Seven Seasons in, Buck Finally Shares a Same-Sex Kiss on '9-1-1'

Louis Ferrigno and Oliver Stark on "9-1-1" Source: Disney

Fans of the Ryan Murphy-co-created series "9-1-1" have long taken Buck (Oliver Stark) to be queer and in love with his best friend Eddie (Ryan Guzman). The seventh season's fourth episode finally pays that off... though not in a way viewers might have anticipated.

Buck was having a chat with another male character when the kiss suddenly took place, reports noted. The moment was significant not only for the character, but as a milestone that took place during the closing moments of the show's 100th episode.

Only, it wasn't Eddie that Buck was locking lips with; it was with a recently introduced character, Tommy (Louis Ferrigno Jr.), whose friendship with Eddie had been making Buck feel insecure.

"We've kind of build it as this jealousy," Stark told Variety in comments about the episode, "and I don't think he's necessarily jealous of anyone – he just has these new feelings, and doesn't quite know what word to use or how to comprehend what he's actually feeling."

"And then the payoff at the end is lovely," Stark added, before noting, "It's such a release for Buck and this, quote unquote, 'Oh!' moment. And it is this moment of not just release, but relief."

Stark explained that showrunner Tim Minear surprised him with the idea of Buck and Tommy sharing the moment not long before the episode went into production, but underscored that it was a "collaborative" decision, and not a directive.

"The focus was on it being important," Stark said of the moment, "but also not wanting it to feel like the bravest episode in television.... We just wanted to tell a lighthearted love story that happens to be a queer love story. It's an element, but it's not everything."

Hello! Magazine delved deep into the long-simmering development, noting that fans have "argued that the character has long been queer-coded... using canonical moments from across the seven seasons in their arguments."

Among the moments Hello! specified was "Eddie Diaz's introduction [which] came from Buck's point-of-view with the song 'Whatta Man' playing as a shirtless Eddie appeared in slow-motion."

Later on that same season, "the pair took Eddie's son Chris to visit Santa," Hello! recalled, "and Buck made the decision to not correct a Christmas elf who mistook Chris for being Buck and Eddie's son."

The thread has been consistent over the years, and getting stronger: "In later seasons," Hello! added, "Buck's friendship with Eddie grows so deeply that it is implied that Buck can only find peace in Eddie's house, after he falls asleep on the couch after admitting he can't get comfortable on his own couch."

Asked what might come next for his character, Stark said, "He'll obviously have some questions for himself, and for others... and he'll get different reactions. Some will be surprised, and some will not be so surprised."

"But it's very true to the world of '9-1-1' that he will lean on those around him, and will receive the support that he needs."

As far as how the fandom of the show will respond, "[I]t's almost none of my business," Stark reckoned. "As the actor, if you get too caught up in what the reaction is going to be, you're probably going to get yourself into dangerous territory. The most efficient way, or the most sensible way to deal with it, is to just focus on the moment and find something that feels truthful while we're making the show."

Summarized Stark: "Obviously, I hope they like it, but if they don't, I still feel like we told a truthful story for Buck in these episodes."