We Can't Be Friends (Season 8 Episodes 9-10)
Buck doesn’t want to argue, but he doesn’t want to bite his tongue, he’d rather die.
Abandonment Issues McGee™️ is back at it again, leading to communication failures, subconscious sabotage, and some seriously awkward moments that left us cringing and laughing.
This week we’re hauling ourselves headfirst into the theme of platonic friendship versus whatever the fuck these two are doing, highlighting how Buck and Eddie's dynamic has never been normal, not even for a minute. Han, Cil, and Rachel discuss Season 8, Episode 9 “Sob Stories” and Episode 10 “Voices” where Maddie goes through an actual horror movie while her brother lives out the first half of a rom-com. Just Buckley sibling things.
We’re still reeling from Maddie's suspenseful arc that had us on the edge of our seats, in awe of her tenacity as she takes charge and fights for her family while grappling with her own trauma. Her storyline hits an emotional crescendo serving as a reminder that our girl never stops fighting.
Eddie’s impending move causes Buck’s conflicting feelings to boil over and lash out in pettiness after he overhears Eddie say, “Everything that matters is in Texas.” We inspect his thought process (or lack thereof) and how it’s directly affected by his prior experiences in platonic and romantic relationships alike. In the shortest doggie adoption ever, we meet Blaze, the world’s cutest beagle and discuss how he’s a metaphor for Eddie, Buck, and Christopher.
Buck and Eddie’s past, present, and future are under the microscope as they face the reality of separation. This narrative is a treasure trove of tropes that we owe to the vision and writing of showrunner Tim Minear and his outstanding team who masterfully crafted 7 years of parallels and symbolism into 2 episodes of television. The use of visual storytelling from the cinematography and props to the blocking and direction packs a very intentional punch right in the Buddie feels.
We navigate the minefield of not-so-subtle hints of something more lurking beneath the surface of Buck and Eddie’s ‘friendship’ through the sheer quantity and depth of parallels and symbolism.
Then, we take a look at what we know is coming up next, and what we hope to see in our very own Buddie System Forecast.
Hearts are breaking during Buck and Eddie’s amicable breakup as they say goodbye in front of a U-Haul. So, lift with your knees, because we did in fact have time to unpack all that. The tension is simmering, the awkwardness is palpable, and Buddie canon is inevitable.
📔 Articles Mentioned
📰 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 10 Review: ‘Voices’, fangirlish.
📰 The Cinematography of the Buddie Goodbye in 9-1-1 “Voices” Speaks Volumes, fangirlish.
🗣️ Interviews Mentioned
📰 9-1-1’s Oliver Stark on Buck’s ‘Complex’ Feelings Over Eddie Leaving, That Apartment Twist, More (Exclusive), US Weekly
🎬 Fanworks Mentioned
📚 Both Blade and Branch by Daisies_and_Briars, Archive of Our Own (Orpheus & Eurydice inspired fic)
📸 Dialogue Parallels 4x14 & 8x10 (Buddie & Madney), chappellsroans on tumblr
📸 Dialogue and Framing Parallels 4x14 & 8x10 (“Because, Evan” - “It’s Not Nothing”), eddiegayass on tumblr
🎞️ Comparing Abby’s Exit & Eddie’s Leaving, bcthenas on Instagram
📸 Framing of Buck & Eddie Getting Closer, emziess on tumblr
🎞️ 8x10 Goodbye and 2x01 “You Can Have My Back” Parallels, thehumforever on Twitter
📰 8x14-15 Inspired by The Satan Bug Movie Theory, NoxAtThe118 on Twitter
We are @buddiesystempod everywhere:
Watch The Buddie System podcast episodes and our live reactions to the most recent 9-1-1 episodes on YouTube!
Support us on Patreon or Ko-Fi for perks and extra content like access to our exclusive Discord, Fire Fam Chats, New 9-1-1 Episode Livestreams, and more!
The Buddie System is a Nerdvergent Media production.
Music by DIV!NITY
Chapters:
(00:00:00) This Week on The Buddie System
(00:01:21) General Thoughts
(00:08:14) 9-1-1 What’s Your Grievance
(00:18:14) Flashover - Episode Themes
(00:21:33) Behind the Scenes and Production
(00:25:11) Maddie’s Character Arc
(00:42:35) Buck’s Character Arc
(01:17:00) Eddie’s Character Arc
(01:51:39) Why Buck & Eddie Aren’t Friends
(02:13:55) Buddie Parallels & Symbolism
(02:26:38) Eddie-Abby and Buck-Shannon Parallels
(02:45:05) Drawing Buddie Parallels to Other Couples
(02:54:32) Buddie via Visual Framing & Blocking
(03:06:23) Eddie, Here’s Your Queer-Coded Sign
(03:11:09) U-Haul Theory
(03:12:28) Coming Soon on 9-1-1…
(03:17:42) Cloudy with a Side of Buddie Forecast
(03:34:25) Our 8B Buddie Timeline Theory
(03:45:08) Buddie Feelings Realization Song Request
(03:47:01) Outro & Take a Buddie With You
