9-1-1 star Oliver Stark previews an exploration of Buck’s feelings, as Eddie’s potential exit looms. 9-1-1 season 8 will return to ABC with new episodes on March 6. During the hiatus, Stark participated in an NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. It brings to mind a pivotal episode of the first-responder procedural, during season 7, when Buck (Stark) accidentally injured his best friend Eddie (Ryan Guzman) during what should have been a low-stakes game of basketball. At the time, Buck’s sister Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) suggested that Buck might have been jealous that Eddie made a new friend.
In an interview with TODAY, while discussing his participation in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, Stark reflects on the basketball ball scene in 9-1-1 season 7, episode 4, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered”, which included the beginning of his relationship with Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.). Considering that Tommy has since broken up with Buck and that Eddie is planning to leave the 118 to be closer to his son, Stark is asked whether there’s more to explore in terms of Buck’s feelings in the season 7 episode. Stark says there is, answering:
Definitely, and I think they’re going to be kind of explored and looked at in a way that is more obvious than kind of has ever been done before on the show. To an extent where I was actually surprised by the extent to which it’s going to be explored. So, yeah, no, absolutely, that is to come very soon.
From there, Stark responds to a question on whether the show’s return will specifically examine Buck’s jealousy which emerged in “Buck, Bothered, and Bewildered.” The actor answers: “Not that specifically. But just kind of an exploration of what the feelings are.” Finally, in the last question of the interview, the London native is asked to detail which feelings will be explored. He declines to answer, replying: “Yeah… I’ll say no more on that.”
