As a romance author, I can confidently say I know a thing or two about setting a scene. As a critic who’s been doing this for over a decade now, I also know a thing or two about how writers set up something for the long haul. How, even without the intentions present from the beginning, characters have a way of weaving themselves into the story they want writers to tell. So, while I’m not saying that 9-1-1 on ABC writers intended for Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz to become a couple right from the start, they have all the obvious markings of what I’d categorize as a serendipitous meet-cute, making Buck and Eddie’s first meeting in Season 2, Episode 1 a quintessential example of what happens when characters take the driver’s seat.
Jealousy. Frustration. Attraction? One character is confident and sure of themselves, while the other is flustered. If this were a romance novel, the exposition would read: His heart fluttered—why did his heart flutter? Why was he so intimidated by this newcomer when he had been here longer? Maybe it was the muscles, the biceps, sure, whatever. Buck pushed the thoughts away. They weren’t important. Spoiler alert: they are important. But it’s not something that’ll come to the surface until Chapter 8 (in this case, Season 8). Still, it’s not meaningless. It’s everything.
It’s everything because it’s shortly after this moment where the two of them not only become best friends, but so much of what happens in Season 2 signals that they’re meant to stay in each other’s lives. Yes, we get a classic Buddie meet-cute we can look back on, but more than anything, it’s how this is the very setup for the two of them becoming best friends that matters so much.
What we see right from the start are two people who’ve never really had their person. Two people struck by something, even when they can’t put words to what it is. Funnily, something isn’t a word that we should use often. Editors and teachers will always prefer that we define the feelings? But how do you explain what’s unclear? That comes afterward. The words come to the surface eventually, but not at the start.
Now, back to the idea of the two of them being each other’s person, yes, they’ve had love and friends and family surrounding them before, but their soul mate? Their person? Their other half? For most people, that’s usually their partner. For Eddie and Buck, it’s each other. How Buck takes care of Christopher, how Eddie trusts him, how they look out for each other across the room. It’s undeniable. And what’s especially obvious, particularly in these earlier seasons, is that it isn’t obvious to them. It isn’t supposed to be. It’s just something.
There’s a reason “he falls first” is a trope and that’s because sometimes, one-half of the whole takes a long time to realize that the person they’re searching for in every room is the person they’re actually in love with. In the case of 9-1-1 on ABC and Buck and Eddie, this will likely be Buck first. And it’ll take Eddie time to catch up. Still, what we get here is a classic slow burn, friends to lovers. There’s no other way to put it. In addition, I can hear the opposing voices now—Why can’t they just be friends? They absolutely can, sure. But not when they’re also each other’s person, because what happens when one of them finds love? Would you be comfortable with your partner’s best friend being their actual person? You can’t be friends when there’s this much tension and trust and a deep-seated adoration that’ll eventually turn into something more. It’s impossible. And it’s obvious right from the start of Buck and Eddie’s first meeting, that years later, we’ll turn to as proof of concept.
Because proof looks different for everyone, but that something that flares and quietly detonates from the start is the underlying detail that most great romances always need to cement a relationship. And again, it’s what happens when characters take the driver’s seat. Just ask any writer who set out to write one thing, yet they’ll almost always tell you that sometimes, the characters want to go in a different direction.
Related 9-1-1 Feature: How 9-1-1 on ABC Incorporates Faith Is One of My Favorite Details So Far
9-1-1 on ABC is now streaming on Hulu. What are your thoughts on Buck and Eddie’s first meeting?
First Featured Image Credit: ©ABC