“Seriously. You want me to call your ex to ask him to join in on a suicide mission?”
Athena sounds inquisitorial, as if this were an interrogation; she’s cocked her head and looks at Buck from narrowed eyes. He understands that, he knows why she’s striking that tone. That’s her husband in this building, her friends, too – if she doesn't keep her cool now, if she doesn't at least appear competent on the surface, her house of cards will collapse. Buck’s is already in ruins.
“I-it’s not suicide,” he insists.
“No? What would you call it, your plan, which obviously consists of bypassing the military?”
“Well, if you put it that way…” Buck takes a deep breath; it doesn’t help at all, his arms swing out in a wild gesture. “But it's the only option, isn't it? The military just wants to leave them to die in there.”
“Buck,” Athena says softly.
He doesn't know where she finds the kindness to do so. He wants her to be angry, too. He wants her to refuse to accept that Bobby and the others are stuck in that lab, and even more so that Howie is dying an unnecessarily cruel death. Not if they can help it.
“No,” he shakes his head. “Look, that M-moira is crazy. I have no idea what she is up to, maybe it's not just frustration with her research director, maybe she's selling the antidote on the black market for pharmaceuticals.”
“You’ve read too many horror stories,” Athena says, but Buck hears the tone in her voice.
“S-so it's true. It happens, right?”
“Of course,” she scoffs. “But that’s out of our league, Buck.”
“Out of our... ‚Thena!”
Buck laughs. It's not a particularly humorous sound, but one that causes a flicker of concern in Athena's eyes. It’s what Buck feels, too – sometimes, when you feel like crying, laughter is the only thing that can stop the desperation.
“You survived a sinking ship and a plane crash,” he says.
“This is different.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the first time you've bent the rules. And if you have to, you'll break them. Do you know that Ravi did that today? He risked everything for people he always claims are just annoying colleagues. They're not to us, Athena.”
“Not to us,” she repeats slowly, almost sighing. A jolt runs through her body. “Still. Buck. Do you know what you’re proposing?”
“I’m only proposing you do your job, because catching criminals, that’s what you do. Moira…”
“She's definitely a criminal,” Athena adds grimly. “I'm not saying we don’t need to find her, regardless of the mess we're in. But you want us to actively defy the military with the antidote in our hands – should we even get it.”
“Tommy can get us in,” Buck insists. “If we come in through the roof, it'll take them a while to notice.”
“They'll never let us in, that's for sure.”
“Exactly. They want to let Chimney die so the virus dies. They can't do that,” he says, though it’s an impossible thing to even think about.
“No, they can't,” Athena replies in a tone suggesting she’s thinking of Bobby now. “But do you really think Tommy will help us?”
It's a good question, maybe even an obvious one, considering how their last encounter ended. But Buck doesn't want Tommy to help him for his sake; he’s got no right to demand that kind of commitment. There is so much more at stake, and he believes, no, he knows that Tommy will understand.
“It's not his problem, that's true,” says Buck. “But I know one thing. Even if I messed up, and even if the others haven't been exactly fair to him since we split up... he'll do it because he can't help himself, Athena. He's one of those guys who are too damn good for this world. He’s kind and compassionate.”
Athena looks at him for what seems like an eternity, even if it’s just half a minute or so.
“Have you ever told him that, Buck?” she asks quietly, and he swallows.
He hasn’t, of course, he didn’t tell him this and so many other things.
“Well,” Athena says at last, wiping her hands on her trousers as if that would wipe away all the tension. Buck wishes it were possible, but there's no magic wand to solve their situation. “Maybe you're right. But, Buck...”
He watches her intently, there’s a small spark of hope in his heart again. Athena rummages through her pockets and finally pulls out her cell phone.
“I can't call him. I can't possibly ask the man for such a favor again, even if I were convinced, like you, that he would help us.”
She holds out the phone to him, a small smile on her serious face.
“But you know what?” she adds. “Seems like you’re the right person to call Tommy Kinard.”
[Hey fellow BuckTommies! I've got no time for more, but I'd like to throw this out in the wild for anyone who wants it. Make something out of it, if you like!]
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Like I said on TikTok, so much of this is hearsay and I think we're all freaking out a bit. A LOT of hearsay info is in the comments sections of these posts so check those.
this is not “cute May.”
this is not “Athena’s daughter”
this is a woman.
the dress is structured.
it defines her silhouette.
it doesn’t hide. it declares.
the neckline is intentional.
the buttons are bold.
the color?
red.
and red is not subtle.
red is presence.
red is competition.
red says: look at me.
and the hair? soft, Hollywood waves.
not practical. not everyday.
this is performance.
and when a character performs visually, it usually means something is shifting internally.
3. She’s Dressing for Someone
and here’s the part that got me.
this doesn’t feel like “i dressed up because it’s a gala.”
this feels like:
i want to be seen differently.
when someone has known you forever, when they’ve boxed you into a version of yourself, the only way to change their perception is to break the visual pattern.
you show up as someone they haven’t accounted for.
and May has always been the responsible one.
the supportive daughter.
the emotional glue.
this look says:
i am more than that.
4. The Bigger Pattern
let’s be honest.
this season has given focus to:
• Bobby’s death and the grief ripple
• Athena moving forward
• Harry stepping into the firefighter role
• Hen’s illness
• Chimney’s captain arc
• Eddie’s unresolved trauma
• Buck’s emotional evolution
• upcoming crossover chaos
May?
background.
we know she lives alone.
we don’t know her job.
we don’t know her friendships.
we don’t know her romantic life.
she’s been orbiting other people’s arcs.
so what if this episode is the pivot?
what if this is the moment the show says:
we didn’t forget her.
5. Why I Don’t Think It’s Ravi
and let me say this objectively.
it’s not about personal preference.
Ravi has not been developed consistently for nine seasons.
he appears, disappears, supports scenes — but he hasn’t been structurally built.
you don’t suddenly anchor a major character evolution to someone the audience hasn’t been emotionally prepared for.
if they wanted that arc, they would’ve started earlier.
this feels bigger than that.
6. The Scheduling Clue
Corinne and Elijah were supposed to film the episode of their podcast "The Aftermath Show" this week.
they postponed.
because their shooting schedule is packed.
and Corinne has openly said in the past she usually has fewer scenes.
so if suddenly she doesn’t?
that’s not random.
that’s plot movement.
Final Thought
this feels like a renaissance moment.
not just aesthetically.
narratively.
May in red isn’t just pretty.
it’s symbolic.
it’s transition.
it’s autonomy.
it’s desire.
and maybe — finally — it’s her story.
what do you think?
is this just a gala look?
or are we entering May Grant’s main character era?
Caught this in the promo for next week's episode. Theory time!
Based off the promo, I'm going to assume that this takes place toward the middle or end of the episode. I think after Collins helps that mother give birth to her baby, she's going to start really feeling the loss of her own, and this could be a moment where Robby comforts her. It also could be where she tells him that she was pregnant and she lost the baby. Hopefully, it's where we get a lot more of their lore.
And according to interviews, there's supposed to be an event that makes their shift turn into 15 hours, so I also think there's a possibility that this is when the multiple-casualties event will be introduced with a bunch of ambulances coming in.
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I have a feeling that Chris isn’t really into the whole chess thing. If he does, it’s for fun, a hobby.
And Ramon is pushing Chris to be good, to better. Living vicariously through him if you will. So he is putting pressure on Chris.
And I think that’s part of the argument or the reason Eddie confronts his parents. He doesn’t want that for his son.
And then Chris sees his Grandparents aren’t the great people he think they have been. He finally sees through their facade. And then that’s when Chris ask if they can go back home, back to LA.
so in 8x06 they have a call to a lawyers office right? and the stills make it look like the man and the woman are getting a divorce. maybe they're figuring out how to split their assets...
maybe buck and Tommy discuss moving in together in this episode or they drop the 'ily', and buck becomes a bit ?!?!? because obviously his last serious relationship with Taylor didnt really work out.
and then the 118 go on this call and buck is even more like ?!?!? after seeing these people like fighting it out over a vase or something when they used to be madly in love, and he starts to spiral thinking him and Tommy might end up like that...
so he goes to dispatch for advice, and Maddie and josh basically tell him that that won't happen to him and Tommy and he needs to stop worrying over stuff that hasn't happened yet. maybe Maddie asks him how he really feels and he has the "I do love him" moment which clarifies it for him.
esp because, lets be honest, Maddie and josh look wayyyy to happy in those stills...
so maybe it ends with buck and Tommy actually talking their worries through instead of buck bottling it up, he's actually honest about how he's feeling the time. buck is getting off the hamster wheel, working through relationship hurdles, trying to make the relationship work, and doing things with purpose instead of finding himself in situations with no idea how he got there. this relationship means something different this time, it's not going to be easy (as teased...).
not quite sure how it links with the teased 'Tommys past', maybe he has a big failed previous relationship... not sure.
one main reason for thinking this is because there's usually a call that mimics what's going on in their personal lives.. something symbolic, meant to make them realise something. if the call is what I think it is, it could be very poignant for buck and Tommy (in a positive way, obvs).
- They get absolutely drunk to point where there's gaps in their memories.
- Judging by the state of the hotel room, we know its them sharing a room, and it's trashed. So either, they have a drunken makeout scene and completely trash the room as they do, or they go back to their hotel room and just get even more drunk and destroy the room in the process.
- But then... Buck is limping in preview that we saw. Could be the ankle injury that Oliver sustained near filming... Or something else 👀 (joking!)
- One of them lies about the events of the night and we find out at the end of episode.
Let me know your thoughts and theories! I love reading them!
