The universe is knocking Buck down and laughing while he cries, and we still don’t know how he even survives.

It’s here, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the Tsunami arc! GOATED. This week Han, Cil, and Rachel dive headfirst into Season 3 of 9-1-1 with Episode 1, “Kids Today.”

Bobby and Athena are enjoying their literal honeymoon period, Maddie and Chimney are getting serious, Hen and Karen are working on expanding their family… and then there’s Buck and Eddie. Eddie is partnerless and Buck is jobless, these two things are not related at all.

It starts out so well, with a surprise party for Buck's hard-earned return to the 118, but it’s been five minutes since his last near death experience, so the narrative must juxtapose his fleeting moments of joy with the stark reality of his continued hard times.

Bobby's protective nature, while rooted in love, often leaves Buck feeling trapped and misunderstood. We discuss Bobby's projection of his own fears onto Buck and how that leads to a loss of autonomy for Buck, ultimately creating a rift in their relationship. 

We dissect how Buck's emotional turmoil and quest for purpose are intricately tied to his calling as a firefighter at the 118 and his relationships with everyone there, particularly Eddie. 

This episode starts our exploration of a season-long theme: parental relationships. While Maddie and Chimney discuss maybe having a kid one day, Eddie is taking matters into his own hands and gives Buck a new purpose: taking care of Christopher (although, *this* isn’t what he quite had in mind.) 

Buck and Chris have an existential conversation about what Chris wants to be when he grows up and having a purpose in life, but Buck hasn’t learned that his own self worth isn’t tied to firefighting yet. We reflect on the bond that’s forming between them, reminding us that “family don’t end with blood.”

Don’t stand there gawking, catch the wave with us and we’ll kick it when we hit the ground.

📔 Articles Mentioned

📰 ‘9-1-1’: Ronda Rousey To Recur In Season 3 Of Fox’s First-Responders Drama, Deadline

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Boss Tim Minear Teases Major Crises & Possible Death in Season 3, TV Insider

📰 Liv Tyler Set As the Female Lead Of Fox’s ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Spinoff Series, Deadline

📱 Allie Dominguez on TikTok

We are @buddiesystempod everywhere:

TikTok

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

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) Intro

(00:01:04) Welcome to Dispatch

(00:03:16) General Thoughts

(00:12:57) Jaws of Life - Deep Dive

(00:19:15) Needledrop

(00:23:51) Red Strong Corner

(00:35:45) Who’s Cookin’ - Bobby and Athena

(00:49:19) Maddie

(00:57:13) Buck

(01:12:46) Eddie and Chris

(01:21:25) Where’s the Fire - Scene Dissection (Buck & Bobby at Hospital)

(01:41:18) Everyone Talks About Buck at the Station

(01:48:14) Slow Burn - Bi Buck & Buddie Watch

(01:53:55) Slow Burn Needledrop

(02:05:10) Buck’s Loft, But Gayer

(02:22:20) Allie’s Anecdote

(02:24:41) Outro & Take a Buddie With You