Buck’s relationships in 9-1-1 were particularly shaken up in season 8, from his sister experiencing a second pregnancy to his best friend and work partner leaving the state. With so many dramatic twists and turns, Buck served as a fitting reflection of the audience, as his strong and oftentimes emotional reactions captured the feelings of whiplash induced by the first-responder drama. Yet, for long-time viewers, many of 9-1-1 season 8’s biggest twists weren’t surprises at all, as two major storylines were already hinted at in one of 9-1-1’s best episodes in 2023.
Buck’s Coma Dream In 9-1-1 Season 6, Explained
A Near-Death Experience Leads Buck To Explore An Alternate Universe
Buck has had some of 9-1-1’s worst near-death experiences, but season 6, episode 11, “In Another Life," explores the direct aftermath of his most memorable. After Buck was struck by lightning, he was put into a medically induced coma, and the firefighter experienced an It’s a Wonderful Life-style coma dream. Nearly all of 9-1-1’s main characters were present as alternate-reality versions of themselves, but the differences slowly added up as Buck began to realize things weren’t as they seemed.
The coma dream focused on what the world would be like if Buck never went to the 118— Maddie never escaped her abusive husband, Bobby never received help after falling off the wagon, and Eddie never got help for his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh). Additionally, Buck and Maddie’s secret brother in 9-1-1 was present, with the coma dream exploring how different the Buckley family would have been if Daniel (Aaron Staton) had survived his childhood leukemia. Eventually, Buck decides to return to his real life, deciding the good parts weren’t enough to make up for the bad.
9-1-1 Season 8 Made Buck’s Worst Fears Come True
The Coma Dream's Two Biggest Changes Unfold In Real Life
Unfortunately, the two worst parts of Buck’s coma dream became realities in 9-1-1 season 8: just like in Buck's dream, Christopher was taken to Texas, and Bobby died. The 9-1-1 Christopher and Eddie plot was technically set up at the end of season 7, but the bulk of Christopher’s time in Texas (and Eddie’s reconciliation with him) took place throughout season 8. Whereas the coma dream had Christopher move to Texas with his grandparents following a “nasty” custody battle, Eddie voluntarily let his parents take Christopher before coming to regret his decision in 9-1-1 season 8.
Similarly, Bobby’s death in 9-1-1 was different from how it occurred in the coma dream— in the dream, Bobby died due to his alcoholism, but his real death was a dramatic sacrifice after being infected by a violent pathogen. Nevertheless, Bobby became 9-1-1’s first main character to die after countless brushes with death throughout the first seven seasons. As for Buck, his literal nightmares came true in 9-1-1 season 8. Buck left his surreal coma dream to escape Bobby and Christopher’s dark fates, only to watch them play out in real life in a cruelly ironic narrative choice.
What Else Can Come True From Buck’s Coma Dream In 9-1-1 Season 9
There May Be More Clues Hidden Within The Episode
When 9-1-1 season 8 killed off Peter Krause's Bobby Nash, the long-running procedural failed to take into account a major aspect of his past.
The most likely possibility, based on what’s left of the coma dream, would be the Buckley parents moving to L.A. from Pennsylvania. 9-1-1 tends to redeem bad parents, whether they’ve earned it or not, but Margaret (Dee Wallace) and Phillip Buckley (Gregory Harrison) have largely been absent in recent years. Buck’s parents moving nearby would majorly disrupt his life and open the door to serious and silly conflicts. Of course, it’s entirely possible 9-1-1 will abandon the coma dream altogether in season 9 and give Buck a brand new near-death experience to foreshadow season 10 and beyond.
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