Major spoilers ahead for 9-1-1 Season 9, Episode 13, “Mother’s Boy,” streaming now with a Hulu subscription.
Following last week’s crossover between 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville, Buck and Eddie tried to make their way back to Los Angeles in the latest episode of 9-1-1 on the 2026 TV schedule. Unfortunately, they ran into some trouble while out on the road, and even though they both made it out alive by the episode’s end, it won’t go away so easily. The show’s boss said there will be a fallout between them in upcoming episodes, and I have a theory about this that I don’t like.
What The Showrunner Had To Say About Buck And Eddie
In the episode “Mother’s Boy,” Buck and Eddie decided to road trip from Nashville after their flight was canceled. After getting lost, they went to a diner to ask for directions, only to be run off the road later, with Buck getting kidnapped by the waitress at the diner and her husband, who is the cook. Co-creator and showrunner Tim Minear, who also wrote the episode, told TVLine just how intense it was and how it affected both Ryan Guzman and Oliver Stark's characters:
Article continues belowThe thing I really liked about it was that it wasn't just Buck's story, it was also Eddie's. It felt pretty evenly split, which is what I think makes it work for me. They get separated, but then it's Eddie doing everything he can and Buck trying to save himself, and they end up saving each other. I really love that.
Eddie did save Buck and vice versa before it was too late, and the two of them were able to drive off to finish the last 10 hours of their road trip. Even though they seemed to be fine, albeit still in physical pain from the crash and everything in between, this won’t go away so easily. Minear shared what will be next for Buck and Eddie as they move forward, and his comments are troubling:
There's a real fallout.
“Fallout” is definitely an interesting word to describe what is coming up for Buck and Eddie. And this does not sound good, especially knowing how they can react to certain trauma. With a handful of episodes left of Season 9, there is a world of possibilities as to what could happen.
The Theory About Buck And Eddie I Don’t Like
Obviously, Buck and Eddie have been through a traumatic ordeal, Buck especially. Add on news of his parents’ divorce, and he is dealing with a lot. Buck was already throwing himself into his work following his parents’ news, so it can be assumed he will be doing that and more once he’s all healed up and back on the job. Eddie will probably do the same, as they’re both known for wanting to focus on other things than what’s actually bothering them.
If I'm right, that means they could also close themselves off from each other and the rest of the team if they refuse to talk about what happened. Or they could get angry about what happened and start blaming each other. Then there’s also the psychological effect. Nightmares, trouble sleeping, maybe even hallucinations, especially for Buck.
All around, I don't think anything good is going to come of this, which is why I don't love the theory I've developed. However, I fear this is the road we're headed down.
It’s hard to predict what will actually happen and how this situation will affect both Buck and Eddie, because when it comes to 9-1-1, you never know what could go down. It’s clear, though, that this will impact them (and Buddie's future) moving forward. Fans will just have to see how in new episodes airing on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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