The Buddie System: A 9-1-1 Yapathon

Whether you're registered for your first RescueVerse convention or just starting to think about going, this episode is your one-stop resource for everything you need to know before you get there. RescueVerse is Creation Entertainment's convention for 9-1-1 fans — Hen, Chimney, Buck, Eddie, and Buddie lovers alike. Han, Cil, and Rachel do our best Clipboard Buck impression as we regale you with our experience, spreadsheet and all.

We walk you through how Creation Entertainment conventions work and what sets them apart from a standard Comic Con, break down every type of guest interaction — photo ops, autographs, meet...

"What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears, then I'll sing you a song, I will try not to sing out of key."

Han, Cil, and Rachel put on our Sherlock Holmes hats for 9-1-1 Season 9, Episode 16, "Where There's Smoke," in which the 118 goes full Scooby Gang to clear Chimney's name, a review board uses every questionable call his team has made this past year as ammunition against his captaincy, and Eddie Diaz is literally a light in the darkness, a...

"Stayed on the line with you the entire night, 'til you let it out and let it in"

Han, Cil, and Rachel are white knuckling their way through Season 9, Episode 14, "DIY," and Episode 15, "Pick Your Poison" — the two-episode arc where Buck's grief stops being quiet, the 118 shows up in every way that matters, and Eddie Diaz plays host at someone else's house like a man who has never once considered that this might be a little bit married of him.

We explore why this storyline works specifically because of who Buck is — neurodiverse, self-aware enough to k...

Have you been doom scrolling 9-1-1 Twitter wondering why Buddie isn't canon yet? Put the phone down. We did the homework so you don't have to.

Han, Cil, and Rachel are joined by Alexa Donne — YA thriller author, TV industry distribution professional, and 9-1-1 obsessed Buddie Truther — to break down exactly how broadcast network television works and why understanding it will make you a much calmer, happier Buddie fan. You're welcome!

We dissect the fundamentals: the big four networks, how advertising actually drives creative decisions, and why the live+7 streaming numbers and key demo...

"We were built to fall apart, then fall back together"

Han, Cil, and Rachel are taking the scenic route through 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 13, "Mother's Boy" – an episode Tim Minear wrote himself, and the one that takes Buck and Eddie out of LA, drops them in Nowhere Town USA, and lets them be each other's person in the most Supernatural-coded way this show has ever attempted. We were not remotely prepared.

This episode is cinema and we mean that literally. We explore why the production is doing so much narrative heavy lifting this week – from the...

"I can't help that I'm that girl, they be talkin', I don't care / Beefin' with yourself because you do not exist in my world"

Han, Cil, and Rachel are saddling up for a Nashville crossover that somehow manages to be both firefighter games chaos and a surprisingly important chapter in Buck’s emotional arc. 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 12, “Dads and Cads,” and 9-1-1: Nashville Season 1 Episode 12, “Spirit of the Games” deliver competitive nonsense, father wounds, and Bobby Nash continuing to fujo from beyond the grave.

Buck’s parents show up to announce their divorce and create o...

"Abigail's parents cared more about the bible than being good to their own child"

This week, Han, Cil, and Rachel are covering 9-1-1 Season 9 Episodes 10 ("Handle With Care") and 11 ("Going Once, Going Twice") — a two-parter that had us experience the whole range of human emotions, separated by a four-week hiatus that sent us into full red-string mode, and worth every second of the wait.

Chimney is freaking out about Harry's first shift, haunted by the ghost of captains past, until Hen shows up with wine and a much-needed reality check. Harry saves Chim’s life...

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel are joined by Trent from 911TVNEWS, known for being THE ultimate 9-1-1 fandom first responder. We’ve been wanting to have him on to talk about the production and behind-the-scenes of the shows, and this conversation became a deep dive into the evolution of the expanding 9-1-1 universe.

We talk about the differences between the original show and its spinoffs: Lone Star and Nashville, how the show has changed from the Fox to ABC eras, and how Trent got into running the largest 9-1-1 update account. We also go...

We’re revisiting the Kitchen Divorce. Yes, that kitchen fight from Season 8, Episode 17 of 9-1-1, because Season 9 has made it painfully, hilariously clear that this fight never actually ended. It just went (40 feet) underground.

This scene is what happens when two people who deeply love each other, rely on each other, and absolutely cannot admit that out loud get stuck in a room with knives, feelings, and no emotional escape hatch. Buck wants reassurance. Eddie wants control. Both of them want the other one to stay. Instead, they fight like divorced dads arguing over who bought th...

A revisit episode.

Some episodes don’t age — they ferment.

As Season 8B ripples outward into Season 9, we’re revisiting Fallout because it quietly establishes emotional fault lines Buck and Eddie have been circling ever since.

Season 3, Episode 9 of 9-1-1 wants to be about healing. What it’s actually doing is teaching us how these characters avoid it — who takes responsibility, who deflects, and who insists they’re fine while emotionally white-knuckling everything.

This revisit digs into how Fallout locks in Buck and Eddie’s emotional operating systems early on. Buck worries...

Season 1 Episode 2 of Heated Rivalry, “Olympians,” is where our boys are well and truly fucked — Shane literally, and both of them emotionally. It’s all fun and games until the sex becomes a gateway drug to feelings and they both get hurt. Tender kisses and longing glances after your first time don’t sound so casual now.

Shane and Ilya form a textuationship over a montage that spans two years, culminating in their first time going “all the way,” which accidentally turns into “OOPS! All Feelings.” We explore Ilya’s self-preservational shutdown in Sochi, the plethora of emotions that flit a...

“I’m done with feeling like I should be fine.”

This week, Han, Cil, and Rachel stage an intervention for 9-1-1 Season 9 Episodes 8 (“War”) and 9 (“Fighting Back”), two episodes that are doing a lot emotionally, narratively, and metaphorically — especially when it comes to grief, disability, and the slow, messy work of holding a found family together. Nothing is wrapped up neatly here, and that’s on purpose.

From Avengers: Age of Ultron energy at dispatch with Maddie to what amounts to forced group therapy at Athena’s house, these episodes cover a surprising amount of ground. We discuss Chimney l...

“Give me a call if you ever get lonely

I’ll be like one of your girls or your homies”

This week, Han, Cil, and Rachel head back to the clurb (unwillingly, in Eddie’s case) to break down Season 9 Episode 7 of 9-1-1, "Secrets."

Hen pushes herself past the point of reason trying to solve her own mystery illness, Chimney is forced into an impossible leadership position, and Ravi continues to be the funniest man alive. Meanwhile, Buck goes on two dates — one with a man, one with a woman — only to discover the...

As lovers of good television and queer stories, Heated Rivalry has bewitched us body and soul, so we’re taking a field trip with our bestie Niki to the gay boy aquarium (and hopefully you’re joining us)!

We’re applying our thoughtful media analysis from our usual format — where we yap about the show 9-1-1 — to the best book to screen adaptation we’ve ever seen!

This week Han, Cil, Rachel, and Niki dive into the production, music, parallels, and changes from the book by Rachel Reid that make this an absolutely captivating episode of T...

It’s fine, it’s cool, Eddie can tell a priest “I’m straight,” but we know the truth.

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel take a thorough look at Eddie Diaz’s dating history with our rainbow glasses to spot the complex layers of queer coding!

Eddie famously says, “I hate being forced to date, feels like I have to perform,” in Season 6 Episode 14 of 9-1-1, “Performance Anxiety.” Buck and Hen are not the only people who raised their eyebrows at that statement, and luckily for you we do have time to unpack all that!

If y...

Buck and Eddie keep it 100 on the land, the sea, and the sky!

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel dive into Taylor Swift’s latest album and dig into the lyrics of each song to explain why they’re all about Buddie, actually (romantic).

Join us on our journey through the album as we get pulled into the fire and take a look at how:

This week, Han, Cil, and Rachel are revisiting our Plot Device episode with an addendum focused entirely around Tommy’s return in Season 8 Episode 11 of 9-1-1, “Holy Mother of God.”

In our original special (listen here!) we discussed how Tommy’s role is to showcase Buck's journey of self-discovery and his coming to terms with his bisexuality. Well, we’re back in the building again, with Tommy existing solely to point out Buck’s glaringly obvious feelings for his best friend, and to scoff at the idea of Eddie being straight.

We look at 8x11 through...

“Here's to my future

Here's to my yesterday

Here's to change”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel check our privacy settings as we tackle Season 4 Episode 3 of 9-1-1, “Future Tense.” Eddie outs himself as a technophobe in the face of HILDY, Buck reveals his “new girlfriend” is actually just a new interest in taking care of his mental health, and Hen has to find a new level of zen to deal with her insensitive lab partner. Meanwhile, Maddie is spiraling over Buck going to therapy.

We discuss how Maddie’s trauma and cur...

“Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel do their best Stevie Nick’s impression as the Hollywood sign comes tumbling down, down, down in Season 4 Episode 2 of 9-1-1, “Alone Together.”

Buck and Chimney get in some extra brother-in-law bonding time (because living together wasn’t enough). Bobby shows up on his white horse… er medivac, to bring Athena back to solid ground. 

We explore Chimney and Athena’s opening arcs and how they continue to parallel as they...

“When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move”

Keep your feet on solid ground as Han, Cil, and Rachel slide right into Season 4 Episode 1 of 9-1-1, “The New Abnormal.”

We dive into how the real world changes at that time affected filming and the story including some overarching and recurring themes, then roll right into character analysis.

Athena and Chimney are paralleling each other and we discuss how the people they’re saving help teach them the lesson of pushing through their fears.

Buck and May are also p...

“Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you, I have been changed for good”

Put on your best pink or green because it’s time for our Season 3 Wrap! Han, Cil, and Rachel look back at Season 3 of 9-1-1 as a whole and discuss our favorite episodes and moments, new fears, overarching themes, ‘what-if’ scenarios, and more!

We award each main character their own hyper-specific superlative then break out our comedy elbows for a summary and character arc highlights for Hen and Karen, Josh, Chimney, Maddie, Ma...

“No, I'll stand my ground

Won't be turned around”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel welcome the return of Clipboard Buck as we discuss Season 9 Episode 6 of 9-1-1, “Family History.”

Check out our review of the episode, the first half of the season as a whole, and why we think this was a necessary closing of the Bobby Grief Chapter that started all the way back in 8x15.

We share our character highlights for Athena, May, Buck, Harry, Hen, Chimney, and Eddie as well as several season parallels as we usher in...

“And the old religion humming in your veins

Some animal instinct starting up again”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel wade through our tears to discuss Season 9 Episode 5 of 9-1-1, “Día de los Muertos.”

We start the episode off with our own review and some thoughts from our Mexican and Mexican-American listeners then we dive right into our favorite character moments for Athena, Ravi, Maddie, Harry, Buck, and the star of this episode: Eddie!

From deconstructing and reconstructing his religious trauma to giving the community theater performance of a lifetime...

“I will be chasing a starlight

Until the end of my life

I don't know if it's worth it anymore”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel really let go as we discuss two episodes of 9-1-1: Season 9 Episode 3 “The Sky is Falling” and Episode 4, “Reentry.”

Check out our review of both episodes to hear the long list of things they got right then dive into the character highlights with us to see how Hen, Karen, Athena, Chimney, Maddie, May, Harry, Buck, and Eddie are doing.

We explore the depth of Ath...

“You said you love me, and that's a fact

And then you left me, said you felt trapped

Well, some things you can explain away

But the heartache's in me 'til this day”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel go off the rails while we explore Season 3 Episode 18, the Season Finale of 9-1-1, “What’s Next?” where everyone but Buck gets a happy ending.

Josh confronts his attacker, Michael gets his cancer-free(ish) meet-cute redo, Maddie and Chimney are expecting, and Buck is getting the most unsatisfactory closure Amtrak cou...

Host Brian Luce sits down with David Eigenberg to talk about his unexpected path to

playing Christopher Herrmann, the behind-the-scenes camaraderie on Chicago Fire, and

the time he singed his eyebrows on set. The episode also features the LeFevours, the

legendary father-son stunt team, who share how they pull off some of the most

unforgettable stunts on Chicago Fire and Chicago Med.

You can watch this interview on the One Chicago YouTube channel, and check out the

season premieres of Chicago Med, Fire and P.D. Wednesday...

“And I think it's gonna be a long, long time 'til touchdown brings me 'round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home. Oh, no, no, no I'm a rocket man.”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel brace for impact as we discuss two episodes of 9-1-1: Season 9 Episode 1, “Eat the Rich” and Episode 2, “Spiraling.”

Check out our review of both episodes to hear the long list of things they got right then dive into the character highlights with us to see how Hen, Karen, Athena, Chimney, Maddie, May, Harry, Ravi...

One way or another, I wanna get ya, I’ll get ya!

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel discuss Season 3 Episode 17 of 9-1-1, “Powerless.” Karen is suspicious of Hen, Athena is tracking down the realtor rapist, and Josh is debating whether to make his statement in court. Super lighthearted stuff, amirite?

Maddie lends an ear and advice to Josh who’s struggling with moving on after The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1. 

Karen finds some breadcrumbs Hen leaves behind, leading her to daydrink with Chimney while they commiserate over Hen’s “double life.” We exp...

It's sad but it's true, Buck’s way too good at goodbyes.

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel enter the emotional rollercoaster of Season 3 Episode 16 of 9-1-1, “The One That Got Away.” Buck is grappling with what he thinks is the Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come, while Hen decides to take the survival rate of her patients into her own hands — literally!

The catalyst for Hen’s journey into becoming a doctor begins here when the hospital loses one of her patients because they don’t follow her medical advice. We discuss how this doesn’t...

Combat, Eddie’s ready for combat.

It’s finally time for Han, Cil, and Rachel to discuss an episode they know All Too Well, Season 3 Episode 15 of 9-1-1, “Eddie Begins.” So grab your poncho, hardhats, and oxygen tanks, because we’re going spelunking in Eddie’s psyche!

We dive deep (40 feet, to be exact!) into one of the best episodes of the show with thorough explorations of his tumultuous relationships with Shannon and his parents in the past, compared to the strong bonds and family he’s formed with the 118 in the present. And of course, at...

Ground Control to Major Tom!

Fasten your seatbelts as Han, Cil, and Rachel takeoff into orbit with our Season 9 Preview of 9-1-1!

We talk about what we know going into the season, what we’ve deduced to be likely from behind-the-scenes footage, and our own hopes for the Dia de Muertos episode. 

Brace for impact with us for a brand new season of 9-1-1 — now with 100% more space!

Episode Title inspired by “Space Oddity” by David Bowie

📔 Articles Quoted

📰 Exclusive first look at how 9-1-1 season 9 hon...

“Money don't grow on trees

I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed

There ain't nothing in this world for free”

Grab your best disguise and join Han, Cil, and Rachel as we jump into the getaway car exploring Season 3 Episode 14 of 9-1-1, “The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1.” This week the men and women in the chairs become their own heroes!

We discuss the lofty art heist that takes over the 9-1-1 call center and the ripple effects it has on our favorite dispatchers and the greater...

It's true, swear, scout's honor. Chimney knew what he wanted and, boy, he got her!

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel feel so high school as we discuss the Madney of it all in Season 3 Episode 13 of 9-1-1, “St—” we mean “Pinned.”

Michael’s brain tumor looms large over the Grant-Nash household, dampening what should be a celebratory college acceptance for May and a beloved father-son camping trip for Harry. We try to excavate Michael’s psyche to figure out just what the fuck he’s thinking, spoiler alert: we’re still baffled. We...

Josh: Do you laugh about me whenever I leave?

Eddie: Or do I just need more therapy?

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel are your jesters as we juggle the solemn solos in Season 3 Episode 12 of 9-1-1, “Fools.”

Josh is single, and after a dinner as a co-third-wheel with Buck, Maddie, and Chimney, he decides he’s ready to mingle again. What should have been a promising return to the playing field turns into a waking nightmare in a graveyard. We discuss how the traumatizing events shakes Josh’s confidence and trust in his o...

“You try your hardest to leave the past alone

This crooked posture is all you've ever known

It is the consequence of living in between

The weight of family and the pull of gravity”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel wade into the tumultuous daddy issues in Season 3 Episode 11 of 9-1-1, “Seize the Day,” where Chimney really “Bucks up” meeting his younger brother, Albert.

Nothing says “Happy Birthday” quite like Chimney’s father, who quite literally doesn’t say “Happy Birthday,” but instead alludes that he only has one son — ouch. We take a...

But it don’t snow here, it stays pretty green…

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel put on our buddie elf hats to chat about Season 3 Episode 10 of 9-1-1, “Christmas Spirit,” where everyone is having a very blue holiday.

Maddie goes over the river and through the woods to revisit the ghost of her Christmas past: Doug. We discuss how Frank’s prescription of immersive therapy to confront her biggest trauma marks a turning point in Maddie’s emotional turmoil, where she can finally let go of her guilt and truly move forward.

We break d...

“You can’t save someone from themselves, not of they don’t want it.”

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel step into the ring fence to take a swing at Season 3 Episode 9 of 9-1-1, “Fallout,” which starts and ends with therapy, we love to see it!

Hen comes out the other end healed, Maddie finally opens up about wanting to heal, and Eddie is… calling flirting with his best bro and playing video games “therapy.” You keep saying that word, but we don’t think it actually means what you think it means.

Bobby, ever the mart...

“Getting to know you, getting to feel free and easy when I’m with you.” 

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel temporarily put down the character analysis and get personal — about themselves and their 9-1-1 opinions.

After a year of diving deep into the wild world of 9-1-1, we realized we've been a bit mysterious — like, who is The Buddie System anyway? Ew. This episode is all about us: why we started a podcast, what it’s like to produce, and what makes us the trio you’ve come to love (or tolera...

Blah, blah, blah, proper name, place name, backstory stuff. We tried to talk around it, over it, and under it if you will, but this is exactly what it looks like: a sex scene.

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel dissect the Bachelor Party from Season 7 Episode 6 of 9-1-1 frame by frame — from the not so subtle glances and bitchy comments to the body language and plethora of double entendres.

Eddie's entrance gives off serious Fonzie vibes leading into the hilariously awkward interactions between him and Tommy, who just can't seem to stop trying to...

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel dive into the sweet and slightly sticky world of "Juice Theory," where we unravel how Eddie indulges in (or denies himself) sweet treats as a metaphor for joy and repression. It's not just about the sugar rush; it reflects deep emotional layers, especially through Eddie’s journey in Season 8 of 9-1-1. 

We explore how he avoids his feelings, choosing water over juice, and navigate the complexities of Eddie’s character journey, especially as he grapples with his desires and the societal pressures that push him to deny himself happiness. From the i...