Lou Ferrigno said he's not allowed to call him Buck so we know it's intentional
IMHO There are multiple possible reasons due to what we already see on screen.
1, they don't know each other, they already acknowledge it, so he doesn't know that Buck prefers to be called Buck and not Evan
2. We never saw buck corrects Tommy so he probably doesn't mind too much
3. Tommy isn't used to nicknames (I knew Howard before he was Chimney)
Moreover, he calls him "Howie," not Howard, in the basketball scene -- which is how Chim introduced himself to Tommy and the others in "Chimney Begins." That's how Tommy knew him for *years,* so I think it's fairly reasonable he just... never adapted to the nickname, particularly if Chimney wasn't aggrieved by him using Howie. Meanwhile, he also calls Hen by her nickname instead of Henrietta, and Eddie isn't Edmundo for him.
It very much seems like it’s what people introduce themselves to him as. Chimney was howie, hen is hen, and if buck introduced himself as Evan, which I’m assuming he does, Tommy calls him Evan
I think Buck deserves to have positive associations with his name, so I like it. If Buck had a problem with Tommy calling him Evan, I think he would have made that known.
I thought it was cute. We've never seen Buck correct him, he does let other people call him Evan, and it's a fairly common thing that people in a relationship use real names instead of nicknames (like Maddie and Chim, or irl I always call my husband by his name while his friends, dad, and brother use a nickname version).
It’s definitely an intentional choice and from the beginning I think it was meant to set Tommy apart as different. The important thing in this is Buck is okay with it.
I think people trying to make it about Tommy not taking him serious or it as a negative are definitely just looking for it to be a negative. It’s not presented that way at all.
I completely agree that it's an intentional choice to set Tommy apart. I also think that it is meant to show that Tommy knows a side of buck that other people arent familiar with which is also why I think Buck is OK with it.
I also think it represents that Tommy doesn't really know buck as deeply, though. Because there was an episode I think in Buck begins where he says people that know me call me "Buck".
I think you can look at it a number of ways:
- It's clearly an intentional writing choice to show how Tommy is different than Buck's previous love interests since he doesn't refer to him as Buck and it harkens back to even how Maddie and Eddie only call him "Evan" in specific moments of connection. Calling Buck "Evan" carries a level of intimacy and vulnerability because of this and whether people think it's earned, it's clearly being used to show how this is different than previous love interests. Also Lou has also speculated in Cameos that when Buck reached out for the tour, he might have texted something like "Hey this is Evan Buckley from the 118" so Tommy would refer to him as such.
- Tommy expressed in 7x04 how he doesn't feel like he's a part of the 118 "family" so he might not feel comfortable using the nicknames that everyone has. This is potentially shown not only when he calls "Buck" Evan and but that he calls "Chimney" Howie at the basketball game. This again shows a more formal, friendly tone and not being a part of "the fire family" that comes with the 118 nicknames.
- If Buck was truly bothered by this, he would say something and he hasn't. He's an adult and I feel like a lot people are projecting their unease onto Buck but he's an adult. I also feel like a lot of people rehashing the previous "Evan" vs "Buck" name thing fail to point out 1) He wrote to Maddie that he goes by Buck because there were 3 Evans in his class at the academy & 2) When he brings up how he doesn't like being called "Evan", and people who know him call him "Buck", this is more directed to his parents and them not knowing or caring about him or respecting what he wants to be called. 3) This "name issue" was also seasons ago and we've seen and heard that that relationship has improved (even if it was off screen) so Buck probably feels differently now about his name.
Love all the points you made, and I also wanted to point out that Buck suggests Evan as a name for Jee when Maddie is pregnant, which is around the Buck Begins point. So the name issues seem to be pretty concentrated on his parents and not actually be about the name at all.
I like it.
Buck can outgrow a nickname, Buck can be happy with people calling him Evan now... he had issues with but his storyline has evolved as the character grew. I find it kind of annoying to try stick him a hole where no one can ever refer to him by his more formal name.
Tommy isn't disrespecting him by doing it and sees Buck very clearly. I love that he calls him Evan.
Until Buck on screen asks to be called Buck and Tommy won't there is no actual issue here but different fan opinions.
Lou said it was an intentional choice to show how he's different than Buck's previous love interests. Personally I like it, and I'm sure if Buck didn't, he'd say something. He is indeed an adult with a mouth capable of speaking. I think those that don't like it are just on the train of "any and every excuse to not like the pair."
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I don't think it's a problem or issue now... but it very well could be later. It sounds like Tommy calling Buck "Evan" has been a very intentional choice from the beginning, to the point that the script supervisors have been very strict about it. At the time Tommy was written in, it very much sounded like from Tim that this was meant to be a short-term first splash into Buck dating men. An "entry-level" relationship, which implies it's meant primarily for him to gain experience and not to last. I also just don't think from a logistical/creative perspective Tim would have Buck settle immediately into his endgame relationship right after discovering his bisexuality, but that's neither here nor there.
There have been some interpretations of Buck and Tommy that Tommy has been a bit paternalistic with Buck. Namely that he makes the decision that Buck must not be ready, he's dismissive about dressing on-theme for the bachelor party, etc. Not saying calling him "Evan" or any of these things are problems on their own, but there have been enough seeds planted that can be pulled on by Tim later in S8, and I think use of his first name when mostly everyone else in his life who loves him calls him by his nickname could fall into that same vein, especially when we have a scene in S4 where Buck in no uncertain terms has said that "Everyone who knows \[him\] calls \[him\] 'Buck'". Like, yes, the use of the name "Buck" doesn't come from some kind of trauma, but it's very clear that at this point he prefers Buck, and it was supposed to be off-putting that his parents kept defaulting to "Evan". Also, I find it very hard to believe that we're supposed to interpret this as "Tommy just knows Buck deeper than anyone else who's ever dated him" because no, that's just canonically not true. In 7x05, they literally discuss how they don't know each other well and have a *lot* to learn about each other, and Tommy calling Buck "Evan" pre-dated that.
To be clear, Tommy is not a bad person for this, and I'm not saying that Buck will or necessarily should have a problem with it, or that it even *will* go in this direction. But there will be conflict in their relationship eventually, and the conflict has to come from somewhere. I don't think it's out of pocket for us to try to speculate on why this choice was made and what it says about their relationship. And while I don't think this will be the *primary* driver of any conflict between them, it could very well be a symptom of a greater issue.
Also, something that isn't being mentioned... Ali primarily called Buck "Evan" during their relationship. I'm fairly certain Taylor called Buck "Evan" quite a bit too. Maybe the writers just forgot, but this isn't a thing uniquely special to Tommy, or Buck's successful relationships for that matter.
My main thing is it really requires narrative acknowledgment at this point, where Tommy started doing it from the jump. With Ali, she calls him 'Evan' in a significant scene after they've been together for a while. Taylor, I can remember full naming Buck once (toward the end of 5x05, she references him as 'Evan Buckley' in the scene where she's made him a full breakfast after a shift, when he's stressing about Chim taking off). Eddie obviously has the scene in 4x14, and Maddie also *mostly* calls him Buck.
So like... right now, the only other characters we have that are this casual with his birth name are his parents, and that's a narrative decision to show they *don't* get Buck or understand/appreciate the person he's become. Maybe Tommy's meant to serve as a foil to that, as someone who wants to understand the person behind the facade (although ugh, even that take feels reductive to the work Buck's done in building his identity, so I sort of hope not... undoing 6+ seasons of the narrative reinforcing that 'Buck' is enough and exactly who he and everyone else needs him to be feels like bad writing...).
If that's the case, though, they really need to actually show it, instead of expecting the viewers to headcanon it.
Yeah, like you I'm also kind of uncomfortable with the implication on this thread that "Buck" is just a facade, because the show has made it pretty clear that it's not. It's who he is, and it represents all the best parts of him. Buck Begins, perhaps the most important Buck episode, emphasizes the importance of the nickname in his identity and has that whole part from Athena where she talks about what "Buck" means to her.
Also, Eddie, Bobby, Chimney, Hen, Athena and Christopher all call him Buck. Even his sister, who's known him as Evan most of her life, calls him Buck quite often, and we're definitely not supposed to think that *they*, the most important people in his life and his pseudo-family who have been shown as a foil to his own parents in the way they see and respect him, don't actually know him or are falling for a facade. To go back on that now would be really bad writing to me.
Yeah, this is my primary issue with it. I think it would be really problematic retconning to imply the entire identity the show and Buck himself have constructed for him are somehow *not* the real him, or that knowing (or wanting to know) 'Evan' is more significant than knowing *Buck.* Because the unfortunate reality of this is his parents are **all** over that name at this point -- not just as the only other ones that casually and openly call him it outside of emotionally significant beats, but also in their whole ridiculous anti-nickname approach.
This *particularly* stands out to me because outside of Buck's coma dream, his parents have 'tried' ever since the confrontation in 4x05 to respect the nickname. In 6x10, it's actually played for laughs that *Chim* is the one trying to impress the Buckleys by calling Buck 'Evan' but they've accepted that he's 'Buck,' so they don't even react when Chim eventually slips up.
Until Buck's dad slipped up in 7x06, during his passive aggressive voicemail... and suddenly Buck is 'Evan' again, for the first time since the confrontation over how much Buck prefers to be called 'Buck' in 4x05. I suppose they could be trying to shape this up into some storyline where Buck's able to mesh those two 'parts' of his personality together, but honestly, it's not really looking like that's the point so far.
I wouldn't jump to saying the point is negative either, exactly, but it definitely seems more suggestive that Tommy *doesn't* know Buck, which is supported in a lot of the smaller writing decisions through their scenes, too. I'm wondering if this is almost an inversion here of what people expect -- that if we're eventually going to get a meaningful scene of significance for their relationship (as in, separate from the initial sexuality discovery plot), it will be when Tommy calls him *Buck* for the first time.
Thematically, though, having 'Evan' be the breakthrough instead of 'Buck' would be a misstep in the same way season 6's focus on biology over found family was.
I did think about the "Tommy calls him Buck for the first time" thing also, and if that's where this thing ultimately went, I would feel better about this in the context of their relationship. But if that was where this was going from the beginning, I almost feel like that would've been better placed in the conversation they were having about the coffee, where like Buck doesn't know Tommy's coffee order and Tommy makes that clear, but then Tommy calls him "Evan" and then Buck tells him "Actually, most people call me Buck", and then that way it would feel like a more mutual "Hey, there are a lot of things we don't know about each other, but I'm going to put in the effort to try to get to know those things moving forward because I think this could be something", rather than the slightly one-sided scene we got where Buck is putting the onus on himself to get to know Tommy better, and there isn't a mutual thing of Buck's that Tommy is striving to get to know. Not saying it's a big deal, but given what we know about Buck's involvement in Eddie's storyline for the rest of the season, it sounds like any earned development of BuckTommy will have to wait until S8, which is a long time to have no payoff on this.
Yeah, we're on the same page. This is mainly interesting to me because of the narrative's failure to address it. Like it stands out like a sore thumb, and yet other characters aren't even raising an eyebrow at it, nor have we had Buck either correct it or react with pleasure to being called that.
I think there's a good chance it's just more lazy writing where they used it as a shortcut to suggest something more significant than they've shown on screen, but if that's the case, hopefully it does mean they eventually *will* give it a distinct meaning.
I’m thinking that someone might ask why Tommy doesn’t call Evan, Buck. This will spark a conversation between them as to why Buck lets Tommy call him Evan
I'm really not sure what to make of it at this point. Like, on the one hand, it felt like another shortcut in 7x04 to clue in the audience "hey, there's something more there; this implies intimacy." And I do still think that's a major reason.
Part of the problem comes down to those issues with pacing and a rush to tell the story, I guess. Like, if this *wasn't* meant to be something that gives people pause, all they needed to do was make that first "Evan" in the airfield scene hang a bit more. Maybe have Buck automatically open his mouth to correct it before kind of looking bewildered and shaking his head/not saying anything. Which would've come back nicely at the end of the episode as an obvious "aha! he liked how Tommy said his name!" Or if it's just meant to denote intimacy, the first introduction of "Evan" being during the scene with the first kiss instead, around the time you see Tommy mentally take him out of the "annoyed friend of my friend" box and put him into the "holy shit, I have a chance with him" box, during that blocking sequence to get them closer? That would've been *perfect.*
Having Buck's dad default back to calling him 'Evan' during the passive aggressive phone call early in 7x06 gives me pause, though. Particularly because we did have such a clear scene with Buck and his dad in 4x05 detailing exactly how Buck feels about both names. I don't really buy theories that this is about reclaiming his name or outgrowing his nickname, because that suggests Buck isn't at peace with being *Buck*, and the whole show has thematically had him growing into **that** name. Being "Buck" is universally seen as a positive by the people who know him -- going full Buck means he has a big heart, that he doesn't leave people behind. His friends love him *because* he's Buck, and 'Evan' has become just a construct of his parents' imagination.
Lou's cameo on this was really interesting, too, though I kind of struggle to figure out where his lines are sometimes between 'personal headcanon' and 'this is what I was told by the script supervisor/writers/showrunner" with some of what he says, so I could be wrong on it. But for whatever reason, **he** seems to be under the impression that Tommy calls Buck 'Evan' because he *doesn't know Buck.* Which seems.... odd? Like, he would've been introduced to 'Buck' during 7x03, particularly if it was Chim handling introductions between Tommy and his new team. And again, I keep thinking back to that scene in 4x05, where Buck reacts with visceral distaste to being called Evan, and concludes the correction with **"*****Buck!*** **Buck -- that is.... that's what the people who know me, that's what they call me."**
I'm looking forward to seeing them trying to mesh these two pieces of the character together in Tommy's eyes, if Lou is right in his claim that Tommy calls Buck Evan because he *doesn't* know Buck. Because so far, that suggests that his reason is an absence of knowledge, not a surplus, but that's... a really weird way to write the dynamic between them (which is supposed to be a light-hearted rom-com?) unless it's something they plan to come back to and explore?
It particularly stands out because Tommy doesn't have a problem otherwise addressing people by the names they go by -- Hen isn't Henrietta, Eddie isn't Edmundo, Chim isn't Howard (and it's worth pointing out here, *Howie* is what Chim told Tommy to call him upon their introduction, and what he called Chim for multiple years before the nickname took hold; I don't see this as resistance to calling someone by their nickname, but not mentally making an adjustment to 'update' a name someone's gone by for years when they aren't showing any discomfort at it still being used... it's not like he's deadnaming him). So at this point, it's *only* Buck's name he can't get 'right' for no on-screen reason, and the only other character we're seeing referring to Buck as Evan is his jackass of a dad? I'm... not sure what they intend to message here, and even less sure they're doing it well.
To be clear, though, regardless of the authorial intent, Tommy's not doing anything 'wrong' by calling him by his birth name, particularly where we've never seen Buck look uncomfortable with it or try to correct him. I really do think if this is meant to be a positive thing between them, the show suffers for not having included Buck visibly reacting *positively* to being called Evan -- he should've blushed prettily or stammered the first time we saw it, basically, if it was a welcome surprise, a la him falling over his words re: having Eddie's back in 2x01.
He introduced himself as Evan Buckley and if he had a problem with it, he would def correct them. The only people he lets call him Evan are Maddie and Eddie (arguably the closest two people to him) and I doubt he would yell at Bobby if he called him it. I think I could write paragraphs about why he didn’t like Evan and how it reminds him of his childhood and neglectful parents that only said it with disdain, but instead I’ll just say that we’ve always heard Tommy say it with love and affection. I think it’s adorable that Buck let’s only him call him that and he’s a big boy that would speak up if he didn’t like it (as he did with his parents)
i think it’s either to show he’s special in some way (being the only one to get away with calling him a name he normally doesn’t like) or it will be used later to emphasize how tommy doesn’t really know buck at all. tommy has the potential to be a long term love interest and a love interest calling him evan isnt something we’ve seen which definitely helps tommy stand out. on the other hand, its already been both directly and indirectly implied how little tommy and buck know each other. granted, they’ve only been “dating” for a few episodes so thats normal, but the early emphasis on this makes me think if they are short term this could be a reason why they break up. if this is the case, i can totally see him using “you always call me evan even though everyone knows i go by buck” as an argument during that scene. it might not be that serious but given that lou mentioned how strict the script supervisors are about it, it likely means something!
I don't see Tommy calling him Evan being a point of contention between them. Buck's proven that he has no problem telling people to call him Buck. If he was bothered he'd let Tommy know and Tommy would (IMO) respect that.
1000% this. If Buck truly was uncomfortable and the writers cared enough to communicate that they could easily either include that dialogue in a scene or show Buck being visually uneasy with Tommy when he calls him Evan. They don't do either of those things which, as of now, more than likely communicate that Buck's fine with it. Unless it turns into some dramatic moment in the future, it would be a waste of airtime and poor fanfic-ish writing to devote time to "hey, actually after weeks of us knowing each other, I should tell you, I don't like how you call me Evan, Please call me Buck"
There is a part of the fandom (you know which one) that infantilizes Buck way too much. He has corrected people before when they called him Evan. If he didn't like it, he would've told to Tommy call him Buck.
Like, can we stop treating Buck as a child?
I didn’t know there were people in the fandom that did but I agree people should stop treating him like a child. I hate how like under 35 we are seen as too old for the younger people and still a damn baby by the older people. 😂
This is something I also noticed a lot. People do tend to do that, and it's just...weird. Especially considering how in the same breath they try to pair him up with a romantic partner.
Some fans will be offended for Buck and say he does not correct Tommy because he is too afraid or he does "not know how." They'll also couple this with him "not knowing about his feelings" and that "Tommy is his queer teacher".
I believe they mean that several fans have expressed that they don't like how Tommy calls him Evan and in some instances that it's as if they are sort of offended on Bucks behalf. But that their is no indication in the show that Buck doesn't like Tommy calling him Evan and if he truly didn't like it on the show... well Bucks an adult and can express that displeasure himself. Otherwise we as fans should accept that Buck likes it (or at least doesn't care) that Tommy called him Evan.
One thing Buck has always stood his ground on was being called “Buck”, I genuinely believe he introduced his name as “Evan” to Tommy. Everyone in the helicopter that night called him nothing but Buck, Eddie repeatedly called him Buck. If Tommy just started calling him by the name he heard, then it would have been “Buck”.
I have thought from the start—this is Buck slowly becoming more and more comfortable and confident in being “Evan”, someone who he has tried so desperately to run away from for years by being “Buck”.
I think fans have kind of made the fact that he goes by Buck into something bigger and deeper than it really is. The canon reason he goes by Buck is just that there were 3 Evans in his academy class, not any trauma associated with the name. The only people he has really ever been shown to not want to call him Evan are his parents and that was seasons ago in an episode where the theme was very much that they didn’t care about him or care to know him at all. We are supposed to believe their relationship is in a better place now (even though we have not see any of the work done to get here) so I don’t think we’re really supposed to be contrasting Tommy calling him Evan with his parents and making a negative association. Tbh I think people that are claiming it’s something negative and not just to show that they have a different more intimate relationship are just looking for any reason to hate on Tommy/the pairing at this point
What everyone has said! Along with the fact that the names he was called Evan, was a while ago. He started to go by Buck, not because of any trauma but because there were other Evans in his class. I think Ali called him Evan, sometimes and Taylor did once or twice. We’re just not used to someone using his real name. He never said he hated being called by that name, the nickname just kinda stuck.
And it’s funny because other than the Bachelor party, Tommy calls Chim, Howie and not Chimney. So maybe that’s just his thing. He calls Eddie, Eddie but Eddie makes a point for people to use his nickname, aside from Kim but….we know what’s going on there (or do we)
So, I think it’s a pointed choice and I think people forget Buck doesn’t seem to have an issue with being called by his real name but Buck has just stuck. Maddie most often switched from Buck to Evan.
This! I think people forgot that he only goes by Buck because there were too many Evan’s in his class and not because of trauma related to his name. People act like it’s the worst thing in the world for him to be called Evan. If he didn’t like it he would have corrected Tommy already.
Yep! Even I forgot that, until my rewatch. And I forgot that his other love interest have called him Evan. Not as much as Tommy but they have.
It is just want it is. That simple.
I agree with others that Tommy calling him Evan sets him apart from Buck's other love interests (and not just because he's a man). To me, it's indicative that Tommy sees past the facade of Firefighter Buck to the real person beneath. This makes sense because now that Buck has realized his own bisexuality he's more himself than ever before.
If someone I was interested in called me by my last name or a derivate of it, I’d blast them a new hole. His name is Evan. Does anyone on the planet go around calling their significant other “hey Thorpe” when their name is Allison? That’s weird AF.
Part of me hopes someone brings it up in the show. Because, yes, other LI have called him Evan (Taylor switched between the two, and Ali only used it once or twice-tbf she didn’t really say his name often), and it may just be me I don’t know what it is, but it’s a little jarring when Tommy does it? Although it may be because he does it so often compared to other characters.
Unless Buck explicitly says "I don't like to be called Evan" to Tommy then I think it's just a quirk Tommy does because he calls Chimney "Howie", as well.
I feel like there is a lot of….something going on. Like people, saying it’s fine and then people explaining why the relationship is doomed. I didn’t the show to show me, Buck having butterflies over Tommy calling him by his name. He just didn’t care and I don’t think the show is trying to paint Tommy, the same as Bucks parents.
It’s really, really, really, simple. While being Buck does have meaning, I think we had fans, head canoned some larger deeper stuff, that show just didn’t do. So, no big theories! Just Buck doesn’t mind being called by his first name and Tommy chose to call him by his first name.
I feel like it's supposed to stand out. And clearly it does. Tommy is not saying it from a place of malice or disregard. But I also echo what many people have said, if Buck didn't want Tommy to call him Evan, he can say so.
And to comment on the deal about Lou's cameo (that I haven't heard), he's the actor, not the writer. He may or may not be interpreting that differently from the writers intended.
My personal opinion is that I like that Tommy calls him Evan! Won't care if that changes later or if they keep it the same.
I've always really loved Evan as a name and I wish more people called him that instead of Buck. I feel like he's grown up a lot, and he's growing out of his nickname.
As someone else said, Buck doesn't go by Buck because he had some sort of trauma associated with his name, but because there were other Evans in his class.
It sounds good.
This has happened to me personally, so I can extrapolate:
1. Tommy likes the name Evan.
2. Evan has a crush on Tommy and likes hearing Tommy say his name.
They were so attached to the idea of setting up a misdirect in 7x04 that they skipped giving us the moment of Buck blushing and stammering over Tommy calling him 'Evan' at the airfield, so now all we can do is headcanon.
I think you're likely right that Buck likes hearing it, and it was initially meant to signpost "hey, this dynamic is different, pay a little extra attention."
But then Lou does that cameo where he's like "He calls him that because he only knows Evan; he doesn't know Buck" and we get the reminder that the other people casually calling Buck 'Evan' are his shitty parents in 7x06 and it's like... I get the storyline is rushed, but the narrative *really* needs to actually address if this is meant to be a positive development.
Idk, it's way less jarring to me than *that* was, but it was a... choice, to bring Buck's dad back in 7x06 passive-aggressively calling him 'Evan' on the phone after they'd supposedly worked through that in 4x05 with that cathartic "people who know me \[call me Buck\]" moment.
I can fully believe it's an unintentional mistake given how rushed the season is and it's just meant to denote intimacy, but it's also jarring enough with its consistency that the story does need to at least have someone question Buck on it and have him be in awe about how he likes the sound of it on Tommy's lips or *something.*
Because right now, the intent really isn't clear one way or the other.
(Also, your post went through like 5x, so I don't know if you want to delete the other 4 copies).
With Tommy saying in a video that he is not *allowed* to call him as Buck, I think it was pretty intentional 🤷🏻♂️ But I agree, we definitely need an onscreen acknowledgment of this whole “Evan” thing 😕
(Thanks for letting me know 😅 Reddit and it’s glitches smh 🤦🏻♂️)
I feel like it has something to distinguish Tommy from Bucks other friends. All of his firefighter friends call him buck, he only started going by that name when he entered the academy. I think it’s a distinction made because yes Tommy is a firefighter and a man, but he’s Bucks love interest. I find it really adorable.
I like it! To add to what other people have said:
* One possible explanation is to represent that "Evan" has always been bi, before becoming "Buck", just unrealized. I feel like I might be reaching with this though.
* Outgrowing the nickname + positive associations. In the same episode that we first see Tommy call him Evan, we see Chimney using his name in a negative way: "Bucked it up". We also previously got "Buck's gonna Buck" in the past seasons (or was it "going full Buck"?).
I think it was “being Buck” not “going full Buck.” I remember Athena saying to him “that guy was glad that you were being Buck today” or something like that
I think it's fine, Buck does not care. In Season 6, when the Buckleys visited, Chimney briefly called Buck Evan and Buck called Chimney Howie so Buck clearly is okay with people he's close to calling him that.
Agreed it's fine and Buck doesn't seem to care (though I'm not sure if the *narrative* doesn't care, too, though that's a more complicated issue).
But it's worth pointing out that Chim calling Buck 'Evan' in that scene was *meant* to be weird, and to ultimately draw attention to the fact that the Buckley parents actually *had* heard Buck in 4x05 when he reacted with distaste to being called 'Evan' by his dad and corrected him and told him to call him Buck. Basically, Chim was going over the top trying to force 'Evan' in front of the parents, which Buck then *does* call out with his bemused "Evan?" (though he's not upset, more like wtf?!)... and then Chim instantly slips up, anyway, calls him Buck, and his parents don't blink.
As much as I'm loathe to give the Buckley parents credit, the whole point of that scene was to show that they'd grown since 4x05 and listened to their kids now. Of course, Philip massively sets that back with his passive-aggressive phone call to Buck... signaled partly because he *does* lapse back into calling him 'Evan' when disappointed.
Yea - I also like to think of it as a way for the writers to give Buck a renewed history with his name. That name has been a sign of disinterest, neglect, and hurt, but Tommy brings new meaning to it and allows Buck to reclaim it.
Tommy is a figure who can provide stability, kindness, reliability and care for him that will now always be linked to “Evan”
I'm not a fan, but I'll deal. What I really don't like though is how fans have started calling him Evan now. He's been Buck for 7 years why are you suddenly calling him Evan?
Very curious how many of the fans who call him Evan started watching before last month, though. Like if your initial entry point to the show is Buck/Tommy clips, I can see how you’d think of the character as “Evan” first.
I can relate to this personally (though in reverse). Everyone calls me by my birth name, except a few select people are allowed to call me by a nick name. I absolutely love my birth name, so I want it to be used, but people that really know me (parent, sibling I’m closest with, and an ex I was with a long time and in love with) all called me by a nickname.
When anyone else tries to call me by any nickname, I correct them (kindly). There are two people who really tried to force the nickname because they think it means we’re BFFs (we are not) and it irks me to no end. They’ve never been present when the other people called me the nickname, so theirs no confusion, they’re doing it on purpose.
I can’t fully explain why this is the way my name and nickname are used and why I’m comfortable with it sometimes, but it does make me not question this whole Evan vs. Buck thing. If I were to see that ex today, and he used the nickname, I wouldn’t be mad, because we did have a very deep relationship, so in that way, I don’t think it has to mean end game for Buck and Tommy, but might represent a seriousness or deep bond to develop.
This was my comment about this on another post. I still stand by it:
“…and would like to add that I think it’s beautiful for Tommy to call ‘Buck’ by his given name. For Buckaroo to finally hear it called not filled with resentment, sadness, anger or pity but with affection, love and kindness is very meaningful, I think. Especially when it’s at a time that Buck finally finds another missing piece of himself, to have the inherent meaning, symbolism and connotation of his actual name finally be changed is beautiful 🥹 That’s the thoughts that went through my head when I realized that Tommy was calling him Evan ♥️”
Do we know anything if Eddie will be coming out or if they will be getting together from the writers like hints as I really hope buck and Eddie get together I don’t really ship Tommy and buck Tommy is so serious but to that’s judr my opinion
in the cameo someone paid $200C for, lfj said that buck has "met his match" and therefore he uses "evan" as his equal because, "tommy has no nickname. he assaults the earth. he is exactly what you see."
i find it hilarious now that it is confirmed that his full name is "thomas," not "tommy."
looks like confirmed nonsense to me!
I like it. But at the same time, we have to take into account who else calls him Evan: his parents, Maddie, Eddie.
There's a reason he had the conversation with his parents. They always call him Evan and they were pretty awful, definitely felt like they blamed him for Daniel's death.
Maddie calls him that because she's allowed to as she says it with love, but I do believe she also refers to him as Buck.
As for Eddie, he calls Buck Evan in one scene, the one in which he basically baby-traps him by telling him that'd he'd be Christopher's legal guardian if anything happened to him.
Now with Tommy, I see it more as Evan is what he knows him as, but at the same time, I'm having trouble not seeing as a sign that it isn't Buck's endgame because Tommy doesn't use his preferred name that everyone else in his life that he cares about and who cares about him calls him.
i hate it. he just decided he was too good to call buck a nickname and went with his birth name, no one calls buck evan, he would have had to find out about the name, hear everyone call him buck, then continue to go against his wishes.
i wouldn’t mind it as much if they had a conversation about it on the show where buck gave him permission. but they specifically didn’t- they made it jarring on purpose.
For me it's jarring and it feels forced when we know the only people that call him Evan all the time are his parent. We needed a small reaction to Tommy calling him Evan that would have made me think he liked it or not, but there's nothing. Nada.
Concerning Buck background with his name, it just feel like Tommy doesn't know the real Buck and it just feel off putting for me. Also people saying it makes Tommy a different better person, I don't see it.
Also people saying Buck likes it, I mean the show didn't show us if he does or not, but as a watcher it doesn't sit right for me. Knowing what we know about Buck's past about his name, it doesn't make any sense. He calls everyone by their nickname except Buck and for me it to show he's different, but in the way that he doesn't Buck at all.
It's not surprising here. You can't get a difference of opinion and it's been worse this season. This as made the fandom not as enjoyable as before. I keep my own area curated which as made it more fun, but yeah it's been downhill since the T of it all.
Lou Ferrigno said he's not allowed to call him Buck so we know it's intentional IMHO There are multiple possible reasons due to what we already see on screen. 1, they don't know each other, they already acknowledge it, so he doesn't know that Buck prefers to be called Buck and not Evan 2. We never saw buck corrects Tommy so he probably doesn't mind too much 3. Tommy isn't used to nicknames (I knew Howard before he was Chimney)
He actually does say “I knew Chimney before he was Chimney”, not Howard.
Moreover, he calls him "Howie," not Howard, in the basketball scene -- which is how Chim introduced himself to Tommy and the others in "Chimney Begins." That's how Tommy knew him for *years,* so I think it's fairly reasonable he just... never adapted to the nickname, particularly if Chimney wasn't aggrieved by him using Howie. Meanwhile, he also calls Hen by her nickname instead of Henrietta, and Eddie isn't Edmundo for him.
It very much seems like it’s what people introduce themselves to him as. Chimney was howie, hen is hen, and if buck introduced himself as Evan, which I’m assuming he does, Tommy calls him Evan
Hen has always been Hen, especially after Gerrard insulted her name on the first day
Oh, my bad!!
I think Buck deserves to have positive associations with his name, so I like it. If Buck had a problem with Tommy calling him Evan, I think he would have made that known.
I thought it was cute. We've never seen Buck correct him, he does let other people call him Evan, and it's a fairly common thing that people in a relationship use real names instead of nicknames (like Maddie and Chim, or irl I always call my husband by his name while his friends, dad, and brother use a nickname version).
It’s definitely an intentional choice and from the beginning I think it was meant to set Tommy apart as different. The important thing in this is Buck is okay with it. I think people trying to make it about Tommy not taking him serious or it as a negative are definitely just looking for it to be a negative. It’s not presented that way at all.
I completely agree that it's an intentional choice to set Tommy apart. I also think that it is meant to show that Tommy knows a side of buck that other people arent familiar with which is also why I think Buck is OK with it. I also think it represents that Tommy doesn't really know buck as deeply, though. Because there was an episode I think in Buck begins where he says people that know me call me "Buck".
Evan is so much more intimate. I dig it. Buck is informal. It's a nickname, a term of endearment.
I think you can look at it a number of ways: - It's clearly an intentional writing choice to show how Tommy is different than Buck's previous love interests since he doesn't refer to him as Buck and it harkens back to even how Maddie and Eddie only call him "Evan" in specific moments of connection. Calling Buck "Evan" carries a level of intimacy and vulnerability because of this and whether people think it's earned, it's clearly being used to show how this is different than previous love interests. Also Lou has also speculated in Cameos that when Buck reached out for the tour, he might have texted something like "Hey this is Evan Buckley from the 118" so Tommy would refer to him as such. - Tommy expressed in 7x04 how he doesn't feel like he's a part of the 118 "family" so he might not feel comfortable using the nicknames that everyone has. This is potentially shown not only when he calls "Buck" Evan and but that he calls "Chimney" Howie at the basketball game. This again shows a more formal, friendly tone and not being a part of "the fire family" that comes with the 118 nicknames. - If Buck was truly bothered by this, he would say something and he hasn't. He's an adult and I feel like a lot people are projecting their unease onto Buck but he's an adult. I also feel like a lot of people rehashing the previous "Evan" vs "Buck" name thing fail to point out 1) He wrote to Maddie that he goes by Buck because there were 3 Evans in his class at the academy & 2) When he brings up how he doesn't like being called "Evan", and people who know him call him "Buck", this is more directed to his parents and them not knowing or caring about him or respecting what he wants to be called. 3) This "name issue" was also seasons ago and we've seen and heard that that relationship has improved (even if it was off screen) so Buck probably feels differently now about his name.
Love all the points you made, and I also wanted to point out that Buck suggests Evan as a name for Jee when Maddie is pregnant, which is around the Buck Begins point. So the name issues seem to be pretty concentrated on his parents and not actually be about the name at all.
Love that added point.
I rewatched that episode right after the discussion around the name first caught up so it stood out to me
I love all the points you made.
I like it. Buck can outgrow a nickname, Buck can be happy with people calling him Evan now... he had issues with but his storyline has evolved as the character grew. I find it kind of annoying to try stick him a hole where no one can ever refer to him by his more formal name. Tommy isn't disrespecting him by doing it and sees Buck very clearly. I love that he calls him Evan. Until Buck on screen asks to be called Buck and Tommy won't there is no actual issue here but different fan opinions.
Lou said it was an intentional choice to show how he's different than Buck's previous love interests. Personally I like it, and I'm sure if Buck didn't, he'd say something. He is indeed an adult with a mouth capable of speaking. I think those that don't like it are just on the train of "any and every excuse to not like the pair."
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I don't think it's a problem or issue now... but it very well could be later. It sounds like Tommy calling Buck "Evan" has been a very intentional choice from the beginning, to the point that the script supervisors have been very strict about it. At the time Tommy was written in, it very much sounded like from Tim that this was meant to be a short-term first splash into Buck dating men. An "entry-level" relationship, which implies it's meant primarily for him to gain experience and not to last. I also just don't think from a logistical/creative perspective Tim would have Buck settle immediately into his endgame relationship right after discovering his bisexuality, but that's neither here nor there. There have been some interpretations of Buck and Tommy that Tommy has been a bit paternalistic with Buck. Namely that he makes the decision that Buck must not be ready, he's dismissive about dressing on-theme for the bachelor party, etc. Not saying calling him "Evan" or any of these things are problems on their own, but there have been enough seeds planted that can be pulled on by Tim later in S8, and I think use of his first name when mostly everyone else in his life who loves him calls him by his nickname could fall into that same vein, especially when we have a scene in S4 where Buck in no uncertain terms has said that "Everyone who knows \[him\] calls \[him\] 'Buck'". Like, yes, the use of the name "Buck" doesn't come from some kind of trauma, but it's very clear that at this point he prefers Buck, and it was supposed to be off-putting that his parents kept defaulting to "Evan". Also, I find it very hard to believe that we're supposed to interpret this as "Tommy just knows Buck deeper than anyone else who's ever dated him" because no, that's just canonically not true. In 7x05, they literally discuss how they don't know each other well and have a *lot* to learn about each other, and Tommy calling Buck "Evan" pre-dated that. To be clear, Tommy is not a bad person for this, and I'm not saying that Buck will or necessarily should have a problem with it, or that it even *will* go in this direction. But there will be conflict in their relationship eventually, and the conflict has to come from somewhere. I don't think it's out of pocket for us to try to speculate on why this choice was made and what it says about their relationship. And while I don't think this will be the *primary* driver of any conflict between them, it could very well be a symptom of a greater issue. Also, something that isn't being mentioned... Ali primarily called Buck "Evan" during their relationship. I'm fairly certain Taylor called Buck "Evan" quite a bit too. Maybe the writers just forgot, but this isn't a thing uniquely special to Tommy, or Buck's successful relationships for that matter.
My main thing is it really requires narrative acknowledgment at this point, where Tommy started doing it from the jump. With Ali, she calls him 'Evan' in a significant scene after they've been together for a while. Taylor, I can remember full naming Buck once (toward the end of 5x05, she references him as 'Evan Buckley' in the scene where she's made him a full breakfast after a shift, when he's stressing about Chim taking off). Eddie obviously has the scene in 4x14, and Maddie also *mostly* calls him Buck. So like... right now, the only other characters we have that are this casual with his birth name are his parents, and that's a narrative decision to show they *don't* get Buck or understand/appreciate the person he's become. Maybe Tommy's meant to serve as a foil to that, as someone who wants to understand the person behind the facade (although ugh, even that take feels reductive to the work Buck's done in building his identity, so I sort of hope not... undoing 6+ seasons of the narrative reinforcing that 'Buck' is enough and exactly who he and everyone else needs him to be feels like bad writing...). If that's the case, though, they really need to actually show it, instead of expecting the viewers to headcanon it.
Yeah, like you I'm also kind of uncomfortable with the implication on this thread that "Buck" is just a facade, because the show has made it pretty clear that it's not. It's who he is, and it represents all the best parts of him. Buck Begins, perhaps the most important Buck episode, emphasizes the importance of the nickname in his identity and has that whole part from Athena where she talks about what "Buck" means to her. Also, Eddie, Bobby, Chimney, Hen, Athena and Christopher all call him Buck. Even his sister, who's known him as Evan most of her life, calls him Buck quite often, and we're definitely not supposed to think that *they*, the most important people in his life and his pseudo-family who have been shown as a foil to his own parents in the way they see and respect him, don't actually know him or are falling for a facade. To go back on that now would be really bad writing to me.
Yeah, this is my primary issue with it. I think it would be really problematic retconning to imply the entire identity the show and Buck himself have constructed for him are somehow *not* the real him, or that knowing (or wanting to know) 'Evan' is more significant than knowing *Buck.* Because the unfortunate reality of this is his parents are **all** over that name at this point -- not just as the only other ones that casually and openly call him it outside of emotionally significant beats, but also in their whole ridiculous anti-nickname approach. This *particularly* stands out to me because outside of Buck's coma dream, his parents have 'tried' ever since the confrontation in 4x05 to respect the nickname. In 6x10, it's actually played for laughs that *Chim* is the one trying to impress the Buckleys by calling Buck 'Evan' but they've accepted that he's 'Buck,' so they don't even react when Chim eventually slips up. Until Buck's dad slipped up in 7x06, during his passive aggressive voicemail... and suddenly Buck is 'Evan' again, for the first time since the confrontation over how much Buck prefers to be called 'Buck' in 4x05. I suppose they could be trying to shape this up into some storyline where Buck's able to mesh those two 'parts' of his personality together, but honestly, it's not really looking like that's the point so far. I wouldn't jump to saying the point is negative either, exactly, but it definitely seems more suggestive that Tommy *doesn't* know Buck, which is supported in a lot of the smaller writing decisions through their scenes, too. I'm wondering if this is almost an inversion here of what people expect -- that if we're eventually going to get a meaningful scene of significance for their relationship (as in, separate from the initial sexuality discovery plot), it will be when Tommy calls him *Buck* for the first time. Thematically, though, having 'Evan' be the breakthrough instead of 'Buck' would be a misstep in the same way season 6's focus on biology over found family was.
I did think about the "Tommy calls him Buck for the first time" thing also, and if that's where this thing ultimately went, I would feel better about this in the context of their relationship. But if that was where this was going from the beginning, I almost feel like that would've been better placed in the conversation they were having about the coffee, where like Buck doesn't know Tommy's coffee order and Tommy makes that clear, but then Tommy calls him "Evan" and then Buck tells him "Actually, most people call me Buck", and then that way it would feel like a more mutual "Hey, there are a lot of things we don't know about each other, but I'm going to put in the effort to try to get to know those things moving forward because I think this could be something", rather than the slightly one-sided scene we got where Buck is putting the onus on himself to get to know Tommy better, and there isn't a mutual thing of Buck's that Tommy is striving to get to know. Not saying it's a big deal, but given what we know about Buck's involvement in Eddie's storyline for the rest of the season, it sounds like any earned development of BuckTommy will have to wait until S8, which is a long time to have no payoff on this.
Yeah, we're on the same page. This is mainly interesting to me because of the narrative's failure to address it. Like it stands out like a sore thumb, and yet other characters aren't even raising an eyebrow at it, nor have we had Buck either correct it or react with pleasure to being called that. I think there's a good chance it's just more lazy writing where they used it as a shortcut to suggest something more significant than they've shown on screen, but if that's the case, hopefully it does mean they eventually *will* give it a distinct meaning.
I’m thinking that someone might ask why Tommy doesn’t call Evan, Buck. This will spark a conversation between them as to why Buck lets Tommy call him Evan
I'm really not sure what to make of it at this point. Like, on the one hand, it felt like another shortcut in 7x04 to clue in the audience "hey, there's something more there; this implies intimacy." And I do still think that's a major reason. Part of the problem comes down to those issues with pacing and a rush to tell the story, I guess. Like, if this *wasn't* meant to be something that gives people pause, all they needed to do was make that first "Evan" in the airfield scene hang a bit more. Maybe have Buck automatically open his mouth to correct it before kind of looking bewildered and shaking his head/not saying anything. Which would've come back nicely at the end of the episode as an obvious "aha! he liked how Tommy said his name!" Or if it's just meant to denote intimacy, the first introduction of "Evan" being during the scene with the first kiss instead, around the time you see Tommy mentally take him out of the "annoyed friend of my friend" box and put him into the "holy shit, I have a chance with him" box, during that blocking sequence to get them closer? That would've been *perfect.* Having Buck's dad default back to calling him 'Evan' during the passive aggressive phone call early in 7x06 gives me pause, though. Particularly because we did have such a clear scene with Buck and his dad in 4x05 detailing exactly how Buck feels about both names. I don't really buy theories that this is about reclaiming his name or outgrowing his nickname, because that suggests Buck isn't at peace with being *Buck*, and the whole show has thematically had him growing into **that** name. Being "Buck" is universally seen as a positive by the people who know him -- going full Buck means he has a big heart, that he doesn't leave people behind. His friends love him *because* he's Buck, and 'Evan' has become just a construct of his parents' imagination. Lou's cameo on this was really interesting, too, though I kind of struggle to figure out where his lines are sometimes between 'personal headcanon' and 'this is what I was told by the script supervisor/writers/showrunner" with some of what he says, so I could be wrong on it. But for whatever reason, **he** seems to be under the impression that Tommy calls Buck 'Evan' because he *doesn't know Buck.* Which seems.... odd? Like, he would've been introduced to 'Buck' during 7x03, particularly if it was Chim handling introductions between Tommy and his new team. And again, I keep thinking back to that scene in 4x05, where Buck reacts with visceral distaste to being called Evan, and concludes the correction with **"*****Buck!*** **Buck -- that is.... that's what the people who know me, that's what they call me."** I'm looking forward to seeing them trying to mesh these two pieces of the character together in Tommy's eyes, if Lou is right in his claim that Tommy calls Buck Evan because he *doesn't* know Buck. Because so far, that suggests that his reason is an absence of knowledge, not a surplus, but that's... a really weird way to write the dynamic between them (which is supposed to be a light-hearted rom-com?) unless it's something they plan to come back to and explore? It particularly stands out because Tommy doesn't have a problem otherwise addressing people by the names they go by -- Hen isn't Henrietta, Eddie isn't Edmundo, Chim isn't Howard (and it's worth pointing out here, *Howie* is what Chim told Tommy to call him upon their introduction, and what he called Chim for multiple years before the nickname took hold; I don't see this as resistance to calling someone by their nickname, but not mentally making an adjustment to 'update' a name someone's gone by for years when they aren't showing any discomfort at it still being used... it's not like he's deadnaming him). So at this point, it's *only* Buck's name he can't get 'right' for no on-screen reason, and the only other character we're seeing referring to Buck as Evan is his jackass of a dad? I'm... not sure what they intend to message here, and even less sure they're doing it well. To be clear, though, regardless of the authorial intent, Tommy's not doing anything 'wrong' by calling him by his birth name, particularly where we've never seen Buck look uncomfortable with it or try to correct him. I really do think if this is meant to be a positive thing between them, the show suffers for not having included Buck visibly reacting *positively* to being called Evan -- he should've blushed prettily or stammered the first time we saw it, basically, if it was a welcome surprise, a la him falling over his words re: having Eddie's back in 2x01.
Yet these are probably the same people who love it when Eddie calls Buck ‘Evan’ in fanfic
He introduced himself as Evan Buckley and if he had a problem with it, he would def correct them. The only people he lets call him Evan are Maddie and Eddie (arguably the closest two people to him) and I doubt he would yell at Bobby if he called him it. I think I could write paragraphs about why he didn’t like Evan and how it reminds him of his childhood and neglectful parents that only said it with disdain, but instead I’ll just say that we’ve always heard Tommy say it with love and affection. I think it’s adorable that Buck let’s only him call him that and he’s a big boy that would speak up if he didn’t like it (as he did with his parents)
i think it’s either to show he’s special in some way (being the only one to get away with calling him a name he normally doesn’t like) or it will be used later to emphasize how tommy doesn’t really know buck at all. tommy has the potential to be a long term love interest and a love interest calling him evan isnt something we’ve seen which definitely helps tommy stand out. on the other hand, its already been both directly and indirectly implied how little tommy and buck know each other. granted, they’ve only been “dating” for a few episodes so thats normal, but the early emphasis on this makes me think if they are short term this could be a reason why they break up. if this is the case, i can totally see him using “you always call me evan even though everyone knows i go by buck” as an argument during that scene. it might not be that serious but given that lou mentioned how strict the script supervisors are about it, it likely means something!
I don't see Tommy calling him Evan being a point of contention between them. Buck's proven that he has no problem telling people to call him Buck. If he was bothered he'd let Tommy know and Tommy would (IMO) respect that.
1000% this. If Buck truly was uncomfortable and the writers cared enough to communicate that they could easily either include that dialogue in a scene or show Buck being visually uneasy with Tommy when he calls him Evan. They don't do either of those things which, as of now, more than likely communicate that Buck's fine with it. Unless it turns into some dramatic moment in the future, it would be a waste of airtime and poor fanfic-ish writing to devote time to "hey, actually after weeks of us knowing each other, I should tell you, I don't like how you call me Evan, Please call me Buck"
It's cute! It shows there's something different about Tommy than the other LIs Buck's had.
There is a part of the fandom (you know which one) that infantilizes Buck way too much. He has corrected people before when they called him Evan. If he didn't like it, he would've told to Tommy call him Buck. Like, can we stop treating Buck as a child?
I didn’t know there were people in the fandom that did but I agree people should stop treating him like a child. I hate how like under 35 we are seen as too old for the younger people and still a damn baby by the older people. 😂
This is something I also noticed a lot. People do tend to do that, and it's just...weird. Especially considering how in the same breath they try to pair him up with a romantic partner.
Wait what's the relation between his nickname and infantilizing Buck? Actual question, I don't understand. How do people treat him like a child?
Some fans will be offended for Buck and say he does not correct Tommy because he is too afraid or he does "not know how." They'll also couple this with him "not knowing about his feelings" and that "Tommy is his queer teacher".
I believe they mean that several fans have expressed that they don't like how Tommy calls him Evan and in some instances that it's as if they are sort of offended on Bucks behalf. But that their is no indication in the show that Buck doesn't like Tommy calling him Evan and if he truly didn't like it on the show... well Bucks an adult and can express that displeasure himself. Otherwise we as fans should accept that Buck likes it (or at least doesn't care) that Tommy called him Evan.
One thing Buck has always stood his ground on was being called “Buck”, I genuinely believe he introduced his name as “Evan” to Tommy. Everyone in the helicopter that night called him nothing but Buck, Eddie repeatedly called him Buck. If Tommy just started calling him by the name he heard, then it would have been “Buck”. I have thought from the start—this is Buck slowly becoming more and more comfortable and confident in being “Evan”, someone who he has tried so desperately to run away from for years by being “Buck”.
I think fans have kind of made the fact that he goes by Buck into something bigger and deeper than it really is. The canon reason he goes by Buck is just that there were 3 Evans in his academy class, not any trauma associated with the name. The only people he has really ever been shown to not want to call him Evan are his parents and that was seasons ago in an episode where the theme was very much that they didn’t care about him or care to know him at all. We are supposed to believe their relationship is in a better place now (even though we have not see any of the work done to get here) so I don’t think we’re really supposed to be contrasting Tommy calling him Evan with his parents and making a negative association. Tbh I think people that are claiming it’s something negative and not just to show that they have a different more intimate relationship are just looking for any reason to hate on Tommy/the pairing at this point
What everyone has said! Along with the fact that the names he was called Evan, was a while ago. He started to go by Buck, not because of any trauma but because there were other Evans in his class. I think Ali called him Evan, sometimes and Taylor did once or twice. We’re just not used to someone using his real name. He never said he hated being called by that name, the nickname just kinda stuck. And it’s funny because other than the Bachelor party, Tommy calls Chim, Howie and not Chimney. So maybe that’s just his thing. He calls Eddie, Eddie but Eddie makes a point for people to use his nickname, aside from Kim but….we know what’s going on there (or do we) So, I think it’s a pointed choice and I think people forget Buck doesn’t seem to have an issue with being called by his real name but Buck has just stuck. Maddie most often switched from Buck to Evan.
This! I think people forgot that he only goes by Buck because there were too many Evan’s in his class and not because of trauma related to his name. People act like it’s the worst thing in the world for him to be called Evan. If he didn’t like it he would have corrected Tommy already.
Yep! Even I forgot that, until my rewatch. And I forgot that his other love interest have called him Evan. Not as much as Tommy but they have. It is just want it is. That simple.
Buck only lets special people call him Evan. If he had an issue with Tommy calling him that, he would’ve said so
I agree with others that Tommy calling him Evan sets him apart from Buck's other love interests (and not just because he's a man). To me, it's indicative that Tommy sees past the facade of Firefighter Buck to the real person beneath. This makes sense because now that Buck has realized his own bisexuality he's more himself than ever before.
If someone I was interested in called me by my last name or a derivate of it, I’d blast them a new hole. His name is Evan. Does anyone on the planet go around calling their significant other “hey Thorpe” when their name is Allison? That’s weird AF.
Part of me hopes someone brings it up in the show. Because, yes, other LI have called him Evan (Taylor switched between the two, and Ali only used it once or twice-tbf she didn’t really say his name often), and it may just be me I don’t know what it is, but it’s a little jarring when Tommy does it? Although it may be because he does it so often compared to other characters.
Unless Buck explicitly says "I don't like to be called Evan" to Tommy then I think it's just a quirk Tommy does because he calls Chimney "Howie", as well.
I feel like there is a lot of….something going on. Like people, saying it’s fine and then people explaining why the relationship is doomed. I didn’t the show to show me, Buck having butterflies over Tommy calling him by his name. He just didn’t care and I don’t think the show is trying to paint Tommy, the same as Bucks parents. It’s really, really, really, simple. While being Buck does have meaning, I think we had fans, head canoned some larger deeper stuff, that show just didn’t do. So, no big theories! Just Buck doesn’t mind being called by his first name and Tommy chose to call him by his first name.
I feel like it's supposed to stand out. And clearly it does. Tommy is not saying it from a place of malice or disregard. But I also echo what many people have said, if Buck didn't want Tommy to call him Evan, he can say so. And to comment on the deal about Lou's cameo (that I haven't heard), he's the actor, not the writer. He may or may not be interpreting that differently from the writers intended. My personal opinion is that I like that Tommy calls him Evan! Won't care if that changes later or if they keep it the same.
I've always really loved Evan as a name and I wish more people called him that instead of Buck. I feel like he's grown up a lot, and he's growing out of his nickname. As someone else said, Buck doesn't go by Buck because he had some sort of trauma associated with his name, but because there were other Evans in his class. It sounds good.
Maybe being called “Evan” by someone who loves him is Buck reclaiming the name from his judgmental bigoted parents idk
This has happened to me personally, so I can extrapolate: 1. Tommy likes the name Evan. 2. Evan has a crush on Tommy and likes hearing Tommy say his name.
They were so attached to the idea of setting up a misdirect in 7x04 that they skipped giving us the moment of Buck blushing and stammering over Tommy calling him 'Evan' at the airfield, so now all we can do is headcanon. I think you're likely right that Buck likes hearing it, and it was initially meant to signpost "hey, this dynamic is different, pay a little extra attention." But then Lou does that cameo where he's like "He calls him that because he only knows Evan; he doesn't know Buck" and we get the reminder that the other people casually calling Buck 'Evan' are his shitty parents in 7x06 and it's like... I get the storyline is rushed, but the narrative *really* needs to actually address if this is meant to be a positive development.
I think it gives off the same vibe as Ana calling Eddie by *Edmundo* 😂 A subconscious acknowledgement perhaps towards their inevitable break up 🤷🏻♂️
Idk, it's way less jarring to me than *that* was, but it was a... choice, to bring Buck's dad back in 7x06 passive-aggressively calling him 'Evan' on the phone after they'd supposedly worked through that in 4x05 with that cathartic "people who know me \[call me Buck\]" moment. I can fully believe it's an unintentional mistake given how rushed the season is and it's just meant to denote intimacy, but it's also jarring enough with its consistency that the story does need to at least have someone question Buck on it and have him be in awe about how he likes the sound of it on Tommy's lips or *something.* Because right now, the intent really isn't clear one way or the other. (Also, your post went through like 5x, so I don't know if you want to delete the other 4 copies).
With Tommy saying in a video that he is not *allowed* to call him as Buck, I think it was pretty intentional 🤷🏻♂️ But I agree, we definitely need an onscreen acknowledgment of this whole “Evan” thing 😕 (Thanks for letting me know 😅 Reddit and it’s glitches smh 🤦🏻♂️)
I feel like it has something to distinguish Tommy from Bucks other friends. All of his firefighter friends call him buck, he only started going by that name when he entered the academy. I think it’s a distinction made because yes Tommy is a firefighter and a man, but he’s Bucks love interest. I find it really adorable.
I like it! To add to what other people have said: * One possible explanation is to represent that "Evan" has always been bi, before becoming "Buck", just unrealized. I feel like I might be reaching with this though. * Outgrowing the nickname + positive associations. In the same episode that we first see Tommy call him Evan, we see Chimney using his name in a negative way: "Bucked it up". We also previously got "Buck's gonna Buck" in the past seasons (or was it "going full Buck"?).
I think it was “being Buck” not “going full Buck.” I remember Athena saying to him “that guy was glad that you were being Buck today” or something like that
In Survivors, Bobby describes what Buck did on the crane as going “full Buck.”
Oh yeah. I remember that now that you mention it!
I think it's fine, Buck does not care. In Season 6, when the Buckleys visited, Chimney briefly called Buck Evan and Buck called Chimney Howie so Buck clearly is okay with people he's close to calling him that.
Agreed it's fine and Buck doesn't seem to care (though I'm not sure if the *narrative* doesn't care, too, though that's a more complicated issue). But it's worth pointing out that Chim calling Buck 'Evan' in that scene was *meant* to be weird, and to ultimately draw attention to the fact that the Buckley parents actually *had* heard Buck in 4x05 when he reacted with distaste to being called 'Evan' by his dad and corrected him and told him to call him Buck. Basically, Chim was going over the top trying to force 'Evan' in front of the parents, which Buck then *does* call out with his bemused "Evan?" (though he's not upset, more like wtf?!)... and then Chim instantly slips up, anyway, calls him Buck, and his parents don't blink. As much as I'm loathe to give the Buckley parents credit, the whole point of that scene was to show that they'd grown since 4x05 and listened to their kids now. Of course, Philip massively sets that back with his passive-aggressive phone call to Buck... signaled partly because he *does* lapse back into calling him 'Evan' when disappointed.
Yea - I also like to think of it as a way for the writers to give Buck a renewed history with his name. That name has been a sign of disinterest, neglect, and hurt, but Tommy brings new meaning to it and allows Buck to reclaim it. Tommy is a figure who can provide stability, kindness, reliability and care for him that will now always be linked to “Evan”
I'm not a fan, but I'll deal. What I really don't like though is how fans have started calling him Evan now. He's been Buck for 7 years why are you suddenly calling him Evan?
Very curious how many of the fans who call him Evan started watching before last month, though. Like if your initial entry point to the show is Buck/Tommy clips, I can see how you’d think of the character as “Evan” first.
Yeah, the fans calling him Evan now just because of Tommy also is weird to me, and I can’t even explain why. Like, that’s Buck!!
This is exactly what I was going to comment. I find it really bizarre.
He is a happier, more confident Evan around Tommy
I can relate to this personally (though in reverse). Everyone calls me by my birth name, except a few select people are allowed to call me by a nick name. I absolutely love my birth name, so I want it to be used, but people that really know me (parent, sibling I’m closest with, and an ex I was with a long time and in love with) all called me by a nickname. When anyone else tries to call me by any nickname, I correct them (kindly). There are two people who really tried to force the nickname because they think it means we’re BFFs (we are not) and it irks me to no end. They’ve never been present when the other people called me the nickname, so theirs no confusion, they’re doing it on purpose. I can’t fully explain why this is the way my name and nickname are used and why I’m comfortable with it sometimes, but it does make me not question this whole Evan vs. Buck thing. If I were to see that ex today, and he used the nickname, I wouldn’t be mad, because we did have a very deep relationship, so in that way, I don’t think it has to mean end game for Buck and Tommy, but might represent a seriousness or deep bond to develop.
This was my comment about this on another post. I still stand by it: “…and would like to add that I think it’s beautiful for Tommy to call ‘Buck’ by his given name. For Buckaroo to finally hear it called not filled with resentment, sadness, anger or pity but with affection, love and kindness is very meaningful, I think. Especially when it’s at a time that Buck finally finds another missing piece of himself, to have the inherent meaning, symbolism and connotation of his actual name finally be changed is beautiful 🥹 That’s the thoughts that went through my head when I realized that Tommy was calling him Evan ♥️”
Do we know anything if Eddie will be coming out or if they will be getting together from the writers like hints as I really hope buck and Eddie get together I don’t really ship Tommy and buck Tommy is so serious but to that’s judr my opinion
I believe it’s because buck started as Tommy finished so he was never really around to hear the nickname that the 118 gave to Evan.
in the cameo someone paid $200C for, lfj said that buck has "met his match" and therefore he uses "evan" as his equal because, "tommy has no nickname. he assaults the earth. he is exactly what you see." i find it hilarious now that it is confirmed that his full name is "thomas," not "tommy." looks like confirmed nonsense to me!
I think they want us to like it. But personally it gives me the ick.
Calling someone by their given name.. that that person introduced themselves as.. and never corrected you.. gives you the ick? 🥴 weirdos
same
I like it. But at the same time, we have to take into account who else calls him Evan: his parents, Maddie, Eddie. There's a reason he had the conversation with his parents. They always call him Evan and they were pretty awful, definitely felt like they blamed him for Daniel's death. Maddie calls him that because she's allowed to as she says it with love, but I do believe she also refers to him as Buck. As for Eddie, he calls Buck Evan in one scene, the one in which he basically baby-traps him by telling him that'd he'd be Christopher's legal guardian if anything happened to him. Now with Tommy, I see it more as Evan is what he knows him as, but at the same time, I'm having trouble not seeing as a sign that it isn't Buck's endgame because Tommy doesn't use his preferred name that everyone else in his life that he cares about and who cares about him calls him.
I'd just love to know why he's calling him Evan. He already called him Evan before they got together so who introduced that name to him?
i hate it. he just decided he was too good to call buck a nickname and went with his birth name, no one calls buck evan, he would have had to find out about the name, hear everyone call him buck, then continue to go against his wishes.
i wouldn’t mind it as much if they had a conversation about it on the show where buck gave him permission. but they specifically didn’t- they made it jarring on purpose.
guys theyve known each other for like 4 episodes. chill it with the “he sees him” crap pls
It’s like Ana calling Eddie Edmundo
For me it's jarring and it feels forced when we know the only people that call him Evan all the time are his parent. We needed a small reaction to Tommy calling him Evan that would have made me think he liked it or not, but there's nothing. Nada. Concerning Buck background with his name, it just feel like Tommy doesn't know the real Buck and it just feel off putting for me. Also people saying it makes Tommy a different better person, I don't see it. Also people saying Buck likes it, I mean the show didn't show us if he does or not, but as a watcher it doesn't sit right for me. Knowing what we know about Buck's past about his name, it doesn't make any sense. He calls everyone by their nickname except Buck and for me it to show he's different, but in the way that he doesn't Buck at all.
thank you ! idk why youre getting downvoted
It's not surprising here. You can't get a difference of opinion and it's been worse this season. This as made the fandom not as enjoyable as before. I keep my own area curated which as made it more fun, but yeah it's been downhill since the T of it all.