9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear said Buck’s kiss with Tommy was meant to open a fresh chapter in Buck’s love life, while actor Oliver Stark described it as the moment Buck finally understood feelings he had not been able to name. The kiss ends Season 7, Episode 4, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered,” which TheWrap identified as the series’ 100th episode.
What leads Buck to kiss Tommy?
In the episode, Buck spends much of the story unsettled by Eddie and Tommy’s growing friendship. He reacts to their closeness without understanding why it bothers him. When Tommy later visits to clear the air, Buck says he wants to know him better and admits that trying to get Tommy’s attention has been exhausting. Tommy kisses him.
That scene has two explanations. Within the story, Buck has begun to recognize his attraction and wants Tommy’s attention. From Buck’s perspective, however, the feelings are still confusing: Stark told TVLine that Buck did not consciously expect the kiss, and that it landed as an “…oh” moment of clarity.
Why did the showrunner choose this story?
Minear told TheWrap that Buck’s earlier relationships had begun to feel repetitive. “His story needed a slap. It needed some something fresh,” he said, adding that the new direction felt right for the character and could matter to viewers.
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Minear also wanted the story to feel tender and positive rather than built around a familiar shame-centered coming-out template. As he put it, “It’s 2024. I didn’t want to make it the bravest episode of 1983. That didn’t interest me. But I also want to be honest about it.” His focus, he said, was Buck being honest with the people around him while dealing with the force of unfamiliar feelings—not shame about sex or masculinity.
Why was Tommy the person Buck kissed?
Tommy was already part of the show’s world, played by Lou Ferrigno Jr. Minear recalled Ferrigno Jr.’s earlier appearances and thought his charisma could give Tommy and Buck chemistry. The character’s return also grew out of a production circumstance: the story initially expected Lucy to pilot the helicopter in the rescue plot, but actor Arielle Kebbel was unavailable because of her role in Rescue: HI-Surf. Minear saw an opportunity to bring Tommy back and connect that return to Buck’s story.
That choice let the show develop Buck’s new relationship with a familiar character instead of introducing someone solely to serve as a romantic plot device. Minear described the relationship at that point as an “entry-level relationship” and a “first fling”; those were his comments in April 2024, not a promise about where the characters’ story would ultimately go.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the kiss mean for Buck’s relationships?
Stark said the feelings had been building “for a long time,” though he allowed that some earlier signs may not have been intentional at the time. Buck’s jealousy and his fixation on Tommy’s attention become clues to him, but he cannot yet make sense of them. Stark characterized the experience with Tommy as a first for Buck.
Minear said the development would touch Buck’s relationships with Maddie, Eddie, and the wider 118 rather than sit apart as a romance-only storyline. In April 2024, he said there were no plans for Buck and Eddie to become a couple “right now,” while also noting that he did not rigidly plan an endgame. Those remarks describe his position at the time of the interview, not a current plot forecast.
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Sources
- TheWrap, Kayla Cobb, April 4, 2024: interviews with Tim Minear and Oliver Stark about the 100th episode and the kiss.
- TVLine, Andy Swift, April 4, 2024: episode recap and interview about Buck’s feelings, Tommy’s role, and the effect on Buck’s relationships.
- TV Insider, Meredith Jacobs, April 4, 2024: interview with Minear and Stark about the arc and Buck’s first experience with a man.
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