After watching his best friend move to Texas in the previous episode of 911, the eleventh episode of 911 saw Buck moving into his new digs aka Eddie’s house and it quickly becomes clear he might be in over his head. While Buck made the grand gesture of subletting Eddie’s house so he could move to Texas, moving into his best friend’s house is only making him miss Eddie that much more.
Unable to sleep in the house, Buck goes to see Maddie and asks to sleep over. He opens up about struggling to sleep at the house telling Maddie how the house just doesn’t feel like his own place. For Back, it’s just a constant reminder of Eddie to which Maddie asks Buck to make a promise to her: try to make some new friends.
The next day, Buck tries to make small talk with Ravi and it’s clear he’s looking to use Ravi to help replace Eddie. Ravi is at first worried a prank is coming and Buck assures him he thought it might be cool to “kick it” sometime. After some awkward conversation, they agree to get some drinks together later that day… but sadly things don’t go as planned.
As we join Buck and Ravi at the bar, all Buck can seem to talk about is Eddie. Tired of playing quarters – a game Buck points out Eddie taught him – Ravi excuses himself to get some drinks which is when he bumps into a familiar face from Buck’s past: Tommy!
Ravi returns to the table with Tommy before leaving Tommy and Buck to catch up. As they catch up, Buck tells Tommy about Maddie being abducted and pregnant as he adorably fumbles through his words. Tommy asks him how he’s been and Buck begins to tell him about adjusting to life without Eddie. Buck assumes Eddie told Tommy about his move to Texas, but it turns out Eddie iced Tommy out after his breakup with Buck. As the pair continue to talk, Tommy mentions driving by Buck’s place and almost coming to see him which is when Buck interjects that he has a new place.
Buck and Tommy head back to his place and there isn’t much talking to be had as they share a passionate night together. The next morning, Buck wakes up and it seems like Tommy might have done the walk of shame but then Buck finds him in the kitchen where Tommy has cooked up quite the breakfast spread. As Buck tells Tommy he realises that he understands their night together doesn’t change Tommy’s feelings which is when Tommy surprises Buck by asking him out.
Tommy mentions that he’s not scared of Buck breaking his heart now that the competition is out of the way, referencing Eddie. Buck lashes out stating that he doesn’t want to sleep with everyone he loves and he doesn’t have to love everyone he sleeps with. Tommy takes the comment personally as he leaves.
After the exchange, Buck tells Maddie about Tommy’s comments and Maddie asks if he’s in love with Eddie. Buck again assures her that he doesn’t have feelings for Eddie, who Buck again points out is straight. Buck says he doesn’t want to unpack because as soon as he does that it means Eddie and Chris aren’t coming back. As they talk, Buck realizes he should call Tommy to apologize for using him to not feel alone to which Maddie says maybe he needs to learn the lesson of how to be alone again.
The episode closes with Buck taking Maddie’s words to heart as he finally unpacks the boxes and settles into his new home.
Bobby's complicated history which is mom comes back to haunt him
Buck wasn’t the only one in 911 season 8, episode 11 to have a ghost of their past resurface. Early in the episode, the 118 respond to a call where an evangelist’s gathering went wrong when guests started acting strangely – the result of carbon monoxide poisoning. After getting everyone out safely, we learn the evangelist happens to be Bobby’s mom who he hasn’t spoken to in years.
Needless to say, Athena is shocked to learn Bobby’s mom is alive as she assumed his mom was dead given he hadn’t mentioned her. Bobby reveals they haven’t spoken in years as he views her as a fraud and con woman, and he recalls how she didn’t even reach out when his father died. Athena encourages her to reach out to try to mend fences but he’s not sold on the idea.
The next day, Bobby’s brother, Charlie, shows up at the 118 firehouse and extends an invitation to lunch. Bobby agrees and he and Athena make their way to his mom’s hotel suite where they’ve been summoned before lunch. Things quickly get tense as Bobby’s mom brings up his late father saying she won’t apologize for leaving him. As things get heated, it comes out that Charlie arranged the lunch date telling them both that the other had reached out. After taking all he could take, Bobby says his mom is a fraud as a mother and that this is the last time he’s going to come to her as he storms out.
Bobby eventually goes to see his mom at one of her final shows, which ends abruptly when she collapses on stage. They get her to the hospital and she’s stable, which is when Charlie reveals that their mom has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. He tells Bobby he wasn’t planning on telling him as that’s what their mom wanted, but when he saw Bobby at the venue he thought it was a chance for them to reconcile.
After learning the truth about her diagnosis, Bobby and his mom finally patch things up as she assures Bobby she’s at peace.