To merely suggest that Buck and Tommy's first date was a disaster would be a gross underestimation. It was a catastrophic train wreck, a blazing inferno from inception to its fiery conclusion—not the kind of blaze a firefighter would be accustomed to extinguishing.
Tommy could feel Buck's jitters from the outset, attempting to reassure him that they weren't the center of attention. "You're a bit tense, but I understand," he said, adding that Buck might be surprised by the acceptance of their peers in their profession.
"This is my first date with a guy, but it's not weirding me out," Buck insisted. "I'm an ally. Every Pride Month, I slap a rainbow sticker on my Instagram." It was an awkward confession, but Tommy chose to focus on the positive, telling Buck, "I guess it's just me that makes you nervous."
For a fleeting moment, it seemed like the date might salvage some redeeming qualities...until Eddie and Marisol walked in. Without provocation, Buck lied brazenly to Eddie's face, claiming that he and Tommy were "gonna go hunt for some hot chicks, because chicks love firefighters." (At this juncture, we were practically wriggling out of our skin with secondhand embarrassment.)
Tommy then revealed his sassy side when Marisol mentioned moving her armoire to Eddie's place. "I guess you can never have enough closet space," Eddie opined, to which Tommy retorted pointedly, "Ain't that the truth. Right, Evan?" (Side note: The fact that Tommy was the only one who called Buck "Evan" was actually quite endearing.)
Unfortunately, that was where the evening drew to a close. Instead of Ubering to a movie with Buck, Tommy summoned his own car to head home. "Evan, I think you're adorable," he said. "But I don't think you're ready. I'll catch you around."Buck found himself in a post-date state of bewilderment and turned to his sister Maddie for guidance. However, as he withheld crucial details, Maddie was left perplexed, posing hysterically humorous follow-up questions. "Are you dating a married woman?" she inquired, followed by an even more astonished, "Is it a celebrity?!"
It wasn't until Buck finally revealed that his date was a "he" that Maddie's mind began to piece together the puzzle, her surprise turning to support with a breathless "Wow!" What ensued was a refreshingly candid conversation between two grown siblings, with Maddie marveling at how she hadn't anticipated this turn of events.
Something about Buck's casual remark, "Sure, I'll check out a hot guy's ass, but that's normal," struck Maddie as particularly humorous. It wasn't the kind of laughter that made her double over in hysterics, but the unexpected candor of her brother's confession was amusing in its own way. Especially considering Buck's usual reluctance to discuss his sexuality, his blunt honesty was a surprise.
"I don't think you're a fraud," Maddie assured him with sincerity. "I just think you're still figuring out your own feelings. And if there's anything you need to share with Eddie, you'll do it in your own time." Already a steadfast supporter, Maddie solidified her status as the sister of the year by adding, "So, tell me more about this hot pilot." Her curiosity was piqued, and she was eager to learn more about this new chapter in her brother's life.
Towards the tail end of the hour, Buck finally opened up to Eddie, baring his heartfelt feelings, and the conversation exceeded all our expectations. (Granted, secretly, we had hoped they'd forge an unconventional trio, but we'll cherish what fate has granted us.) Eddie's initial surprise was palpable, given that Tommy's sexuality had never been a topic of conversation between them. "Not that it would have mattered," he shrugged it off.
When Buck tentatively inquired if Eddie felt uneasy about the revelation, Eddie's response was swift and sincere. "Absolutely not. I like him too, albeit not in the same way as you, obviously." He went further to reassure Buck, "This doesn't alter our bond in any way. OK?"
Those words were like a balm to Buck's frazzled nerves, and it soon transpired that Eddie was a fervent supporter of the Buck-Tommy pairing. "He doesn't know you," Eddie confided. "He doesn't know you're a bit of a klutz. But once he gets to understand you and realizes your antics, he'll adore you like we all do."
As their heartfelt conversation drew to a close, Eddie prepared to depart, but he couldn't resist turning back to offer his best friend a heartfelt hug. It was a profoundly touching moment, albeit not quite the grand revelation fans had yearned for over the past five seasons. Before stepping away, Eddie issued a direct command: "Call Tommy."
Eddie's advice to Buck, a profound nugget of wisdom stating, "Don't walk away from something before you even know what it is," unexpectedly emerged as the salvation in his own romantic journey with Marisol. Earlier in the episode, Eddie stumbled upon a bombshell revelation - Marisol had once harbored dreams of becoming a nun, only to abandon them at the threshold of taking her vows. This startling discovery left him petrified, even to the extent of being unable to share a bed with her.
Bobby, speaking as a representative of all practicing Catholics, attempted to reassure Eddie, arguing that his unease had nothing to do with Marisol's brush with the nun's life; he was simply a commitment-phobe who had been rushing things.
As the episode drew to a close, Eddie and Marisol finally engaged in a heart-to-heart conversation. She revealed that her aborted journey to the nunnery had been a recurring obstacle in her previous relationships. "Men either freak out or become overly fascinated by it," she confessed. (As ridiculous as this storyline may seem, let's be grateful that Eddie fell into the former category. Can you fathom the idea of him grappling with a nun fetish?)
In the end, Eddie and Marisol made a mutual decision to ease up on the accelerator and take their relationship at a more leisurely pace, starting from scratch.
Absolutely, let's bring this narrative to life with a bit of emotional depth and descriptive flare. Here's the revised version:
Certainly, Buck and Eddie weren't the sole explorers embarking on unexpected adventures this week within the ranks of the 118. Hen and Karen had embarked on a new journey too, as they took in a nine-year-old girl named Mara as a foster child. Initially, Mara seemed reserved and slow to open up, yet there was something about her that made them believe she would fit perfectly into their home. Even the gift of one of Denny's cherished teddy bears was gladly accepted by her with a sparkle in her eye.
But then, chaos unfolded! Karen was horrified to discover that Mara had brutally severed the poor bear's head. Later, as they awoke, they found Mara standing over their bed, screaming hysterically as Hen reached out to comfort her. Things escalated further as Mara unexpectedly lashed out, striking Denny in the head with a mug, leaving him in need of stitches.
What might have been a thrilling, suspense-filled storyline took a surprisingly heartwarming turn as details of Mara's past came to the fore. It transpired that her parents had died from an opioid overdose, and it was Mara herself who had discovered their lifeless bodies and called the emergency services. Upon hearing the haunting recording of that fateful call, Hen and Karen realized that Mara's nighttime antics weren't simply about watching them sleep; she was terrified that they might meet the same fate as her parents.
Finally, at the end of the hour, Karen managed to break through to Mara, offering her a monitor so she could keep watch over her new mothers as they slept, safely and securely in her own room. That tender "night night" Mara whispered to Karen as she left the room? It was pure sweetness.
The episode drew to a close with Tommy and Buck meeting for a coffee, ostensibly for an apology, but Tommy insisted there was nothing to apologize for. "I didn't cut things short because you behaved badly," Tommy clarified about their disastrous first date. "I didn't want to pressure you." Buck responded with honesty, "The truth is, I don't know what I'm ready for. But I am ready for something. And I think maybe that something could be with you." He then extended an invitation to Tommy to be his date at Maddie and Chimney's wedding, a seemingly hasty decision but one that, given the shortened season due to the writers' strike, we're willing to overlook. After all, we eagerly await the sight of Buck and Tommy tearing up the dance floor together.
