The 911 volcano arc has ended, but there is still another situation afoot for members of the 118. However, it’s more personal than professional, and it’s regarding Buck and his parenting of Theo. We got some insight into Buck’s view of how he is caring for Theo at the end of episode 3 of the season, and while his friend Eddie tried to help, things didn’t work out that way.
Eddie has watched Buck try to take care of Theo ever since the latter began fostering him. However, it’s clear that Theo is very rambunctious and Buck is more permissive with him than Eddie would be. So when Eddie came over to see Buck building a volcano with Theo to help him with his fears about what had happened in LA, things got tense quickly.
Buck and Eddie both have different views on parenting
While Eddie wanted to tell Buck that Theo needed more boundaries set, he didn’t exactly come at Buck the right way. He made Buck feel like he was being put down and not doing the right things. Eddie seemed to think that talking about his feelings would be better for Theo than building a volcano.
However, what Buck was doing was normal. Theo is four, and play therapy is the best way he can put his feelings out since he doesn’t have the vocabulary yet to express his emotions. While Buck may not be setting boundaries and telling Theo “no” when he does something wrong, play therapy is not a bad way to handle things with Theo for his age.
One of the major things we learned about Buck was that he viewed his role in Theo’s life as a friend, not a parent. While this doesn’t help Theo at the moment, Buck is just trying to do the best he can. Theo is a good kid, even if he is rambunctious and gets into trouble. In the scene itself, Theo was pretty calm until his patience ran out and he got excited to play.
Buck never had parents who paid him attention unless he got into trouble. He hasn’t had the experience of being able to learn what it takes to be a parent himself. His mom once told him, “The world is a scary place," and he parroted those same words to Eddie, not wanting to be someone who made Theo feel scared of the world.
In this regard, it makes sense Buck has insecurities about how he would be as a father. Plus, if he still doesn’t view his role in Theo’s life as permanent, he might not be ready to see himself as someone who tells him no, especially after the trauma of losing his parents.
And while he has been in situations where he took care of his niece, Jee, and Eddie’s son, Chris, he never disciplined them in ways their own parents would. Plus, it’s different when it is a child you are taking responsibility for, especially one you are not quite seeing as your own as of yet.
So with Eddie immediately criticizing what he is doing, Buck naturally became defensive. He even reminded Eddie that he had always been there for him without overstepping, and Eddie knew he was right. If Eddie had come to Buck with a different way of expressing himself, it is likely Buck would have been more willing to receive his words. Instead, it just created distance between the two friends, which is really what Buck needed. He just needed a friend to support him, like he had always supported Eddie.
Episode 5 of 911 will see things continue to get rough, and we know we will see a scene with Maddie and Eddie soon. This might be Eddie trying to get Maddie to see his point of view, but she is Buck’s sister first and foremost, so we’ll see how she navigates the conversation if this is what is happening.
In essence, it’s natural that in a storyline like this, it’s easy to take sides. However, neither Buck nor Eddie is necessarily right or wrong. It’s how they go about the situation that can make or break things. Buck wasn’t looking for criticism and just needed a friend. Eddie had legitimate concerns but didn’t come to Buck in a way that was helpful in the end.
As 911 plays out this storyline, we hope Buck gets the actual support he needs from his loved ones, and he can learn to accept his role in Theo’s life.
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