It's a very clear-cut aftermath because of how 9-1-1 tidily defined Bobby's core relationships. Athena (Angela Bassett) is his great love, and the only serious romantic interest the show presented. Buck (Oliver Stark) is like a son to him, and the last member of the 118 he speaks to before his death. However, a decision from very early on in the procedural's run, involving Abby (Connie Britton), would have entirely shifted one of the most moving relationships in the entire series. Athena and Bobby could have recovered, ultimately, but Buck and Bobby might not have.
Bobby Was Originally Going To Be Paired With Abby In 9-1-1
There Was Going To Be A Love Triangle
In a recent video interview with TV Insider, Stark recalled how the pivotal first season of 9-1-1 could have gone very differently. Along with his co-star Aisha Hinds, who plays Henrietta Wilson, Stark shared that the first-responder drama could have included a love triangle between Bobby, Abby, and Buck. As the actor tells it, in the quote below, the love triangle would have started when Abby and Bobby were both visiting Buck in the hospital and kicked off from there.
Stark is candid as he recalls his objections to the storyline, reflecting to Hinds that he felt protective over the Buck and Abby relationship. That brief courtship was undoubtedly crucial, helping to define Buck in a lot of ways that are still evident seven seasons later, as far as his impulsiveness goes and his tendency to rush in. Even though Stark doesn't talk about why the 9-1-1 love triangle was scrapped, it might have something to do with how it would have altered some of the show's most foundational relationships.
Bobby & Buck Both Pining Over Abby Would Have Made Their Father-Son Relationship Less Likely
It Would Have Felt Different
9-1-1 is created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear.
The young firefighter doesn't mean any real harm by it, albeit his harsh commentary is bad enough that Howard steps in to shift the focus away from Bobby's romantic woes prior to meeting Athena. It's easy to see how variations of this scene might have been replicated over and over again if the two men were pitted against each other in a love triangle: Bobby would have mocked Buck for being brash and dumb. Buck would have countered that his boss was old and out of touch.
Evan "Buck" Buckley has had many highs and lows throughout 9-1-1, and his love life in the hit ABC first-responder procedural is no different.
Even if 9-1-1 decided to go in a less comedic route than what's depicted in "A Whole New You", it's tough to see how the Buck and Bobby relationship would have evolved into the bond of mutual respect and love that blossomed. It depends on whether the love triangle would have been a one-off plot, lasting a single episode, or a longer arc. The scene that Stark references occurs in the season's sixth episode, "Heartbreaker", with four episodes to go until Abby's exit, and it could have gone either way.
The more bruising the fight would have been, in any case, the less likely that Bobby and Buck would have developed the father-son bond that the series became known for. It would have been colored, at least somewhat, by the reality that there were once romantic rivals. It's not an insurmountable fix for the procedural and its writers. At best, though, it would have been a weird detour for an otherwise pitch-perfect relationship.
Buck & Bobby's Relationship In 9-1-1 Is Arguably The Show's Best Dynamic
It's Up There, At Least
Part of the reason that 9-1-1 works as well as it does is because the chemistry between the cast does a lot to lift episodes that might not otherwise land on their own. There is a reason, after all, that the relationship between Buck and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) is as beloved as it is, even though the pair seemed to be locked in a question of 'will they/won't they' that intensifies and fades but never clarifies.
Since Ryan Guzman joined 9-1-1 as Eddie Diaz, he's been Evan "Buck" Buckley's closest friend— even though season 8 seemed to imply something more.
|
The Main 9-11 Cast Members |
|
|---|---|
|
Actor |
Who They Play |
|
Angela Bassett |
Athena Grant |
|
Peter Krause |
Bobby Nash |
|
Oliver Stark |
Evan "Buck" Buckley |
|
Aisha Hinds |
Henrietta "Hen" Wilson |
|
Kenneth Choi |
Howard "Chimney" Han |
|
Jennifer Love Hewitt |
Maddie Buckley |
|
Ryan Guzman |
Eddie Diaz |
It works because the show never feels the need to linger on it or call it out too explicitly. Viewers understand that it's there, appreciating fully what it means for both sides of the relationship. It's a bond that's strengthened by everything that's left unsaid.
It's what makes Bobby's last scene with Buck so devastating. There isn't time for Bobby to say everything he wishes he could. Bobby, for his part, is probably too stunned to come up with anything too eloquent. But in a sense, there's not all that much that they need to say. Because the relationship had been built up so well, with a throughline running from their very first to their last goodbye, it lands exactly as it should for fans that have been watching 9-1-1 since the very beginning.
