Spoilers ahead for the October 21 episode of 9-1-1 on Fox, called "Rage."
9-1-1 gave Buck a stressful start to Season 3 by first revealing that his medical crisis from the end of Season 2 resulted in an ongoing health issue, a fun trip to the pier with BFF Eddie's son Christopher turned disastrous, and then the bombshell that it was Bobby who was preventing Buck from returning to active duty at the job he loves. Buck's decision to sue the LAFD to try and get his job back was a short-sighted move at best, and "Rage" proved that he's not the only one feeling the consequences. Eddie is in a dangerous place, and Bobby isn't handling it too well either.
Let's start with Eddie. Although seemingly doing fine while at work, it was evident in Eddie's scenes set off-the-job that he was struggling. When a man with a bum knee gave him grief for parking in a handicapped spot when dropping off Christopher, Eddie went ahead and punched him, winding up behind bars. He called Lena Bosko to pick him up from the clink, stating that he was unable to call Buck because Buck filed the suit that cut him off from his friends -- former friends? -- at Station 118.
Bosko, showing questionable judgment, decided that what Eddie needed was a trip to a fight club, because what better thing to do for a dude who just went and punched a guy with a knee issue? But more on Eddie and the fight club in a bit.
Later, Bobby took the Station 118 team to the grocery store on a coordinated mission to pick up the necessaries for the firehouse. Buck, who was missing his team and reeling from his lawyer's reveal that the best he could probably hope for after airing his friends' dirty laundry was the sizable settlement from the city, met up with them at the store, and that's when it got ugly between Buck and Eddie.
Eddie dropped the bombshell that Buck's decision to file the suit cut Christopher off from his buddy Buck, and Buck stammered that he hadn't thought of how it would impact Christopher. Eddie rambled on that he couldn't even call Buck to bail him out of Jail, and although he covered a moment later by suggesting that was a totally hypothetical situation, it was a major seed to plant in the minds of his coworkers and boss.
By the end of the episode, it was clear that the confrontation with Buck hadn't exactly made Eddie feel better. He went back to the fight club by himself and went into a fight rather than just spectating. He ultimately had to be pulled off his opponent, proving that he still has plenty of rage to go around.
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If that rage is already bleeding through to Eddie's personal life, how long until it reaches his professional life? And will that put lives in danger, beyond even his own? Bare-knuckle fighting in a fight club in the middle of nowhere isn't exactly the safest thing to do for a single dad with a special needs son.
This can't possibly end well for Eddie, and I'm concerned that the relationship with Buck might be too fractured at the moment for him to help Eddie. Bosko seems to be his new bosom buddy, and I don't put the most stock in her as his moral support since she made the call to take him to the fight club.
As for Bobby... well, after Buck turned down the settlement that would have made him a millionaire, it became clear that Buck's lawsuit wasn't going away any time soon if he didn't get what he wanted. The brass decided that it would be easier and less messy to just return Buck to active duty than to let the suit drag out. Bobby was given the option of sending Buck to another station after everything that went down, but Bobby wanted him back at Station 118 where he could keep an eye on him.
Buck was overjoyed to learn that he'd be returning to his old team, but Bobby made it clear that Buck would be coming to a house that would operate under Bobby's rules, and Buck might not be so happy once he gets a taste of Station 118 after he spilled all of his coworkers' secrets for a lawsuit. Bobby clearly holding a grudge doesn't reflect well on his state of mind, especially after he came dangerously close to snapping himself earlier in the episode.
Now, is it Buck's fault that Eddie and Bobby aren't handling his decision well? No. But it's apparent that the consequences of his lawsuit aren't going anywhere any time soon, and things could get a lot worse and even more dangerous before they get better. Find out when new episodes of 9-1-1 air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
