āSeriously. You want me to call your ex to ask him to join in on a suicide mission?ā
Athena sounds inquisitorial, as if this were an interrogation; sheās cocked her head and looks at Buck from narrowed eyes. He understands that, he knows why sheās striking that tone. Thatās her husband in this building, her friends, too ā 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. Buckās is already in ruins.
āI-itās not suicide,ā he insists.Ā
āNo? What would you call it, your plan, which obviously consists of bypassing the military?āĀ
āWell, if you put it that wayā¦ā Buck takes a deep breath; it doesnāt help at all, his arms swing out in a wild gesture. āBut it's the only option, isn't it? The military just wants to leave them to die in there.ā
āBuck,ā Athena says softly.Ā
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. Ā
āNo,ā he shakes his head. āLook, 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.ā
āYouāve read too many horror stories,ā Athena says, but Buck hears the tone in her voice.Ā
āS-so it's true. It happens, right?ā
āOf course,ā she scoffs. āBut thatās out of our league, Buck.ā
āOut of our... āThena!ā
Buck laughs. It's not a particularly humorous sound, but one that causes a flicker of concern in Athena's eyes. Itās what Buck feels, too āĀ sometimes, when you feel like crying, laughter is the only thing that can stop the desperation.
āYou survived a sinking ship and a plane crash,ā he says.
āThis is different.ā
āYeah, but itās 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.āĀ
āNot to us,ā she repeats slowly, almost sighing. A jolt runs through her body. āStill. Buck. Do you know what youāre proposing?ā
āIām only proposing you do your job, because catching criminals, thatās what you do. Moiraā¦ā
āShe's definitely a criminal,ā Athena adds grimly. āI'm not saying we donāt 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 ā should we even get it.ā
āTommy can get us in,ā Buck insists. āIf we come in through the roof, it'll take them a while to notice.ā
āThey'll never let us in, that's for sure.ā
āExactly. They want to let Chimney die so the virus dies. They can't do that,ā he says, though itās an impossible thing to even think about.Ā
āNo, they can't,ā Athena replies in a tone suggesting sheās thinking of Bobby now. āBut do you really think Tommy will help us?ā
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; heās 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.Ā
āIt's not his problem, that's true,ā says Buck. āBut 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. Heās kind and compassionate.ā
Athena looks at him for what seems like an eternity, even if itās just half a minute or so.Ā
āHave you ever told him that, Buck?ā she asks quietly, and he swallows.
He hasnāt, of course, he didnāt tell him this and so many other things.
āWell,ā 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. āMaybe you're right. But, Buck...ā
He watches her intently, thereās a small spark of hope in his heart again. Athena rummages through her pockets and finally pulls out her cell phone.
āI 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.āĀ
She holds out the phone to him, a small smile on her serious face.Ā
āBut you know what?ā she adds. āSeems like youāre the right person to call Tommy Kinard.ā
[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 ācute May.ā
this is not āAthenaās daughterā
this is a woman.
the dress is structured.
it defines her silhouette.
it doesnāt 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. Sheās Dressing for Someone
and hereās the part that got me.
this doesnāt feel like āi dressed up because itās a gala.ā
this feels like:
i want to be seen differently.
when someone has known you forever, when theyāve 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 havenāt 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
letās be honest.
this season has given focus to:
ā¢ Bobbyās death and the grief ripple
ā¢ Athena moving forward
ā¢ Harry stepping into the firefighter role
ā¢ Henās illness
ā¢ Chimneyās captain arc
ā¢ Eddieās unresolved trauma
ā¢ Buckās emotional evolution
ā¢ upcoming crossover chaos
May?
background.
we know she lives alone.
we donāt know her job.
we donāt know her friendships.
we donāt know her romantic life.
sheās been orbiting other peopleās arcs.
so what if this episode is the pivot?
what if this is the moment the show says:
we didnāt forget her.
5. Why I Donāt Think Itās Ravi
and let me say this objectively.
itās not about personal preference.
Ravi has not been developed consistently for nine seasons.
he appears, disappears, supports scenes ā but he hasnāt been structurally built.
you donāt suddenly anchor a major character evolution to someone the audience hasnāt been emotionally prepared for.
if they wanted that arc, they wouldāve 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.
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 isnāt really into the whole chess thing. If he does, itās 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 thatās part of the argument or the reason Eddie confronts his parents. He doesnāt want that for his son.
And then Chris sees his Grandparents arenāt the great people he think they have been. He finally sees through their facade. And then thatās 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 š (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!
