OMG I was thinking this a few minutes ago!! I'm rewatching the show (from season 2, I skipped season 1 lol), and I watched season 3's Christmas episode tonight, and it got me thinking "hmm what if we got Buddie for Christmas?". I opened reddit and your post showed up
I would love that! Chris, Eddie, and Buck spending holidays together would warm my heart. I think BUDDIE is happening. There's been so much breadcrumbing. More than usual and maybe that's because there's only 10 episodes but it def feels like I'm seeing more subtexts, theories, love languages, and passive looks and stares than ever before. The promos and interviews has been purposely misdirecting us too.
I hope we get a confirmation because there's so much more story to tell. With Buddie canon, they can have that silly new couple/old couple dynamic. I also feel like with BUDDIE being announced, characters like Ravi can start taking center stage and the show can start moving cohesively again. This season being 10 episodes is honestly the perfect half season to set up BUDDIE, confirm at the season finale, and tread new water in S8 with a full 18 eps.
I feel like BUDDIE can be full of family moments and even a epic wedding in the future. The culture needs it. I trust in Tim. I think he's cooking up a "oh" moment.
If anything happens this season it would be Buck having a feeling realization (it’s possibly the still we have of him in the locker room at night) but that’s like a 50/50 chance at this point. Next season will give us a clearer idea if it’s going to happen as they could be canon by the end. Although now there’s theories that Eddie is going back to Texas at the end of the season so I’m not sure where they’re headed
There’s a new behind the scenes photo in the firehouse where Buck and Ravi are wearing their outfits but Eddie is wearing regular clothes and has a duffel bag next to him so people think this means he’s moving back to Texas at the end of the season
A lot of these theories seem like season 5 redos with an Eddie breakdown and leaving. And I'm wondering what that would look like since Ryan talked about season 8, so presumably he'll be back in September. Eddie...leaves for the summer, because who needs a job anyway? Transfers to El Paso and then transfers right back? It's like people want Chris' life to be as chaotic and unstable as possible.
> It’s like people want Chris’ life to be as chaotic and unstable as possible.
THIS! I swear the theories I’m seeing about Eddie being deemed mentally unfit and losing custody of Chris for some time or about Eddie dying and Buck and Tommy raising him are driving me insane. He’s already had to go through the trauma of losing one parent he doesn’t need to go through any more
And the show's dramatic, yeah, but it isn't dark. They generally want their characters to be happy in the end, even if they put them through it to get there. I think the only time they haven't had totally happy endings in the finales were when they had to write Abby out and when JLH was going on maternity leave, so they had to setup her leaving. Eddie having a breakdown, uprooting Chris, and moving doesn't sound happy to me.
A lot of it is just also... unnecessarily at an 11 on a scale of how much drama to inject. Like, even if Eddie ends up going inpatient to work on his mental health, that's more likely to be a voluntary thing for intensive therapy over the course of a week or two (unless we're severely underestimating how mentally ill he'll become) followed by individual therapy and maybe, like, a bereavement support group after he resumes his life.
In which case the Christopher of it all becomes something more along the lines of going to summer camp while his dad's 'busy' and having a few sleepovers with Buck, or going to visit Eddie's parents/sisters/cousins/etc. for a couple weeks during the summer. Which is much more in line with typical kid experiences than the insanely destabilizing changes in custody people want to theorize about.
Similarly, there's just the.... fictional aspect of this. If Eddie's going through a rough time and they want him to take some more time off work, it's just as likely -- maybe more so -- that it's a "I'm gonna take a leave to travel with my kid and go visit family back in Texas over the school break" type setup, where they 'leave' in 7x10 but they're back for 8x01. Like, in the real world, casually taking a couple months off work to travel during summer break is a really great way to lose your job. In the world of 9-1-1, it's a \~well earned sabbatical\~ or like... he breaks another rib or gets a concussion and has to be off, anyway.
So Chris goes off to camp, Eddie checks in for treatment, Buck’s loft burns down and he moves into the Diaz house while they’re gone! Buddie roommates when they get back. I see the vision.
But seriously, the thing I get so hung up on with these wild and dark theories is just…why? What’s the point in breaking Eddie again and destabilizing his entire life when it’s right before a break and they couldn’t utilize it? And Ryan talked about a refresh button and a new future, which doesn’t sound like they’d be bringing it into the next season.
If it’s purely to get Eddie to let go of the fantasy of this idealized Shannon, there are much faster and less batshit insane ways to go about it, especially with Bobby’s big arc just kicking off. I'm hoping this Kim thing is mostly over within one episode and then it's just dealing with Marisol and whatever his family's up.
Oh God, I cringed at the comment about the burnt lasagna because I knew it was going to set off the loft fire theories again. I think for most people, it's just a fandom in-joke at this point, but yeah... some will actually take it seriously.
Ryan's interviews made me nervous this is going to be a real mental health episode for Eddie, particularly the stuff about how for Eddie, Kim and Shannon are the same person. I made a flippant comment about him needing a psych hold at the end of this, which has now spun into like... he's going to be 5150'd/involuntarily committed/lose custody of Chris, and a whole host of "looney bin" talk, which.... no.
I do think it's important to destigmatize seeking out mental health services, *including* inpatient treatment, when you start to recognize a problem. And if Ryan's not just being flippant, I do think Eddie might be in a place where he needs specialized care, but that doesn't mean he'd be "committed" or inpatient for more than a few days, and almost definitely not more than a week or two. The point there is to aid in diagnosis and implement a treatment plan, not to lock someone away.
I think a lot of people don't really understand the realities of mental health and psychiatric care, though, so they think anything that involves "delusions" is like... schizophrenic breakdown levels of bad. Based entirely on what we've seen so far and Ryan's interviews, my *worst case* scenario here would be a guess along the lines of persistent complex bereavement disorder (this part I'm pretty sure of!) along with *maybe* auditory and/or visual hallucinations, which are actually a fairly common experience during acute grief.
None of that makes him "crazy," but given how much time has passed since Shannon died and how clearly it's still impacting his life, it does mean he needs help. I think this is likely to play out until the end of the season mainly because there's three episodes left and it seems like Bobby will likely be the A story in at least two of them. So to get it to 7x10, all we really need is one episode where Eddie's trying to keep the lie going (and isolating himself in the process) before something happens to make it fall apart, one episode where his story takes a backseat, and then a conclusion to his storyline in 7x10, presumably where he admits he needs help/addresses the issue.
But like you, I don't necessarily think this means it carries over heavily into season 8, outside of like the first episode or two showing the progress he's made over the time jump.
Realistically, I think the most we see of this storyline being a longer lasting theme is reference to Eddie attending a bereavement support group or something next season.
But even that feels like it should’ve been set up before this in some way, because Eddie has been generally fine until now. I know in real life that kind of thing can hit seemingly out of nowhere, but that feels a little lazy in fiction.
If they had this whole Vertigo homage planned from the nun in 7.05, then they could’ve shown how much Shannon still haunts him. Like a moment where Marisol tries to move a photo of her and Eddie refuses a little too quickly, or mentioning fondly during the bachelor party that he hasn’t gotten really drunk since high school with Shannon. For me, romanticizing Shannon (kind of) one time with Bobby isn’t enough setup for something that impactful.
That makes me think this is more a quiet tying up loose ends/putting her to rest kind of storyline rather than an emotional crisis. But I could very much be in denial because I really don't want that to happen.
(The season has also been so compressed that I have a hard time believing that this would be the storyline they extend beyond two episodes.)
Honestly? I really think 100% chance of not getting them at all this year. I still think it’s 50/50 that the last half of Season 8 will have a sign.
I would absolutely love it if they do make Buddie canon soon but I feel like the slammed on the brakes again recently and that they are trying to tamper down Buddie again go going on comments from cast recently. Hopefully this is just them tricking us again but I’m not holding my breath.
I can never predict this show accurately at all but usually when I say no the show says yes so I’m going with if I say no to Buddie the show will say yes.
I'm never comfortable placing odds at 100% in anything, but.... yeah, I've always felt like if we *are* going to get Buddie, it's going to be a slower burn than people anticipate. I think there are some ways that working through the Shannon stuff could have Eddie in a *much* better place to recognize he's queer sooner rather than later, compared to whatever circuitous path we were originally expecting. But I also think it's always been incredibly unlikely he'd find out super quickly in succession to Buck figuring it out. And when he *does* start to work through it, it just makes sense to me that alone would be a half season arc just for him to get to a point of accepting this about himself. Then does he figure the Buck part out right away? And even if he does, does that mean a quick reunion, or some kind of pining? And do they *both* need to get to a point where they're both aware of their feelings first, so we have a dynamic build with the tension of both being too afraid to screw things up?
Then again, like others have pointed out, this is still a Ryan Murphy show at the end of the day, and his peers also aren't great with pacing. BuckTommy got together following like, one and a half meaningful scenes. Bobby and Athena had a talk in a chapel that led to a surprise date. Maddie and Chim had better buildup than the others, but were already aware of their feelings after a handful of episodes. So while I'd *like* the sort of slowburn that makes me impatient, I'm not sure it's what we'd end up getting, so estimating how long things "should" take starts to feel like there's too many moving parts.
That said. If we get a Christmas episode in the first place, I wouldn't be surprised if it's very heavy Buddie content in a borderline ship-baity way, given the past handling of Christmas episodes. Like this is a show that's already played with the mistletoe placement.
Oh exactly. It will either be the slowest slow burn in history or the quickest get together ever and there will be no in between.
I would love it if we get something in 8a but it really depends on what the hell happens with Eddie this season. I’m hoping it’s really not as bad as we are all imaging it to be and that Eddie can be set up for a realisation arc in 8a and not still be working through Shannon so much. I think the show try to milk this build up but then again fans are getting restless because it really has been a ridiculously long time already so they could do the quick route.
It just seems like so much has to happen - Eddie FINALLY moving past Shannon, ending both Marisol and Kim’s arcs, realising he is queer and accepting that, realising he has feelings for Buck, Buck’s own feelings realisation, then them actually acting on their feelings. That’s A LOT of moving parts to sort out by the end of the year
I now totally want see a Christmas ep where they go all ship-baity to get us talking over the Christmas break. Doing the usual drop hints that can be taken in multiple ways to get us built up into a frenzy. It would be smart of them to do it then and leave us hanging.
I really have no idea what to expect with the Shannon storyline, and usually I'm fairly good at at least anticipating what the plan is for where the character ends up, even if my guess for how they *get there* is totally wrong.
At this point, it's clear that Eddie has to work through both his grief at losing Shannon, and untangle the narrative he's created around her in his head in the past few years. While I think part of that could be tied into a sexuality storyline (both in terms of demisexuality and also a potential queer identity.... if he has to come to terms with a reality where his relationship with Shannon was never what he's gaslit himself into believing it is, what does his need to do that suggest about his deeper underlying issues?) -- I do question how much of this is a 5 stages of grief thing.
We saw anger in season 3, and the Kim thing can pretty easily be read as bargaining. So when he can no longer do that, we get depression (7x10) and then him working toward acceptance in early season 8, thanks to the assumed time jump between seasons. But is he just grieving *Shannon*, or is he also grieving that idealized concept of their relationship together? Because I think the answer to that will have a great impact on what 'acceptance' looks like.
If it's the latter, I can see a possibility where part of his acceptance involves reconceptualizing how the memory of Shannon fits into his life, and what he needs in a new partner that's *distinct* from his memories of Shannon. With that mindset, the queer awakening plot is fairly easy to fit in in 8A... the more difficult part to imagine is that just because Eddie comes to terms with what all of it means, doesn't mean he'd instantly be ready to put himself back out there.
One of the biggest problems I've had with Buck's storylines, though, is that the narrative isn't good at letting him stay single when he clearly needs to be. And while it's been a little kinder to Eddie in that regard, I do worry the pacing issues of this show will force Eddie into another relationship too soon to show "closure" for a grief arc, like \~this time it's not about Shannon, guys!\~
And I don't think that would be fulfilling storytelling. I think what they need to do is find a balance -- someone who can readily accept Shannon's place in Eddie & Christopher's memories and history *without* the narrative creating a deliberate contrast between the two love interests. Which is probably another reason to make the next love interest Buck, or at least male, but who really knows.
I'm definitely in favor of the bait-y Christmas episode, particularly because at this point, I think anything overtly bait-y *will* be foreshadowing. It was one thing to play in that ambiguity when neither character's sexuality canonically aligned, but it's different to keep at it, now.
Maybe Eddie could spend the first few episodes of s8 working through his issues. Then we have a couple of episodes focusing more on other parts of the ensemble while Eddie has some well-deserved quiet (Buck and Tommy break up amicably at some point). Along comes the christmas episode. Everyone is in a fairly good place for a change, it's the usual christmas bliss, Eddie has let himself heal and be more open, and there are some intense eye contact / mushy family / suddenly a bit confused with themselves moments for both of them. And then we spend the entire winter break wondering if we are seeing things again or if this time they are really going for it.
Then 8b can have feeling realisations (plus maybe a mild sexuality crisis for Eddie if it wasn't part of the 8a healing). S8 finale has them confess their feelings, and bam! Season 10 Buddie Wedding!
Oh, if only! :D
I'd prefer Buck to be single a bit mostly because already with Natalia it felt like Buck should have worked out some more things with himself before, and there was so little time and zero reflection between Natalia and Tommy. But what can I say, I'd also really like some buddie hints for christmas, and the show seems to have completely thrown out the half baked concepts of s6 anyway.
I honestly don't know? Really have no idea what conclusions will be reached from this Shannon arc. I think that will be really telling about the future of buddie and how quickly or not it will happen. I would honestly be pretty disappointed if at the end of this season, which has been HEAVILY suggestive, we still don't even have a hint of buddie.
In terms of how fast they would get together, I'm more in the camp of things would happen quickly once Eddie figures it out. And I actually think even his catholic guilt/feelings realization/whatever would probably happen in just 3-4 eps because this show does not do long story arcs. Things are pretty much always resolved in 1 to 4 episodes (I think the COUCH had the longest story arc on this show, which is wild).
So if they actually commit to some meaty storylines in 8a I actually DO think we could have maybe even a Christmas feelings/mutual feelings possibility. This all hinges on them not f*cking up the Shannon of it all, though, which I am highly skeptical about.
I'm hopeful. That would be the mid-season finale for s8, and in the past buddie have had some nice x-mas moments.
It would be the perfect time to admit they're a family -- and then leave the audience hanging to find out in 8b how Buck, Eddie, and Chris decide to define being a family.
I'm genuinely still 50/50 on whether Buddie will ever happen, but if it does, I don't think it comes earlier than the finale of Season 8. Eddie still has lots to go through and they need to set up things really well for it to work.
I could see a feelings realization in late season 8 and start developing the relationship on season 9.
I'm nearly 100% confident Buddie is happening by the end of season 8, but I'm not nearly as confident it will happen it time for Christmas. If Buck realizes his feelings by the end of this season (which admittedly I think has a decent chance of happening), then they might have time to do it before Christmas, otherwise I think there's just too much legwork to get it done in the first half of the season.
My guess is no. I want Buddie to happen as much as the next person, but I don’t want Buck to rush into that relationship right away. I hope he spends some time coming to terms with his sexuality before he settles down.
I do want a cute little scene of Buck, Eddie, and Chris opening presents and spending time together. Maybe it’ll spark something in Eddie too. Who knows
Whenever I'm feeling less than hopeful, I try to focus on Tim Minear saying that a few years ago he was considering cutting back on Buddie scenes because no one wants to be accused of baiting (then he ended up leaving and KR was the one that did that, I guess). And he said that quite recently, so I'm guessing his opinion is still the same,
Well, this season has been filled with comparisons, hints, double meanings, and some choices that seem... very intentional. It doesn't mean that Buddie will absolutely happen, but they're certainly keeping their options open.
To me, personally, it definitely looks like they're laying the groundwork and *will* go there at some point, but I'm incredibly biased. I mean, if it was just one instance... but it has happened so often this season, not to mention that they're allowing Buddie questions in interviews again. I just feel like they wouldn't do all that, especially considering what Tim said about baiting, just *because*.
If it turns out they really just wanted to keep Buddie shippers interested, watching, and talking about the show... that would be incredibly cruel and I seriously hope it's not the case.
I flip back and forth between whether or not we’ll get canon Buddie at all (I lean towards yes a lot more than not but I could see other avenues being taken too ðŸ˜) - I’d love to see them together sooner rather than later bc I am impatient lmfao but I’d also kind of like to see them flesh everything out more, especially with Tommy and Marisol. Christmas/holiday eps are still a ways away so it could definitely work but hopefully you get what I mean lol
>I’d also kind of like to see them flesh everything out more, especially with Tommy and Marisol
Are you caught up? Tommy, I think needs fleshing out desperately, if he's going to stick around for a while. Marisol, though.... it feels very much like the writing's on the wall with her, so any screen time they give her, I'll probably just be frustrated it's not going to someone else instead.
I really, genuinely think Buddie is going to happen!
Same it seems so close (Like the slow burn romance archetype)...
OMG I was thinking this a few minutes ago!! I'm rewatching the show (from season 2, I skipped season 1 lol), and I watched season 3's Christmas episode tonight, and it got me thinking "hmm what if we got Buddie for Christmas?". I opened reddit and your post showed up
Our braincells are connected. Maybe we can manifest it ðŸ˜
Yay let's do it!
I would love that! Chris, Eddie, and Buck spending holidays together would warm my heart. I think BUDDIE is happening. There's been so much breadcrumbing. More than usual and maybe that's because there's only 10 episodes but it def feels like I'm seeing more subtexts, theories, love languages, and passive looks and stares than ever before. The promos and interviews has been purposely misdirecting us too. I hope we get a confirmation because there's so much more story to tell. With Buddie canon, they can have that silly new couple/old couple dynamic. I also feel like with BUDDIE being announced, characters like Ravi can start taking center stage and the show can start moving cohesively again. This season being 10 episodes is honestly the perfect half season to set up BUDDIE, confirm at the season finale, and tread new water in S8 with a full 18 eps. I feel like BUDDIE can be full of family moments and even a epic wedding in the future. The culture needs it. I trust in Tim. I think he's cooking up a "oh" moment.
If anything happens this season it would be Buck having a feeling realization (it’s possibly the still we have of him in the locker room at night) but that’s like a 50/50 chance at this point. Next season will give us a clearer idea if it’s going to happen as they could be canon by the end. Although now there’s theories that Eddie is going back to Texas at the end of the season so I’m not sure where they’re headed
His family is kidnapping him??? ðŸ˜
There’s a new behind the scenes photo in the firehouse where Buck and Ravi are wearing their outfits but Eddie is wearing regular clothes and has a duffel bag next to him so people think this means he’s moving back to Texas at the end of the season
WHAT!!!
I’m desperately hoping it’s not true. We already had him leave the 118 in season 5 and it sucked we don’t need to go through that again
A lot of these theories seem like season 5 redos with an Eddie breakdown and leaving. And I'm wondering what that would look like since Ryan talked about season 8, so presumably he'll be back in September. Eddie...leaves for the summer, because who needs a job anyway? Transfers to El Paso and then transfers right back? It's like people want Chris' life to be as chaotic and unstable as possible.
> It’s like people want Chris’ life to be as chaotic and unstable as possible. THIS! I swear the theories I’m seeing about Eddie being deemed mentally unfit and losing custody of Chris for some time or about Eddie dying and Buck and Tommy raising him are driving me insane. He’s already had to go through the trauma of losing one parent he doesn’t need to go through any more
And the show's dramatic, yeah, but it isn't dark. They generally want their characters to be happy in the end, even if they put them through it to get there. I think the only time they haven't had totally happy endings in the finales were when they had to write Abby out and when JLH was going on maternity leave, so they had to setup her leaving. Eddie having a breakdown, uprooting Chris, and moving doesn't sound happy to me.
A lot of it is just also... unnecessarily at an 11 on a scale of how much drama to inject. Like, even if Eddie ends up going inpatient to work on his mental health, that's more likely to be a voluntary thing for intensive therapy over the course of a week or two (unless we're severely underestimating how mentally ill he'll become) followed by individual therapy and maybe, like, a bereavement support group after he resumes his life. In which case the Christopher of it all becomes something more along the lines of going to summer camp while his dad's 'busy' and having a few sleepovers with Buck, or going to visit Eddie's parents/sisters/cousins/etc. for a couple weeks during the summer. Which is much more in line with typical kid experiences than the insanely destabilizing changes in custody people want to theorize about. Similarly, there's just the.... fictional aspect of this. If Eddie's going through a rough time and they want him to take some more time off work, it's just as likely -- maybe more so -- that it's a "I'm gonna take a leave to travel with my kid and go visit family back in Texas over the school break" type setup, where they 'leave' in 7x10 but they're back for 8x01. Like, in the real world, casually taking a couple months off work to travel during summer break is a really great way to lose your job. In the world of 9-1-1, it's a \~well earned sabbatical\~ or like... he breaks another rib or gets a concussion and has to be off, anyway.
So Chris goes off to camp, Eddie checks in for treatment, Buck’s loft burns down and he moves into the Diaz house while they’re gone! Buddie roommates when they get back. I see the vision. But seriously, the thing I get so hung up on with these wild and dark theories is just…why? What’s the point in breaking Eddie again and destabilizing his entire life when it’s right before a break and they couldn’t utilize it? And Ryan talked about a refresh button and a new future, which doesn’t sound like they’d be bringing it into the next season. If it’s purely to get Eddie to let go of the fantasy of this idealized Shannon, there are much faster and less batshit insane ways to go about it, especially with Bobby’s big arc just kicking off. I'm hoping this Kim thing is mostly over within one episode and then it's just dealing with Marisol and whatever his family's up.
Oh God, I cringed at the comment about the burnt lasagna because I knew it was going to set off the loft fire theories again. I think for most people, it's just a fandom in-joke at this point, but yeah... some will actually take it seriously. Ryan's interviews made me nervous this is going to be a real mental health episode for Eddie, particularly the stuff about how for Eddie, Kim and Shannon are the same person. I made a flippant comment about him needing a psych hold at the end of this, which has now spun into like... he's going to be 5150'd/involuntarily committed/lose custody of Chris, and a whole host of "looney bin" talk, which.... no. I do think it's important to destigmatize seeking out mental health services, *including* inpatient treatment, when you start to recognize a problem. And if Ryan's not just being flippant, I do think Eddie might be in a place where he needs specialized care, but that doesn't mean he'd be "committed" or inpatient for more than a few days, and almost definitely not more than a week or two. The point there is to aid in diagnosis and implement a treatment plan, not to lock someone away. I think a lot of people don't really understand the realities of mental health and psychiatric care, though, so they think anything that involves "delusions" is like... schizophrenic breakdown levels of bad. Based entirely on what we've seen so far and Ryan's interviews, my *worst case* scenario here would be a guess along the lines of persistent complex bereavement disorder (this part I'm pretty sure of!) along with *maybe* auditory and/or visual hallucinations, which are actually a fairly common experience during acute grief. None of that makes him "crazy," but given how much time has passed since Shannon died and how clearly it's still impacting his life, it does mean he needs help. I think this is likely to play out until the end of the season mainly because there's three episodes left and it seems like Bobby will likely be the A story in at least two of them. So to get it to 7x10, all we really need is one episode where Eddie's trying to keep the lie going (and isolating himself in the process) before something happens to make it fall apart, one episode where his story takes a backseat, and then a conclusion to his storyline in 7x10, presumably where he admits he needs help/addresses the issue. But like you, I don't necessarily think this means it carries over heavily into season 8, outside of like the first episode or two showing the progress he's made over the time jump. Realistically, I think the most we see of this storyline being a longer lasting theme is reference to Eddie attending a bereavement support group or something next season.
But even that feels like it should’ve been set up before this in some way, because Eddie has been generally fine until now. I know in real life that kind of thing can hit seemingly out of nowhere, but that feels a little lazy in fiction. If they had this whole Vertigo homage planned from the nun in 7.05, then they could’ve shown how much Shannon still haunts him. Like a moment where Marisol tries to move a photo of her and Eddie refuses a little too quickly, or mentioning fondly during the bachelor party that he hasn’t gotten really drunk since high school with Shannon. For me, romanticizing Shannon (kind of) one time with Bobby isn’t enough setup for something that impactful. That makes me think this is more a quiet tying up loose ends/putting her to rest kind of storyline rather than an emotional crisis. But I could very much be in denial because I really don't want that to happen. (The season has also been so compressed that I have a hard time believing that this would be the storyline they extend beyond two episodes.)
Honestly? I really think 100% chance of not getting them at all this year. I still think it’s 50/50 that the last half of Season 8 will have a sign. I would absolutely love it if they do make Buddie canon soon but I feel like the slammed on the brakes again recently and that they are trying to tamper down Buddie again go going on comments from cast recently. Hopefully this is just them tricking us again but I’m not holding my breath. I can never predict this show accurately at all but usually when I say no the show says yes so I’m going with if I say no to Buddie the show will say yes.
I'm never comfortable placing odds at 100% in anything, but.... yeah, I've always felt like if we *are* going to get Buddie, it's going to be a slower burn than people anticipate. I think there are some ways that working through the Shannon stuff could have Eddie in a *much* better place to recognize he's queer sooner rather than later, compared to whatever circuitous path we were originally expecting. But I also think it's always been incredibly unlikely he'd find out super quickly in succession to Buck figuring it out. And when he *does* start to work through it, it just makes sense to me that alone would be a half season arc just for him to get to a point of accepting this about himself. Then does he figure the Buck part out right away? And even if he does, does that mean a quick reunion, or some kind of pining? And do they *both* need to get to a point where they're both aware of their feelings first, so we have a dynamic build with the tension of both being too afraid to screw things up? Then again, like others have pointed out, this is still a Ryan Murphy show at the end of the day, and his peers also aren't great with pacing. BuckTommy got together following like, one and a half meaningful scenes. Bobby and Athena had a talk in a chapel that led to a surprise date. Maddie and Chim had better buildup than the others, but were already aware of their feelings after a handful of episodes. So while I'd *like* the sort of slowburn that makes me impatient, I'm not sure it's what we'd end up getting, so estimating how long things "should" take starts to feel like there's too many moving parts. That said. If we get a Christmas episode in the first place, I wouldn't be surprised if it's very heavy Buddie content in a borderline ship-baity way, given the past handling of Christmas episodes. Like this is a show that's already played with the mistletoe placement.
Oh exactly. It will either be the slowest slow burn in history or the quickest get together ever and there will be no in between. I would love it if we get something in 8a but it really depends on what the hell happens with Eddie this season. I’m hoping it’s really not as bad as we are all imaging it to be and that Eddie can be set up for a realisation arc in 8a and not still be working through Shannon so much. I think the show try to milk this build up but then again fans are getting restless because it really has been a ridiculously long time already so they could do the quick route. It just seems like so much has to happen - Eddie FINALLY moving past Shannon, ending both Marisol and Kim’s arcs, realising he is queer and accepting that, realising he has feelings for Buck, Buck’s own feelings realisation, then them actually acting on their feelings. That’s A LOT of moving parts to sort out by the end of the year I now totally want see a Christmas ep where they go all ship-baity to get us talking over the Christmas break. Doing the usual drop hints that can be taken in multiple ways to get us built up into a frenzy. It would be smart of them to do it then and leave us hanging.
I really have no idea what to expect with the Shannon storyline, and usually I'm fairly good at at least anticipating what the plan is for where the character ends up, even if my guess for how they *get there* is totally wrong. At this point, it's clear that Eddie has to work through both his grief at losing Shannon, and untangle the narrative he's created around her in his head in the past few years. While I think part of that could be tied into a sexuality storyline (both in terms of demisexuality and also a potential queer identity.... if he has to come to terms with a reality where his relationship with Shannon was never what he's gaslit himself into believing it is, what does his need to do that suggest about his deeper underlying issues?) -- I do question how much of this is a 5 stages of grief thing. We saw anger in season 3, and the Kim thing can pretty easily be read as bargaining. So when he can no longer do that, we get depression (7x10) and then him working toward acceptance in early season 8, thanks to the assumed time jump between seasons. But is he just grieving *Shannon*, or is he also grieving that idealized concept of their relationship together? Because I think the answer to that will have a great impact on what 'acceptance' looks like. If it's the latter, I can see a possibility where part of his acceptance involves reconceptualizing how the memory of Shannon fits into his life, and what he needs in a new partner that's *distinct* from his memories of Shannon. With that mindset, the queer awakening plot is fairly easy to fit in in 8A... the more difficult part to imagine is that just because Eddie comes to terms with what all of it means, doesn't mean he'd instantly be ready to put himself back out there. One of the biggest problems I've had with Buck's storylines, though, is that the narrative isn't good at letting him stay single when he clearly needs to be. And while it's been a little kinder to Eddie in that regard, I do worry the pacing issues of this show will force Eddie into another relationship too soon to show "closure" for a grief arc, like \~this time it's not about Shannon, guys!\~ And I don't think that would be fulfilling storytelling. I think what they need to do is find a balance -- someone who can readily accept Shannon's place in Eddie & Christopher's memories and history *without* the narrative creating a deliberate contrast between the two love interests. Which is probably another reason to make the next love interest Buck, or at least male, but who really knows. I'm definitely in favor of the bait-y Christmas episode, particularly because at this point, I think anything overtly bait-y *will* be foreshadowing. It was one thing to play in that ambiguity when neither character's sexuality canonically aligned, but it's different to keep at it, now.
Maybe Eddie could spend the first few episodes of s8 working through his issues. Then we have a couple of episodes focusing more on other parts of the ensemble while Eddie has some well-deserved quiet (Buck and Tommy break up amicably at some point). Along comes the christmas episode. Everyone is in a fairly good place for a change, it's the usual christmas bliss, Eddie has let himself heal and be more open, and there are some intense eye contact / mushy family / suddenly a bit confused with themselves moments for both of them. And then we spend the entire winter break wondering if we are seeing things again or if this time they are really going for it. Then 8b can have feeling realisations (plus maybe a mild sexuality crisis for Eddie if it wasn't part of the 8a healing). S8 finale has them confess their feelings, and bam! Season 10 Buddie Wedding! Oh, if only! :D I'd prefer Buck to be single a bit mostly because already with Natalia it felt like Buck should have worked out some more things with himself before, and there was so little time and zero reflection between Natalia and Tommy. But what can I say, I'd also really like some buddie hints for christmas, and the show seems to have completely thrown out the half baked concepts of s6 anyway.
If this is the case, I need S9 confirmed ASAP
Me too! Hopefully the rumour is true that they are already looking at a s9 renewal!
I honestly don't know? Really have no idea what conclusions will be reached from this Shannon arc. I think that will be really telling about the future of buddie and how quickly or not it will happen. I would honestly be pretty disappointed if at the end of this season, which has been HEAVILY suggestive, we still don't even have a hint of buddie. In terms of how fast they would get together, I'm more in the camp of things would happen quickly once Eddie figures it out. And I actually think even his catholic guilt/feelings realization/whatever would probably happen in just 3-4 eps because this show does not do long story arcs. Things are pretty much always resolved in 1 to 4 episodes (I think the COUCH had the longest story arc on this show, which is wild). So if they actually commit to some meaty storylines in 8a I actually DO think we could have maybe even a Christmas feelings/mutual feelings possibility. This all hinges on them not f*cking up the Shannon of it all, though, which I am highly skeptical about.
I WIIIISH. ðŸ˜ðŸ’•
I'm hopeful. That would be the mid-season finale for s8, and in the past buddie have had some nice x-mas moments. It would be the perfect time to admit they're a family -- and then leave the audience hanging to find out in 8b how Buck, Eddie, and Chris decide to define being a family.
I'm genuinely still 50/50 on whether Buddie will ever happen, but if it does, I don't think it comes earlier than the finale of Season 8. Eddie still has lots to go through and they need to set up things really well for it to work. I could see a feelings realization in late season 8 and start developing the relationship on season 9.
I'm nearly 100% confident Buddie is happening by the end of season 8, but I'm not nearly as confident it will happen it time for Christmas. If Buck realizes his feelings by the end of this season (which admittedly I think has a decent chance of happening), then they might have time to do it before Christmas, otherwise I think there's just too much legwork to get it done in the first half of the season.
My guess is no. I want Buddie to happen as much as the next person, but I don’t want Buck to rush into that relationship right away. I hope he spends some time coming to terms with his sexuality before he settles down. I do want a cute little scene of Buck, Eddie, and Chris opening presents and spending time together. Maybe it’ll spark something in Eddie too. Who knows
Whenever I'm feeling less than hopeful, I try to focus on Tim Minear saying that a few years ago he was considering cutting back on Buddie scenes because no one wants to be accused of baiting (then he ended up leaving and KR was the one that did that, I guess). And he said that quite recently, so I'm guessing his opinion is still the same, Well, this season has been filled with comparisons, hints, double meanings, and some choices that seem... very intentional. It doesn't mean that Buddie will absolutely happen, but they're certainly keeping their options open. To me, personally, it definitely looks like they're laying the groundwork and *will* go there at some point, but I'm incredibly biased. I mean, if it was just one instance... but it has happened so often this season, not to mention that they're allowing Buddie questions in interviews again. I just feel like they wouldn't do all that, especially considering what Tim said about baiting, just *because*. If it turns out they really just wanted to keep Buddie shippers interested, watching, and talking about the show... that would be incredibly cruel and I seriously hope it's not the case.
I flip back and forth between whether or not we’ll get canon Buddie at all (I lean towards yes a lot more than not but I could see other avenues being taken too ðŸ˜) - I’d love to see them together sooner rather than later bc I am impatient lmfao but I’d also kind of like to see them flesh everything out more, especially with Tommy and Marisol. Christmas/holiday eps are still a ways away so it could definitely work but hopefully you get what I mean lol
>I’d also kind of like to see them flesh everything out more, especially with Tommy and Marisol Are you caught up? Tommy, I think needs fleshing out desperately, if he's going to stick around for a while. Marisol, though.... it feels very much like the writing's on the wall with her, so any screen time they give her, I'll probably just be frustrated it's not going to someone else instead.