the end of the arc, they also kind of manage to agree in something even after the wolves insident, so there's that. I think that's a good sign of development as well... in a way.
"Ugh... next book we do, it better have a hundred percent less vampires."
Now, in season two, we still see quite a lot of this aggression towards each other.
These are just a few examples, but yes, clearly they're both still learning to tolerate each other. Almost never quite succeeding.
Buddy talks about Deacon as if he were a pest that needed exterminating.
"Thinking isn't Freckle's strongest suit, to be honest. I'm not actually sure he has a strong suit."
"I almost died of embarrassment."
"Mm-hmm. Was there a reason you decided not to?"
And Deacon talks about Buddy as if he were an evil demon intent on seducing his cousin into revealing their location and handing over the keys (which, I mean, fair).
"(...) And appearantky he decided you're worth it... for whatever reason, so don't screw it up. Otherwise, you really will be the villain around here."
This last point was at the heart of the main conflict between the two of them this season. In order for their relationship to progress, Deacon first had to stop thinking this way about Buddy.
Of course, this was a slow process (very, very slow in fact)
But we have to understand Deacon's POV. Given the information he had access to, the conclusions he reached were the best. Being cautious was by no means a bad decision, especially considering what happened with Wave precisely because of a lack of caution in this regard. Wave is everything Deacon thought Buddy would be, but that's a whole other subject for another day.
In this season, we also see another instance of Buddy guiding Deacon through his character development in Mr Mischief. This time, Buddy encouraged Deacon to embrace freedom by playing an antagonistic role for the first time. This would, of course, be extremely important for him later on, enabling him to live his life as he wishes and choose his own future. As we saw in Plunderland, when he finally dropped out of medical school to become a writer and allowed himself to dress and speak more freely.
Nooooooow, this time, however, he learned the lesson about the dangers of escapism pretty much independently, without Buddy's (bully-like) guidance. This is also great evidence of his character development.
In this arc, Buddy mainly helped Deacon to understand the dangers of living your life passively, expecting a satisfactory future while doing nothing to stand up for yourself or make your own decisions.
Buddy has already done so much for Deacon without quite realising it.
Also, can we appreciate their dynamic in thic arc for a moment?? Buddy making Vi proud by being an absolute queen and Deacon trying and failing to keep up with the villainous lifestyle.
"Henchman, address our pathetic foes in a way that will strike fear into their weak hearts."
"YOU GUYS ARE GOING DOWN!"
"Alright, that was... we'll work on it."
They're so precious and stupid, I love them.
Now, this is the important part: Stardust
This is, I think, the most important inflexion point in their relationship in the whole series.
Under Wave's manipulation, it is Deacon who exposes Buddy's theft. At first, Deacon doesn't show even a shred of consideration because, in his eyes, this confirms everything he thought about Buddy, and he will NOT accept anyone hurting his cousin, we know that.
Thing is, Stardust is also the arc in which Deacon consolidates his perception of Buddy's love for Chase, as he admits in The Best Laid Plans III:
"I mean, he really does seem to care about you."
So when Chase shows that he is willing to forgive Buddy and give him another chance, Deacon does too. Deacon trusts Chase's judgement above all else, and he knows that Chase will continue to trust Buddy. Seeing that Buddy was truly sorry and meant what he said, Deacon also forgives him.
Then, of course, there's Buddy, who apologises not only to Chase, but to Deacon as well, because his actions affected them both, and he knows that Deacon deserves an apology just as much as Chase does. In my opinion, Chase and Buddy are the most emotionally mature characters in the whole series, and this is particularly evident in instances like these.
Buddy is incredibly vulnerable when facing Deacon in this situation. And the fact that he is not afraid to be perceived this way if it means that they can both see how serious he is about this is truly beautiful.
Not only that but also, when stammering his apologies, Buddy almost, ALMOST calls Deacon by his real name for the first time!!! That must mean something, right??
Now, there is one point that the series has not yet covered in depth: the fact that, because of Chase and Buddy's relationship, Deacon has started to feel left out. We mainly saw this in Perfect Halo, Absentee and No Good Deed, where we have the infamous:
"Wave actually listens to me, while you and Buddy run off to go play spin the bottle or whatever"
"Only because you can't find a bottle."
The problem is that we have seen this issue affect Deacon deeply, and it has not yet been resolved. This is especially concerning given that, on many occasions, it was Wave who comforted and reassured Deacon of his value. Given what has happened recently regarding Wave, it's likely that Deacon will have to undergo a slow healing process regarding this topic. Seeing Deacon face his loneliness and grow as a result is one of the things I'm most looking forward to in season 3!!!
Going back to the things we HAVE seen resolved, let's quickly visit the last two times these two dorks have interacted.
THAT HUG IN NO GOOD DEED II MEANT SO MUCH TO ME, YOU HAVE NO IDEA
I don't even think I can express this properly.
YES, they were basically in a life or death situation (desperate times call for desperate measures part two); YES, Deacon only took back thirty percent of the things he said about Buddy (the other seventy percent will still be a challenge); AND YES, Buddy made it very clear that he was extremely uncomfortable.
BUDDY CALLED HIM DEACON!!!
Not Freckles (although we've all grown to love that nickname as well, I'm sure).
HE ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE KNOWS HIS NAME AFTER TWO MONTHS OF REFUSING TO DO SO
I feel so happy for them, I need a moment.
We're witnessing the beginning of an actual frienemies dynamic where there's less "I WILL kill you" and more "I want to see you suffer for a bit, let me help with that."
And I know we're all here for it.
Anyway, all of this is why what happened last chapter moved me so much
When Deacon heard that Buddy was in danger, he looked genuinely concerned. Without thinking twice, he did his one-in-a-million shot and saved him, essentially returning the favour from the Sick Day arc.
Firstly, I love how it just miraculously worked thanks to Deacon using the power of story magic to his advantage. And secondly, Deacon now oficially has had an irrevocable heroic moment in both season finales which makes me so happy, GO DEACON!
So yeah, all of this to say that seeing their relationship evolve has been wonderful and I really hope we'll get to see much more of them in season three!!
They're so silly and they hate each other so much, I love them.
