2024 is coming to an end and it was quite a year for television. There was so much to look forward to and so many storylines that we either loved or found ourselves questioning what was going on in the writer’s room when they wrote the episodes. In one case, we wanted to discuss the breakup of 911’s Evan “Buck” Buckley and Tommy Kinard.
Buck became enamored with firefighter pilot Tommy Kinard after meeting him while rescuing his captain, Bobby Nash, and his wife, Athena Grant, from a sinking cruise trip. Buck eventually realized why this was when the latter kissed him in his kitchen. The show went on to establish these two men as wanting to be together and building a relationship.
How was Tommy's growth shown in 911 when he returned?
Ever since season 7 aired with the reveal that Buck also liked men in addition to women, there has been a lot to talk about with his relationships, both in canon and fanon. But let’s break down what drew so many people to Buck and Tommy. Especially Tommy since his background showed how his work at becoming better than who he was may still be something he needs to believe in for himself.
Tommy, played by Lou Ferrigno Jr., first appeared in season 2 in episodes centered around the beginnings of core characters Bobby Nash, Howie “Chimney” Han, and Henrietta “Hen” Wilson. He was at the 118 under Vincent Gerrard, who was a bigoted captain who was reintroduced in season 8 as a pathetic old man who tried to take over the 118 when Bobby prematurely resigned from the department after a heart attack.
When he was first introduced to Chimney back in the mid-2000’s, Tommy wasn’t receptive towards him and his behavior slowly cooled once Chimney saved his life. Tommy was not perfect at the beginning, but we could see at the end of “Chimney Begins” that he was more willing to be friends and get out of his own way so that he could get to know Chimney better and vice versa.
In Hen’s introductory episode, he at first appeared to look forward to meeting her, but Gerrard’s disparaging comments kept him from standing up for her. Gerrard’s brand of maintaining a toxic environment meant everyone followed his lead. It wasn’t okay in the slightest, but we can see by the end of the episode titled “Hen Begins,” having Hen there and seeing how brave she was to stand up for herself made Tommy realize it was better to stand up than follow the crowd. And while at the time the show did not outright say he was gay himself, this part of his own identity likely kept him from speaking up knowing how Gerrard would respond.
It was heavily implied that he, along with Chimney and another firefighter, made complaints about Gerrard to get him away from the 118. This brings us to Bobby’s episode, “Bobby Begins Again.” which further showed how far Tommy had come in his friendship with Hen and Chimney. Sure, they weren’t as close as Hen and Chimney now are, but it was clear they were all friendly now that they were in a better environment. By this point, he had been working with Chimney for around 10 years and Hen for around five or six years. They had an established working relationship and even went out for drinks with one another.
Tommy has made no secret that he wasn’t the best person under Gerrard. He told Buck during their first date in season 7 that the 118 was regressive under him and in the season finale of that season, he mentioned not being a better person back then.
Since Tommy is a side character, we didn’t get to see much of his current relationship with Chimney and Hen. Chimney was completely fine with Tommy coming to his wedding, and Hen had a smirk on her face when she saw that he was clearly dating Buck after the latter showed up covered in soot on his face when Tommy came from a fire to arrive at the wedding. If there is a chance he comes back, we'd love to see them together and seeing what their dynamic is like versus when they all first began working together.
Tommy was shown to be a caring and doting boyfriend in season 8 when Buck got hurt due to being “cursed” by a dead cowboy named Billy Boils. So to see them break up one episode later felt completely out of place. It also didn’t help that it came out of nowhere and no one expected it. There were no hints at all that it was going to happen.
Is Buck and Tommy's breakup final or is there still hope?
Before the dreaded breakup, Buck jumped the gun in wanting to move in with Tommy after a conversation with his sister’s co-worker, Josh, and it seems that he got overzealous in describing Tommy as being brave. Tommy, for his part, may not have said it, but it was clear he was uncomfortable with this idea of being seen that way when he knew he wasn’t the best person before he left the 118. In the end, he claimed that he wasn't Buck's last. Whether or not this is true, it was obvious Buck saw a future with him and that Tommy wanted it. In the end, both of them ended up hurt despite clearly wanting to be together.
We don’t know if Tommy will be back for the back half of season 8, but it is clear this pairing still is talked about by fans who loved the representation they exhibited. Buck’s still dealing with the breakup, although we’re not sure baking enough bread to open his own bakery is healthy.
He also clearly was still hopeful that Tommy would reach out to him, as he saw Tommy beginning to type a text message to him before stopping in one episode of season 8. Plus now that his best friend, Eddie, is looking to move to El Paso to be closer with his son, that is a lot to deal with. Losing his best friend and his boyfriend will be a lot for Buck to deal with and hopefully the show will do right by the characters and have not only Eddie stick around, but to have Tommy return.
He still has a long way to go on his journey. While actor Oliver Stark has described Buck as being bisexual, it still has not been said on the show by the character himself. Seeing Buck come to terms with who he is would be amazing for those who feel seen in him as a bisexual character.
For now, if Buck needs to be on his own, it’s better for him not to jump into any relationship no matter who it’s with. Whether it’s with Tommy, or a new relationship with a man or woman. Either way, there are many fans who do want to see Buck and Tommy try again. Hopefully 2025 will bring better days for those who love them as characters and together.
911 returns on March 6, 2025 on ABC at 8/7c. We hope that we will see how Buck is faring and that eventually he gets either the closure he needs or that he will find his way back to Tommy.
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