Pick Up the Pieces and Build a Lego House (2x08: Buck, Actually)

Han: 00:00:01

Have you ever watched something that completely rewired your brain chemistry?

Syl: 00:00:05

A procedural network drama might not be your usual pick, but it's ours.

Rachel: 00:00:10

This is the Buddy System, a 911 deep dive podcast hosted by three friends who have DMed each other enough character dissertations to earn a PhD in media literacy.

Han: 00:00:22

I'm Han, coming to you straight from the characters heads.

Syl: 00:00:25

I'm Syl, bringing you to the observation deck.

Rachel: 00:00:28

And I'm Rachel, connecting the dots with my red string.

Han: 00:00:31

With our powers combined, no stone is.

Rachel: 00:00:34

Left unturned and no buddy is left behind.

Han: 00:00:40

This episode brought to you by Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish.

Han: 00:00:44

Welcome to Dispatch.

Han: 00:00:45

What's on call this week?

Syl: 00:00:47

th,: 2018

Syl: 00:01:01

Oh, November 5th.

Rachel: 00:01:03

I know.

Rachel: 00:01:05

Triggered.

Rachel: 00:01:06

This is before that.

Rachel: 00:01:09

November 5th.

Rachel: 00:01:10

Okay.

Rachel: 00:01:11

By two years.

Rachel: 00:01:12

We haven't gotten there yet, but soon.

Rachel: 00:01:18

Yeah, every time.

Rachel: 00:01:20

Just triggered.

Rachel: 00:01:23

We had four calls of the week.

Rachel: 00:01:25

The first one was See me Norman, where a woman goes to extreme measures on top of a freeway overpass to get her husband's attention and imploring him to see her.

Rachel: 00:01:37

The next one is, to borrow Athena's phrasing, Bonnie and Clyde meet dumb and dumber, where a pair of bumbling thieves idea of a date of robbing a gas station gets thwarted.

Rachel: 00:01:52

The next one is till tree bark do we part, where a newlywed couple gets into a car accident that veered off the road and crashed into a tree, trapping them both.

Rachel: 00:02:02

And then the last one we see in this episode is up but make it gay or less depressingly from sage Hannah Montana, life's what you make it.

Rachel: 00:02:13

And in this one, an elderly couple prepare for a day of making new memories when their car, left in neutral, rolls down their driveway, trapping one of the two men.

Rachel: 00:02:23

And his husband gets to have a moment before he also passes away, which is really sad.

Rachel: 00:02:31

What a great way to.

Han: 00:02:33

It makes me cry every time it does.

Han: 00:02:36

Before we get into that, today is a special episode because we have our very first guest, my friend, Meg.

Han: 00:02:43

Yay.

Meg: 00:02:44

Hi.

Rachel: 00:02:46

Yay.

Syl: 00:02:47

Yay.

Rachel: 00:02:48

Welcome.

Han: 00:02:49

She begged me to watch the show for so many years.

Meg: 00:02:52

So many years.

Meg: 00:02:53

You're welcome.

Han: 00:02:54

And I finally started it five months ago.

Han: 00:02:57

And she's not bitter about that at all.

Meg: 00:02:59

Yeah, I absolutely love that.

Meg: 00:03:01

I've been watching.

Meg: 00:03:01

I've been watching this show since it.

Meg: 00:03:03

Since it premiered.

Meg: 00:03:04

And I have been alone in the trenches.

Han: 00:03:07

Oh, man.

Meg: 00:03:08

In the buddy trenches for so long.

Meg: 00:03:10

And I kept begging hand to watch the gay firefighter show, and she just wouldn't.

Meg: 00:03:16

And then all of a sudden, she's watching it and then there's a podcast.

Meg: 00:03:19

I'm like, oh, my God.

Meg: 00:03:22

It went literally, it seemed, from one day to the next.

Meg: 00:03:25

I think in our.

Meg: 00:03:26

In our DMs.

Meg: 00:03:27

You can see I'm not going to watch it until the two guys that you want to get together are going to get together.

Meg: 00:03:33

And then, hey, guys, do you think Buddy System is a good name for a podcast?

Meg: 00:03:38

Like, it was literally that.

Meg: 00:03:41

That fast.

Meg: 00:03:43

And yeah, I think it's great that I started watching the show because the other I wanted hot firefighters, and the other shows were too sad.

Meg: 00:03:52

Like, Chicago Fire was just too depressing.

Meg: 00:03:55

And then they had to watch seven different series in order to keep up with it, pretty much.

Meg: 00:04:00

And I was like, this will be so lighthearted.

Meg: 00:04:02

And now, eight seasons later, we thought.

Han: 00:04:06

Oh, my gosh, they gaslit you hard.

Rachel: 00:04:09

You've been putting in the work.

Meg: 00:04:13

This is my respite from DESDL hell.

Meg: 00:04:16

And how did I jump from the frying pan to the fire.

Rachel: 00:04:22

Can never escape.

Meg: 00:04:23

Anyways, hi.

Meg: 00:04:24

I'm so excited.

Han: 00:04:26

But hey, you only had to wait seven seasons instead of 15.

Han: 00:04:29

And then they, like, they didn't even kill Buck after he came out.

Meg: 00:04:33

Mm, yeah, they did.

Meg: 00:04:36

I mean.

Han: 00:04:36

I mean, they killed him beforehand, but they didn't kill him after.

Meg: 00:04:39

He's just mostly dead.

Rachel: 00:04:41

No, mostly dead means partly alive.

Han: 00:04:45

Oh, my God.

Han: 00:04:47

So what does everyone think about this episode in particular?

Rachel: 00:04:51

Like, it's really funny because the first two calls of this week, like, are such a different tone than the last two, and it really, like, kind of transitions mid episode.

Rachel: 00:05:05

Yeah, it was interesting to see kind of like this transition, this, like, switch in tone of at least the calls.

Rachel: 00:05:13

Everything else was still kind of a little more lighthearted where it pertained to our characters a little bit.

Rachel: 00:05:21

And I think that really shows some of the kind of, like, optimism and starting anew that we were kind of looking into in the last maybe couple episodes as well, I think.

Han: 00:05:36

I mean, it's a buck centric episode, so I like it.

Han: 00:05:39

I don't.

Han: 00:05:39

I don't know what else to say about it.

Meg: 00:05:43

I think it's actually such a great Buck episode though, too.

Meg: 00:05:47

And I think you can really see him go from passively participating in his life and from trying to find love and quote, unquote, be a grownup and stuff, to actually actively kind of pursuing it.

Meg: 00:06:01

After the call with Thomas and Mitchell, when Mitchell tells Him you don't like, love doesn't like this doesn't find you.

Meg: 00:06:09

You make it.

Meg: 00:06:11

And that's when he's like, he decides, oh, I don't have to just continue doing what I was afraid of.

Meg: 00:06:18

Going back and going back to buck 1.0.

Meg: 00:06:21

I can actually start becoming an active participant in trying to find what I'm looking for.

Meg: 00:06:27

And I feel like from this point on, he really just continues to do that more and more throughout the series.

Meg: 00:06:35

So I liked it because I love Buck.

Han: 00:06:39

We all love bucking.

Meg: 00:06:43

I think that's why I get to be a guest.

Rachel: 00:06:48

Not a requirement.

Han: 00:06:49

We're not letting people on this podcast who do not like Buck.

Han: 00:06:53

So.

Han: 00:06:54

Sorry.

Han: 00:06:54

What are.

Han: 00:06:55

What are you doing here?

Han: 00:06:56

Very confused.

Rachel: 00:06:58

Why are you watching the show if you don't like Buck?

Han: 00:07:01

Well, yeah, because he's very.

Han: 00:07:03

Main character syndrome.

Han: 00:07:04

Like, it is ensemble.

Han: 00:07:05

But anyway.

Han: 00:07:07

So what are your thoughts?

Syl: 00:07:09

I really like him.

Syl: 00:07:11

Like, I really like Buck.

Syl: 00:07:12

Like, try to grapple with, like, how he doesn't want to become buck 1.0 and like, and like, I guess his, like, journey throughout and like, trying to figure out what, what he really wants in a relationship and trying to pursue that.

Han: 00:07:28

Yeah.

Han: 00:07:29

It's nice when he tries to do things for himself instead of just constantly being the puppy that is trying to help everyone else.

Meg: 00:07:38

Well, and I think realizing that he deserves to have that love and he deserves to have that love story and have more than bathroom hookups and being abandoned by his first serious relationship.

Meg: 00:07:53

And I do love that he.

Meg: 00:07:54

He took the step to be like, okay, this is not healthy for me.

Meg: 00:07:58

Yeah, this is not good for me.

Meg: 00:08:00

And move out of the apartment that he's been haunting, I think.

Han: 00:08:03

Haunting.

Meg: 00:08:04

Talking about last week.

Rachel: 00:08:06

Yeah.

Meg: 00:08:07

And grow up in a lot of ways.

Meg: 00:08:11

Because he's still very, very young.

Meg: 00:08:12

I think he's like 27 or something at this point in the show.

Meg: 00:08:17

And I just, I don't know.

Meg: 00:08:19

This is.

Meg: 00:08:19

This is a favorite Buck episode of mine.

Meg: 00:08:21

Just because it's a huge step for his character now.

Meg: 00:08:25

If only he stops referring to himself as 1 point and 3 point.

Meg: 00:08:30

I think he's on like 6.7 now.

Rachel: 00:08:35

He might be.

Han: 00:08:36

You have to have the patches.

Han: 00:08:37

Okay.

Han: 00:08:38

Sometimes you can upgrade and you're like, there's some bugs, so you gotta work out some of the kinks.

Meg: 00:08:44

Each season he changes.

Meg: 00:08:46

So.

Han: 00:08:47

Oh, my God, that's called growth.

Rachel: 00:08:50

So many software updates.

Rachel: 00:08:52

But yeah, I think this episode is so great.

Rachel: 00:08:58

And why it's such a, like, widespread favorite because it has wide reaching implications.

Rachel: 00:09:06

For so much of the show going forward.

Rachel: 00:09:10

So much for the characters going forward.

Rachel: 00:09:12

We also see, you know, like the beginning of Maddie with Maddy and Chimney and that, you know, Maddeny begins.

Rachel: 00:09:21

Yeah, it is Maddy begins.

Rachel: 00:09:24

It sets up a lot for the characters, like just moving forward that we still kind of see the, like, it's the foundation for what we see going forward.

Han: 00:09:33

Shall we get into deep dive Showa?

Han: 00:09:40

We're gonna need the Jaws of Life over here.

Rachel: 00:09:43

We found a couple articles, each of us.

Han: 00:09:45

Yeah.

Han: 00:09:46

So there is this interview with Oliver and Paste magazine talking about like season two.

Han: 00:09:55

I think he was getting interviewed like in season two B at this point or like the start of it.

Han: 00:10:00

So, like there's some very vague answers about what's going to happen there.

Han: 00:10:05

But there were a couple things that I really liked him talking about his character in particular.

Han: 00:10:11

And since this is, you know, a Buck centric episode, I thought I would read one of the answers.

Han: 00:10:17

You should read the article.

Han: 00:10:19

Because then there's, you know, stuff about him personally that I find interesting.

Han: 00:10:23

But like, our show is not about Oliver Stark.

Han: 00:10:26

So sorry.

Han: 00:10:29

It's about the character.

Rachel: 00:10:30

So sorry.

Meg: 00:10:31

I'm leav.

Han: 00:10:34

He's leaving, he's saying.

Han: 00:10:36

But I'm also here.

Han: 00:10:39

So the interviewer asked, tell me a little bit more about creating Buck.

Han: 00:10:43

Because on paper he could have been, you know, a character we've seen a lot before.

Han: 00:10:47

Like a good, good looking guy gets like a ladies man, whatever.

Han: 00:10:50

But he's become so much more than that.

Han: 00:10:52

And Oliver said, I wouldn't say I did any more than what was on the page.

Han: 00:10:55

I think they wrote this part that was very much three dimensional.

Han: 00:10:58

He had this journey to go on.

Han: 00:11:00

By starting him in the pilot episode in this place, it was a foundation so we could move forward from it.

Han: 00:11:05

It's a real joy to get to play because I honestly don't feel like there are many characters where in one moment he gets to be the swashbuckling hero.

Han: 00:11:11

The fuck kind of verbiage is that?

Han: 00:11:13

The swashbuckling hero.

Han: 00:11:14

And then in the next he gets to be really sensitive and really vulnerable.

Han: 00:11:18

And I think that it's really important to show young people that you can be both at the same time.

Han: 00:11:21

You can be confident and have a certain swagger and you can also be really emotional and cry.

Han: 00:11:25

And that's all okay to be in one person.

Han: 00:11:27

It's really something of an honor to play this character.

Rachel: 00:11:30

Aw.

Rachel: 00:11:32

So what a cancer response though.

Han: 00:11:35

I know.

Han: 00:11:37

Yeah, it really is.

Han: 00:11:40

And then I have another article from the Pop Culturalist.

Han: 00:11:45

An interview.

Han: 00:11:46

I think it's probably around the same time he's talking about buck 1.0 for 2.0, so.

Han: 00:11:51

And I thought that was very relevant for where we are throughout your character's arc.

Han: 00:11:56

We see him toe the line between buck 1.0 and 2.0 as an actor.

Han: 00:12:00

What's more fun to explore Buck's progression or regression, which I think is also relevant right now in season eight.

Han: 00:12:08

Oliver said, the progression, for sure, it's always nice to start in that kind of one pointed position, but to have been able to grow out of that and grow with the story has been really lovely.

Han: 00:12:17

On the flip side of that, nobody is perfect.

Han: 00:12:18

Every now and and then, Buck slips back into the past, but that's because he's human.

Han: 00:12:23

Getting the chance to play both tells a more authentic story.

Han: 00:12:26

I like this one too.

Han: 00:12:28

What's been the most surprising part of Buck's journey for you?

Han: 00:12:31

And he said, to be honest, when I took the job, I didn't really know anything.

Han: 00:12:35

It's all come as a lovely surprise.

Han: 00:12:37

I've enjoyed playing through the arc, for sure, but also, I think the way that the goodbye with Abby was handled was surprising.

Han: 00:12:43

I really liked that it ended with Buck being the one to find the strength to walk away from it instead of having her send a letter back and breaking up with him.

Han: 00:12:50

It was an empowering moment for him, which I totally agree with.

Rachel: 00:12:54

Oh, yeah.

Rachel: 00:12:56

He needed to be able to do that on his own.

Han: 00:13:00

Yeah.

Han: 00:13:01

And then one more thing from this one.

Han: 00:13:03

We should have talked about this in the episode Stuck.

Han: 00:13:05

Oh, well, sorry.

Han: 00:13:06

This is what you missed on Glee.

Han: 00:13:10

Each episode teaches a life lesson which has resonated with you the most and why.

Han: 00:13:14

And Oliver said it'd be the stuck episode.

Han: 00:13:16

It was a reminder that everybody has stuff they're dealing with.

Han: 00:13:18

Mine will be different from yours and yours from the next person.

Han: 00:13:21

Most of the time, though, we're all stuck in our own little worlds and dealing with our own issues.

Han: 00:13:25

It's important to remember to always be kind to each other because we're all going through something.

Rachel: 00:13:29

Ooh.

Meg: 00:13:30

Aw, I love that.

Syl: 00:13:33

So down to earth, right?

Syl: 00:13:35

Mm.

Han: 00:13:36

When he's not being a menace, when.

Syl: 00:13:38

He'S not being mean.

Meg: 00:13:40

As long as you're not boring.

Han: 00:13:45

Imagine them asking him a question that he's like, sorry, that's boring.

Han: 00:13:48

Next.

Rachel: 00:13:50

Just like, no, Next question.

Han: 00:13:52

Just no.

Syl: 00:13:53

Or, sorry, I wasn't supposed to be mean, but.

Han: 00:13:58

Sorry, I forgot I wasn't supposed to be mean.

Rachel: 00:14:00

The snark jumps out, and he's like, oh, gosh, sorry about that.

Rachel: 00:14:03

Yeah, I forgot to turn the dial back on.

Han: 00:14:07

I highly recommend both of these articles just because I love hearing him talk about the character.

Han: 00:14:12

Because this is gonna sound like a no duh.

Han: 00:14:15

Like, he should, because he plays the character, but he really gets the character.

Han: 00:14:19

Yes.

Han: 00:14:20

Because some actors don't, like.

Han: 00:14:24

I think he understands the fact that characters are an amalgamation of not just what he does or the words on the page.

Rachel: 00:14:31

Like, it's very collaborative.

Han: 00:14:33

Exactly.

Rachel: 00:14:34

I think so, too.

Rachel: 00:14:36

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:14:36

I really love getting to read what these actors have talked about their characters, you know, going back in the archives and reading past articles, because it's just, like, so kind of refreshing to see how, like, in tune they are with their characters.

Rachel: 00:14:58

Especially, like, Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman.

Rachel: 00:15:00

I have a couple article.

Rachel: 00:15:01

Well, it's really one, but it also references another article, so.

Rachel: 00:15:05

And it's from the day that this episode aired.

Rachel: 00:15:10

And it's from TV Insider.

Rachel: 00:15:12

It's called 911 star Oliver Stark Talks Buck's Love Life and Saying Goodbye to Abby.

Rachel: 00:15:18

And there's a couple quotes from here as well.

Rachel: 00:15:22

One of the questions was, single Buck is now a little bit awkward in the dating field.

Rachel: 00:15:26

Is it fun to play that?

Rachel: 00:15:28

And he talks about how, you know, some it.

Rachel: 00:15:31

It is awkward to dip your toe back into that.

Rachel: 00:15:34

Into those waters.

Rachel: 00:15:35

And it's much to the amusement of the characters around him because they remember him as this kind of, like, gung ho, almost womanizing guy, whereas now he's a lot more settled and mature.

Rachel: 00:15:46

But I think this was a similar quote to one of the ones that you shared, Han.

Rachel: 00:15:50

He thinks it's much more human and something that we can all relate to.

Rachel: 00:15:54

It's kind of come full circle, but it's also a new chapter for him at the same time.

Rachel: 00:15:58

And then the next question was about his relationship with Taylor Kelly.

Rachel: 00:16:06

Like, what was.

Rachel: 00:16:07

What was his reaction to the script when he read that?

Rachel: 00:16:09

And when he said he was a little taken aback, like, oh, are we just going back to old Buck?

Rachel: 00:16:15

They said they assured him that that wasn't going to be the case.

Rachel: 00:16:18

But it was kind of interesting to me that he was like, the process.

Rachel: 00:16:21

Wait, are they doing this?

Rachel: 00:16:23

Like, excuse me, I worked so hard.

Rachel: 00:16:26

Probably this is me projecting.

Rachel: 00:16:28

And he said, it's kind of a point of pushing Buck to the cusp of being season one Buck and seeing then what decision he's going to make.

Rachel: 00:16:37

It's important to test your characters and find out who they really are to put them back into a possible relationship.

Rachel: 00:16:44

Is a nice way to see if the impact of his relationship with Abby has been long lasting or if he's going to fall back into old patterns.

Rachel: 00:16:52

And I think that also plays into one of the themes for this episode as well.

Rachel: 00:16:58

He also said when asked what else he wants to see for Buck in this season, he said, I think we've seen him put on a mask and be this thing that maybe he didn't need to be in season one.

Rachel: 00:17:08

So moving forward, he wants to see him, like, continuing to grow.

Rachel: 00:17:12

And Oliver said that he finds a lot of or found a lot of himself in Buck and a lot of Buck in himself.

Rachel: 00:17:21

So it's really quite therapeutic character to play.

Han: 00:17:24

I was just gonna say there's like an elaboration of that kind of answer, like talking someone specifically in one of the articles that I mentioned, like, asked him about how he relates to the character.

Han: 00:17:34

And there's like two paragraphs.

Rachel: 00:17:37

That's those in your articles.

Rachel: 00:17:40

Those are like really good questions.

Rachel: 00:17:42

I want to.

Rachel: 00:17:43

Yeah, I want to read them a little more later.

Rachel: 00:17:45

And then he was asked about, you know, the.

Rachel: 00:17:49

The bromance between Buck and Eddie is the fan favorite bromance.

Rachel: 00:17:54

What do you think about the reaction viewers had to it?

Rachel: 00:17:56

You know, reporters ask this or journalists ask this all the time.

Rachel: 00:18:00

And, you know, so he said that he is very glad that it's a sign that people are invested in the show, invested in the characters, and he feels like all firefighters have to have to trust the person next to you with your life.

Rachel: 00:18:13

And there's a certain kinship that comes out of that.

Rachel: 00:18:15

And that's also in response to, I think the same journalist asked Ryan a couple weeks prior pretty much the same question.

Rachel: 00:18:25

And Ryan Guzman gave about the same answer.

Rachel: 00:18:29

Ryan said that they didn't expect that, that it was going to grow to where it is now, but they're very pleased with it.

Rachel: 00:18:37

So just one of those things where they keep asking them, like, didn't expect this kind of bromance.

Rachel: 00:18:44

What do you think of it?

Rachel: 00:18:45

And that's like the professional journalism journalists way of asking about shipping without really asking about shipping.

Han: 00:18:54

Yeah.

Meg: 00:18:55

It's so funny to think about those, like, very PR answers that both of them were giving to the bromance.

Meg: 00:19:01

And I don't know why the bromance.

Han: 00:19:03

Just that I fucking hate romance.

Rachel: 00:19:05

Word needs to kind of die.

Meg: 00:19:06

Yeah, it's.

Meg: 00:19:07

I'm not.

Meg: 00:19:08

I don't like it, like, anyway.

Meg: 00:19:10

ng those answers from back in: 2018

Meg: 00:19:16

And the show was a little Bit less secure in its future.

Meg: 00:19:21

And there's so much more kind of diplomatic about what they were saying to now.

Meg: 00:19:26

It's.

Meg: 00:19:27

It's.

Meg: 00:19:27

There's so much more unhinged.

Meg: 00:19:30

Oliver and Ryan.

Rachel: 00:19:33

Yeah.

Meg: 00:19:37

And there's like, there's no subtlety anymore from journalists.

Meg: 00:19:42

So they're practically like, hey, when are you guys gonna.

Meg: 00:19:44

When, when are they gonna fuck, guys?

Rachel: 00:19:49

And like, some of it.

Rachel: 00:19:53

Some of it, I think is a question of, you know, how far we as a society have.

Rachel: 00:19:58

Have gotten to, like, fandom being pushed into the mainstream, which I think it really has in the last, like, just handful of years.

Rachel: 00:20:08

So I think that plays a.

Han: 00:20:09

When everyone stuck in their houses for a year.

Rachel: 00:20:12

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:20:13

And everybody was like, what is there to do?

Rachel: 00:20:16

And then everybody joined fandoms because, like.

Han: 00:20:18

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:20:20

What else do you do with your life?

Rachel: 00:20:22

Like, I don't know.

Han: 00:20:24

We wouldn't know.

Rachel: 00:20:26

Couldn't be us.

Han: 00:20:27

Do you have more from that article?

Han: 00:20:29

Because I have a couple things from a.

Han: 00:20:32

Like a YouTube video interview.

Han: 00:20:34

I think it's from the.

Han: 00:20:35

From Paley Fest.

Rachel: 00:20:36

Oh.

Rachel: 00:20:37

And not the recent.

Han: 00:20:38

So there were a couple things.

Han: 00:20:40

No, from seeing the back.

Han: 00:20:42

Season two, back in the day.

Han: 00:20:43

I'll link it so you guys can watch it.

Han: 00:20:45

It's only like four or five minutes.

Han: 00:20:47

But there's a couple interesting things where, like, he says that, like, the audience was not receptive to the new love interest that the show is trying to introduce.

Han: 00:20:58

So, like, Taylor and Ally, because they were really invested in Abby and I.

Han: 00:21:02

Meg, I need you to explain this to me, please.

Meg: 00:21:04

A lot of people really invested in Abby or the whole thing.

Meg: 00:21:08

Okay, so fun story.

Meg: 00:21:09

No.

Han: 00:21:10

Why were they invested in Abby?

Han: 00:21:11

Because, like, I mean, currently, and I'm in a fandom space, but people were invested in that relationship.

Meg: 00:21:18

You're looking at it from.

Meg: 00:21:20

You already know.

Meg: 00:21:21

You know what she did.

Meg: 00:21:22

You know how she left things with Buck.

Meg: 00:21:25

At the time when we were watching it, we weren't sure whether at season one ends, we weren't sure whether Connie Britton was come.

Meg: 00:21:32

Was coming back or not.

Meg: 00:21:34

Like, that wasn't sure.

Meg: 00:21:36

We didn't know how they were going to handle that situation.

Meg: 00:21:39

I actually was a little annoyed about Abby and Buck.

Meg: 00:21:42

Not because I didn't like Abby, because I actually did like Abby until she did her stuff.

Meg: 00:21:48

I wanted her and Bobby to get together.

Rachel: 00:21:52

Oh, my God, I love that face that you made.

Han: 00:21:56

Did you listen to the episode where we talked about that?

Meg: 00:21:58

I did not, actually.

Rachel: 00:22:00

I.

Rachel: 00:22:01

I'm so glad you said that.

Rachel: 00:22:03

We were so, like, she came.

Meg: 00:22:06

We were like, again, this was watching live.

Rachel: 00:22:09

Is this a vibe?

Rachel: 00:22:10

Like, are they trying.

Rachel: 00:22:11

Are they trying to make.

Han: 00:22:12

No.

Han: 00:22:12

So we were picking up on that vibe, and we were like, this is weird.

Meg: 00:22:17

Like, when they met in.

Han: 00:22:18

Like, what are they trying to do?

Meg: 00:22:19

Yeah, when they met in the firehouse.

Meg: 00:22:21

And again, you guys watched all of it, kind of all developing, and you binged it.

Meg: 00:22:26

And I think this is what's so interesting about the difference between binging stuff and watching it live and not really knowing where it's going, watching it back.

Meg: 00:22:34

I'm like, e.

Meg: 00:22:35

Why.

Meg: 00:22:36

Why would I ever do that to Bobby?

Meg: 00:22:38

But, like, Bobby and Athena.

Meg: 00:22:40

Bobby and Athena was such a huge surprise when we were watching the show because I just.

Meg: 00:22:46

It was not something that was really.

Meg: 00:22:48

Didn't interact a whole lot yet, and it wasn't something that was really on the radar.

Rachel: 00:22:53

They didn't put a lot of breadcrumbs in there.

Meg: 00:22:55

Yeah, pretty much.

Meg: 00:22:57

Taylor and Allie, I think Oliver Stark then attributed to people being really interested or invested in Abby.

Meg: 00:23:04

And I think that's true to an extent, because a lot of people really did like their relationship and liked the growth that Buck went through as a result to this relationship.

Meg: 00:23:14

Even though I say it a million times, Abby did not follow the campsite rule, and it makes me angry all the time.

Han: 00:23:23

Clean up.

Meg: 00:23:24

When you leave, you're supposed to leave it better than when you came.

Meg: 00:23:27

You're not supposed to break it, but.

Rachel: 00:23:32

Oh, no.

Meg: 00:23:33

Yeah.

Meg: 00:23:33

By this point in season two, I for sure was all in on Buck and Eddie.

Meg: 00:23:41

Like, I was.

Meg: 00:23:42

As.

Meg: 00:23:42

As soon as Eddie showed up, as soon as they played what a Man.

Han: 00:23:45

And did this, like, sexy scroll, something shifted.

Han: 00:23:50

I was.

Meg: 00:23:51

Yeah.

Meg: 00:23:51

And I was like, God damn it.

Meg: 00:23:52

I was trying to escape the Destiel.

Meg: 00:23:57

Never gonna happen.

Meg: 00:23:59

Pain ship.

Meg: 00:24:01

And here we are again.

Meg: 00:24:03

But it was really similar to the kind of toxic stuff that we would see with the Supernatural fandom of just not liking women.

Meg: 00:24:11

Yeah.

Meg: 00:24:13

And there's a lot of conflation.

Meg: 00:24:14

Like, I liked Taylor as an antagonist.

Meg: 00:24:17

I don't really like her as a love interest, but that's because I don't like Taylor.

Meg: 00:24:22

That's because I don't like her as a person.

Rachel: 00:24:25

I love to hate her.

Rachel: 00:24:26

Yeah.

Meg: 00:24:26

Yeah, exactly.

Meg: 00:24:27

Like, she.

Meg: 00:24:28

Like when the thing with Dost that episode when she was just like, well, I was gonna do all of it.

Meg: 00:24:34

I was like, I was gonna air all this stuff, and I was like, okay, I want to see you be a bad guy.

Meg: 00:24:42

And I think she'd been really interesting in that role.

Rachel: 00:24:44

Yeah.

Meg: 00:24:46

And Ally was more just not liking that it wasn't Buck and Eddie.

Meg: 00:24:52

And I think the Buddy fandom has been kind of feral for a very long time, and it's just.

Meg: 00:24:59

It has really reached a boiling point since season seven.

Meg: 00:25:05

I don't know why.

Rachel: 00:25:08

No reason could mean nothing but, like.

Meg: 00:25:11

Retroactively seeing how Ally treats Buck is a reason.

Meg: 00:25:16

I'm not thrilled with her.

Meg: 00:25:17

I didn't have it.

Meg: 00:25:18

I didn't have an issue with her until she was like, oh, this thing.

Meg: 00:25:21

I knew you did.

Meg: 00:25:22

Now, I don't like.

Rachel: 00:25:23

Yeah, yeah.

Han: 00:25:24

You know, I think the, Like, I understood the general audience not being super interested in Taylor or Ali because, like, they very obviously, like, don't seem like great fits or, like, that they met in a way that you'd be like, yes, I want these people to get together.

Han: 00:25:38

But it was just the fact that he was like, oh.

Han: 00:25:41

And the audience got so into the Abby Buck relationship, and it was really great.

Han: 00:25:44

And I was like, I need Meg to explain this to me.

Meg: 00:25:48

And I think that was just.

Meg: 00:25:50

Again, I think that was just kind of what Oliver.

Han: 00:25:52

Watching it live.

Meg: 00:25:54

Watching it live and kind of what Buck and Eddie, the fans were very much into it in a lot of ways, but it was still very.

Meg: 00:26:04

Keep it away from the cast.

Han: 00:26:05

Keep it like the Red were in that era.

Han: 00:26:09

Right.

Meg: 00:26:09

The Reddit thread would downvote any conversation that you'd have about it and stuff like that.

Meg: 00:26:14

Um, and I think.

Meg: 00:26:16

I think for a lot of people, not liking Taylor and Allie is more.

Meg: 00:26:18

Because they just.

Meg: 00:26:19

The writers do not seem to know how to integrate no other characters into the ensemble in this ensemble, which is so surprising because Maddie and Eddie are not original cast members, and they.

Meg: 00:26:35

They went in so seamlessly, and I think it's because they weren't putting them in there to be a love interest.

Rachel: 00:26:41

Mm.

Meg: 00:26:43

And I think that's kind of where it really falters, and it does that with all of the love interests that weren't a part of it already, because it doesn't.

Rachel: 00:26:52

I guess, kind of.

Rachel: 00:26:53

They don't establish them as fully fleshed out enough characters on their own before they chuck them in as a love interest.

Rachel: 00:27:02

Like, you could say, because they introduced Tommy.

Rachel: 00:27:04

They introduced Anna before.

Rachel: 00:27:06

Well, I think Anna was, like, with purpose, but.

Han: 00:27:09

But you're not invested in them as, like, an individual character.

Rachel: 00:27:12

Yeah.

Han: 00:27:13

Before they are introduced as a love interest.

Han: 00:27:16

But anyway, let me finish so we can move on.

Meg: 00:27:20

That's my explanation.

Rachel: 00:27:22

I love fandom history.

Han: 00:27:24

Thank you.

Han: 00:27:24

I really appreciate it.

Han: 00:27:26

That makes sense that Bobby, Abby, Lore Drop was.

Meg: 00:27:33

It was the thing that I was wanting at first.

Meg: 00:27:37

It.

Meg: 00:27:38

I.

Meg: 00:27:39

And looking back, I give myself the ick.

Rachel: 00:27:45

If you knew then what you know now knew now.

Meg: 00:27:49

Scroll back to: 2018

Meg: 00:27:55

Oh, God, I'm a cancer, too.

Han: 00:27:59

Yeah, she's a cancer Gryffindor, so.

Rachel: 00:28:05

Oh.

Han: 00:28:06

So the other thing that Oliver said in this interview that I really loved, and I think it kind of overlaps with something that he said in the article that you read, is that he doesn't think that Buck will revert back to his womanizing ways.

Han: 00:28:22

And he says that he thought the womanizing was always a cover for something else.

Han: 00:28:28

Maybe him not being fully okay with who he was.

Han: 00:28:31

And now that he's grown, he's grown past that.

Han: 00:28:34

Like, the womanizing, it's fully in his past.

Han: 00:28:37

So I liked that because.

Han: 00:28:39

Well, what he said in yours.

Han: 00:28:41

That he is a mask.

Han: 00:28:41

And this one, that.

Rachel: 00:28:43

Yeah.

Han: 00:28:44

That it's a cover for something else and not fully, fully being okay with who he is.

Han: 00:28:48

And it's like we've been saying that since episode one.

Han: 00:28:52

Since day one, we've been saying that.

Han: 00:28:54

So I just love when.

Rachel: 00:28:56

I love when he validates.

Han: 00:28:57

Actors say the things.

Han: 00:28:58

Yes.

Han: 00:28:59

Thank you, Oliver.

Rachel: 00:29:01

It feels like such a nice little pat on the head.

Rachel: 00:29:04

Just like, good job.

Han: 00:29:05

You're so smart.

Rachel: 00:29:10

Smart.

Rachel: 00:29:10

And we're funny, and people should listen to us.

Han: 00:29:13

It's our tagline, is our motto.

Han: 00:29:17

All right, so just super, super fast.

Han: 00:29:20

This one's sad.

Han: 00:29:21

So sorry.

Rachel: 00:29:22

Hands, red string corner.

Han: 00:29:23

This time it is hands, red string corner.

Han: 00:29:27

the death of anton Yelshin in: 2016

Han: 00:29:38

I didn't make that connection, and that made me really sad.

Han: 00:29:41

I was like, this was already sad.

Han: 00:29:42

I didn't need to be sadder about that.

Rachel: 00:29:43

I thought about that, too.

Rachel: 00:29:45

That was: 2016

Han: 00:29:46

That was: 2016

Rachel: 00:29:48

Geez.

Han: 00:29:50

But, yeah, it was the same.

Han: 00:29:51

It was pretty much that same thing.

Han: 00:29:53

The pinned him against a security fence to roll down the driveway while in neutral.

Han: 00:29:58

And then just that the title is obviously from love.

Han: 00:30:01

Actually, the title of the episode, just to break that down, very as macro as we can get.

Han: 00:30:08

It's a story of nine different love stories.

Han: 00:30:11

And so the parallels are not really direct parallels of the relationships, but there are nine relation relationships here.

Han: 00:30:20

So we have Lola and Norman.

Han: 00:30:22

Wow, they're a mess.

Han: 00:30:24

The couple in the crash, I don't think we ever learned their names.

Han: 00:30:28

Ruth and Earl.

Han: 00:30:30

The cutie Pies at the Gas and Sip.

Rachel: 00:30:34

The Supernatural Canon.

Rachel: 00:30:35

Gas and Sip.

Han: 00:30:37

Oh, my God.

Han: 00:30:38

I forgot about that.

Meg: 00:30:40

Yeah.

Meg: 00:30:40

It's the same universe, you guys.

Han: 00:30:41

Yeah, it is the same universe.

Han: 00:30:43

Give me more crossover.

Han: 00:30:45

Fico.

Han: 00:30:45

I love Dean and Buck.

Han: 00:30:46

Besties.

Syl: 00:30:47

Dean was going to apply.

Han: 00:30:49

He was.

Syl: 00:30:50

Dean was gonna apply to be a firefighter.

Meg: 00:30:55

I don't think the world could handle Dean and Buck and Eddie all in one firehouse.

Rachel: 00:31:01

No, but I want it.

Meg: 00:31:03

That's too much.

Han: 00:31:07

Anyway, then we have Athena and Bobby, obviously.

Han: 00:31:09

We have Michael and Glenn.

Han: 00:31:11

We have Maddie and Chimney, who are dating, but not dating.

Han: 00:31:16

Then we have Buck and Taylor, Mitchell and Thomas.

Han: 00:31:19

And then Buck back at it again.

Han: 00:31:21

Buck and Allie.

Rachel: 00:31:25

Incredible.

Han: 00:31:26

I would.

Han: 00:31:27

I would list Buck and Eddie and say that they did 10, but there's not really a Buck and Eddie scene in here, and I feel like that was slightly intentional.

Meg: 00:31:39

The newlyweds were Paul and Anne.

Han: 00:31:42

Okay, thank you.

Han: 00:31:42

Thank you.

Rachel: 00:31:43

Look what they did in 42 minutes.

Rachel: 00:31:45

An entire love actually thing.

Rachel: 00:31:47

When love actually took, like, what, Hour and a half.

Rachel: 00:31:49

Two hours.

Rachel: 00:31:50

Two and a half hours.

Han: 00:31:50

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:31:51

I don't know.

Rachel: 00:31:51

It's so good.

Han: 00:31:53

It's way more enjoyable to watch, I'll tell you that.

Meg: 00:31:58

Yeah.

Meg: 00:31:59

Hannah didn't like Tommy as soon as she found out that Love actually was his favorite movie.

Meg: 00:32:04

That was the end.

Rachel: 00:32:05

That's fair.

Rachel: 00:32:07

Sorry.

Meg: 00:32:08

Silly.

Meg: 00:32:08

It's a weird favorite movie.

Meg: 00:32:10

I'm sorry.

Syl: 00:32:10

That is a weird favorite movie.

Rachel: 00:32:12

I mean, he's problematic, so that's a.

Han: 00:32:14

Person who never watches anything about him is weird.

Meg: 00:32:16

He's problematic, so of course he loves Love, actually.

Han: 00:32:20

I mean.

Rachel: 00:32:26

There are some questionable things in love, actually.

Rachel: 00:32:29

Okay.

Han: 00:32:30

You know, he loves Hugh Grant anyway.

Rachel: 00:32:35

But speaking.

Rachel: 00:32:36

Speaking of other rom coms.

Rachel: 00:32:39

Right.

Rachel: 00:32:40

So there's a reference to the movie.

Rachel: 00:32:43

Say anything.

Rachel: 00:32:46

When Norman puts on what was it?

Rachel: 00:32:50

In your eyes By Peter Gabriel on the iPhone and holds it up over his head.

Rachel: 00:32:55

So that's in reference to the movie.

Han: 00:32:56

I'm just saying that Deadpool 2 did this, too.

Han: 00:32:59

Wait, or was it Deadpool 1?

Han: 00:33:00

No, it was 2 because it was for Colossus.

Han: 00:33:03

And that came out.

Han: 00:33:04

Yeah, that came out in May of: 2018

Han: 00:33:07

So maybe it's a Deadpool reference.

Meg: 00:33:11

I'm pretty sure it's a safety reference.

Han: 00:33:15

The Deadpool.

Meg: 00:33:15

Norm's a big Deadpool fan.

Rachel: 00:33:19

Anyways, so I didn't get to finish my thing.

Meg: 00:33:26

Sorry.

Han: 00:33:27

I saw a chance to make it about Deadpool.

Rachel: 00:33:29

So fair.

Syl: 00:33:32

So I need to do a plug, so go ahead.

Rachel: 00:33:37

No, thank you.

Rachel: 00:33:39

So the putting the song with the ipod with the iPad with the phone.

Rachel: 00:33:47

Like, raising the phone with the.

Rachel: 00:33:49

s a teen romantic comedy from: 1989

Rachel: 00:34:05

Because it's the 80s.

Rachel: 00:34:06

Hoist this boombox.

Rachel: 00:34:08

And I think it's the same song over.

Rachel: 00:34:11

Over the head.

Han: 00:34:11

To explain what a boombox is to our younger listeners.

Meg: 00:34:15

That was dedication.

Meg: 00:34:16

Those things were, like, 20 pounds.

Rachel: 00:34:17

Yeah.

Meg: 00:34:18

Yeah.

Han: 00:34:18

They were really heavy.

Rachel: 00:34:19

So.

Meg: 00:34:19

And when you put the batteries in it, that was, like 8D batteries.

Rachel: 00:34:23

That's why it was such, like, a powerful, like, gesture.

Han: 00:34:29

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:34:30

And they reference it in the text saying, like, that was our first day, like, going to see that movie.

Rachel: 00:34:34

So it's supposed to be a very romantic thing, but that's what that's from.

Rachel: 00:34:39

Now we can move on.

Han: 00:34:42

I actually do recommend that movie.

Han: 00:34:44

Not that anyone cares about my opinion, but, yeah, it's a really good movie.

Rachel: 00:34:48

Cares about your opinion.

Rachel: 00:34:49

They're listening to this episode all about our opinions.

Han: 00:35:09

So, Anyway, for the 50th time, should we talk about themes?

Rachel: 00:35:12

Okay, so I think one of the first major themes we see.

Rachel: 00:35:17

We see is feeling seen.

Rachel: 00:35:27

I'm so sorry.

Rachel: 00:35:28

I'm so sorry, Meg, to subject you to this.

Han: 00:35:31

No, Meg will laugh at all of your jokes like that.

Han: 00:35:34

She has the same sense of humor.

Han: 00:35:36

It's terrible.

Meg: 00:35:39

So high.

Rachel: 00:35:43

I appreciate that so much.

Rachel: 00:35:48

It's a real tough audience here sometimes, you know, with all the groaning and the grumbling, so I appreciate that.

Han: 00:35:59

But then when we laugh, isn't it that much better and, like, satisfactory when.

Rachel: 00:36:03

We actually do laugh, makes me feel like I win.

Meg: 00:36:06

Not everyone has exquisite taste.

Rachel: 00:36:10

Thank you.

Meg: 00:36:11

Thank you.

Rachel: 00:36:11

And same to you.

Rachel: 00:36:13

Anyway, so feeling seen, which is very explicitly stated during the call with See me, Norman, obviously, and that concept of having your significant other or your partner or someone, like, see you instead of seeing through you.

Rachel: 00:36:37

There's also this kind of idea of seeing eye to eye, like, being on the same page that we see a lot with relationships in.

Rachel: 00:36:45

In the show, but also, like, seeing things from a different perspective.

Rachel: 00:36:51

And I believe we've talked a lot about how Buck always thinks that he's being seen, but he's not actually being seen.

Han: 00:37:02

I just feel like she sees me.

Rachel: 00:37:04

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:37:04

So it's kind of like an opposite problem to what Lola has, because she's like, norman doesn't see me.

Rachel: 00:37:13

And Buck's all like, they do see me, but they don't.

Rachel: 00:37:18

So in the last episode, we also Talked a lot about like having empathy for others.

Rachel: 00:37:24

And I think that kind of continues in with, you know, this seeing things from different perspectives, kind of like understanding where one person may be coming from and something like that.

Rachel: 00:37:41

And then there's also this idea of second chances.

Rachel: 00:37:45

So second chances at love, you know, where they have Norman and Lola and second chances, like for Maddie starting new, but also learning from mistakes and self growth, which we see a lot with Buck as well, because obviously this is a Buck episode.

Rachel: 00:38:05

There's also, I kind of thought, like this establishment of a routine that we see with a lot of these nine couples that you point out where something has be.

Rachel: 00:38:17

Or habits, like something has become habitual.

Rachel: 00:38:20

So we see a lot of things kind of feeling like they do this all the time.

Rachel: 00:38:26

Like Maddie and Chimney, they go to this karaoke bar all the time.

Rachel: 00:38:30

Let's get the same thing that we got last time.

Rachel: 00:38:33

And you know, like this kind of usual schtick, which I think can also be seen in like a relationship when things kind of go stale a little bit and how to break the routine enough to.

Rachel: 00:38:49

Or.

Rachel: 00:38:49

Or break breaking habits, you know, getting out of that feeling of being stuck, we see continue going on.

Rachel: 00:38:59

I think stuck was really like pivotal in this.

Rachel: 00:39:03

But then also like in that.

Rachel: 00:39:05

In those like, established routines, you can also feel comfortable.

Rachel: 00:39:09

So I think that also goes back to stuck as well, where like when we had Athena being offered that promotion and she spoke with Bobby about it and he's like, it's okay if what you have now is enough.

Rachel: 00:39:24

Like you're comfortable, but it's not a bad thing.

Rachel: 00:39:27

So, you know, there are two sides to that coin where.

Rachel: 00:39:31

Where a routine can.

Rachel: 00:39:32

Or a routine or a habit can be something that doesn't benefit, but it can also be beneficial in a way that's like you're.

Rachel: 00:39:41

You feel comfortable enough to, I guess, like maybe feel vulnerable with someone else or anything like that, or put yourself out there.

Rachel: 00:39:49

That's kind of what I took from that.

Syl: 00:39:51

I'm not sure if you mentioned it already, but I also.

Syl: 00:39:56

Just looking at this, like, I feel like this could tie into Buck not wanting to go, you know, regress back or to.

Syl: 00:40:05

To his season one self.

Syl: 00:40:08

So I.

Syl: 00:40:09

It's.

Syl: 00:40:10

I think it's more like.

Syl: 00:40:12

At least with him, it's more like just maintaining his newer habit or just not breaking the one that he has right now, if that makes sense.

Rachel: 00:40:23

Yeah, like that tension.

Rachel: 00:40:26

That tension of like trying to break out of a routine or break a habit that you had and how like that does take Work in order to do that, because you could easily, so easily fall back into those patterns, and then you're just kind of, like, spinning your wheels.

Rachel: 00:40:50

Like, we heard.

Rachel: 00:40:51

Like, we heard Maddie kind of say in the last episode where, when she was talking with Buck, what was it that she said?

Syl: 00:41:00

Is it the.

Syl: 00:41:01

That.

Syl: 00:41:01

That he knows deep down what he.

Han: 00:41:04

Like, it was like, you know, what to.

Han: 00:41:07

I think you know what to do or something.

Rachel: 00:41:10

Oh, that.

Rachel: 00:41:11

That if.

Rachel: 00:41:12

That it would just be you holding yourself back from your life.

Rachel: 00:41:17

That's what I was.

Rachel: 00:41:18

But.

Rachel: 00:41:18

But it was in the same conversation.

Rachel: 00:41:20

It was all part of that same thing.

Rachel: 00:41:22

So it was.

Rachel: 00:41:25

Yes.

Syl: 00:41:26

So, like, one thing that I did find that was obviously not listed was, like, gratitude or, like, appreciation for, I guess, the people or the relationships that you have in your life.

Syl: 00:41:39

So, like, I was really tying that into some of the calls we've seen.

Syl: 00:41:44

Like the Mitchell and Thomas call.

Syl: 00:41:46

I was tying that into.

Syl: 00:41:49

Oh, the Norman and Lola call, I think.

Syl: 00:41:52

I don't remember their names, but the ones.

Syl: 00:41:54

The two workers from the Gas and Sip.

Meg: 00:41:57

Ruth and Earl.

Rachel: 00:41:58

Ruth and Earl.

Meg: 00:42:00

I adore them.

Rachel: 00:42:02

They're so cute.

Syl: 00:42:04

Also not listed on here was.

Syl: 00:42:07

It's really just the thread of the grand.

Syl: 00:42:10

They don't.

Syl: 00:42:11

It didn't.

Syl: 00:42:11

It was.

Syl: 00:42:11

It didn't have to even be, like, a grand gesture, but, like, some of the gestures or the romantic gestures that were, like, shown on the show as well.

Syl: 00:42:19

So, you know, we already talked about Lola and Norman, Earl and Roof, so he, like, tried to help her.

Syl: 00:42:26

It wasn't really, like, a romantic gesture, but, I mean, he was being like.

Meg: 00:42:29

It could be so romantic.

Meg: 00:42:32

Everything.

Han: 00:42:32

He.

Meg: 00:42:33

He only was thinking of her.

Meg: 00:42:35

I thought that was very romantic.

Han: 00:42:37

Romantic.

Han: 00:42:39

I mean, Maddie and Chimney.

Syl: 00:42:40

Maddie and Chimney.

Syl: 00:42:41

So, yes.

Syl: 00:42:42

So, you know, he.

Syl: 00:42:45

You know, when they're at the bar, he, like, orders her, like, her, you know, choice of wine.

Syl: 00:42:51

And, like, even when they're in his apartment, he's like, you know, they do, like, this Buffett Fridays or whatever it is that they called it, so Fridays, Buff Fridays.

Syl: 00:43:04

So, like, I feel like a lot of the, like, romantic interests had, like, some kind of romantic gesture that was, like, shown or shown in the episode.

Syl: 00:43:15

Oh, and Bobby and Athena at the end.

Syl: 00:43:16

Because I remember, like, in the beginning, she was like, I wish it was just the two of us having dinner together.

Han: 00:43:23

Oh, yeah.

Meg: 00:43:25

I think that part goes a lot into the feeling scene, too.

Meg: 00:43:29

Like, Bobby clocked that and made sure to set up that time for just the two of them.

Meg: 00:43:34

And I think that's a really good way of seeing your partner.

Rachel: 00:43:39

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:43:39

It's like the.

Rachel: 00:43:41

These grand gestures of, like, thinking only of their partner, but, like, in a way that's productive and not necessarily, like, stopping LA traffic on the freeway.

Rachel: 00:43:56

That's a grand gesture.

Rachel: 00:43:58

It's a grand gesture, but it's maybe.

Meg: 00:44:01

A little less.

Rachel: 00:44:04

Productive.

Syl: 00:44:05

But it's not safe.

Rachel: 00:44:07

Yeah.

Meg: 00:44:08

The weird things I think of is, do you think she got, like, charged or billed for the big things she.

Meg: 00:44:13

The big inflatable things she shot and punctured?

Han: 00:44:18

Absolutely.

Rachel: 00:44:18

Absolutely.

Syl: 00:44:19

She should.

Meg: 00:44:20

Well, those are the things when I watch.

Meg: 00:44:21

My God, that's so much money.

Rachel: 00:44:24

Because I think that would be part of, like, the.

Rachel: 00:44:27

The charges that Athena listed off.

Rachel: 00:44:29

And I don't.

Rachel: 00:44:30

I did not write them down because there were too many and it was, like, mildly excessive, but I think, like, destruction of public property was.

Rachel: 00:44:38

That's probably included in there.

Rachel: 00:44:40

So she was almost definitely fined for.

Meg: 00:44:45

But she was seen.

Rachel: 00:44:47

But she was seen by so, so many.

Han: 00:44:50

She accomplished her goal.

Rachel: 00:44:52

She did.

Meg: 00:44:52

She has confidence that I absolutely could not have of flashing social media.

Han: 00:44:59

I'm not sure why did it make me flashback to.

Han: 00:45:02

I just wanted to see my little brother.

Han: 00:45:03

Well, you did.

Han: 00:45:08

Why is this show, like, this?

Rachel: 00:45:11

Tasteful nudity.

Rachel: 00:45:16

No, I thought that was a great one still.

Han: 00:45:18

It is.

Han: 00:45:20

So I just have a.

Han: 00:45:24

One very obvious one and then another one that maybe is less obvious.

Han: 00:45:29

I don't know.

Han: 00:45:29

I always feel like the ones that I pick out are like, duh, but love.

Rachel: 00:45:36

But they're valid because it's true love.

Han: 00:45:40

And specifically finding it, making it, maintaining it, like, nurturing it.

Han: 00:45:47

Like, all of the things that go into starting building, maintaining a relationship.

Rachel: 00:45:57

Like, it takes work.

Han: 00:45:58

It does.

Han: 00:46:00

And communication.

Han: 00:46:01

And like, maybe if you communicated with each other and had a conversation with.

Rachel: 00:46:04

Your husband, you could have, like, avoided jail time.

Han: 00:46:09

We've established that she's crazy.

Han: 00:46:11

Like, we see that again in the future.

Meg: 00:46:15

But.

Rachel: 00:46:16

Yeah.

Han: 00:46:17

So.

Meg: 00:46:17

Oh, Lola.

Han: 00:46:18

And then they're a hoot.

Han: 00:46:19

And then another one, which I think maybe is my favorite theme, is you don't even know me.

Rachel: 00:46:28

We see this pop up a lot as well, right?

Han: 00:46:30

It does.

Han: 00:46:31

Yeah.

Han: 00:46:32

You don't even know me.

Han: 00:46:33

Which I feel like I could list down for almost everyone here, except for maybe Chimney and Maddie.

Rachel: 00:46:39

Yeah.

Han: 00:46:40

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:46:41

Wait, that's because they know each other.

Han: 00:46:44

Yeah.

Han: 00:46:45

And I'm not saying that Bobby and Athena have that.

Han: 00:46:47

I'm just saying, like, Athena has that with Glenn.

Han: 00:46:50

Glenn.

Han: 00:46:51

Thank you.

Han: 00:46:52

You should remember, it's the most.

Han: 00:46:57

He's only there for, like, five minutes.

Han: 00:46:59

Like, I'm never Gonna remember his name.

Han: 00:47:00

I'm sorry.

Rachel: 00:47:02

I wanna come back to that.

Rachel: 00:47:04

Cause I wanna discuss that when we get to it.

Syl: 00:47:07

That scene was so funny.

Rachel: 00:47:09

Yeah.

Han: 00:47:11

But, yeah, it's.

Han: 00:47:12

It's.

Han: 00:47:12

It's very much a.

Han: 00:47:13

Like, it can be taken two different ways.

Han: 00:47:16

It can be taken in, like, in relationships, whether romantic or platonic, where you're, like.

Han: 00:47:22

It goes in with being seen, I guess, where it's like, you don't really know me, or you don't know me anymore.

Han: 00:47:27

Or with Buck, he doesn't even know himself.

Meg: 00:47:33

She says that in the mirror while he cries.

Rachel: 00:47:38

Or.

Han: 00:47:39

Or it can be like, you know, like, my water bill went up so much.

Han: 00:47:46

You've been here for a couple days.

Han: 00:47:48

But, yeah, it can also.

Han: 00:47:49

It can also be, like, from strangers being, like, perceived in a way where it's like, you don't.

Han: 00:47:54

You don't even know me, so, like, you can't judge me.

Rachel: 00:47:57

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:47:58

Like, all.

Rachel: 00:47:58

All the people seeing Lola on social media and the news and, like, I mean, Taylor Kelly is there, so, like, she's plastered all over.

Meg: 00:48:09

So, yeah, getting judged.

Meg: 00:48:12

Getting judged by Bunny Boo would have to be kind of a law about your attitude for Buck.

Rachel: 00:48:22

Oh.

Rachel: 00:48:23

Oh, man.

Meg: 00:48:24

I thought, like, transitions, I felt like was the really obvious kind of big theme of the episode, too.

Meg: 00:48:30

Like, we see people transitioning from, like, obviously, buck's transition from 1.0 to 2.0, not quite complete.

Meg: 00:48:39

He's buffering a little bit.

Meg: 00:48:41

He's working on it.

Meg: 00:48:43

Buffering, buffering.

Han: 00:48:46

Yes.

Meg: 00:48:47

Yes.

Meg: 00:48:50

I found my people.

Rachel: 00:48:52

I love you so much.

Syl: 00:48:56

I'm laughing at Han.

Han: 00:48:57

Oh, this was a mistake.

Rachel: 00:49:01

Too late now.

Meg: 00:49:03

First and last time on the show.

Meg: 00:49:08

But, like, so Maddie and Chimney's transition from dating but not knowing it to maybe saying, okay, well, this is a thing that we go in and, like, actively pursue when we're ready, even.

Meg: 00:49:20

And I thought it was so cute that they were doing this so smoothly.

Meg: 00:49:23

And as soon as Buck mentioned it, they're both like, oh, God, no.

Meg: 00:49:29

And then, like, the transition from.

Meg: 00:49:32

With our newlyweds, obviously, that's a transition to married life and the beginning of their married life.

Meg: 00:49:38

And we see the transition for Mitchell and Thomas from their long, lovely life to, if you believe in an afterlife, to that next step of their existence together.

Meg: 00:49:51

And, like, let me see, like.

Meg: 00:49:53

And there was all of them.

Meg: 00:49:54

Like, Ruth and Earl had this little transition to.

Meg: 00:49:57

From co workers to this.

Meg: 00:49:58

Like.

Meg: 00:49:59

I don't know why I, like, just adore these two so much, but I just do.

Meg: 00:50:04

Ruth being like, we're going to be Robbed again.

Meg: 00:50:07

She's so blase.

Han: 00:50:10

This woman has.

Han: 00:50:11

Has arguably more screen time than Tommy Kennard, I think.

Meg: 00:50:15

And she's more interesting personality.

Rachel: 00:50:21

Better line delivery.

Meg: 00:50:22

Oh, yeah.

Meg: 00:50:23

Oh, my God.

Meg: 00:50:23

It's just.

Meg: 00:50:24

There's just some like, you know, and then of course the little robbers are transitioning to prison, which is fantastic.

Meg: 00:50:31

But like Bobby, Bobby and Athena and that whole Grant Nash clan transitioning with.

Meg: 00:50:36

Especially in the beginning when you see Athena really upset about Glenn and she has valid points for saying, if this was.

Meg: 00:50:44

If my husband left me for a woman, nobody would expect.

Meg: 00:50:46

Expect me to just be okay with it and just move on like there is nothing.

Meg: 00:50:52

And we see that transition start of this new family dynamic that they're all kind of getting used to in Athena's kind of growth and transition from that feeling of betrayal and defensiveness to she's so much more loose and happy and herself comfortable herself kind of by the end of it.

Meg: 00:51:18

And I.

Meg: 00:51:19

And I really love to see that.

Meg: 00:51:21

That growth for her.

Meg: 00:51:23

And I'm trying to think if there is anybody else that I missed with the transition aside from.

Meg: 00:51:28

Like I said, Buck is just the overarching.

Rachel: 00:51:32

Constantly in transition.

Han: 00:51:34

Well, and he's transitioning from being in a relationship even though he hasn't really actually been in one for a while.

Han: 00:51:39

But like he was gaslighting himself into thinking he was into being single.

Meg: 00:51:43

Yeah.

Meg: 00:51:44

And I think really, like I said earlier, like that passive to proactive search for who he is and who he wants and who he wants to be as a person and as a partner.

Meg: 00:51:57

Yeah, he's Buck.

Meg: 00:51:58

Freeing.

Meg: 00:51:59

I love that.

Meg: 00:52:00

I'm never gonna.

Meg: 00:52:01

I'm never gonna get over it.

Rachel: 00:52:03

I was so excited about that.

Syl: 00:52:05

He's struggling to install those patch.

Syl: 00:52:09

I love those firmware update.

Meg: 00:52:13

I love, I love great puns.

Meg: 00:52:15

I love bad puns.

Meg: 00:52:16

I love all wordplay.

Han: 00:52:18

Yes.

Rachel: 00:52:20

Oh, we're going to get along great.

Han: 00:52:22

Somehow the software developers kept burying the code for him, knowing he was bisexual.

Han: 00:52:29

So I'm glad that they finally worked that out.

Meg: 00:52:34

That was the best upgrade.

Rachel: 00:52:38

Best one yet.

Rachel: 00:52:40

But Meg, I think that's with everybody in a state of transition.

Rachel: 00:52:46

I think that's great.

Rachel: 00:52:46

It kind of reminds, like connects to me with the theme of like the reminders of past but looking towards the future.

Rachel: 00:52:56

So you kind of like, as a transition, you're kind of in that middle ground where, you know, like the call with Mitchell and Thomas, it showed all of their relationship milestones.

Rachel: 00:53:10

So it's like them reminiscing on the past and.

Rachel: 00:53:14

Well, and I think at One point they say, like, you know, it's been a long, long life, short marriage, let's continue living it, or something like that.

Rachel: 00:53:26

And just a lot of these, like, looking toward the futures, especially with Chimney and Maddie, they have that whole conversation, which we'll talk about later, but essentially, like, acknowledging Maddie's past and not shying away from it, but they're looking toward the future together eventually, whenever they're ready.

Rachel: 00:53:48

So, I mean, I think there are some more examples.

Rachel: 00:53:50

Well, Buck as well, obviously.

Rachel: 00:53:53

So that kind of goes with that transition, where.

Meg: 00:53:55

Oh, yeah.

Rachel: 00:53:57

And gratitude as well, because you're, like, kind of maybe honoring the past while also, like, deciding to move towards the future.

Rachel: 00:54:06

And then I think the last little theme that I have is this feeling of not feeling pressured, specifically, like, in relationships, but there.

Rachel: 00:54:16

Which works for the theme of the season, which is all about pressure, thanks to the earthquake and everything.

Rachel: 00:54:25

But this is this.

Rachel: 00:54:27

I see you rolling your eyes.

Han: 00:54:30

I would never.

Meg: 00:54:32

But.

Rachel: 00:54:33

But I think this is specifically, like, in contrast to that, where, like, we've been seeing a lot of, you know, pressure being put on people like them holding, like, holding burdens and everything.

Rachel: 00:54:46

And this episode is very much people kind of checking in and saying, I don't want you to feel pressured about this.

Rachel: 00:54:55

And I'm either communicating it or I'm thinking about it from your perspective and want to be cognizant and respectful of that.

Rachel: 00:55:05

And we see that pop up a couple times.

Rachel: 00:55:08

So I think that's a good connection to the pressure theme as a whole.

Rachel: 00:55:15

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Han: 00:55:17

Are we finally ready to talk about characters, Scott?

Rachel: 00:55:22

Yeah.

Han: 00:55:24

Okay, great.

Han: 00:55:31

Who's cooking?

Rachel: 00:55:38

Mom and dad.

Han: 00:55:39

Mom and dad.

Han: 00:55:40

Well, it's not so much about Bobby.

Han: 00:55:42

He's kind of more just a supporting character again in this one.

Han: 00:55:46

It's.

Han: 00:55:46

It's more focused on Athena, and Athena is kind of.

Han: 00:55:50

You know, we had this great full arc in season one that we were, like, so happy to see, but there is one aspect that we didn't see, and it's her having to grapple with incorporating Glenn into their dynamic.

Han: 00:56:04

Because Glenn fucking.

Syl: 00:56:10

Hello, Rocco.

Rachel: 00:56:16

That's Athena's, like, inner monologue.

Han: 00:56:19

Like, yeah, we should start calling Tommy Rocko.

Rachel: 00:56:24

It just doesn't start with it.

Han: 00:56:25

Why haven't we done that?

Han: 00:56:27

I know, but we can.

Han: 00:56:28

We can buck the trend.

Syl: 00:56:30

We should have done it.

Syl: 00:56:34

I feel like someone has done that.

Han: 00:56:36

Already, has done the Rocko, probably.

Han: 00:56:39

I haven't seen it.

Han: 00:56:40

Most likely.

Han: 00:56:40

I haven't seen it.

Han: 00:56:41

It doesn't exist much.

Han: 00:56:44

Like, Buck is, like, as far as I'm concerned.

Han: 00:56:47

The world started the day I was born.

Han: 00:56:50

Okay.

Han: 00:56:52

Anyway, Athena.

Han: 00:56:55

So yeah, she's back in this kind of, like, insecure, but mostly just angry headspace because she's like, ah, why the fuck?

Han: 00:57:04

And she is so valid saying, why the do I have to welcome this person into my home?

Han: 00:57:09

Because if it was a woman, no one would be telling me that I should do that.

Han: 00:57:14

And it kind of makes me think of, like, I don't remember where I saw it, if it was TikTok or Twitter credit to whoever said it first, but they were like, I saw someone say that Athena seems low key homophobic in season one, in the beginning of season two.

Han: 00:57:32

And I was like, I mean, her husband knew he was gay the whole time, didn't tell her, then actively cheated on her.

Han: 00:57:42

And then her best friend, who's a lesbian, also cheated on her.

Rachel: 00:57:49

So she doesn't have a great experience at the moment.

Han: 00:57:54

It's not that she's homophobic.

Han: 00:57:55

It's just that the gay people in her life are not destructive.

Syl: 00:58:02

I don't know.

Meg: 00:58:03

I saw that tweet and it made me really irritated when they were calling her homophobic.

Han: 00:58:07

I'm like, she's not.

Meg: 00:58:09

She's not.

Meg: 00:58:10

Her whole life was a lie.

Han: 00:58:12

Yeah.

Rachel: 00:58:13

Yeah.

Meg: 00:58:14

She deserves a minute to not be okay.

Han: 00:58:18

Her whole life is a lie.

Han: 00:58:19

And she's coming to the terms with him being gay and then he brings in the guy he's been dating.

Syl: 00:58:23

And it's like during, like, such a terrible time too.

Syl: 00:58:28

Like, yeah, at the hospital where her daughter almost, like, almost died.

Han: 00:58:33

Literally the worst time.

Meg: 00:58:35

Yeah.

Meg: 00:58:36

It's just so, yeah, she's.

Han: 00:58:38

She's.

Han: 00:58:38

She's a little bitter.

Han: 00:58:39

She's a little bitter.

Han: 00:58:40

And I think that she's totally valid about that.

Han: 00:58:43

But, you know, I think that she.

Han: 00:58:47

She gets over it pretty quickly, and I'm pretty proud of her for doing that.

Han: 00:58:53

But I think that it was easier for her to do that, like, not just because of the place that she's in and the journey that she's taken, but because of Bobby and, like, the support that he gives her constantly.

Rachel: 00:59:09

Bobby in that supporting role.

Rachel: 00:59:12

It helps a lot.

Rachel: 00:59:13

But what's kind of interesting, though, is in this episode, there's a little bit of, like, I don't really want to say tension, but there is a little bit, like, I don't think they're quite seeing eye to eye on everything.

Rachel: 00:59:28

Like, he's still unconditionally there for her, but on some things, he's kind of like, well, something.

Rachel: 00:59:36

Something like Seeing a different perspective.

Han: 00:59:39

Well, yeah, they inherently see the world different, differently.

Rachel: 00:59:43

But like, before we kind of get into the dinner that everyone's talking about at the.

Rachel: 00:59:51

At the Norman and Lola call, when Norman finally arrives and they're talking and Norman's like, wait, I'm confused.

Rachel: 01:00:02

Does she think I don't see her or that I don't recognize her?

Rachel: 01:00:06

And Athena's all like, how the hell am I supposed to know?

Han: 01:00:09

She's like, it's your fucking wife, man.

Rachel: 01:00:11

Well, you can, exactly.

Rachel: 01:00:13

You can obviously see, like, she's already feeling, like, some sort of tension and this is why.

Rachel: 01:00:19

So she's kind of, you know, taking, in typical Athena fashion, she's taking a little bit of the stress of her personal life, bringing it a little bit into her professional life.

Rachel: 01:00:30

But when she.

Rachel: 01:00:32

When she jumps in and says, like, how the hell am I supposed to know?

Rachel: 01:00:35

Bobby starts to like, like.

Rachel: 01:00:38

And then he.

Rachel: 01:00:39

He stops because she.

Rachel: 01:00:40

She kind of goes full force.

Rachel: 01:00:42

So, like, he was going to say something that was probably not that what she says, but then he stops himself and he just kind of lets her go and looks on at her with these adoring eyes, which we see so much of in this episode.

Rachel: 01:01:03

Like, he's just looking at her with these big heart goo goo eyes, like, I adore you, even if I don't necessarily agree with everything you're saying, because it happens a lot in this episode.

Syl: 01:01:15

So it's kind of like he sees her, he hears her.

Syl: 01:01:21

Because, because, like, just to tie into, like, the dinner, you know, she's.

Syl: 01:01:28

She's visibly upset, she's visibly angry, and Bobby's definitely, like, clocking all of that.

Syl: 01:01:35

And then they're discussing, like, what happened on that call.

Rachel: 01:01:39

Yes.

Syl: 01:01:40

And like, everyone's like, oh, it's a romantic gesture.

Rachel: 01:01:44

Specifically, Michael and Bobby are like that.

Han: 01:01:47

Yeah.

Syl: 01:01:47

Oh, you have to appreciate the effort and whatever it.

Rachel: 01:01:51

All the creativity.

Syl: 01:01:55

And so it's like everyone, I guess, like, it kind of feels like people were against, like, her, like, when she was thinking about it until Glenn says his, like, five cents.

Syl: 01:02:07

And he's like, oh, anyway, he's correct.

Meg: 01:02:10

And then she's totally fine with him too.

Meg: 01:02:12

Which I think is.

Syl: 01:02:13

Yeah, she's like, oh, I guess you.

Han: 01:02:15

Get to have rights.

Han: 01:02:16

Would you like some wine?

Syl: 01:02:21

But I think.

Syl: 01:02:22

I think my.

Syl: 01:02:23

The direction I was going with that was like, Bobby.

Syl: 01:02:27

Bobby is mentally taking notes of things she says.

Meg: 01:02:33

Her.

Syl: 01:02:33

Her moods.

Syl: 01:02:35

Or like, because he stops himself from saying whatever he was about to say.

Syl: 01:02:39

And then he also does that grand gesture at the end So I think it's just like, the fact that he's mentally taking notes and just like.

Rachel: 01:02:46

Yeah.

Han: 01:02:47

Anticipating her needs.

Rachel: 01:02:48

That's another thing that we see a lot in this episode.

Rachel: 01:02:53

Anticipating needs.

Meg: 01:02:54

Bobby's awareness of Athena is something that's really beautiful to kind of witness because he is very present in that relationship with the two of them.

Meg: 01:03:04

And even if he doesn't agree with her, he doesn't come at her.

Meg: 01:03:09

He's very much a.

Meg: 01:03:10

It's not me versus you.

Meg: 01:03:11

It's you and I versus the problem when he's trying to communicate with her.

Meg: 01:03:17

And I think with Athena's temperament and personality, she needs.

Meg: 01:03:24

Bobby's, like, steadying mostly unshakable, kind of just support there for her and to stable ground.

Meg: 01:03:35

Yeah.

Meg: 01:03:37

He said, like, I was describing him very boringly.

Meg: 01:03:39

But I love Bobby.

Meg: 01:03:42

He's so stable.

Syl: 01:03:43

We all love dad around.

Rachel: 01:03:45

We do love dad.

Han: 01:03:47

Dad's not boring.

Han: 01:03:48

He's got the most interesting backstory.

Meg: 01:03:52

Oh, God, he's so tragic.

Syl: 01:03:54

He's also got jokes.

Han: 01:03:55

He does.

Rachel: 01:03:56

He does.

Syl: 01:03:57

Right, Rachel.

Rachel: 01:04:02

As the resident dad joker here?

Rachel: 01:04:04

Yes.

Meg: 01:04:05

I love dad jokes.

Han: 01:04:08

I like his gallows humor.

Rachel: 01:04:12

Worst possible moments so far.

Han: 01:04:14

And when he's.

Han: 01:04:15

When he's a hater of the victims they're helping.

Han: 01:04:20

That's my favorite Bobby mode.

Han: 01:04:23

It's like, actually, you're so stupid, I can't be professional.

Rachel: 01:04:28

Goodbye, Shay's army.

Meg: 01:04:34

I hear.

Han: 01:04:36

I hear it's nice in Scottsdale.

Han: 01:04:38

Was that what it was from season seven when they're, like, jackhammering at the Bachelor mansion?

Han: 01:04:45

They're like, you don't understand.

Han: 01:04:45

This is a rental.

Han: 01:04:48

We're gonna have to go film in Arizona.

Han: 01:04:50

And he's like, I hear it's great there.

Rachel: 01:04:53

Oh, my God, the jackhammer.

Rachel: 01:04:54

Unreal.

Rachel: 01:04:55

But yes, Meg, I think.

Rachel: 01:04:57

I think that's a great point.

Rachel: 01:04:58

Like, he, like, as her support system.

Rachel: 01:05:01

He provides so much.

Rachel: 01:05:02

Like, he's a grounding force.

Rachel: 01:05:05

Right?

Rachel: 01:05:05

Every.

Rachel: 01:05:06

Like, every.

Rachel: 01:05:07

Every adjective that we can come up for him, that's, like, stable, rock solid, you know, grounding.

Meg: 01:05:15

Yeah.

Meg: 01:05:16

But he's not a doormat.

Rachel: 01:05:17

An earthquake can't shake him.

Meg: 01:05:19

He's definitely not a doormat, which I.

Meg: 01:05:22

I just.

Han: 01:05:22

That's Buck.

Meg: 01:05:25

Baby.

Meg: 01:05:26

Buck.

Rachel: 01:05:28

But, yeah.

Meg: 01:05:28

I don't know.

Meg: 01:05:29

It cracked me up so much at that dinner scene with Glenn because she was so mad and so just not wanting to be there.

Meg: 01:05:36

And then Glenn is the only one at the table.

Meg: 01:05:38

Agree.

Meg: 01:05:39

That agrees with her and doesn't see the romance of it.

Meg: 01:05:43

And he is correct.

Meg: 01:05:44

But also, I'm Not a pragmatic person like, either.

Meg: 01:05:49

I think she was insane.

Meg: 01:05:51

And I would be never.

Meg: 01:05:52

But I just loved that he was just like, I'll.

Meg: 01:05:56

I didn't like it at all.

Meg: 01:05:57

I don't.

Meg: 01:05:57

I think you should charge him with everything.

Meg: 01:05:59

And Athena charged that woman with every single thing that she could find.

Rachel: 01:06:04

She threw the book at it.

Rachel: 01:06:06

At her.

Meg: 01:06:06

Everything.

Meg: 01:06:08

And then she's like, well, the one person who agrees with me.

Meg: 01:06:10

That's fine.

Meg: 01:06:11

Now you.

Meg: 01:06:11

Now you're welcomed into the.

Meg: 01:06:13

To the circle.

Meg: 01:06:13

And I just.

Meg: 01:06:15

I just.

Meg: 01:06:15

It made me chuckle.

Syl: 01:06:16

At least someone with some common sense around here.

Rachel: 01:06:19

Yeah.

Han: 01:06:20

Someone with a brain cell showed up for dinner.

Han: 01:06:22

They get to have wine.

Han: 01:06:24

No one else does.

Meg: 01:06:25

No one else want to go from there.

Meg: 01:06:29

The really fake greeting where she was.

Han: 01:06:32

Yelling about, like, no one would make me do this, like, if it was a woman.

Han: 01:06:36

And then immediately turn, oh, hi, Michael.

Han: 01:06:38

I was like, they totally heard that.

Meg: 01:06:40

Slapping on that fake smile and the.

Rachel: 01:06:44

Way she goes immediately into that fake smile.

Rachel: 01:06:46

Like, Angela Bassett's comedic chops are so underplayed, but when they're utilized, it's done so well.

Rachel: 01:06:57

Like that.

Rachel: 01:06:59

But.

Rachel: 01:06:59

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:07:00

Do you think Glenn was being a suck up or did he actually.

Han: 01:07:05

I mean, maybe a little bit, but I think he actually thought that because it's like.

Han: 01:07:10

Well, obviously Michael has a tight.

Meg: 01:07:12

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:07:13

Mm.

Meg: 01:07:14

But Athena, I joke because they're both.

Rachel: 01:07:16

The romantics, and I also feel like.

Syl: 01:07:18

Part of it, like, maybe he was like, kind of trained.

Syl: 01:07:20

Like, you know, like before they got there, they were kind of like trained by.

Syl: 01:07:23

Prepped by Michael a little bit, maybe.

Syl: 01:07:26

That's what I was thinking.

Han: 01:07:27

Do we know anything about Glenn, like, what he does or.

Han: 01:07:29

No.

Syl: 01:07:29

Because they break up anyway.

Syl: 01:07:31

So.

Meg: 01:07:31

I mean, I think.

Meg: 01:07:32

I think a lot of it.

Meg: 01:07:33

Like, I joke about the suck up thing, but I feel like she was the hurdle that Glenn knows he's gonna have to try and overcome.

Rachel: 01:07:41

Overcome.

Meg: 01:07:42

Because the kids are already.

Meg: 01:07:43

The kids ultimately just want their dad to be happy.

Meg: 01:07:48

And Bobby's just here for a good time.

Han: 01:07:52

He's just happy to be there.

Meg: 01:07:53

Bobby's just happy to be invited.

Meg: 01:07:57

But.

Meg: 01:07:58

And Michael obviously wants him there, but Athena is really the one that he has to try and win over after essentially stealing this woman's husband.

Meg: 01:08:08

So is arguing with her at her own dinner in her own home in his best.

Meg: 01:08:15

Really, in his best interest?

Han: 01:08:17

No.

Syl: 01:08:18

No.

Meg: 01:08:18

Absolutely not.

Meg: 01:08:19

And he may very well believe.

Meg: 01:08:20

He seemed to actually believe what he was saying.

Rachel: 01:08:23

Yeah.

Meg: 01:08:23

But there's the ulterior motive of.

Meg: 01:08:26

Let me see if I can Try and.

Meg: 01:08:27

And get in.

Meg: 01:08:28

Good.

Meg: 01:08:29

Because he's already so far behind.

Han: 01:08:31

I also thought it was a good way to utilize.

Han: 01:08:33

Explaining why what she did was so problematic because like, yes, it's funny, haha.

Han: 01:08:40

But also these are all the things that could have gone wrong and these are all the resources she was taking away from other people because she didn't want to have a damn conversation.

Han: 01:08:49

And I feel like that was something that's like important for those kids to hear.

Meg: 01:08:54

Lola makes great choices.

Han: 01:08:56

Yeah.

Han: 01:08:56

And also for the audience just to be like, you know what I mean?

Han: 01:08:59

Because this is like, I want to do this a fantastical kind of world.

Han: 01:09:03

And when they present things like this at face value, you're like, haha, that's just hilarious.

Han: 01:09:09

Oh, she's going to jail, whatever.

Han: 01:09:11

And you don't think about it again.

Han: 01:09:12

So I liked that they explained why Athena's point of view so that she didn't have to.

Meg: 01:09:18

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:09:19

And I also really did love when she's listing off all of these things that she's.

Rachel: 01:09:24

That they're charging her with the whole assault with a deadly weapon or whatever and everyone's just like, who did she assault?

Rachel: 01:09:32

And Athena's all just like, Buck, obviously.

Rachel: 01:09:35

And it just.

Han: 01:09:36

She just seems about it.

Rachel: 01:09:37

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:09:38

It seemed like she was protecting her stepson.

Han: 01:09:43

Yes.

Syl: 01:09:44

Yeah, that's exactly what I was gonna say.

Han: 01:09:46

I was like on the scene.

Syl: 01:09:47

Yeah, well, on the scene.

Syl: 01:09:50

But no, I just felt like.

Syl: 01:09:52

Like there was like a very specific reaction.

Syl: 01:09:55

Like very.

Syl: 01:09:56

I don't know, maybe it's just crumbs.

Rachel: 01:09:58

No, no, well, there were crumbs going.

Syl: 01:10:00

Just that there were like some really, like, really like.

Syl: 01:10:02

Yeah, there were just like some real crumbs where I was like, oh yeah, Buck is.

Syl: 01:10:08

I mean, we already know Buck is Bobby's son.

Syl: 01:10:10

But like now it's like Athena, like Bobby and Athena son.

Han: 01:10:15

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:10:16

So it's.

Rachel: 01:10:17

It's this, you know, we're seeing this transition of the Grant family with Athena and Michael and the kids and Bobby and Glenn.

Rachel: 01:10:29

But it's also this transition of, you know, from the other way as well.

Rachel: 01:10:34

Like that familial transition.

Rachel: 01:10:36

So like going the other way.

Rachel: 01:10:38

So like Athena is kind of basically unofficially officially freeing Buck in to the fold a little bit because he is Bobby's pseudo son and this was her way of protecting.

Han: 01:10:53

I also think that he really grew on her and she feels really protective about him.

Rachel: 01:10:59

Exactly.

Rachel: 01:10:59

So like they've come so far.

Meg: 01:11:02

Yeah.

Meg: 01:11:03

I think she was the only one who was really taking the threat to Buck seriously, including Buck in that whole situation.

Meg: 01:11:08

Like, Bobby, like when she says, like, she's.

Meg: 01:11:11

He's talking to.

Meg: 01:11:13

To her, Bobby's like, well, that'll either go well or the other way.

Meg: 01:11:16

And is.

Meg: 01:11:17

Is fairly unconcerned about it.

Meg: 01:11:20

Even he says Buck felt bad about her pointing a gun at him and getting in trouble for.

Meg: 01:11:27

For it.

Meg: 01:11:28

And so Buck doesn't even.

Meg: 01:11:29

I mean, we know Buck doesn't value his life himself at all, especially right now in this point in the show.

Han: 01:11:37

No.

Meg: 01:11:37

But Athena, I think, was personally offended that they were surprised she.

Meg: 01:11:44

She charged Lola with assault because it was Buck.

Syl: 01:11:48

Yeah.

Meg: 01:11:49

Like, she's like, avi.

Meg: 01:11:50

Yeah.

Meg: 01:11:50

You can't just point your gun at people and.

Meg: 01:11:53

And get away with it.

Han: 01:11:55

Yeah.

Meg: 01:11:56

So I thought that was.

Han: 01:11:57

And it wasn't.

Han: 01:11:58

And it wasn't even like, I mean, like, pointing your gun in any manner, but it was the fact that she had already fired him, shot the gun, and then was, you know, had it pointed directly at him.

Meg: 01:12:09

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:12:09

And I feel like.

Rachel: 01:12:10

I know Bobby was concerned, everybody was concerned, but the way Bobby kind of brushed it off a little bit, like it could go one way or the other.

Rachel: 01:12:21

Like.

Meg: 01:12:21

Yes.

Rachel: 01:12:21

It's also funny.

Rachel: 01:12:22

But I think that does kind of go back to what we talk so much about it, like, at the end of season one and even a little bit at the beginning of this season where the 118 still doesn't necessarily see Buck for who he is now.

Han: 01:12:41

I said, when are we doing that episode?

Rachel: 01:12:43

Oh, I don't know, sometime.

Rachel: 01:12:48

But, like, they still don't see Buck for kind of who he is now.

Rachel: 01:12:54

They still see him in that, like, preview, like, prior to that, steal a.

Han: 01:12:58

Fire truck to go fuck Snake Woman.

Rachel: 01:13:01

Prior to that transition.

Rachel: 01:13:03

Right.

Rachel: 01:13:04

So they're kind of a little behind the times of they have not updated their software for him yet.

Han: 01:13:14

In their minds, it's partly his fault too, because just like his father, he's not very open about personal things.

Rachel: 01:13:23

No, no, sorry.

Rachel: 01:13:24

That was starting to get into a little bit of Buck.

Rachel: 01:13:27

But I did just want to point out one.

Rachel: 01:13:30

One more thing with Bobby and Athena when they're preparing for the dinner.

Rachel: 01:13:35

And Athena, you know, is just like, very much on the defensive.

Rachel: 01:13:38

So going back to what we were saying, how Bobby is this grounding force, but he's also, I think one of them says, like, Bobby's acting like a human shield.

Rachel: 01:13:49

And it's like, are you shielding mom or are you shielding Glenn?

Rachel: 01:13:53

And I just think that's really, really hilarious because he's also just, like, so happy To.

Rachel: 01:14:01

Oh, wait, wait a second.

Rachel: 01:14:04

Sorry.

Rachel: 01:14:04

Brain Blast.

Meg: 01:14:05

He's.

Rachel: 01:14:07

He's so happy and comfortable to put himself in this line of fire and act as a human shield.

Rachel: 01:14:15

And what does he do at the end of this season?

Rachel: 01:14:19

But exactly that.

Meg: 01:14:22

Oh.

Rachel: 01:14:26

Sorry.

Rachel: 01:14:27

I love when.

Rachel: 01:14:28

When we Brain Blast during recording.

Rachel: 01:14:33

Brings me much joy.

Rachel: 01:14:34

I did not think of that until just now.

Rachel: 01:14:36

So.

Rachel: 01:14:37

So that's foreshadowing.

Rachel: 01:14:40

Proud of myself.

Rachel: 01:14:43

And then one.

Rachel: 01:14:46

One last thing at the.

Rachel: 01:14:48

I didn't.

Rachel: 01:14:48

I don't think I really wrote it down correctly, but at the newlywed crash, when Bobby is talking to Athena, what is it that he says to her?

Rachel: 01:15:00

Like, something about, like, what God has put together.

Rachel: 01:15:02

No.

Meg: 01:15:03

No man can let no man put asunder.

Meg: 01:15:08

Put asunder.

Rachel: 01:15:09

I needed to look at what God has put together.

Han: 01:15:11

Let no man tear apart.

Rachel: 01:15:13

That's what that means.

Rachel: 01:15:14

Yeah.

Meg: 01:15:14

He's such a dork.

Han: 01:15:18

He's such, like a.

Han: 01:15:20

It's like Catholicism is like his fandom.

Han: 01:15:23

Like, I don't.

Meg: 01:15:24

I also think it's so funny that Athena was like, I never would have thought you'd think of tow trucks.

Meg: 01:15:31

Like, well, why not?

Meg: 01:15:34

Yes.

Rachel: 01:15:34

This piece of scripture inspired me to do Weird.

Han: 01:15:40

Oh, my God.

Han: 01:15:42

But I love you, dad.

Rachel: 01:15:45

But I was like.

Rachel: 01:15:46

I thought that was really, like, a great quote, but I was trying to figure out a way to tie that into, like, the grander scheme of something with, like, relationships.

Rachel: 01:15:57

And.

Rachel: 01:15:58

But I couldn't quite tie that together yet.

Rachel: 01:16:03

If anyone had, like, you know, wants to pull that thread.

Han: 01:16:07

I mean, it's basically like, you know, the Christian way of saying they're a set, do not separate.

Meg: 01:16:16

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:16:17

Okay.

Meg: 01:16:17

So it'll tie to Thomas and Mitchell also.

Rachel: 01:16:21

Yeah.

Han: 01:16:22

Yeah.

Han: 01:16:22

Well, yeah, because it's like, all they wanted to do was go together.

Rachel: 01:16:25

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:16:26

So that works as, like, that transition.

Meg: 01:16:28

Anything.

Meg: 01:16:28

And that was so beautiful.

Meg: 01:16:30

I love that they just wanted to.

Meg: 01:16:32

Everything they did, they just wanted to do together.

Rachel: 01:16:34

And I'm like, kind of like Maddie and Chimney.

Han: 01:16:38

Chimney.

Rachel: 01:16:40

Unless we had.

Rachel: 01:16:41

Did anyone else have anything to say.

Han: 01:16:42

About Bobby and Athena?

Han: 01:16:44

Last call.

Rachel: 01:16:45

Last call at the karaoke bar.

Han: 01:16:47

Oh, my God.

Rachel: 01:16:51

I'm keeping.

Han: 01:16:57

Speaking of people who want to do everything together.

Rachel: 01:17:00

Oh, yes.

Han: 01:17:01

Yeah.

Han: 01:17:02

Maddy and Chimney.

Rachel: 01:17:03

Speaking of people who want to do everything together, Maddie and Chimney have, like, really developed a very close bond and friendship.

Rachel: 01:17:13

And, you know, it was kind of in the span of what we saw her meet him in 206 in Dosed.

Rachel: 01:17:21

And this is episode eight.

Rachel: 01:17:23

In the span of two episodes.

Rachel: 01:17:25

They are besties or more Buckleys move fast.

Han: 01:17:31

What can we Say.

Rachel: 01:17:34

So true.

Rachel: 01:17:36

But you we really like.

Rachel: 01:17:38

It's such a pleasure to see, I think, especially after the dose when Maddie was struggling so much with her past.

Rachel: 01:17:47

And you see her transition into a much happier self when Chimney's around, and vice versa.

Rachel: 01:17:56

Chimney is so happy when he's around her.

Rachel: 01:17:59

And they've just developed this really lovely rapport, this effortless relationship for them, and they already have set routines, and I'm just like, what has been the.

Rachel: 01:18:14

The time jump between these last two episodes?

Rachel: 01:18:18

Because it's like they go.

Rachel: 01:18:20

They go to karaoke bar all the time.

Rachel: 01:18:22

They have Buff Fridays, like, weekly.

Rachel: 01:18:25

And he knows that they always forget her hot mustard, so he made it for her.

Rachel: 01:18:30

And just like, it's.

Rachel: 01:18:32

It's very routine in a way that's comfortable, but in, like, a wonderful way for both of them.

Rachel: 01:18:39

Right.

Rachel: 01:18:40

They're just kind of a perfect pair.

Syl: 01:18:43

They're really making it, you know?

Rachel: 01:18:49

Yeah, they are.

Rachel: 01:18:52

And it's because they're, like, actively, if you.

Rachel: 01:18:55

If you want to talk about, like, passively versus actively, you know, choosing things.

Rachel: 01:18:59

I think it's.

Rachel: 01:19:00

I think it's because they are actively, like, choosing each other and choosing to move forward with them, the other at their side.

Han: 01:19:11

Well, speaking of transitioning, it's there.

Han: 01:19:14

And we talked about in.

Han: 01:19:16

Was it dosed?

Han: 01:19:17

When the fuck do they meet?

Rachel: 01:19:19

In dose.

Meg: 01:19:19

No, I can't remember the episode they met when Maddie moved and got her apartment.

Rachel: 01:19:24

That was dosed.

Meg: 01:19:25

That was dosed.

Meg: 01:19:26

Yeah.

Meg: 01:19:26

So that's when they met.

Han: 01:19:27

But like, we talked about in the episode how they're both kind of, like, in a similar stage in their life that they're that.

Han: 01:19:35

And that's why, like, when they.

Han: 01:19:37

When they finally do meet and they click, like when you meet someone and you just click.

Rachel: 01:19:48

Yeah, yeah, we do now.

Han: 01:19:50

Yeah.

Han: 01:19:52

It just, you know, progresses so quickly because they are just on the same page because they're both transitioning, you know, from different things, but very much both are, like, determined to, like, and set on, like, moving forward and making a life that they want for themselves.

Rachel: 01:20:12

They're turning.

Rachel: 01:20:14

They're turning a page to, like, the same kind of chapter in their lives.

Rachel: 01:20:18

So it just, like, works out that it's in tandem well.

Meg: 01:20:21

And I.

Meg: 01:20:22

And I love the ease that there is between the two of them.

Meg: 01:20:24

And I think so much of it is because they weren't, like, dating or didn't realize that they were dating.

Meg: 01:20:30

And so Maddie didn't have her guard up nearly as much as I think had Chimney been actively, actively trying to pursue romantically pursue her rather than, like, I just.

Meg: 01:20:41

I just want to get to know you.

Meg: 01:20:42

And when he tells her that I am not afraid of your past, I recognize that it is something that happened and that is something that we're going to deal with.

Meg: 01:20:52

But your stuff doesn't scare me.

Meg: 01:20:56

It doesn't.

Rachel: 01:20:57

Yeah.

Meg: 01:20:58

Make me want to run away.

Meg: 01:21:00

And I think that is something that, frankly, everyone wants to hear from a potential partner that all.

Meg: 01:21:06

You're weird.

Meg: 01:21:07

And this is not Maddie's.

Meg: 01:21:08

Not weird.

Meg: 01:21:09

It's not a Maddie weirdness because obviously she went through serious trauma.

Meg: 01:21:12

But.

Han: 01:21:13

Yeah.

Meg: 01:21:13

But all of that doesn't scare me.

Meg: 01:21:15

I want all of it.

Meg: 01:21:16

I want all of you.

Meg: 01:21:18

Every ugly, scary part of you.

Meg: 01:21:22

And that.

Meg: 01:21:23

And I think that's when Maddie.

Meg: 01:21:25

That's when Maddie starts to get a little bit nervous and scared about, like, well, when I'm ready.

Meg: 01:21:29

Because that's.

Meg: 01:21:30

That's big.

Meg: 01:21:31

And.

Meg: 01:21:32

But we can see that chimney is very much like Bobby in the sense where he is just clocking all these things.

Meg: 01:21:36

He knows her drink order.

Meg: 01:21:38

He knows the food she likes.

Meg: 01:21:39

He makes her hot mustard because the place always forgets.

Meg: 01:21:44

And like.

Meg: 01:21:45

And I just.

Meg: 01:21:47

That goes to that feeling seen situation too.

Meg: 01:21:51

And I just.

Meg: 01:21:52

And I love that they're simultaneously going extremely slow and very quick.

Meg: 01:22:00

They're just.

Meg: 01:22:01

They haven't caught up to what they actually are to each other until Buck, of all people.

Meg: 01:22:07

It's like you're dating each other.

Rachel: 01:22:12

That.

Rachel: 01:22:14

That is wildly kind of the exact same thing.

Rachel: 01:22:18

And maybe we can bring this back up later in.

Rachel: 01:22:21

In Slow Burn.

Rachel: 01:22:23

Oh, were you going to do that anyways?

Han: 01:22:25

No.

Han: 01:22:26

Oh, that's just my reaction to anything where I'm like, oh, we're going to talk about it in Slow Burn or, oh, this is going to be relevant later.

Rachel: 01:22:34

Yeah.

Han: 01:22:35

In the future.

Han: 01:22:36

Interesting.

Syl: 01:22:37

I also just want to, like, add of, you know, them being on the same page.

Syl: 01:22:42

Oh, being on the.

Syl: 01:22:43

Okay, hold on.

Syl: 01:22:45

Okay.

Syl: 01:22:45

So what I was going to say is, like, I just love that, you know, I said this and I think at a previous and probably endorsed where I was like, it's.

Syl: 01:22:54

It was just like the perfect time for them to meet each other and go on this journey together.

Syl: 01:22:59

And then I think we were referencing how they were also on the same page and all of that.

Syl: 01:23:05

And, you know, you really see that when he.

Syl: 01:23:07

When he, you know, goes to dispatch and talks to her and how, you know, there's a moment where they're talking about, like, not pressuring each other or him not pressuring her and she's like yeah, you're, you've never pressured me.

Syl: 01:23:22

I just think that's so.

Meg: 01:23:23

Yeah.

Syl: 01:23:23

Yeah, that's a beautiful moment still on the, on the same page.

Syl: 01:23:27

Yeah.

Syl: 01:23:28

And then like, I think that kind of also ties into like the gratitude because like they, she's.

Syl: 01:23:38

She probably has some sort of gratitude for, for, you know, for Chimney for being such, you know, this like, like considerate figure person and grounding figure.

Han: 01:23:48

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:23:49

Yeah, that's really beautiful.

Rachel: 01:23:51

Chimney really is essentially being the Bobby to Maddie's Athena in this as well, which I think is so fun when we keep bringing up dose.

Rachel: 01:24:06

But that's because where they met.

Rachel: 01:24:08

But in that episode, Chimney was paralleled so much to Athena because one, they were the only two that weren't dosed but like Athena was also that grounding force for Bobby in in contrast.

Rachel: 01:24:25

So it's that like equal partnership and to kind of have Chimney be parallel to both of those.

Rachel: 01:24:32

It stands to reason, like from a narrative standpoint that Maddie will also be paralleled to one or both of them whenever Chimney needs someone to lean on, which we will see happens at some point this season.

Rachel: 01:24:50

So it really, it really is just like establishing their relationship friendship at the moment, but their relationship as something that you know, will kind of stand.

Rachel: 01:25:06

Stand the test of time stand, you know, different trials and tribulations.

Meg: 01:25:12

Well, I'm just so excited.

Meg: 01:25:13

There's a couple where nothing ever, ever is going to be happen to them or go wrong.

Meg: 01:25:19

Just all sunshine, oh the time rainbow all non stop.

Meg: 01:25:28

Just no issues.

Rachel: 01:25:30

And if there were ever two characters who ever deserve that, it would be.

Syl: 01:25:35

Them and a Reza of their wedding.

Rachel: 01:25:38

God, they do deserve that.

Rachel: 01:25:42

Makes me frustrated.

Rachel: 01:25:44

But can we also mention their karaoke duet of all time with Islands in the Stream and just like how indicative that is of their characters individually, but also how well they mesh together.

Rachel: 01:26:07

And you can also kind of see a little bit of that transition there when they're seeing also just like by the way they sing, they sound really good.

Rachel: 01:26:15

They sound so good.

Rachel: 01:26:18

Like Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kenneth Choi.

Rachel: 01:26:21

Like they sound fantastic together.

Rachel: 01:26:25

Please sing some more specifically in duets.

Rachel: 01:26:29

But you kind of see like at one point when Maddie puts like her arm around Chimney and he's just kind of like, oh, like that's one of.

Rachel: 01:26:37

That's like a little O moment.

Rachel: 01:26:39

Like oh, this might mean something and okay, now I remember what, what I was going to say.

Rachel: 01:26:46

I do love that they, that they kind of aired their feelings for each other without explicitly airing their feelings for each other.

Rachel: 01:26:58

But like they're both still on the same page about it because they, they hinted at it transparently enough that they both know where the other stands, even though they're not yet really ready for that in like consciously.

Rachel: 01:27:17

Even though that's basically what they're doing subconsciously.

Rachel: 01:27:21

But that's a really.

Rachel: 01:27:22

I really loved that because it was kind of like a what are we to each other without being so, like, are we friends?

Rachel: 01:27:31

Are we dating?

Han: 01:27:32

Like, what are we?

Meg: 01:27:34

They're islands in the stream.

Rachel: 01:27:36

Exactly.

Meg: 01:27:37

They rely on each other.

Rachel: 01:27:45

Perfectly said.

Meg: 01:27:49

I should write songs.

Rachel: 01:27:52

You should.

Rachel: 01:27:57

I.

Rachel: 01:27:57

I really love that.

Rachel: 01:27:58

So.

Rachel: 01:27:59

So yeah, that is really.

Rachel: 01:28:02

They're.

Rachel: 01:28:04

They are each other's second chance.

Rachel: 01:28:07

Right.

Rachel: 01:28:07

Which Maddie also says in the closing monologue, like, people can learn from the mistakes that they've made and grow into better and more complete human beings.

Rachel: 01:28:19

And sometimes it just starts with a second chance.

Rachel: 01:28:21

So I think we've also talked about like some self actualization in this season as well.

Rachel: 01:28:27

And I feel like, you know, what we've seen from Chimney from season one to now and Maddie from the, from the beginning of this season where she, you know, is basically on the run but has decided to start her life anew.

Rachel: 01:28:43

Start that, like, second, second chance at life.

Rachel: 01:28:46

They are, they are reaching that like, self actualization and that is also why they work well together.

Rachel: 01:28:52

Because they are, again, they're at the same point and they're on the same page and they see eye to eye and they see each other and just click.

Rachel: 01:29:01

How many times can we say that?

Rachel: 01:29:03

We've said.

Meg: 01:29:03

We've said.

Han: 01:29:04

I think we've said it enough.

Han: 01:29:05

Can we do Buck now?

Rachel: 01:29:06

Yeah.

Meg: 01:29:08

Hannah is chomping.

Meg: 01:29:10

Yeah.

Han: 01:29:10

It's also: 10:20

Rachel: 01:29:12

I know.

Rachel: 01:29:12

Yeah.

Han: 01:29:13

Because we're going to be talking about this bitch for a hot minute.

Han: 01:29:17

Affectionate tone indicators.

Han: 01:29:23

Be my guest.

Meg: 01:29:24

Yeah.

Han: 01:29:24

So anyway, talk about the, the titular character, I guess, of this episode, Mr.

Han: 01:29:31

Buck Buckley.

Han: 01:29:33

It's just the first hand embarrassment that I experienced from this man.

Meg: 01:29:40

The first hand embarrassed firsthand.

Syl: 01:29:44

Not second hand.

Han: 01:29:45

First hand.

Han: 01:29:45

No first hand.

Han: 01:29:48

But yeah.

Han: 01:29:48

So he is.

Han: 01:29:50

He's trying really hard to move forward, but he's kind of adrift at sea, like unmoored.

Han: 01:30:01

He's trying to really, like.

Han: 01:30:03

I don't want to continue that analogy.

Meg: 01:30:10

Reel it in.

Rachel: 01:30:12

Trying to stay afloat.

Han: 01:30:14

Well, he's trying to stay afloat and he particularly, he's trying to find a place to anchor himself again.

Han: 01:30:23

But, but like in that journey he's trying to like, find himself but like, for some reason this man is one of those people that, like, cannot be by himself.

Han: 01:30:33

Like, he cannot be left alone with his thoughts for a single second.

Han: 01:30:38

So it's not like he left, you know, and finally made that decision for himself to move on from Abby, but, like, immediately is getting involved with women again.

Han: 01:30:54

And I just feel like he was like, I need to find out who I am without you.

Han: 01:30:57

But he doesn't do that.

Meg: 01:31:01

He never said, find out who I am on my own.

Rachel: 01:31:07

Very important distinction.

Han: 01:31:10

Sure, sure.

Han: 01:31:11

But anyway, now that we have the thesis statement of what Buck is going through, right off the bat, we see Taylor Kelly again.

Han: 01:31:22

She's at the highway, the highway scene.

Han: 01:31:25

And the part of the quote that she says sends me, which is desperately trying to get the attention of somebody.

Han: 01:31:36

I was like, well, that's.

Han: 01:31:37

This is a bad book.

Han: 01:31:42

Because he needs attention to live.

Han: 01:31:45

Right.

Han: 01:31:46

And he has been starving, right, romantically.

Han: 01:31:50

So even though he's like, I need to find out who I am without you, he's also, like, desperately seeking that connection that he has been since we've met him.

Han: 01:32:00

He wants very beginning that emotional intimacy.

Han: 01:32:03

So he's still searching for it.

Han: 01:32:05

And he really needs somebody to pay him attention.

Han: 01:32:07

And that's gonna be important for later.

Han: 01:32:14

I just.

Meg: 01:32:14

I think he's terrified to be by himself.

Meg: 01:32:16

Like he said, he can't be left alone with his own thoughts.

Meg: 01:32:19

He can't.

Meg: 01:32:20

He can't stop to examine because then he's going to have to think about all of the stuff that he's been running away from since he was a kid, since his sister gave him that jeep and he.

Meg: 01:32:31

And he ran off and he did it under the guise of trying to find himself.

Meg: 01:32:36

But he's really just running away from everything and any.

Meg: 01:32:40

Letting anybody get close enough to damage him the way he's been already been damaged.

Meg: 01:32:47

So I think he's just.

Meg: 01:32:49

The idea of sitting with his thoughts is just so terrifying.

Meg: 01:32:53

So he's got to run out and try and find, like you said, that attention and that.

Meg: 01:32:58

That validation, but without any self reflection at all.

Meg: 01:33:05

Except to say that he's 2.0.

Rachel: 01:33:09

Maybe not quite.

Rachel: 01:33:10

Yeah.

Han: 01:33:11

Yeah.

Han: 01:33:12

But the only other thing that I like, really am taking away for like his arc from.

Han: 01:33:17

From that scene is she.

Han: 01:33:19

She also.

Han: 01:33:21

Oh, my God, Lola, who was like, you don't even know who I am anymore.

Han: 01:33:26

Which, as I said, was a theme.

Han: 01:33:28

And we're coming back to like, Buck doesn't know who he is.

Rachel: 01:33:34

Yeah.

Han: 01:33:34

And that's like, the problem because he doesn't.

Han: 01:33:39

He doesn't want to he doesn't want to do that.

Han: 01:33:42

Just like Meg said, he doesn't actually want to do that.

Han: 01:33:45

So instead of like focusing on himself, he's trying to focus on, like, his relationships and how buck 2.0 is going to be someone who, yes, buck 2.0 is, you know, this person who is about relationships and then about one night stands.

Han: 01:34:01

And because he discovered that he really wants that emotional intimacy, not like physical intimacy per se.

Meg: 01:34:08

I think he thinks Buck 2.0 might be the Buck that is lovable without having to do that.

Meg: 01:34:15

Examine buck 2.0, that one might be the one that someone loves and sticks around for because he's never felt that really from anybody.

Meg: 01:34:26

But he, like, he's.

Meg: 01:34:27

I, like I said, he doesn't want to think about it too hard.

Meg: 01:34:30

But buck 1.0 got left by everybody.

Meg: 01:34:33

So buck 2.0, maybe, maybe not.

Meg: 01:34:38

Maybe that one will be lovable.

Meg: 01:34:40

And I'm just like, he's, you're the worst.

Meg: 01:34:44

I love you so much.

Han: 01:34:46

He's looking for what Maddie just found, which is for someone to show up, like, plop into his life, pursue him, and, you know, look past all of the things that he doesn't like about himself or the things in his past and love him for.

Han: 01:35:06

Hate saying it, but love him anyway.

Han: 01:35:07

Love him for it.

Han: 01:35:09

You know what I mean?

Rachel: 01:35:10

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:35:11

So.

Han: 01:35:11

And he's like, that's what he's waiting for to happen.

Rachel: 01:35:18

Like, he really is waiting for someone to see him for who he is, even though one, like, he doesn't even truly see himself for who he is.

Rachel: 01:35:31

Like, he doesn't, he doesn't know who he is.

Rachel: 01:35:34

So like, on that aspect, like, how can he expect someone else to come in and know exactly who he is?

Rachel: 01:35:39

Like, if you don't even know yourself.

Rachel: 01:35:41

But like, but on the second point, you know, like, he keeps conflating these people who don't see him for people who do.

Han: 01:35:53

And because if he can find a morsel, like a crumb, that's why he latched onto Abby, because he was not doing well and she noticed and she went out of her way to pursue him in a way that made him feel seen and cared for.

Han: 01:36:10

So he's looking for another scrap.

Meg: 01:36:13

And him and Maddie, like, looking at the siblings, it's so interesting, especially when you look at what Thomas was saying about love doesn't find you, you make it.

Meg: 01:36:23

And that's where they are.

Meg: 01:36:24

Buck is waiting to be found.

Meg: 01:36:26

And Maddie is making that life.

Meg: 01:36:29

She's making that love.

Meg: 01:36:30

She's making what Buck wants And I.

Han: 01:36:33

Think she's building it.

Meg: 01:36:35

She's building it.

Meg: 01:36:36

And I think Buck seeing them build it together is kind of part of what between that and Thomas and Mitchell, I think is kind of what starts to kick him into that gear of, oh, I can't just sit around here and wait for somebody to come and fix me, baby boy.

Rachel: 01:36:56

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:36:57

Like, I think, I think you really see like that those are the transitions to go back to your, to your theme because at the, at the scene on the highway or the, or the freeway or whatever, when he's talking to Lola and he's trying to basically talk her down, he's.

Rachel: 01:37:17

He's coming from this witches.

Han: 01:37:22

The fact that a choice.

Han: 01:37:24

He was like, oh, I can relate to you.

Han: 01:37:25

Let me tell you, like, what happened to me.

Han: 01:37:28

Because, like, we'll relate and then you'll understand why you should, like, not do what you're doing.

Han: 01:37:33

And that her takeaway from that was like, kill myself.

Rachel: 01:37:36

Oh, God.

Rachel: 01:37:37

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:37:37

Like, because he was coming at it.

Rachel: 01:37:40

What I was going to say was he, he was coming at it from a place of grief.

Han: 01:37:47

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:37:47

And you know, and he is typically this very, like, optimistic.

Rachel: 01:37:53

Both of the Buckley siblings are very, just like kind of eternally optimistic.

Rachel: 01:37:59

Which chimney does say to Maddie earlier or at the, at the bar.

Rachel: 01:38:05

But Buck is not feeling his optimistic self because he's in this transition, this process of grieving, this relationship that has already withered and died without him knowing.

Rachel: 01:38:18

So he's trying to catch up to it, I guess, a little bit and, you know, look at the past, but also try to move forward.

Rachel: 01:38:27

But he's kind of convincing himself as much as he's trying to convince Lola as well.

Rachel: 01:38:33

And it works kind of, but not like in the way that you would really want it to.

Rachel: 01:38:40

Which again goes back to Glenn saying, like, they got lucky.

Rachel: 01:38:45

But, you know, Buck.

Rachel: 01:38:47

Mr.

Rachel: 01:38:47

I like our chances.

Rachel: 01:38:51

He is just, he's just a good luck Buck just kind of generally.

Rachel: 01:38:56

And then he tries to like, course correct.

Rachel: 01:38:59

But he doesn't even really know exactly how to, how to attack this kind of head on because he sees himself in Lola because they both don't know who they are anymore.

Rachel: 01:39:13

But like at the, but at the end, he's like, Bobby says, what did you say to her?

Rachel: 01:39:18

And, and Buck, who saw all of this happen and kind of end up like, happily instead of tragically, he's like, oh, I told her everything's gonna be okay.

Rachel: 01:39:29

So you see that optimism try to like, starts creeping back in a little bit more.

Rachel: 01:39:34

But it's not really?

Rachel: 01:39:36

Until like the very end that I think he chooses to go back to like his.

Rachel: 01:39:44

Or he's trying to embrace his like optimistic nature again, but it's still not coming to him as easily, I think.

Han: 01:39:54

No, because I think he has a hard time being optimistic about people being interested in him for things other than his body.

Rachel: 01:40:03

Wait.

Rachel: 01:40:03

Which Lola also comments on when she's like, oh, yeah, I'm sure you get ignored all the time.

Rachel: 01:40:12

Which kind of brings us to think about Buck 1.0 Season 1 Buck.

Rachel: 01:40:18

Anyways, like we've talked about, like he was very much using his appearance and his outward, like, attractiveness to his benefit.

Rachel: 01:40:27

But like that's, that's not seeing the.

Rachel: 01:40:30

All of him.

Rachel: 01:40:32

You know, that's just seeing the, the surface.

Han: 01:40:35

The first, the first connection we see him have with someone in that fire truck at the end of it, he is still trying to make a further connection.

Han: 01:40:46

And she's just like, I just wanted to sleep with you, but thanks.

Han: 01:40:51

Have a good one.

Han: 01:40:51

And then Taylor does the same thing.

Meg: 01:40:53

Yeah.

Han: 01:40:54

To him.

Rachel: 01:40:55

Yeah, I wanted to talk about that later.

Han: 01:40:59

Yes, we will.

Han: 01:41:00

Because that's the scene dissection.

Han: 01:41:03

But yeah, so he doesn't have much of value.

Han: 01:41:07

You know, he has self worth issues.

Han: 01:41:10

So trying to be optimistic about things where when it comes to his self worth isn't means it.

Han: 01:41:16

It's gonna be really hard for him to do.

Han: 01:41:19

But he is doing that thing where he just makes a decision and goes full steam ahead without fully thinking it through.

Han: 01:41:29

So that's what he, that's what he does.

Han: 01:41:30

Like ultimately, I mean, like he.

Han: 01:41:34

He's at the scene with Mitchell and Thomas.

Meg: 01:41:39

Thomas.

Han: 01:41:40

Thomas.

Han: 01:41:41

And he hears and he sees this like, moving relationship, right?

Han: 01:41:47

And he's like, oh my God, that's what love is.

Han: 01:41:50

And he's like, oh.

Han: 01:41:51

He said, you don't find it, you make it.

Han: 01:41:54

Well, I have to make it obviously.

Han: 01:41:57

And like.

Han: 01:41:57

But he's taking that to mean that like he specifically has to be putting all of the work in to make it happen.

Han: 01:42:05

And that he's not thinking about how it's supposed.

Han: 01:42:07

Supposed to be.

Han: 01:42:08

Two people who want the same equal partnership.

Han: 01:42:11

Equal partnership.

Meg: 01:42:12

Making it together.

Han: 01:42:13

Making it together.

Han: 01:42:14

Which is what Chimney and Maddie are doing, which is what Bobby and Athena are doing.

Rachel: 01:42:19

Because Buck has already tried to make it with Abby being the only one to put anything into it because he.

Han: 01:42:27

Was taking another piece of advice poorly, where he's like, you just need to step into it with her.

Han: 01:42:32

And now he, he keeps doing that in relationships too.

Han: 01:42:35

It's like, it's like he always gets relationship advice that, like, is good or could be good, but he just takes it the wrong way.

Han: 01:42:44

And then he's just like, he's still doing.

Han: 01:42:46

He's still doing this shit to this day.

Rachel: 01:42:50

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:42:50

It's like he's so close, but he still misses the mark.

Rachel: 01:42:55

And I think that.

Rachel: 01:42:56

I think, yeah, seeing.

Rachel: 01:42:58

Seeing Chimney and Maddie kind of like make that happen in front of his own eyes when he's all of a sudden this third wheel that he didn't realize.

Rachel: 01:43:12

Like when they're at the karaoke bar and Chimney tells him, you know, oh, Maddie's coming.

Rachel: 01:43:20

And the faces that he makes and that scene are so funny and very.

Rachel: 01:43:27

Just like brother sort of.

Rachel: 01:43:31

Sort of thing.

Meg: 01:43:32

Just gross.

Rachel: 01:43:34

Yeah.

Han: 01:43:34

First of all.

Rachel: 01:43:37

Like, my sister.

Rachel: 01:43:39

And also, like, huh, my friend.

Rachel: 01:43:43

Since when?

Rachel: 01:43:47

Like, what is happening?

Rachel: 01:43:50

Did I miss like a chapter or a vital update and just kind of like ends up being front row seat to watching Chimney and Maddie just like develop this relationship in front of his eyes.

Rachel: 01:44:06

And even when he.

Rachel: 01:44:09

The three of them have dinner at Chimney's and it's like Buff Fridays or whatever, and he's just like, just there watching this happen in front of him and.

Meg: 01:44:20

And right in front of his salad.

Meg: 01:44:27

Sorry, I'm gonna show myself out.

Rachel: 01:44:31

Don't.

Rachel: 01:44:32

It's.

Rachel: 01:44:33

It's just so funny because he's.

Rachel: 01:44:36

He wants to look towards the future and he's seeing them look towards the future with each other, but he just.

Rachel: 01:44:43

He doesn't.

Rachel: 01:44:44

It does not compute in this software patch or update or upgrade or whatever he's on right now that, like, he doesn't have to be the only one to put in that effort.

Han: 01:44:58

Yeah.

Han: 01:44:58

And it also doesn't mean that you have to look through your current Rolodex of women, you know?

Rachel: 01:45:03

Yeah.

Meg: 01:45:04

Well, I think he's just.

Meg: 01:45:05

He's being left behind.

Meg: 01:45:07

He has such abandonment issues, especially when it comes to math.

Meg: 01:45:12

And like, I think seeing all of these people, like seeing Bobby and moving on in their life and seeing Maddie and Maddie, who went through so much more trauma than Buck did in their relationship wise, and seeing her move forward and putting herself out there.

Meg: 01:45:30

And I think you're right, he doesn't.

Meg: 01:45:32

He doesn't think that it's togetherness because I don't think he's.

Meg: 01:45:36

He's ever had that.

Meg: 01:45:37

And I think it's so cliche to say, but I don't think he loves himself enough to think that he is worth anybody putting in the effort to create that with him.

Meg: 01:45:47

And which is why he assumes that.

Han: 01:45:49

He'S the one who has to do it.

Han: 01:45:51

I'm the one that has to step into their world.

Meg: 01:45:54

I think he's already building that.

Meg: 01:45:57

He just doesn't see it yet.

Han: 01:45:58

Yeah, he doesn't know.

Syl: 01:45:59

He doesn't know it yet.

Meg: 01:46:01

I don't know.

Han: 01:46:02

We'll talk about that.

Han: 01:46:03

We'll talk about that in a minute.

Rachel: 01:46:07

Couple minutes.

Han: 01:46:08

Because I have things to say about that.

Rachel: 01:46:10

I think we all do.

Han: 01:46:12

Oh, I'm sure we do.

Han: 01:46:13

So I think I was just going to give, like, one or two comments about the coffee date with Ally.

Han: 01:46:17

I have some more in another section.

Han: 01:46:20

But specifically, he shows.

Han: 01:46:23

Well, he turns her down at first because he's like.

Han: 01:46:27

Because he slept with Taylor.

Han: 01:46:30

And then immediately felt shitty about it because he says, like, oh, I felt like I disrespected you.

Han: 01:46:37

I didn't want you to feel used, whatever.

Han: 01:46:38

But I feel like that's how he's actually.

Han: 01:46:40

He's just projecting this entire episode.

Han: 01:46:42

It's just projection station.

Han: 01:46:45

So, yeah, he's projecting.

Han: 01:46:47

So, like, that.

Han: 01:46:48

That's how he feels.

Han: 01:46:51

And that's the reason why he doesn't want to do the 18 stands anymore.

Han: 01:46:54

So he's like, well, the obvious solution is to turn this into a relationship.

Rachel: 01:46:58

So this pendulum swing all the way the other way.

Han: 01:47:03

Right, right, right.

Han: 01:47:05

So when Ally calls him, right.

Han: 01:47:09

And he hadn't gone back to see.

Han: 01:47:11

Wait, did he go to see Taylor again before that?

Syl: 01:47:14

It's just the van.

Han: 01:47:16

Oh, yeah, he had seen her before that.

Han: 01:47:19

But then he sees.

Han: 01:47:20

Then he is like, oh, that's love.

Han: 01:47:22

So he has that revelation that he has to make it.

Han: 01:47:25

And then he's like, okay, I'm gonna call Ally back.

Han: 01:47:28

Because I think he does realize that, like, Taylor, I mean, she basically was straight up, like, I don't want a relationship.

Han: 01:47:33

And, like, without saying I don't want a relationship.

Han: 01:47:37

So he was like, okay, I'll call Ally back.

Meg: 01:47:40

These men need to stop dating people they meet on calls.

Han: 01:47:46

Well, and he has that whole conversation with her where he's like, okay, I just need to make sure that you don't feel like you're, like, indebted to me.

Han: 01:47:53

And we'll get into the rest of that later.

Han: 01:47:55

But just two.

Han: 01:47:58

Two little notes.

Han: 01:47:59

He showed up wearing black, which they, like, rarely put him in.

Han: 01:48:06

So he's.

Han: 01:48:07

He's lost.

Han: 01:48:09

He is lost.

Han: 01:48:10

He does not know what the fuck he's doing.

Han: 01:48:12

And the irony of the closing song is so funny to me because, like, it's supposed to be this like, you know, optimistic, upbeat, rom com, everlasting love ending.

Han: 01:48:27

Right.

Han: 01:48:27

And like they do the montage of the other people and everlasting love totally makes sense for them.

Han: 01:48:33

But like it's so discordant on purpose, I'm sure with Buck and Allie on a date.

Meg: 01:48:41

Well, and Maddie's montaut.

Syl: 01:48:43

Well, yeah, I was going to touch upon Maddie's montage but I was also like going to touch upon like what Ali was wearing too because like so he's in black, she's in white.

Syl: 01:48:52

And then that ties into.

Syl: 01:48:54

So there's like a, you know, that's your typical yin and yang.

Syl: 01:48:57

There's going to be differences and then you have Maddie who's like all of these great epic love stories and then tragedy and it's just the shot of them right over which foreshadowing flash forward to what they are.

Syl: 01:49:15

Like they were also kind of opposites because they kind of, I think if I remember correctly, they.

Syl: 01:49:20

It's not that they wanted different things, but like she had a different perspective and didn't want to be in a relationship with someone that's going to be in danger all of the time because she couldn't do that.

Syl: 01:49:32

So it was kind of like just.

Han: 01:49:34

Like super weird thing to say.

Han: 01:49:37

When you pursued a relationship with someone that you met saving your life, you almost died.

Han: 01:49:42

What do you think they do?

Han: 01:49:43

That was a one time thing.

Meg: 01:49:44

Well, I mean I, I can get where she's coming from though because the theoretical of it and, and the idea, the reality of that relationship versus the reality of the relationship I think is something that, like she's not wrong for saying.

Meg: 01:50:02

This is not something that she can handle.

Meg: 01:50:04

It was really shitty that she did it right after he got and desperately needed someone, somebody to stick by him.

Rachel: 01:50:14

When she pulled a Tatiana too.

Meg: 01:50:17

Yeah, when, when things were really bad for him.

Meg: 01:50:22

So like her reasoning was valid.

Meg: 01:50:25

Her timing was just awful.

Rachel: 01:50:29

But yeah, it, it really shows that like.

Rachel: 01:50:32

And kind of to what Sil said about like the yin and yang, like they were not on the same page from the beginning especially because he kind of like turned her down first and then like called her back up and you know, this kind of like flip flop.

Rachel: 01:50:48

Like they're not.

Han: 01:50:49

He did that with Abby too.

Meg: 01:50:50

Yeah.

Meg: 01:50:51

These women do not know what they're getting into because he's not on the.

Rachel: 01:50:55

Same page with anyone at the moment.

Rachel: 01:50:58

Like it, it like all of the, all of the factors like from the music to the monologue to what they're wearing, it just like illustrates this Idea that they're not going to end up together.

Rachel: 01:51:19

Like, it's not going to last.

Rachel: 01:51:22

So, like, why?

Han: 01:51:23

Just thinking of all of our themes from the last episode.

Rachel: 01:51:26

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:51:28

Which I honestly, I think that is kind of like pulled over a little bit.

Meg: 01:51:33

I was just saying.

Meg: 01:51:34

I remember I was pretty excited when this first aired and I.

Meg: 01:51:37

And the coffee date was with Allie and it wasn't another Taylor hookup.

Meg: 01:51:43

I just remember because, I mean, like I said, I didn't know what was coming.

Meg: 01:51:47

I didn't know what was going to happen with them, but I was just so happy that he was trying to.

Meg: 01:51:53

Trying to find something more meanable.

Meg: 01:51:55

They had a coffee date.

Meg: 01:51:56

They weren't meeting in a bar.

Meg: 01:51:57

They weren't meeting in a club or someplace.

Meg: 01:52:00

Like growth, like.

Syl: 01:52:02

And they were talking the entire day.

Meg: 01:52:03

Yeah.

Syl: 01:52:04

Until the night.

Meg: 01:52:06

Yeah.

Meg: 01:52:06

And it felt more grown up.

Meg: 01:52:09

And like, hindsight, obviously, we know a lot more.

Meg: 01:52:15

But I just remember watching and thinking like, oh, he's making a step in the right direction.

Meg: 01:52:21

Which.

Meg: 01:52:22

It's a baby step.

Han: 01:52:23

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:52:25

A baby step is still a step.

Meg: 01:52:27

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:52:28

It's movement.

Rachel: 01:52:29

It's what?

Syl: 01:52:31

Oh, I just said it's a smidge.

Rachel: 01:52:33

A smidge.

Han: 01:52:34

A smidge.

Han: 01:52:34

Yeah, yeah.

Syl: 01:52:35

Smidge forward.

Rachel: 01:52:36

And like you.

Rachel: 01:52:38

It's nice because you see him, it looks like they're connecting on.

Rachel: 01:52:44

On some sort of level that's like, not in the same way that he connected with Taylor when they had banter.

Meg: 01:52:53

And it was cute and.

Rachel: 01:52:55

Yeah.

Han: 01:52:55

And yeah.

Meg: 01:52:56

You know, she.

Han: 01:52:57

That's true.

Meg: 01:52:57

She kind of gave him some shit in there and.

Meg: 01:53:02

Yeah.

Meg: 01:53:02

So that's my last thought ever.

Han: 01:53:07

But.

Han: 01:53:07

Yeah.

Han: 01:53:07

Speaking of Taylor, let's get into the scene dissection.

Rachel: 01:53:10

Oh, boy.

Meg: 01:53:15

Hey.

Syl: 01:53:17

Where'S the fire?

Han: 01:53:24

We're going to talk about both Taylor scenes.

Han: 01:53:28

The bar and the news.

Han: 01:53:31

Ban or parking lot, I guess I should say.

Meg: 01:53:35

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:53:35

It's outside the news station, I would think, which I'm.

Rachel: 01:53:42

He just.

Rachel: 01:53:44

He just pulled up to the news van parked randomly somewhere.

Rachel: 01:53:48

I'm assuming the news van is in front of the news station because that's where he met her.

Meg: 01:53:52

Yeah.

Meg: 01:53:53

Because the cameraman comes out.

Han: 01:53:55

Oh, yeah, that makes sense.

Meg: 01:53:56

They just gotten back from a story she had to cut together.

Han: 01:53:59

So, yeah.

Han: 01:54:01

We go from Buck saying, I don't.

Han: 01:54:04

Saying I don't want to do this thing.

Han: 01:54:06

I don't want to be buck 1.0.

Han: 01:54:08

But he's trying to talk to Chimney about it, who I think at this point is still like the worst person he could possibly try to talk to about this.

Han: 01:54:16

Because Chim still doesn't inherently like understand Buck underneath the masks.

Han: 01:54:22

Right?

Meg: 01:54:23

Yeah.

Han: 01:54:23

So.

Han: 01:54:24

And he's also like, oh, looking at him like, oh, you're attractive.

Han: 01:54:28

Oh, poor you.

Han: 01:54:29

There's like women who want to sleep with you.

Han: 01:54:31

Like, oh, sounds terrible.

Rachel: 01:54:34

It's like Chimney 1.0 comes back up.

Han: 01:54:37

Again a little bit, popping out a little bit.

Han: 01:54:39

Yeah.

Han: 01:54:41

So yeah, he's like, that's ruminating in his head and he's like, I feel like spiraling a tiny little bit, like watching Chimney and his sister.

Rachel: 01:54:51

Oh yeah, you can see it like kind of eating at him a little bit.

Rachel: 01:54:57

Like he's a little frustrated and irritated and just frankly, I think bewildered that that is even happening at all.

Rachel: 01:55:10

But also kind of frustrated that like, you know, Maddy's only been here for how many months and she's moving on, maybe it looks like.

Rachel: 01:55:23

And here he is just kind of like in that stasis still or like trying to move on from that stasis.

Han: 01:55:32

So then Taylor sends him a drink and they have like trying to look at it objectively but like, weird conversation.

Syl: 01:55:42

She treats well, she's laying it on so thick.

Han: 01:55:46

Yeah, it's.

Meg: 01:55:51

She likes to troll those Brick and Ladder or Badge and ladder bars for a scoop.

Han: 01:55:57

And other things.

Meg: 01:55:59

And other things.

Han: 01:56:00

Rachel, what were you gonna say?

Meg: 01:56:01

The.

Rachel: 01:56:03

She treats him in their conversation like he is a story that she's gonna get to the bottom of.

Rachel: 01:56:11

She asks him all of these very reportery questions, you know, these like follow up questions.

Rachel: 01:56:18

That again, that's why it was so awkward.

Han: 01:56:22

Right?

Rachel: 01:56:23

Because it's not like a natural conversation.

Rachel: 01:56:24

It's not a conversation, it's an interview.

Han: 01:56:28

Where she gives nothing.

Rachel: 01:56:30

Right, exactly.

Rachel: 01:56:32

She gives nothing.

Rachel: 01:56:33

But she is giving the appearance that she's so interested and intrigued with.

Rachel: 01:56:39

Whatever.

Han: 01:56:40

And he's getting his attention paid to him and he is starving for the attention.

Rachel: 01:56:47

It's the same thing that we talked about in Dose where he thinks that he's being seen by her, but she's just seeing what, what he can do for her.

Rachel: 01:57:00

And it's not the same thing.

Han: 01:57:01

And you would think that he learned his lesson in dosed, but he's stupid.

Meg: 01:57:09

Well, and I mean Taylor, to be clear, Taylor's good at her job, she is a good reporter.

Meg: 01:57:15

That is part of the job is getting people to talk about themselves and they say things that they may not be wanting to say.

Meg: 01:57:23

And like, all I have to say.

Syl: 01:57:27

Too, like, I think what Han was trying to say also I just don't get like.

Syl: 01:57:34

And it's more like a Personal anecdote.

Syl: 01:57:36

I just don't understand, like, why.

Syl: 01:57:38

No, I do know.

Syl: 01:57:39

I do know why.

Syl: 01:57:40

I do know why he's attracted to her.

Syl: 01:57:42

It's just like.

Han: 01:57:43

I mean, she's objectively very attractive.

Syl: 01:57:47

Yeah, I.

Syl: 01:57:47

I get why.

Syl: 01:57:49

But, like, I guess what I'm trying to say is, like, she showed you, like, who she is as a person.

Syl: 01:57:58

Like, why did you go.

Syl: 01:58:00

Why did you go back there?

Syl: 01:58:03

Like, why?

Meg: 01:58:04

I think he.

Rachel: 01:58:05

He liked the attention.

Meg: 01:58:07

There's a.

Meg: 01:58:08

The attention.

Meg: 01:58:08

He's like, I already know her, so I'm not meeting her in a bar.

Meg: 01:58:12

And I think, like I said, she's an opportunist.

Meg: 01:58:15

She's very good at what she does and very good at making him feel seen.

Meg: 01:58:19

And that's all he wants.

Meg: 01:58:21

That's all.

Meg: 01:58:21

Like, he's in a really vulnerable, really crappy place, and she takes advantage of it.

Meg: 01:58:26

And then she knows us to her feeling like he took advantage of her.

Rachel: 01:58:30

Whereas the other way around.

Meg: 01:58:32

Right?

Rachel: 01:58:32

Not really.

Meg: 01:58:33

I mean, never mind.

Meg: 01:58:35

But they're both.

Meg: 01:58:36

They're both.

Meg: 01:58:36

They're both adults.

Meg: 01:58:37

They're both, like, you know, and it wasn't like anything taking advantage in that kind of way, but she.

Meg: 01:58:44

She saw her opportunity and she took it.

Meg: 01:58:47

And it's hard.

Meg: 01:58:48

Like, we don't like her as people because we could as a person, because we see what she does.

Han: 01:58:53

But, yeah, I also think Buck started doing this thing because it was like he.

Han: 01:58:58

She did.

Han: 01:58:59

Like Sil said, she showed her ass just, like, with her whole chest.

Han: 01:59:03

She was like, this is who I am.

Han: 01:59:05

And, like, there's nothing stupid about that.

Han: 01:59:09

Like, you don't have to like it, but, like, this is my job.

Han: 01:59:11

I'm good at it.

Han: 01:59:12

And.

Meg: 01:59:14

And that way, she's able to wash her hands of any other thing she does to him.

Meg: 01:59:17

Right?

Han: 01:59:18

And so, like.

Han: 01:59:18

But she.

Han: 01:59:19

So, like, before she did that whole rant, Buck was like, that's a stupid job.

Han: 01:59:25

Right?

Han: 01:59:25

So I feel like at that point, we talked about this in that episode in Dosed, how he was, like, ready to write her off, and then she did the whole thing, kind of made him feel guilty.

Han: 01:59:35

And then I feel like he's building this person that she is in his head.

Han: 01:59:41

That's not accurate.

Meg: 01:59:43

Not Buck.

Rachel: 01:59:47

Yeah.

Rachel: 01:59:48

I feel like she.

Rachel: 01:59:50

She is very good at her job, and she knows how to wield it to her advantage because she is an opportunist.

Rachel: 01:59:56

But it's also interesting because she's one of the only people that Buck actually like.

Rachel: 02:00:05

He's talked to Bobby about his, you know, Relationship with Abby or his romantic exploits and everything like that, but not a lot of, like, personal information.

Rachel: 02:00:16

But Taylor is kind of like one of these first people where he is, like, divulging more personal information that we.

Rachel: 02:00:24

No, he doesn't do.

Rachel: 02:00:27

But somehow she just, like, pulls this out of him.

Rachel: 02:00:31

And I think that is why he feels like she is so interested in him as opposed to, like, the story that he can give her.

Rachel: 02:00:45

And.

Rachel: 02:00:48

Oh, that makes me sad because it's not.

Han: 02:00:52

Yeah.

Han: 02:00:52

So, I mean, I don't want to say she took advantage of him because again, there was consent, clear consent from adults, but it's.

Rachel: 02:00:59

She's just an opportunity.

Han: 02:01:00

She was very vulnerable and got done saying, I don't want to do this thing.

Meg: 02:01:05

Yeah.

Han: 02:01:06

But, like, there was this sexual tension between them endorsed where it was like, get her.

Han: 02:01:11

What did he say?

Han: 02:01:12

Did he say, get her?

Rachel: 02:01:12

Yeah, he said, get a room.

Han: 02:01:14

Cameraman said, get a room.

Han: 02:01:16

And then that's like he like, bites his lip or something.

Rachel: 02:01:21

Right?

Han: 02:01:21

And that's the end.

Han: 02:01:22

So, like, this is.

Rachel: 02:01:22

It's that weird, like, ending shot where they're just kind of like staring at each other.

Syl: 02:01:26

It's kind of like, do you walk away from.

Han: 02:01:31

And then you were like, okay, bye.

Rachel: 02:01:33

Bye.

Rachel: 02:01:35

Like, what.

Rachel: 02:01:38

How do you leave that conversation?

Rachel: 02:01:39

Just like, I hate you.

Rachel: 02:01:41

I hate you back.

Rachel: 02:01:43

See you later.

Han: 02:01:44

So this is just like.

Han: 02:01:45

Just like the.

Han: 02:01:48

The.

Han: 02:01:48

I guess the.

Han: 02:01:49

The fulfilling the loop of whatever the fuck that was that started.

Rachel: 02:01:54

Right.

Han: 02:01:55

And impulse control.

Han: 02:01:58

Never met her.

Rachel: 02:02:00

Evan Buckley, too restrained.

Syl: 02:02:02

Oh, my God.

Rachel: 02:02:03

Which didn't last out the window.

Han: 02:02:05

And I was like, she is.

Han: 02:02:07

She is not.

Han: 02:02:09

I don't want to say taking advantage.

Rachel: 02:02:10

But she is like, taking advantage of the opportunity.

Syl: 02:02:16

She knew how to play him.

Syl: 02:02:17

She knew how to play him.

Syl: 02:02:18

Yes.

Han: 02:02:19

And she.

Han: 02:02:20

She clocked from just watching him during dosed that this man has no impulse control.

Meg: 02:02:25

Well, what.

Meg: 02:02:26

What killed me really was when he was feeling like he was so disrespectful and such a jackass about the whole thing and called himself a pig.

Meg: 02:02:35

And like, I don't think she necessarily.

Meg: 02:02:37

This was something that she was necessarily doing because she.

Meg: 02:02:41

I don't think she knows that he was projecting so much of it to.

Meg: 02:02:45

And she's like, I am a grown woman.

Meg: 02:02:47

I knew what I was doing.

Meg: 02:02:48

You do not have to worry about me and Buck taking all of that as.

Meg: 02:02:52

Why do you care?

Meg: 02:02:53

I do not care about you or how you're feeling after this encounter.

Meg: 02:02:58

So what's going on now?

Meg: 02:03:01

Let's get back to it.

Meg: 02:03:02

And I Think.

Meg: 02:03:03

And I think, I don't think that was intentional on Taylor's part.

Meg: 02:03:05

I don't want to just like on her and give her evil motives that she doesn't like, deserve.

Meg: 02:03:12

But I think in her mind she was like, I'm gonna ease this guy's worries, let him know that he's not like, yeah, I knew what I was doing.

Meg: 02:03:21

I.

Meg: 02:03:21

I'm a big girl.

Meg: 02:03:22

I don't feel like he.

Meg: 02:03:25

He used me or anything like that.

Meg: 02:03:28

Not realizing that all of that stuff is just kind of how he feels.

Han: 02:03:32

About his own feelings about.

Syl: 02:03:34

I felt like she was trying to reassure him, but in her tailor.

Syl: 02:03:39

Her own way.

Rachel: 02:03:40

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:03:41

Which is, of course, which is, you know, I think which is on the.

Han: 02:03:47

Side of like, condescending.

Syl: 02:03:50

Yeah, yeah, always.

Han: 02:03:52

It's always a snow midge away from condescending.

Meg: 02:03:55

And I think it just made him feel like he wasn't worth her wanting to get to know more.

Meg: 02:04:01

Like she was so dismissive of him wanting to make sure that she knew he.

Meg: 02:04:06

That he respected her, that it falls back on his esteem.

Meg: 02:04:10

Self esteem issues too.

Meg: 02:04:12

I just.

Rachel: 02:04:12

It really, it really does.

Rachel: 02:04:15

And I think to.

Rachel: 02:04:18

To that point of what we were saying about how she was trying to reassure him, but it ended up kind of like backfiring because he was projecting.

Rachel: 02:04:31

And I think I mentioned this in the Dose episode.

Rachel: 02:04:34

Like, Taylor is 100% a buck.

Rachel: 02:04:37

Specifically a buck 1.0 mirror or parallel.

Rachel: 02:04:41

Right.

Rachel: 02:04:41

Like chimney even says that at one point, I think during their dinner when he's like, you're dating yourself and I forget.

Rachel: 02:04:53

Exactly.

Han: 02:04:54

It's like it's a mirror of who people think he was.

Rachel: 02:04:58

Exactly.

Han: 02:04:59

Not actually how he was exactly.

Rachel: 02:05:02

It's.

Rachel: 02:05:03

It is Buck projecting and kind of like thinking, well, you know, he's seeing it from this different perspective, like we've mentioned at the.

Rachel: 02:05:14

With.

Rachel: 02:05:14

With the themes of he's kind of like the shoe is on the other foot.

Rachel: 02:05:18

So he is now in the place of, you know, the people that he's slept with and kind of like realizing, oh, maybe I made them feel this way.

Rachel: 02:05:31

And.

Rachel: 02:05:32

And Taylor is just like when.

Rachel: 02:05:37

When she, when she gets him a drink in the bar, she gets him what she's drinking.

Rachel: 02:05:44

Right.

Rachel: 02:05:45

Because that's just like to mirror them together.

Rachel: 02:05:52

And the news van.

Rachel: 02:05:54

So when they attempt to hook up in the news van, that is so very much like when Buck took the fire truck out and hooked up with people on the job she's working.

Rachel: 02:06:07

You know, I remember us saying like, how do you do that when you're Working when you're on the clock and everything like that.

Rachel: 02:06:13

She's doing this.

Rachel: 02:06:15

The very same thing.

Rachel: 02:06:16

She was working on editing something, and then she gets, like, all of these notifications for, like, something that she has to follow up on.

Rachel: 02:06:22

And, like, she's mixing that business with pleasure thing just like he did.

Rachel: 02:06:28

And she just.

Rachel: 02:06:30

But she kind of does it better than buck 1.0 because she just.

Rachel: 02:06:34

She doesn't care.

Rachel: 02:06:36

Or she just, like, puts her needs above his.

Meg: 02:06:42

She's who Buck would be.

Meg: 02:06:43

If Buck was what he was projecting out into the world in season one, he.

Han: 02:06:47

That's exactly what perceived.

Meg: 02:06:49

Yeah.

Meg: 02:06:49

But not actually.

Meg: 02:06:52

Yeah.

Han: 02:06:53

The reality.

Han: 02:06:54

So I have two more notes about the news.

Han: 02:06:59

Well, three more notes about the news van.

Han: 02:07:03

The first is that he shows up wearing red because he thinks that he's like.

Han: 02:07:10

He knows what he's doing.

Han: 02:07:11

He's gonna apologize for if he made her feel bad and then ask her out.

Han: 02:07:18

Right.

Han: 02:07:18

So he's like, I'm on a mission.

Han: 02:07:20

I'm gonna do a thing.

Han: 02:07:22

But then when they're hooking up in the van, once the tides turn, he's down to the white shirt.

Meg: 02:07:28

I have that.

Han: 02:07:29

He's apologizing to the wrong person because he should be apologizing to himself.

Han: 02:07:37

He should be like, I.

Han: 02:07:40

Because he's projecting.

Han: 02:07:41

He doesn't.

Han: 02:07:41

Like, he can't even, like, look at those emotions in the face.

Han: 02:07:47

But he should be apologizing to himself for doing the thing that he knew would make him feel bad and apologize for that and be like, we won't do this again because we know it's bad for us.

Han: 02:08:04

Right.

Han: 02:08:04

And makes us feel this way.

Rachel: 02:08:05

Yeah.

Han: 02:08:06

Is like what I feel like would have happened if he was actually on a journey to like, figure out who he was.

Meg: 02:08:11

But he's not there yet.

Han: 02:08:15

No.

Meg: 02:08:16

Therapy's a little ways off.

Rachel: 02:08:18

He needs to put some space in between himself and therapy for a while.

Rachel: 02:08:22

But I think he is realizing that engaging in these kind of dalliances because I use these weird words.

Meg: 02:08:33

I love it.

Han: 02:08:34

Yes.

Han: 02:08:34

Your old timey speech.

Rachel: 02:08:37

Thank you.

Rachel: 02:08:38

I do declare.

Rachel: 02:08:39

Oh.

Rachel: 02:08:40

Clutching my pearls.

Rachel: 02:08:43

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:08:44

I think he's starting to understand again because he's seeing it from this different perspective that these dalliances, these connections, these hookups, whatever is not Is kind of like a.

Rachel: 02:08:58

Like a form of self destruction or.

Rachel: 02:09:02

I don't.

Rachel: 02:09:02

I don't want to necessarily go so far as to say, like a form of self harm, but it.

Rachel: 02:09:08

But do you get where I'm going with that?

Han: 02:09:10

No.

Han: 02:09:11

It is a form of Self harm.

Rachel: 02:09:13

Okay.

Han: 02:09:14

It literally is.

Rachel: 02:09:15

Then we'll go with that.

Rachel: 02:09:17

It is kind of like a form of self harm.

Rachel: 02:09:18

And I think he is, like, on the brink of.

Han: 02:09:20

He's hurting himself to get attention.

Rachel: 02:09:22

Yeah.

Han: 02:09:23

That's what he's done his whole life.

Han: 02:09:25

He's all he knows.

Rachel: 02:09:26

On the brink of, like, oh, he's on the brink of realizing that.

Rachel: 02:09:32

And that is kind of why he kind of like, oh, hold up a second.

Rachel: 02:09:37

And does the switch up to go to Ally.

Han: 02:09:42

We're not gonna look at that.

Han: 02:09:44

We're gonna pivot.

Rachel: 02:09:45

Well, he says he's like, we're not gonna look at that.

Rachel: 02:09:49

More than that was not making me feel good, so I'm gonna go in this other direction.

Rachel: 02:09:56

But now I'm not gonna look at that because it didn't make me feel good.

Rachel: 02:10:00

And I don't wanna, you know, focus on things that don't make me feel good.

Han: 02:10:03

Further.

Meg: 02:10:04

Yeah, this didn't spark joy.

Rachel: 02:10:12

Just Marie condoing.

Meg: 02:10:16

His Rolodex.

Rachel: 02:10:19

Spring cleaning, you know, just.

Rachel: 02:10:21

Nope, Take that out.

Rachel: 02:10:22

Take that out.

Rachel: 02:10:26

Oh, gosh.

Rachel: 02:10:28

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:10:29

So.

Rachel: 02:10:29

So he, like, Ally says when she shows up that she's.

Rachel: 02:10:33

That she was, like, reevaluating something.

Rachel: 02:10:36

So obviously let's go in this direction instead of that direction with Taylor, which feels too similar, both because it's a mirror for him, but it also, like, feels very similar to the relationship with Abby.

Rachel: 02:10:54

And also, like, they keep pointing out that it's not because she's a redhead too.

Rachel: 02:10:59

And it's just like this, like, it's so obvious of a parallel.

Rachel: 02:11:09

It's like, oh, you want to connect someone to Abby?

Rachel: 02:11:13

Here's some red hair.

Rachel: 02:11:16

I don't know.

Meg: 02:11:18

Like, here's.

Rachel: 02:11:18

Here's a very, like, in your face, physical connection to the relationship that you just, you know, laid to rest, and you're still being kind of haunted by it.

Syl: 02:11:35

So are we ready?

Rachel: 02:11:38

Cilla's ready.

Syl: 02:11:49

I have this problem when they're not on screen together.

Syl: 02:11:53

So I'm like, I'll let Ann handle it.

Syl: 02:11:58

I mean, I know, like, there's the look, there's the obvious.

Syl: 02:12:01

Right.

Syl: 02:12:01

The whole you make it type of thing.

Syl: 02:12:07

I mean, there's so much to unpack with that because.

Meg: 02:12:11

And.

Syl: 02:12:11

And I.

Syl: 02:12:11

And I could be.

Syl: 02:12:13

It would be too much because I could.

Syl: 02:12:15

I had.

Syl: 02:12:15

I would have to jump around, make all the connections.

Syl: 02:12:18

That's where I'm like, because, you know, we're what, in season two?

Syl: 02:12:25

So fucking Eddie are making it.

Syl: 02:12:31

They're just not realizing it.

Syl: 02:12:34

You know, they're me.

Syl: 02:12:36

They're they choose each other.

Syl: 02:12:38

They are co parenting.

Syl: 02:12:40

They have each other's backs.

Syl: 02:12:42

They're.

Syl: 02:12:45

Again, it's just so much.

Syl: 02:12:46

And I'm just like, listing off, like the most general of general things that can tie into that.

Syl: 02:12:53

Yeah, I don't know.

Syl: 02:12:54

I feel like would be here all day.

Han: 02:12:56

It's also directly paralleling Jim and Maddie.

Han: 02:13:01

Well, yes, but I was gonna say.

Han: 02:13:04

Yeah, no, we'll get there.

Han: 02:13:06

But I was gonna say.

Han: 02:13:08

I was gonna say what we just talked about with Taylor, those two scenes is directly paralleling the two scenes with Shannon from the previous episode.

Rachel: 02:13:19

Yes, let's talk about that.

Han: 02:13:23

Not.

Han: 02:13:23

Not on purpose.

Han: 02:13:25

Okay.

Han: 02:13:26

Coincidences don't just happen coincidentally.

Meg: 02:13:30

Right.

Syl: 02:13:30

I kept.

Syl: 02:13:31

I said yesterday, I was like, oh, yeah, this is the start where.

Meg: 02:13:37

If.

Syl: 02:13:38

One of them gets in a relationship, the other one has to get into a relationship.

Syl: 02:13:42

So now it's like Eddie has this thing going on with Shannon that's not concrete.

Syl: 02:13:49

And then now you have Buck exploring or opening himself up to a new relationship, which is now ally.

Syl: 02:13:55

So now they are paired off and then they just.

Syl: 02:14:00

So they're.

Syl: 02:14:01

They're going.

Syl: 02:14:01

They're.

Syl: 02:14:02

They're beginning that cycle of, like, getting together when one of them is getting together and then breaking up when the other one broke up or told them specifically, yeah, you should break up with them.

Han: 02:14:12

And they're showing us directly how these women are not good matches and what.

Rachel: 02:14:20

Each.

Han: 02:14:21

And what Buck's looking for and what Eddie's looking for or what they need.

Han: 02:14:25

And it's like they're not getting it.

Han: 02:14:27

He's not.

Han: 02:14:28

He's not getting that from Shannon and Buck is not getting it.

Rachel: 02:14:32

No, none of them are on the same alley.

Han: 02:14:35

But the things that they're talking about, they're already starting to get from each other.

Rachel: 02:14:41

But, like, they don't see it.

Meg: 02:14:42

Heterosexual Broadway.

Han: 02:14:44

Yes.

Meg: 02:14:45

Well, I think it's.

Meg: 02:14:46

I also think it's so interesting when we talk about.

Meg: 02:14:49

And I kind of like that Eddie wasn't in this a bit because I like Buck's growth to not just be tied to whatever romantic partner or potential that he might have.

Meg: 02:15:01

I like to see that.

Meg: 02:15:03

I miss seeing the two of them together because I am a shipper through and through.

Meg: 02:15:10

But I think it's really interesting, you know, the big theme of the transition, the second chances.

Meg: 02:15:16

Maddie's monologue at the end talking about how the best romances come from second chances and stuff like that.

Meg: 02:15:22

And Eddie is just.

Meg: 02:15:25

Is getting out of his really serious relationship.

Meg: 02:15:29

And we know that's how that ends.

Meg: 02:15:32

And Working on closure for that.

Meg: 02:15:34

And so he's looking for his second chance.

Meg: 02:15:35

And this is so far in the future, too.

Meg: 02:15:39

And Buck's second chance after his big, like, Abby was his first big relationship.

Meg: 02:15:44

His first serious relationship.

Rachel: 02:15:46

Yeah, yeah.

Meg: 02:15:48

And.

Meg: 02:15:49

And, yeah, exactly.

Meg: 02:15:51

And it's like neither of their relationships ever really progress in an emotional deep wave from then on.

Meg: 02:16:01

Their second chance, their second great love that they are going to have.

Meg: 02:16:05

I don't care what anyone says.

Meg: 02:16:06

It's going to be each other.

Meg: 02:16:07

God damn it.

Han: 02:16:09

It has been each other.

Meg: 02:16:10

It has been.

Meg: 02:16:11

And that's the other thing is like, they have.

Meg: 02:16:12

They.

Meg: 02:16:13

They are building this life together.

Meg: 02:16:16

They are so much like Jim and Maddie in that they are practically dating and don't even necessarily realize it because that comfort is there so much.

Meg: 02:16:27

So I just.

Meg: 02:16:28

I also remember being like, oh, I'm so glad Buck's not a piece of.

Meg: 02:16:33

When.

Meg: 02:16:36

Well, because there was some things like questioning because he was such a womanizer, like if there was some homophobia and stuff like from questioning when it was first airing and.

Rachel: 02:16:47

Oh, interesting.

Meg: 02:16:48

Yeah.

Meg: 02:16:49

That love and care that he showed with Thomas and Mitchell and their whole thing and like kind of put that.

Meg: 02:16:56

Yeah.

Meg: 02:16:57

Putting that to rest and be like, okay, this is a good.

Meg: 02:17:00

This is a good person.

Meg: 02:17:02

A loving.

Han: 02:17:03

This brings me to my two article quotes, if I may.

Han: 02:17:06

Unfortunately, I'm so sorry to bring this one back up again, but I haven't brought it up since episode one of season one.

Han: 02:17:12

Okay, so we're back in the building again with Tim Minier where he says it's hard to quantify why we chose to do this storyline.

Han: 02:17:23

Now about Buck coming out in season seven.

Rachel: 02:17:26

Okay.

Han: 02:17:26

It felt like it was the right time.

Han: 02:17:28

I just felt like Buck's story was starting to feel a little bit like a hamster wheel.

Han: 02:17:31

I just felt like he needed a slap of something.

Han: 02:17:33

And I think that this part of him has been coded into the show at least.

Han: 02:17:37

At least since season two.

Han: 02:17:39

So he's been intention.

Han: 02:17:41

The showrunner is saying, I have intentionally been writing him this way, coding him this way.

Han: 02:17:48

You are all correct.

Han: 02:17:49

Since season two, at least.

Han: 02:17:52

And he's like, I probably like that.

Han: 02:17:54

Wording of that to me implies also season one, but not as intentional.

Rachel: 02:18:00

It's giving the.

Rachel: 02:18:01

You are not crazy.

Han: 02:18:03

Yes, so he says.

Han: 02:18:06

He says, I don't think it comes out of nowhere.

Han: 02:18:08

I think a lot of the fans who watch the show closely have been following the breadcrumbs the whole time.

Han: 02:18:13

So I feel like.

Han: 02:18:14

And sometimes it's funny.

Han: 02:18:15

You'll be Writing something.

Han: 02:18:16

And you won't even realize that you've been setting up something that ends up happening.

Han: 02:18:19

It just grows organically in some ways.

Han: 02:18:21

So he's been saying that he's been writing him as, you know.

Rachel: 02:18:30

Yeah.

Han: 02:18:31

As queer since intentionally.

Han: 02:18:34

Like fully intentionally since season two.

Han: 02:18:36

So it is not.

Han: 02:18:38

Not meaningful that we have these parallels with, you know, but that we just talked about with Shannon and Eddie and Buck and Taylor and with fucking Eddie and Chimney and Maddie.

Han: 02:18:53

It is not.

Han: 02:18:54

Not intentional.

Han: 02:18:55

And then you have.

Han: 02:18:56

This is a Buck heavy episode right after an Eddie heavy episode directly paralleling each other and then super obvious that we have this display of this gay couple.

Meg: 02:19:11

Yep.

Rachel: 02:19:12

Such an interesting choice.

Han: 02:19:14

So.

Meg: 02:19:15

Yeah.

Meg: 02:19:16

Yeah.

Han: 02:19:16

It's the gay couple that shows him what true love is.

Meg: 02:19:19

Mm.

Meg: 02:19:21

Also, I just want to say commend 911.

Meg: 02:19:24

How dare you make me feel so emotionally attached and then damaged by characters in three minutes.

Rachel: 02:19:31

Two minutes.

Han: 02:19:33

That was actually super rude.

Han: 02:19:35

Yeah, yeah.

Meg: 02:19:35

It happens.

Meg: 02:19:36

It happens so much.

Meg: 02:19:38

Like it's.

Rachel: 02:19:39

They do it so well.

Meg: 02:19:41

They do it.

Han: 02:19:42

TJ asked me, like, when that montage started, he was like, is this a different show?

Han: 02:19:46

And I was like, no, this is them introducing us to this very sweet gay old couple and telling us their love story.

Han: 02:19:51

Right before they kill them both.

Rachel: 02:19:53

Yeah.

Han: 02:19:54

For maximum emotional damage.

Rachel: 02:19:56

Does this count as a barrier gaze.

Han: 02:20:01

And I don't think so.

Syl: 02:20:05

They've had a fulfilling life.

Rachel: 02:20:07

Okay.

Syl: 02:20:08

Yeah, I don't think so.

Rachel: 02:20:09

Just.

Syl: 02:20:10

But I had the same thought.

Syl: 02:20:11

I had the same thought.

Rachel: 02:20:12

Oh, did you?

Meg: 02:20:15

I think it, like, it's sad, but it's also so.

Meg: 02:20:18

I think it's very sweet and romantic the way that situation it was.

Syl: 02:20:22

Yeah.

Meg: 02:20:23

Just not being.

Meg: 02:20:24

Not wanting to live your life without your.

Meg: 02:20:27

Your other half.

Meg: 02:20:28

I just.

Meg: 02:20:29

And not in a Do go onto a overpass and be insane way like we saw in the beginning, but in the beautiful kind of actual soulmates kind of.

Rachel: 02:20:43

They just wanted to be together forever and they were in the afterlife.

Rachel: 02:20:49

Like.

Rachel: 02:20:50

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:20:50

Like they were on so much of the same page that they.

Han: 02:20:56

I love that trope.

Rachel: 02:20:57

Could not exist without each other.

Meg: 02:20:59

Yeah.

Meg: 02:21:00

And this is actually one of the few scenes that Buck and Eddie are together.

Rachel: 02:21:04

Yeah.

Meg: 02:21:05

In that.

Meg: 02:21:06

And Eddie's the one kind of like helping.

Syl: 02:21:09

Eddie's the first one that he calls to.

Rachel: 02:21:11

Yes.

Rachel: 02:21:12

Yes.

Han: 02:21:14

And his partner and then his dad.

Meg: 02:21:18

We are gonna.

Han: 02:21:18

The order of operations, buddy.

Meg: 02:21:20

No matter what.

Rachel: 02:21:22

Oh.

Rachel: 02:21:22

Always.

Rachel: 02:21:23

Always.

Han: 02:21:24

Oh, yeah.

Rachel: 02:21:25

It's.

Han: 02:21:26

Listen, we've been making.

Han: 02:21:27

We've been making stuff in season one.

Rachel: 02:21:29

Like, this is why we brought up Eddie in every single episode of season one.

Rachel: 02:21:35

We can make something when he doesn't even exist in the universe.

Rachel: 02:21:40

I just wanted to say something real quick about having Eddie and Bobby being called over by Buck.

Rachel: 02:21:48

Buck does call Eddie first.

Rachel: 02:21:49

And Eddie, even though, like, they're obviously doing their jobs, Eddie is very much in.

Rachel: 02:21:56

Well, Bobby to an extent, but in a, like, support system kind of role.

Rachel: 02:22:02

Like the way that Eddie and Bobby share a look when they know that there's nothing done.

Han: 02:22:07

They're not triaging a patient, they're triaging Buck.

Rachel: 02:22:11

They really are.

Rachel: 02:22:12

And it's.

Rachel: 02:22:12

It kind of reminded me a little bit of the last episode where Hen couldn't bring herself to administer the morphine or whatever it was to the horse.

Rachel: 02:22:24

So Bobby took care of that for her.

Rachel: 02:22:28

So this kind of related a little bit to me.

Rachel: 02:22:31

Like, Eddie was there and knew that Buck couldn't do anything about it, but was still, like, you know, trying to support him.

Rachel: 02:22:39

But he and Bobby knew.

Rachel: 02:22:40

And again, yeah, they were triaging Buck.

Rachel: 02:22:43

So I think to have them and specifically Eddie there in that support role for Buck, like, not the p.

Rachel: 02:22:52

Not.

Rachel: 02:22:53

Was it.

Rachel: 02:22:54

Was it Thomas?

Rachel: 02:22:56

Because there was nothing else they could do.

Rachel: 02:22:58

So I think that is not insignificant.

Meg: 02:23:01

Well, and they're the two characters that know Buck best.

Meg: 02:23:04

Like, and I.

Meg: 02:23:05

And I am including Maddie in that to an extent, because she has been gone and doesn't know this Buck as well.

Meg: 02:23:13

And, yeah, like, that's his dad and his husband.

Han: 02:23:19

It's his partner.

Han: 02:23:20

You literally can't say it's not his partner because that's.

Han: 02:23:22

They literally call each other their partners.

Meg: 02:23:24

I don't make the rules.

Meg: 02:23:26

Okay.

Rachel: 02:23:27

Just call them like you see them.

Meg: 02:23:29

Just call.

Meg: 02:23:30

Yeah, that is.

Meg: 02:23:32

That is that man's husband.

Rachel: 02:23:34

Yeah.

Han: 02:23:34

So this other quote is very short, and it's from the same paced article that I read a couple things from earlier.

Han: 02:23:42

The interviewer said not to put too much on the show or on your character, but I think in our current cultural climate, a character like Buck is more important than ever.

Han: 02:23:50

Not a question, but Oliver said the show is an action show in one sense, but to me, that's just the hook.

Han: 02:23:59

That's what gets you to watch.

Han: 02:24:02

Once you start watching, there's a lot more at play.

Han: 02:24:04

It's a social commentary.

Han: 02:24:05

Buck gets to be a character that's the opposite of toxic masculinity, which is ripe in the culture that we live in.

Meg: 02:24:12

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:24:13

Haven't we said that from the first episode?

Han: 02:24:17

From the first episode.

Rachel: 02:24:20

I love when they validate us.

Han: 02:24:22

Oliver is just validating us so much retroactively.

Rachel: 02:24:27

I think we're just like.

Rachel: 02:24:29

There's some sort of, like, we're on the same, like, brain wavelength.

Rachel: 02:24:33

And I appreciate that so, so, so much.

Han: 02:24:36

Yeah, this.

Syl: 02:24:37

This is a little off topic, but I feel like some of the.

Syl: 02:24:41

The.

Syl: 02:24:42

The Destiel to Buddy pipeline so.

Rachel: 02:24:47

We could do a whole episode about that too.

Syl: 02:24:49

Well, and it's not really like a parallel.

Syl: 02:24:52

It's just like I remember, like, some of the things people were saying when 911 first, like, you know, came out and it was like, flooding my timeline when I didn't want anything to do with it at the time.

Syl: 02:25:03

Like, everyone's like, yeah, watch it, watch it.

Syl: 02:25:06

Buck is like, basically Dean, which I don't agree with.

Syl: 02:25:12

I don't agree with that.

Han: 02:25:14

They have similarities.

Rachel: 02:25:15

Yes, on the surface.

Han: 02:25:17

Right, on the surface.

Han: 02:25:19

But I think, like, overall, no, but he's like that.

Syl: 02:25:23

He could be like a.

Syl: 02:25:25

I think the word macho was used for Buck and I was like, I don't.

Syl: 02:25:31

I don't see it.

Rachel: 02:25:33

Well, they used macho for Dean either.

Meg: 02:25:35

And looks like he turned out Dean as macho either.

Meg: 02:25:38

Really?

Syl: 02:25:39

Like, I was just gonna say, like, the hook.

Syl: 02:25:41

The hook that people were using on the timeline does not align with the characters that I'm seeing now.

Syl: 02:25:48

So I just.

Meg: 02:25:49

I'm just saying, I think also when you look at it like the retrospective of knowing all that we know about these characters versus knowing just what you see in season one and not looking and people not delving too deeply into characterization and stories and stuff like that, I could see where they're like, well, this is Audean.

Meg: 02:26:10

This is Dean the firefighter.

Meg: 02:26:11

This is Dean.

Meg: 02:26:12

If his mom didn't die, I could see where they come from.

Meg: 02:26:18

I just remember I was inadvertently in the desiel to Buddy pipeline because I was already in the pipeline when it happened.

Meg: 02:26:29

And I just remember this.

Meg: 02:26:31

Yeah, Eddie showing up.

Meg: 02:26:32

I'm like, God damn it, not again.

Rachel: 02:26:36

Can't escape.

Meg: 02:26:37

Trapped.

Han: 02:26:38

Yeah, I mean, there's definitely parallels to be made and similarities between Dean, Cass and Buck and Eddie.

Han: 02:26:44

But let it be known, they are completely separate, their own three dimensional characters.

Han: 02:26:51

But, like, I think I see what Sil was trying to get at was that kind of how people viewed Dean is how people were viewing, like, early Buck.

Han: 02:27:01

And it's kind of like not just the Persona that both of them are trying to portray, but it's kind of what Oliver said earlier in the article that I read about how like, yeah, like, that could have been just like that normal kind of Character that's like a womanizer, but he's so much more.

Han: 02:27:20

More.

Han: 02:27:20

Right.

Han: 02:27:21

Because that's not really.

Han: 02:27:22

Because that's not really what he is or what it was about.

Meg: 02:27:25

They're just a couple disaster bisexuals.

Meg: 02:27:28

Yes.

Meg: 02:27:29

In love with their best friend.

Rachel: 02:27:32

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:27:34

I think there is something to be said, though, for having these two characters, especially Dean, who we know has supposed to be this super macho, like we said, super macho guy that, like, pendulum swaying so far over into the macho side it came.

Han: 02:27:51

They had a road too close to the sun.

Rachel: 02:27:54

Yes.

Rachel: 02:27:56

So I think that is.

Rachel: 02:27:58

And again, that is a very just, like, surface level reading of Dean and of Buck, specifically in season one.

Rachel: 02:28:06

So, like, when they had a road too close to the sun, that it came all the way back around and like, boom, they're bisexual.

Rachel: 02:28:14

Like, that's how that happens.

Meg: 02:28:17

Boop.

Han: 02:28:19

That's how bisexuals are born.

Rachel: 02:28:22

You go too far around, and then all of a sudden you find yourself.

Syl: 02:28:28

Also.

Syl: 02:28:28

Not again, off topic, but something that reminded me about, like, the whole cast.

Syl: 02:28:34

Misha pipeline to Ryan and Eddie.

Syl: 02:28:36

Like, the whole thing about, like, Ryan was to be there for.

Syl: 02:28:40

I think he said, like, a couple episodes.

Han: 02:28:42

One episode.

Syl: 02:28:43

One episode.

Rachel: 02:28:44

No, he said.

Rachel: 02:28:45

He said a couple episodes.

Rachel: 02:28:46

But they were trying out with the first one to see how it happened.

Han: 02:28:50

But he was originally only signed on for one, I believe.

Rachel: 02:28:55

Oh, I thought.

Rachel: 02:28:56

I thought it was.

Rachel: 02:28:57

They had him for a couple episodes and seeing how the first one went, they would do more.

Han: 02:29:04

Okay.

Rachel: 02:29:05

I think that's what.

Han: 02:29:06

I'm writing that wrong because we just talked about that.

Rachel: 02:29:10

But yeah, it was an article that just came out.

Rachel: 02:29:12

I think so.

Syl: 02:29:14

Wild.

Rachel: 02:29:15

Anyways, continue.

Rachel: 02:29:16

So.

Rachel: 02:29:16

Because that is.

Han: 02:29:18

But yeah.

Han: 02:29:18

Oh, no, it was the one that just came out.

Han: 02:29:19

It's like he is the.

Han: 02:29:21

The Misha Collins of.

Syl: 02:29:22

That's what I was gonna say.

Syl: 02:29:23

Yeah, he's the Misha Collins of 911.

Rachel: 02:29:27

Not.

Syl: 02:29:27

Not what's his face.

Han: 02:29:30

If I ever have to see someone compare that man to Cass and Misha Collins again, that man gonna commit violence.

Han: 02:29:42

Be so for real right now.

Rachel: 02:29:48

Anyway, I think that was a great inclusion.

Han: 02:29:52

I have.

Han: 02:29:53

I have one more.

Han: 02:29:55

It's not an article.

Han: 02:29:56

It was another interview.

Han: 02:30:01

What did I title this as?

Han: 02:30:04

Oh, I think it was actually the same interview, just a different part of it.

Han: 02:30:12

So the interviewer is basically like, is Buck ever going to find true love?

Han: 02:30:18

And Oliver says, I hope so.

Han: 02:30:20

And then blah, blah, blah.

Han: 02:30:22

The thing about, like, the audience not liking other women.

Han: 02:30:25

And then he said there are things possibly growing, but nothing has kind of cemented itself in Buck's life yet.

Rachel: 02:30:30

And I wrote.

Han: 02:30:31

Which could mean nothing.

Han: 02:30:37

Oh, and he also, in that interview said that he doesn't think Buck will revert back to his womanizing ways, which, you know.

Meg: 02:30:45

We know.

Han: 02:30:46

We know.

Rachel: 02:30:47

Yeah, that's so.

Rachel: 02:30:49

It's so interesting because so much of the foundation for what.

Rachel: 02:30:55

On both aspects, for what Buck and Eddie are looking for is found in each other.

Rachel: 02:31:02

And I think, Meg, what you said earlier when we were talking about Maddie and Chimney, about how they haven't caught up to what their friendship actually is, and I love that parallel so much because that is exactly Buck and Eddie, like, we all know they are, except.

Han: 02:31:25

It'S harder because they're both men, and neither of them have ever had a.

Rachel: 02:31:31

Best friend before, allegedly.

Han: 02:31:33

Well, yes, but neither of them allegedly, like, because we don't know Eddie's story for sure yet.

Han: 02:31:40

But neither of them allegedly knew.

Han: 02:31:44

Knew or that they were attracted to men, so.

Han: 02:31:47

And they never had a best friend before.

Han: 02:31:48

So they were like, this is normal behavior.

Han: 02:31:51

Well, I think it's for best friends.

Han: 02:31:52

That's how that works.

Meg: 02:31:53

Yeah.

Meg: 02:31:53

I was gonna say, I think that's so funny because Buck is so clearly attracted to Eddie, and he just doesn't.

Han: 02:32:01

He doesn't know.

Meg: 02:32:01

He doesn't understand what that is.

Meg: 02:32:04

And he's such a puppy running after Eddie.

Meg: 02:32:08

Like, it's just like.

Rachel: 02:32:10

Like, of course he's the most attractive one you should see.

Rachel: 02:32:13

Like, you should see his kid.

Rachel: 02:32:15

Of course, you won, like, the calendar thing.

Meg: 02:32:17

Well, and he's like.

Meg: 02:32:17

He's trying to give him nicknames and all this other Stu.

Meg: 02:32:21

And like, just.

Meg: 02:32:22

It's just so loud.

Meg: 02:32:24

And I can't believe he can't hear himself.

Meg: 02:32:27

But I just.

Meg: 02:32:28

But I also kind of love.

Meg: 02:32:29

Or later when.

Meg: 02:32:30

When Buck realizes, oh, I do like dudes.

Meg: 02:32:34

Like, that's what that feeling is.

Meg: 02:32:36

He's.

Meg: 02:32:36

I just.

Meg: 02:32:36

He cannot.

Meg: 02:32:38

He cannot see Eddie in that light yet.

Meg: 02:32:40

I don't.

Meg: 02:32:41

I think he's just.

Han: 02:32:42

No, no, that's like.

Han: 02:32:43

That's like a do not press the red button situation.

Meg: 02:32:46

Exactly.

Meg: 02:32:47

And that's.

Meg: 02:32:48

And.

Meg: 02:32:48

And it's so against his nature to not press the red button when he sees it.

Meg: 02:32:55

I just think Eddie is just a Catholic, half Mexican man who is in the army and was raised with quite a lot of machismo.

Rachel: 02:33:07

And again, comes all the way back around just so.

Meg: 02:33:10

That man has so much work to do.

Han: 02:33:13

I'm so excited.

Meg: 02:33:14

I can't wait.

Meg: 02:33:16

I can't wait to watch them be in so much Pain for each other.

Han: 02:33:21

It's going to be amazing.

Rachel: 02:33:22

We're going to suffer, but we're going to be so elated about it.

Rachel: 02:33:26

No, but I was.

Rachel: 02:33:28

I was going to tag on to what you said about how it's so against Buck's nature to not press the red button, but we see him actively avoid pressing the red button when it comes to his relationships.

Rachel: 02:33:44

Like, the whole how he's just avoiding the way he gaslights himself.

Han: 02:33:50

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:33:50

That we were talking about with him and Abby.

Rachel: 02:33:52

With him and Taylor.

Rachel: 02:33:53

Like, he just.

Rachel: 02:33:55

That is the one red button that he does not.

Rachel: 02:33:57

Not want to push.

Rachel: 02:33:58

So he just goes, let me press this other one.

Meg: 02:34:01

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:34:01

And do something else.

Han: 02:34:02

Well, because if there are problems, it's.

Han: 02:34:05

It's not the.

Han: 02:34:06

It's not the person he is dating's fault.

Han: 02:34:08

It's his job to fix and accommodate them.

Meg: 02:34:11

Yeah.

Han: 02:34:12

So it's not.

Han: 02:34:12

It's not like a red flag or a sign that the relationship isn't going to work out.

Han: 02:34:16

It's a sign that he has to work harder.

Rachel: 02:34:19

Has anyone ever told him, work smarter, not harder?

Meg: 02:34:23

Yeah.

Meg: 02:34:24

He doesn't listen.

Rachel: 02:34:25

No.

Han: 02:34:27

I wanted to talk about the parallel of Maddie and Buddy, specifically with a.

Han: 02:34:37

Like, with what Buck says to her and what she says to him.

Rachel: 02:34:43

Yeah.

Han: 02:34:44

And I feel like I said this in the last episode, but it bears saying again, is that, you know, he literally is like, you're dating each other.

Han: 02:34:53

You do all these things.

Han: 02:34:55

You're dating each other.

Rachel: 02:34:57

Just like, puts it out in the open and they're.

Han: 02:34:59

Puts it out in the open and they're like, we're just friends.

Rachel: 02:35:01

No, of course not.

Rachel: 02:35:04

But inside, they're kind of like, oh, maybe we are.

Rachel: 02:35:07

Because they do end up having that conversation without saying.

Han: 02:35:11

So then in episode four, is it.

Syl: 02:35:15

Four or season three?

Han: 02:35:17

Four and five.

Han: 02:35:18

Four and five.

Han: 02:35:19

I'm thinking of two different conversations that Maddie has of.

Han: 02:35:22

No, of seven.

Rachel: 02:35:23

Oh.

Han: 02:35:23

Of season seven episode.

Han: 02:35:25

Episodes four and five.

Han: 02:35:26

Maddie has a couple conversations with Buck while he's losing his goddamn mind.

Rachel: 02:35:33

That's accurate.

Han: 02:35:35

And while those are happening, you can just see her controlling herself because she wants to say, you guys are.

Han: 02:35:43

You and Eddie are dating so badly.

Meg: 02:35:46

Like, you're jealous of Eddie.

Meg: 02:35:49

Not over.

Han: 02:35:50

Like, for the love of God, it's a canon event.

Han: 02:35:53

I can't interfere.

Han: 02:35:53

Like, you got to figure it out.

Rachel: 02:35:56

Just wanting to, like, take his head and just be like.

Meg: 02:36:01

It'S a fixed point in time.

Meg: 02:36:02

You can't.

Meg: 02:36:03

But it's just.

Han: 02:36:04

It's just her word.

Han: 02:36:05

It's her wording.

Han: 02:36:06

It's her facial expressions.

Han: 02:36:07

It's like everything that she's like, you should realize this.

Han: 02:36:11

I don't.

Rachel: 02:36:12

Why don't you understand that you're dating.

Han: 02:36:14

That this is about.

Han: 02:36:15

That this is about Eddie.

Han: 02:36:17

And then in episode five, we have the whole, I lied.

Han: 02:36:21

I lied to my best friend's face.

Han: 02:36:23

So he's not having, like, a sexuality crisis.

Han: 02:36:25

He's not really upset about, like, being.

Han: 02:36:30

Being left.

Han: 02:36:32

He's upset that he lied to Eddie.

Han: 02:36:34

And she's like, ridiculous.

Han: 02:36:36

She's like, well, I, you know, I just don't think you know what you're really feeling.

Han: 02:36:40

And then, like, if you have something to tell Eddie, you will in your own time, you fucking idiot.

Meg: 02:36:46

Like, this woman has got to just pound a bottle of wine at least a week.

Meg: 02:36:51

Just being like, she's going to be.

Syl: 02:36:54

Sick of it one day.

Syl: 02:36:55

Or she's got to be sick of it one day and would just be.

Meg: 02:36:57

Like, she just sitting.

Meg: 02:36:59

Like, when at her wedding with chimney.

Meg: 02:37:03

And chimney was just like, be Josh.

Meg: 02:37:05

Yeah, she has to be Josh.

Rachel: 02:37:07

It can't be chimney.

Meg: 02:37:09

No, but.

Han: 02:37:10

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

Han: 02:37:11

It can't be chimney.

Meg: 02:37:11

No.

Meg: 02:37:11

I just thought it was so funny at the.

Meg: 02:37:13

At their wedding when chimney was like, bucking Tommy.

Meg: 02:37:16

Is that a thing?

Meg: 02:37:16

And she's like, yeah, it's like, this woman is so pressed.

Rachel: 02:37:21

She's tired.

Rachel: 02:37:23

If.

Han: 02:37:24

If we're right and it is chimney that she's like, divulging, not chimney.

Han: 02:37:28

If it is Josh that she's divulging all of this annoyance with.

Han: 02:37:33

And we're going to be seeing Josh.

Syl: 02:37:38

Maddie and Buck, Maddy and Buck in.

Han: 02:37:41

A scene at Dispatch where he seems to have a big scene, 80% of his heartfelt conversations about his bisexual awakening.

Rachel: 02:37:50

So interesting.

Han: 02:37:51

Which could mean nothing.

Rachel: 02:37:55

Totally coincidental.

Rachel: 02:37:56

For no.

Rachel: 02:37:57

Absolutely no reason at all.

Syl: 02:38:00

The only.

Syl: 02:38:01

The only hint that.

Syl: 02:38:02

Well, it's not even a hint, but the only comment that I always go back to when it comes to chimney, like, maybe having an idea would be like at the basketball game where he's like, oh, so I'm just your basketball be.

Rachel: 02:38:16

Yeah.

Syl: 02:38:18

So, I mean, at that point, I'm like, okay, maybe.

Syl: 02:38:21

Maybe he doesn't talk to Maddie about it.

Syl: 02:38:23

It.

Syl: 02:38:23

But maybe he talks to Hen about it.

Han: 02:38:25

Hen.

Rachel: 02:38:25

Oh, he definitely talks to Hen about it.

Meg: 02:38:28

And Hen and Karen have a pool.

Rachel: 02:38:34

And Robbie, whenever he comes home from.

Meg: 02:38:37

I love the idea that Robbie thinks they're a divorce.

Rachel: 02:38:40

Divorce.

Rachel: 02:38:42

Wait, so this is such a good thing, right?

Meg: 02:38:45

Where did.

Rachel: 02:38:45

Yeah, where did this originate from?

Han: 02:38:49

Fic.

Meg: 02:38:49

Yeah, Fanfic.

Rachel: 02:38:50

But it's just, like, so.

Rachel: 02:38:52

So.

Meg: 02:38:52

No, I think it was.

Meg: 02:38:54

It was a specific fic that I remember, and that just kind of.

Han: 02:38:57

And now everyone, like, adopted them in general, writes it that way.

Rachel: 02:39:01

Imagine that being your legacy.

Rachel: 02:39:02

That's incredible.

Han: 02:39:04

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:39:05

Headcanons for all.

Han: 02:39:07

We have a karaoke specific parallel.

Rachel: 02:39:11

Yeah, we do.

Han: 02:39:12

Where they're singing a song that describes their relationship, and.

Han: 02:39:18

Syl, I think it was you.

Han: 02:39:20

Was it you?

Syl: 02:39:20

I don't know.

Syl: 02:39:21

Tell me.

Syl: 02:39:21

What did I do?

Han: 02:39:22

Someone mentioned how Maddie, while they're singing, like, puts her arm around chimney.

Rachel: 02:39:29

Oh, yeah.

Han: 02:39:30

And, like, pulls him in.

Han: 02:39:31

And for the 5.5 millisecond shot that we get of singing, they do the same thing.

Syl: 02:39:39

And they're pointing.

Han: 02:39:39

Eddie puts his arm around Buck, and Eddie is the.

Han: 02:39:43

Is the Maddie of the relationship.

Han: 02:39:45

Right.

Han: 02:39:46

Like, the.

Han: 02:39:46

When you're paralleling the characters of, like, their personalities and, like, how they are partners.

Syl: 02:39:53

Yep.

Rachel: 02:39:54

And then Chim and Buck are the yappers.

Han: 02:39:59

Yeah.

Meg: 02:40:00

Ooh, ooh.

Rachel: 02:40:03

Love that.

Rachel: 02:40:04

Karaoke is just, like, very, I think, special to the Buckley siblings.

Meg: 02:40:10

Very interesting.

Meg: 02:40:14

They're the kids who put on, like, plays and made their parents watch them.

Han: 02:40:17

Oh, absolutely.

Han: 02:40:19

Except their parents didn't watch it, so they were just doing it for themselves.

Meg: 02:40:23

I was that child.

Meg: 02:40:24

Me and my cousins used to put on dance shows and plays, and the.

Han: 02:40:27

Whole family would have to watch the personality of Maddie.

Han: 02:40:32

How much she likes singing.

Han: 02:40:33

Right.

Han: 02:40:34

Is very.

Han: 02:40:35

And she's the older sibling.

Han: 02:40:36

It's very much me coded.

Han: 02:40:37

And I would ve.

Han: 02:40:38

I would make my younger brother, like, dress up and sing with me and perform in front of.

Meg: 02:40:43

Yep.

Meg: 02:40:44

My cousin.

Meg: 02:40:45

My cousin would choreograph whole dances for us.

Meg: 02:40:47

It was costumes.

Han: 02:40:50

We were doing Spice Girls, and I had him put on a black tutu on his head so he could be Scary Spice.

Han: 02:41:03

I was like, I've just forgot all the Spice Girls names.

Han: 02:41:05

Anyway, yes.

Han: 02:41:07

Karaoke.

Han: 02:41:08

Even though.

Han: 02:41:10

Even though you are brief, the amount that we have of you, you are still so valuable in the buddy lore.

Meg: 02:41:17

Carrying so much.

Han: 02:41:20

Yeah.

Han: 02:41:20

And then I guess the last thing I have that I can think of happens with.

Han: 02:41:27

On the date with Ally when he's trying to get reassured that, like, she doesn't feel some sort of, like, has to repay him for saving her.

Han: 02:41:40

And she's like, oh, my God, you.

Rachel: 02:41:43

Didn'T save me, though.

Han: 02:41:46

That was Eddie.

Han: 02:41:50

And it's like, oh, we've been here two seconds.

Han: 02:41:52

We're talking about Eddie.

Han: 02:41:53

Okay.

Han: 02:41:53

Interesting.

Han: 02:41:54

And then it's like.

Rachel: 02:41:55

It's like Tim's like, Tim Mynier always do that.

Han: 02:41:58

The other one true at all.

Han: 02:42:00

You wouldn't have even had time to tell him.

Han: 02:42:02

And she goes, well, maybe I should have called Eddie then.

Han: 02:42:06

And Puck is like, huh?

Han: 02:42:08

It's like, so brief, but his face.

Syl: 02:42:12

Is like, don't go there.

Han: 02:42:13

I hate that idea.

Rachel: 02:42:17

Like, already this kind of.

Meg: 02:42:19

I'm gonna put that feeling in a box over here.

Han: 02:42:22

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:42:23

This, like, protective, but also, like, slightly.

Han: 02:42:25

Why does that make me feel nauseous feeling?

Rachel: 02:42:28

Mm.

Rachel: 02:42:28

Eddie's my friend.

Rachel: 02:42:31

Friend, question mark.

Rachel: 02:42:33

Eddie's mine.

Han: 02:42:34

Don't look at him.

Rachel: 02:42:36

Do not.

Rachel: 02:42:37

Do not perceive him.

Rachel: 02:42:40

Coming from someone who so desperately wants to be perceived.

Han: 02:42:44

Yeah.

Rachel: 02:42:45

He's the only one that can perceive me.

Rachel: 02:42:47

Nobody else.

Rachel: 02:42:52

Oh, my gosh.

Rachel: 02:42:53

That's wild too.

Rachel: 02:42:54

Like, literally can Buck go five minutes without anybody, including himself, talking about Eddie?

Rachel: 02:43:00

And I think the answer is no.

Han: 02:43:03

No.

Rachel: 02:43:04

She's like, eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.

Han: 02:43:06

What else does he have?

Han: 02:43:07

Oh, it's like our video.

Rachel: 02:43:09

Like our video.

Han: 02:43:13

That's one of my favorite things that has come out of this podcast, actually.

Rachel: 02:43:18

Oh, my God.

Rachel: 02:43:20

We can put what just happened here is the next version of that.

Han: 02:43:26

Just this.

Han: 02:43:26

Just this section of the specific episode.

Meg: 02:43:30

Yeah.

Han: 02:43:30

We're so butt coated.

Han: 02:43:32

We're so obsessed with him.

Rachel: 02:43:34

Can't not talk about Eddie.

Han: 02:43:37

Cannot talk about Eddie.

Han: 02:43:38

Even though he did not have an arc in this episode, we can always.

Rachel: 02:43:44

Make it about Eddie.

Han: 02:43:45

He's still that bitch.

Rachel: 02:43:46

The it girl of season eight.

Syl: 02:43:50

Princess.

Han: 02:43:51

Yeah.

Meg: 02:43:51

So this man has been in this series for eight episodes and barely in this one and already, like.

Meg: 02:44:02

But I think.

Rachel: 02:44:04

I think that is so, so true.

Rachel: 02:44:07

Like, the way Eddie and Maddie have so seamlessly, like, blended into the ensemble.

Rachel: 02:44:14

Like, it.

Rachel: 02:44:14

They were the perfect additions.

Rachel: 02:44:16

And it's just, like, cannot imagine, like, that's what makes season one so difficult for so many people.

Rachel: 02:44:22

It's because.

Han: 02:44:23

Because pivotal for me specifically, because I started my first watch.

Han: 02:44:28

I started in two.

Syl: 02:44:32

I'm not saying anything.

Han: 02:44:35

Started Supernatural in season four.

Han: 02:44:37

I don't want to hear about it.

Rachel: 02:44:43

I'm the only completionist.

Han: 02:44:45

So.

Han: 02:44:45

No, I wanted to ask because I think we've wrapped up Slow Burn, but, like, as, like, an outro, just because we're talking about Eddie as we do, since you were watching it live, like, how long did it take for you specifically and then, like, your perception of, like, fandom in general to be, like.

Meg: 02:45:06

This one obsessed immediately for me, like, it really was.

Meg: 02:45:13

It was just like, yep, I'm right there.

Meg: 02:45:17

I'm right there with all of Them.

Meg: 02:45:19

In Eddie's opening scene.

Meg: 02:45:21

I just.

Meg: 02:45:22

I thought he was.

Meg: 02:45:23

I wasn't sure exactly what he was gonna.

Meg: 02:45:26

He was gonna be in that first episode.

Meg: 02:45:29

I liked how annoyed Buck was with him.

Meg: 02:45:35

I liked how those feathers were ruffled, and I liked how Buck was just so upset that the new guy wasn't getting, like, the probie treatment.

Meg: 02:45:43

Like, wasn't being treated the way he thought he should be.

Meg: 02:45:46

Yeah.

Meg: 02:45:48

Which I just foreshadows how Buck treats Robbie when he's having big feelings.

Meg: 02:45:59

And it felt fairly similar with within the fandom.

Meg: 02:46:04

I think it was really like, Maddie.

Meg: 02:46:05

Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Meg: 02:46:07

Hewitt joining was more of the thing that was, like, really talked about because she was.

Meg: 02:46:14

She's Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Meg: 02:46:16

Yeah, he was really.

Meg: 02:46:18

I think I remember him being positively received by everybody.

Meg: 02:46:22

They thought the what a man thing was hilarious.

Meg: 02:46:26

And.

Meg: 02:46:28

And so many people are like, oh, so Buck thinks this guy's super hot.

Meg: 02:46:32

Because the way they filmed it was Buck's point of view.

Han: 02:46:36

His point of view.

Rachel: 02:46:37

Oh, yes.

Meg: 02:46:38

But, yeah, so.

Rachel: 02:46:39

And.

Meg: 02:46:39

And I've done.

Meg: 02:46:41

I.

Meg: 02:46:42

So my best friend and I have a podcast, and we have talked about the 118.

Meg: 02:46:47

We've done a few episodes, about 118 casts.

Meg: 02:46:49

And I think we did them during maybe season three, maybe.

Meg: 02:46:54

And that's where my.

Meg: 02:46:55

My best friend Carla.

Han: 02:46:57

Who did you do in an episode?

Han: 02:46:58

I don't think I've listened to those episodes.

Rachel: 02:47:00

Wait, you can.

Rachel: 02:47:01

You can plug your podcast here?

Meg: 02:47:02

My podcast.

Meg: 02:47:03

I haven't.

Meg: 02:47:04

I haven't recorded a new episode in forever.

Meg: 02:47:06

But my.

Han: 02:47:07

I was gonna ask you my.

Han: 02:47:08

Actually, yeah, I was gonna be like, on this recording, when are you making new episodes?

Meg: 02:47:13

When life stops being so chaotic for both of us.

Meg: 02:47:18

So my best friend and I have a podcast.

Meg: 02:47:20

It's called Bedwetter Behead, and we basically play Mary Kill with fictional characters.

Meg: 02:47:27

So it's character analysis from TV shows and movies and sometimes book characters that we love.

Meg: 02:47:35

And then we decide of those three characters who were going to fuck Mary Kill.

Meg: 02:47:39

I distinctly remember telling Carla we couldn't have Buck and Eddie together in a pairing because I refused.

Meg: 02:47:49

And fair.

Meg: 02:47:50

Like, I love all the characters.

Meg: 02:47:52

So I was like, I don't really necessarily want to kill any of them.

Meg: 02:47:55

But that's where my friend Carla, my co host, came up with the term unbaked cookie for Buck.

Meg: 02:48:02

So if you guys want to.

Meg: 02:48:05

I haven't.

Meg: 02:48:06

Yeah, I guess he's.

Meg: 02:48:07

He is a baby.

Han: 02:48:08

Love that.

Meg: 02:48:09

Yeah.

Meg: 02:48:10

And we had talked about Delicious.

Meg: 02:48:13

We had talked about trying and doing it again later on, specifically because of Buck's character growth, his character growth and his arc because it's.

Meg: 02:48:24

It's.

Meg: 02:48:25

He's so much.

Meg: 02:48:25

He is cooked.

Meg: 02:48:26

He's a baked cookie for the most part.

Meg: 02:48:28

He's a little soft.

Han: 02:48:29

When did you.

Han: 02:48:30

When did you do episodes?

Han: 02:48:31

Like, what season were you on?

Meg: 02:48:32

So We've done several 911 episodes.

Meg: 02:48:35

The most recent one was in: 2021

Meg: 02:48:42

It was.

Meg: 02:48:46

We talked about Anna, Maddie, and Taylor Kelly.

Meg: 02:48:50

Oh, my gosh.

Meg: 02:48:51

We just picked three random characters on Our Little Thing.

Meg: 02:48:55

, and that was in: 2021

Meg: 02:49:00

And we did Bobby, Buck, and Hen.

Rachel: 02:49:01

Oh, man.

Syl: 02:49:03

What did you guys kill?

Rachel: 02:49:05

These are hard.

Meg: 02:49:07

They are hard.

Meg: 02:49:08

And.

Meg: 02:49:08

And we do have, like, long.

Meg: 02:49:10

Like, it's tough.

Meg: 02:49:11

We.

Meg: 02:49:11

We have actually fought about it.

Han: 02:49:16

I can imagine.

Meg: 02:49:18

I've never been forgiven for some of them.

Meg: 02:49:20

Not by her, but by other people.

Han: 02:49:22

Oh, I know that I've fought before on your show, but I don't remember about what characters.

Han: 02:49:30

I think it was marble because I think Carla was killing Steve.

Meg: 02:49:35

Oh, Carla has.

Meg: 02:49:37

Carla has some hot takes.

Meg: 02:49:41

Like.

Syl: 02:49:43

I want to know who the other options were.

Meg: 02:49:46

So we did.

Meg: 02:49:48

I can't find it right now.

Meg: 02:49:49

The other one.

Meg: 02:49:50

If it was.

Meg: 02:49:51

If we did Bobby, Hen, and Buck.

Meg: 02:49:53

We did Jim, Eddie, and Athena, most likely as the other one, because the point was to make them difficult.

Rachel: 02:50:03

Yeah.

Meg: 02:50:04

Like, the point.

Meg: 02:50:05

The point was never to have.

Meg: 02:50:07

That was a really obvious one.

Meg: 02:50:09

It's like, we wouldn't be like, Buck, Eddie, and Tommy.

Meg: 02:50:13

What are we gonna do?

Rachel: 02:50:15

Who are we killing?

Meg: 02:50:16

But, yeah, so the.

Meg: 02:50:17

The podcast is Bedwater Behead, and if you'd like to hear some of my thoughts and my feelings at that time in my viewing of the show, don't listen, because I think I have some really bad takes.

Han: 02:50:33

This is the worst plug.

Meg: 02:50:34

I know.

Meg: 02:50:35

It's amazing.

Meg: 02:50:36

No, it's.

Meg: 02:50:36

It's a lot of fun.

Meg: 02:50:37

It's two friends who drink and play fuck Mary.

Meg: 02:50:40

Kill fictional characters.

Meg: 02:50:41

Because if we do it in real life, it's bad.

Rachel: 02:50:44

So generally speaking, better to do hypothetical.

Rachel: 02:50:49

Yeah.

Han: 02:50:51

We're told killing people is bad.

Meg: 02:50:52

Yeah, we have been told super bad.

Han: 02:50:54

But, yes, listen to Meg's podcast.

Han: 02:50:57

It is a lot of fun, and they like it.

Han: 02:51:00

Sounds silly goofy, but it's actually a really good character analysis and is also silly goofy.

Meg: 02:51:06

Yeah, we do get pretty deep into our character analysis, and it's a lot of fun.

Meg: 02:51:14

I really enjoy it.

Meg: 02:51:15

If you want to hear us be completely hammered trying to play, you can listen to our Criminal Minds episode It was the third one we had recorded in a row, and we were completely drunk by the end of it.

Meg: 02:51:32

I think I was yelling this.

Meg: 02:51:34

I was yelling about pasta at one point.

Han: 02:51:37

They have to come back because I want to listen, but also because we need to go on their podcast.

Meg: 02:51:42

We have been on a very, very long hiatus because I know life is life.

Meg: 02:51:48

Life with kids and moving and all kinds of stuff has just been a lot.

Meg: 02:51:53

But anyways, this was a very terrible plug, and it's why Carla's normally the one who does it.

Rachel: 02:52:04

You did a great job, though.

Meg: 02:52:06

Oh, yeah.

Meg: 02:52:06

You tried.

Meg: 02:52:07

You know, I can't not self deprecate.

Meg: 02:52:09

I just.

Meg: 02:52:10

It's.

Han: 02:52:10

That's.

Han: 02:52:11

That's true.

Meg: 02:52:11

It's in my bones.

Meg: 02:52:15

Hannah's like, no, it's not.

Meg: 02:52:16

It's really annoying.

Han: 02:52:19

I mean, it is, because I understand.

Han: 02:52:23

I understand you too well.

Han: 02:52:25

So it's annoying in the way that I don't like why you do that.

Han: 02:52:29

In the same way I don't like how other characters that I care about do that.

Meg: 02:52:33

And my character.

Rachel: 02:52:35

I love it.

Han: 02:52:36

I was talking about Buck because we're.

Meg: 02:52:38

I know.

Rachel: 02:52:39

Right now we're all characters, aren't we?

Han: 02:52:44

We are.

Han: 02:52:45

We're all main characters.

Meg: 02:52:46

Thank you guys so much for having me, though.

Meg: 02:52:48

I had so much fun.

Rachel: 02:52:49

Thanks for joining us and joining us.

Meg: 02:52:51

I get so excited to talk about buddy with other people finally.

Han: 02:52:56

I know.

Han: 02:52:57

It is so exciting.

Rachel: 02:52:59

Always willing to talk about Buddy.

Rachel: 02:53:02

911, everything.

Rachel: 02:53:04

It's.

Han: 02:53:05

It's 20, 25, 8, 366.

Han: 02:53:10

Yep.

Rachel: 02:53:10

Oh, more sixes.

Han: 02:53:13

God damn it, Rachel.

Syl: 02:53:16

I don't want to think about sixes anymore.

Han: 02:53:18

We gotta.

Han: 02:53:18

We gotta sign off.

Meg: 02:53:19

We gotta sign off and stop.

Rachel: 02:53:20

They cut me off.

Rachel: 02:53:22

They say this is done.

Han: 02:53:25

Okay, I'll just say take a buddy with you with Meg, because she's my friend.

Meg: 02:53:30

I finally dragged you.

Meg: 02:53:31

I finally dragged you.

Rachel: 02:53:33

She's your buddy.

Meg: 02:53:34

I brought you here.

Meg: 02:53:35

If we really think about it.

Han: 02:53:38

You'Re planting the seed over and over again, even though I kept telling you no.

Rachel: 02:53:43

You can take credit, Meg, it's fine.

Meg: 02:53:46

I often bully my friends into watching the stuff that I like.

Han: 02:53:51

We are the Oliver Stark school of how we show effects.

Meg: 02:53:56

It only took seven years and the wrong two men to kiss.

Rachel: 02:54:08

Oh, boy.

Meg: 02:54:09

Finally, Hannah was like, yep, this is gonna hurt me enough.

Rachel: 02:54:15

Perfect.

Rachel: 02:54:16

Remember, don't flash the greater Los Angeles.

Han: 02:54:19

Area, but if you do, take a buddy with you.

Han: 02:54:24

Thank you for listening to the Buddy System podcast from start to finish.

Syl: 02:54:28

We literally cannot shut up about 91 1.

Syl: 02:54:30

So please come talk to us on your favorite social media platform.

Rachel: 02:54:34

We are Buddy System Pod everywhere.

Rachel: 02:54:37

That's Budddie System pod.

Han: 02:54:42

Leave a five star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to get a personal shout out in the next episode.

Han: 02:54:47

The Buddy System is a nerd Virgin Media production featuring music from Divinity.

Syl: 02:54:52

Can't get enough of the Buddies?

Syl: 02:54:54

Subscribe to our Patreon for access to exclusive content in our Discord community.

Rachel: 02:54:59

Catch you next time.

Rachel: 02:55:00

And don't forget, bring a Buddy with.