Chris has been stayin’ at Eddie’s parent’s house, and the Texan real estate looks real good now?

Welcome back to December, where there’s not a lot going on right now, but somehow our faves are still going thru it™!

This week, Han, Cil, and Rachel dive deep into the layered complexities of Buck and Eddie’s friendship, exploring the weight of abandonment issues, running in the opposite direction of self-acceptance, and the echo of unrealized feelings in the Diaz Kitchen. We sift through a plethora of parallels, analyze the significance of baking, the familial symbolism of chess, and how a simple knock on the door can mean so much more.

The Buddies talk Hotshots meta narrative, how we wish it had been taken further, and theories for a possible Buck abduction (a-Bucktion if you will) and dual near-death experiences.

There isn’t a lot of movement in character arcs, but the future implications of Buck unknowingly pulling the pin of the El Paso grenade are explosively far-reaching. We critique Eddie’s umpteenth unilateral decision and how it leaves Buck feeling like the rug just got pulled out from under The Couch and Christopher most-likely blindsided, yet again.

Eddie receives advice from “Hotshots” tv actor Brad Torrence regarding their identities as fathers and presence in their children’s lives, and as usual puts his keen and penetrating mind to the task and comes to the WRONG conclusion. He can run, but only so far.

Buck’s brave-faced and unwavering support seemingly buoys Eddie from his anxiety, but Buck’s stomach (and potentially his heart) drop as soon as his ass hits The Couch. We consider the lifelong abandonment issues that will send Buck into his deepest spiral yet, as he grapples with the complex feelings of having to watch the one person he thought would always be there leave him too.

Eddie won’t ask Buck to wait if Buck won’t ask him to stay.

Grab your emotional support snickerdoodles as we discuss Season 8 Episode 8, “Wannabes!” (and Episode 7 “Hotshots” is also there.)

📔 Articles Mentioned:

📰 9-1-1 EP Breaks Down Fall Finale Surprises: Is [Spoiler] Really Leaving the 118?, TV Line

📰 Eddie Jumping into Relationships, @ ircnshield, Twitter

📰 Buddie Paralleling Bathena, Canon Couples, @ ircnshield, Twitter

📰 Visual Parallels Buck & Eddie at The Couch/Coffee Table, @ ergoquerncia, Twitter

📰 Warm vs Cool Tones at Diaz House Color Theory, @ eddiedivaz, Twitter

📰 Is [Spoiler] Leaving ‘9-1-1’? Tim Minear Reveals What’s Next for Eddie, Buck & More, TV Insider

📰 Is Eddie leaving 9-1-1? Buck will spiral 'like a top' and 'chaos' is coming, showrunner teases, Entertainment Weekly

📰 Is Eddie Leaving 9-1-1? Showrunner Addresses Season 8's Fall Finale Cliffhanger, Screen Rant

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Boss Tim Minear Unpacks The Midseason Finale And Shares His Season 8 Goal: “To Blow It All The Hell Apart”, Decider

📰 Buck Kidnapped Theory, @ iammathewfritz, TikTok

📰 Buck Goes on a Date with the Serial Killer Theory, @ becauseevangay, Twitter

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Music by DIV!NITY

(00:00:00) Welcome to the Buddie System (Intro)

(00:01:40) General Thoughts

(00:20:32) Season 8 Themes & Dynamics

(00:22:36) Behind the Scenes & Production Tidbits

(00:26:30) Missed Meta-tunities

(00:36:21) A New Direction for Athena

(00:40:56) Bobby – Our Comfort Captain

(00:44:43) Buck, Burdened and Abandoned

(00:59:17) Eddie’s Brash “Decision” Making

(01:23:11) Diaz Family Chess (feat. Eddie as the Pawn)

(01:33:07) Buck, Eddie, & Christopher’s Family Dynamic

(01:34:51) Buddie (and Fork) Found in Kitchen

(01:46:10) Eddie, Anxious and Avoidant

(01:54:18) Taking This Party to The Couch

(01:56:12) Buck’s “Oh” Moment

(01:58:24) Close Enough, Welcome Back Dean Winchester

(02:00:02) Inside of Buck’s Brain – Breaking Down the “Oh” Moment

(02:01:50) Put Those Feelings Back Where They Came From, Or So Help Me

(02:06:21) Buddie Paralleling Bathena, Madney, HenRen (Canon Couples)

(02:08:09) Eddie Worships at Church of Buckley

(02:10:51) Color Theory and Its Implications

(02:13:32) Warm, Romantic Lighting vs Cool, Bereft Lighting

(02:14:51) Eddie & Abby Parallels (Hurts So Good)

(02:16:58) Buck & Belonging: How He Enters the Diaz Home

(02:19:07) Into the Looking Glass

(02:20:06) Connecting the Dots (Tying Season 8 to Seasons Past)

(02:22:06) Expect the Unexpected: Tim Minear Teases 8B

(02:29:29) What If’s: Dual Near Death Experiences?

(02:34:29) Buck Kidnapped (A-Bucktion) Theory

(02:42:39) The Winter of Angst (In Our Wangst Era)

(02:44:33) Can’t We All Be Buddies?

(02:45:23) Take a Buddie With You (Outro)

‘tis the damn season (Season 8 Episodes 7-8)