9-1-1 Review: Buck Begins (Season 4 Episode 5)
Since the show’s inception, fans have been asking for more information on Buck. Well, 9-1-1 Season 4 Episode 5, “Buck Begins,” gives that to fans and more — so much more.
In all honesty, this episode is a love letter to Buck. Every little nuance of the episode gives us pieces of the puzzle that becomes Evan “Buck” Buckley by the end.
The mystery that has shrouded the Buckley family is finally revealed and with that, this information brings forth sympathy and understanding from all members of this complex family unit. Sure, the mom and dad have seemed a tad bit selfish from the word go, but now it’s easier to see that selfish nature is centered in grief for a son they lost.
“Buck Begins” also gives us a further appreciation of Maddie. This woman has moved heaven and earth since they were kids to ensure that Buck feels like he isn’t alone, that he has a family.
Over the years we have seen these two characters step it up for each other and call each other out for being pig-headed. However, it goes further than that which is the true gem of this episode.
We all love a great brother/sister dynamic and before now we thought we couldn’t possibly love Buck and Maddie anymore. Then we see Maddie gives Buck her Jeep and tells him to get out, but doesn’t tell him Greg is hurting her.
In everything Maddie has ever done, she’s only had one thing in mind — protecting Buck. A bit of that comes from her guilt about Daniel. She couldn’t protect him from dying so she makes it her mission to protect the brother she has left.
9-1-1 isn’t specifically drawing attention to how the Buckleys all grieved this loss, but by showing Buck’s story it still manages to touch on it delicately. For the parents, it is their distance and inability to see beyond what they’ve lost.
With Maddie, it’s that drive in her to protect her brother at all costs. She wants him to not only live but to live life fully.
The most profound moment is definitely when their mom is talking to Buck after the fire. She knows that she has messed up as Buck’s mom, but she’s trying to make up for it now.
Buck may have been created as a necessity, but his parents did always love him. That love is truly what drives Buck to be who he is today — even if he’s only just now recognizing it as love.
Mrs. Buckley: Buck, you were born to save someone and that’s what you do.
Honestly, Buck forgiving his parents for their behavior toward him is something I never expected to see on this episode. Maybe it’s opening the door for them to all attempt to be a real family in the future.
I really hope this experience and this revelation help Buck to become more focused and more secure in his place. He is so much stronger than he realizes and worth so much more than he believes.
Buck may think he’s not worthy of it, but he truly is a hero. He has changed the lives of so many people just by being that firefighter who’s willing to disobey direct orders to walk through fire for someone else.
This family secret never should have been kept a secret for so long, but if it hadn’t would Buck still be the man we know and love? The answer is probably not because this unknown disconnect inside him is what drove him to LA and firefighting in the first place.
When Buck tells Athena he got lost, it’s not only literally during that fire but a symbol for his life as a whole. He went through life for so long not knowing his drive or purpose.
It’s a good thing he found himself in LA and at the 118 because they became the family he so desperately yearned for his whole life. Without Bobby, Chim, Hen, Athena, Eddie, and Maddie, he never would’ve found his way.
He probably would’ve given up, which is just not what “being Buck” is all about.
As tragic as Buck’s story is revealed to be, it reminds us that the man we love so much in the now wouldn’t be who he is without his journeys along the way. Buck had to fall before he could climb.
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9-1-1 airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.