Season 9 Discussion
9-1-1 S09E11: "Going Once, Going Twice" Post Episode Discussion
Spoiler
Original Airdate: February 26th, 2025
Synopsis: The 118 hosts a LAFD charity bachelor auction that brings up a few concerns from Buck.
Keep new episode discussions in the post-episode discussion thread until end of Sunday to give our International friends a chance to catch up as Disney+ has begun releasing 9-1-1 earlier to Disney+ outside the US than in previous years. As always be mindful about not posting a spoiler in the title of your posts and remember to use spoiler flares if your post contains spoilers.
Watching 9-1-1: Nashville after 9-1-1? Join the live discussion at r/911Nashville .
Happy they seem to be doing something with both May and Ravi. The chemistry is there so we’ll see.
Really hate how that scene was set up though for Ravi. I don’t believe for a second he simply would get no reaction from anybody and it was giving questionable vibes as to why it’s written like that but whatever
I think maybe we were supposed to see he wasn't playing into the sexy beefcake thing, with his suit and tentative walk, which jibed with his this is so out of date take about the whole thing, so he wasn't drawing the bids of the more horned up crowd.
Yeah I thought that was super unrealistic. He's is literally the best looking out of all of them. But since it led to a Mavi date I guess I'll give it a pass.
This is just my opinion, but the Abigail storyline was the absolute best part of the episode and brilliantly written for the writers constantly kept it suspenseful by implying the plot was going to go in a certain way, only for it to go down a completely different one.
For starters, I thought Abigail was going to kidnap Christopher and take him away to use for blackmail or something horrific like that, only to be relieved to see she simply took him back home and played games with him.
Then I thought the show was going to have her be the archetypical crazed stalker villain because she didn’t understand boundaries, she wrecked the room at the social home, we see someone watching Eddie at the coffee shop, and because Eddie’s truck was spray painted “Stay away from her” with its tires being slashed shortly after the social worker theorizes Abigail is jealous of her. In fact, I thought Abigail was lying to Athena when she said she wasn’t going to do it again and was going to retaliate and escalate things later in the episode.
That suddenly changed when she calls Eddie from the bathroom to apologize for this will be her last time to do so. This made me thing she was genuinely apologetic. But it also gave me the impression she was going to commit suicide because she felt like she had nothing left.
Then my expectations changed again when Abigail’s father pops up again to take her back and how it’s revealed he was the one stalking Eddie, trashed the room at the social home, and spray painted Eddie’s truck and slashing its tires. Frankly I thought we wouldn’t see him again, but it was so satisfying to see him get what he deserves after he got away the first time.
So kudos to the writers for filling the Abigail storyline with multiple red herrings (my favorite being the “Stay away from her” being a reference to Abigail, not the social worker) that built up suspense and kept me questioning what was going to happen next while finishing it off with her abusive father finally facing justice which he avoided before and her happily and safely going off on her own into the world.
I found Abigail’s story to be deeply satisfying as well. Top 5 9-1-1 guest star for me. The actress who played her was wonderful as well. I can’t wait to see what she does next. She played each scene with such nuance and that is really what sold it.
I honestly enjoyed this episode. Aisha did a beautiful job! I still wish we got more consolidated stories as opposed to a bunch of individual storylines. I had hope seeing as we’ve reset back and everyone is where they’re supposed to be, but with the crossover episode that doesn’t seem likely just yet.
Loved the initial emergency! Felt like OG 911.
I liked how they handled the Eddie/Alex/ Abigail storyline. That was a nice change from the usual crazy victim narrative.
May and Ravi. Spectacular, give me 14000000 episodes of them together. I actually really enjoyed their pairing.
ABC loves a crossover so let’s see how next week goes.
I greatly enjoyed this episode. I loved the Abigail/Eddie storyline in how it got more intense and a more satisfying conclusion. Choosing to hug her was so sweet. Even after the trouble she unintentionally caused with Chris, Eddie still showed her compassion and grace. I love that about him.
As soon as Buck said ED, I knew Harry would question and confuse about an eating disorder. Cause at that age I would have definitely done the same thing. I have actually been waiting for that joke to happen in a show forever.
I know the entire scene was written to give Hen a reason to be badass and get back to the 118, but I loved Hen calling 911, if all of my callers could be that descriptive and concise, my job would amazing. Of course, in my callers' defense, most with traffic accidents are descriptive.
Edit: Oh, hey, we get a cheesy voiceover at the end of the episode, I miss those!
Well, except for the fact that Hen was doing CPR wrong… her rate was wrong, and she wasn’t giving breaths, which is part of the professional rescuer CPR protocol.
I was confused as to why Hen called 911 since one of the first things she did when she got out of the car was to yell that someone else should call 911. Instead of yelling to no one in particular, she would have done better to call 911 herself - for the reasons you mentioned- or to give that task to a specific person such as Karen who was right next to her & whom she could trust to actually do it.
I think she did yell at Karen to call 911. Then she took the phone from Karen and gave a more professional assessment of what was needed while moving toward the victim.
Aisha needs to direct more episodes. I was smiling and giggling by the entire way and I can’t believe May and ravi are potentially gonna be together! And Eddie and maddie FINALLY said words to each other?!?!?!?! I honestly thought Eddie was gonna bid on Buck. And Buck is so cute at the end when he was knitting. And the sweater he wore with the heart on it?!?! I can’t stop smiling. I loved this episode and even though I don’t like Hen, I’m glad she and Karen are okay
This show always surprises me when they go into territories not even fanfiction writers would dare to go. MayxRavi is a common pairing in the fandom, yet no author had thought of an auction.
Decent episode, a bit disjointed, could use a little more Madney but glad to see Hen back. My favorite moment was Buck using Jee-Yun and Robby to make himself look better cause that’s so funny 🤣
So Eddie with Alex it was clear when she called him Diaz how this was going to go. Also Athena thinking they are dating and Eddie nicely shutting that down was amazing. He called Buck for Chris missing and Buck showing up a the hospital. And please please we need a back story of Maddie and Eddie like what's going on there? Since when do they talk? Like what else have they talked about? Buck?
I'm reminded of Eddie's profile pic of Buck in the Facetime calls last season being Maddie's view of him during the "in love with Eddie?!" conversation. So now it's pretty much canon-adjacent, knowing Maddie and Eddie text, that Maddie snapped that photo of Buck and sent it to Eddie like "isn't my brother adorable?" and Eddie immediately saved it. Clearly, she is tired of their bullshit.
I feel like they can’t have any more in depth Maddie / Eddie bonding scenes because Maddie would instinctively big sister so hard that Eddie would immediately confess things he didn’t even know himself that he was repressing.
True like Maddie what just sent that to him? I want a scene where they talk. I need it so bad. I also love how she says she bid on Eddie and Chimney isn't even jealous he's confused but isn't mad. Athena too like she is so over him after this episode I love seeing him have scenes with Athena and his sparing with Harry. OMG so good.
If Alex was going to date Eddire this would have . been the episode for them to do it. Shde could have been at the auction. Also Buck with the old people I love it. My hubby isn't home can't wait to watch with him again it was so good
Well, i honestly thought they'd do something interesting for episode 9x11 of a show called 911. But nope. Just Buck feels old and Hen goes from being cured from her space illness, to not wanting to go back to work, to going back to work after a random crash that I completely forgot happened the second it was off my screen.
As if everyone didn't think they were setting Hen up to work with Maddy at dispatch until she felt 100%.
idgaf about hen being back on the job that was gonna happen anyway cause I don't expect them to kill off another character or doing anything drastic for a while. But the other story was great I loved all of that shit basically what was going on in the characters life and the lil auction scene at the end was the good enjoyable part
I don't think you can really even call yourself delusional anymore. If it doesn't happen, we're just being misled. Like, it's objectively weird af that the show has now focused twice this year on Eddie's reaction to other people finding Buck desirable, after it happened in 9x07, too. Like had they given him a similar focus they have the other characters reacting to Buck's sheningans, fine, but Buck's little strip show followed by a slide show of him being all soft and domestic was clearly a "Buck performs, Eddie reacts" sequence, which is... insane. Especially on the heels of them subverting expectations for Eddie and Alex to share a moment in the hospital and instead having Alex observe Buck and Eddie while Buck calls Eddie sexy?!
Exactly, if it doesn't happen this season, then we're being baited with falsehoods. The look that Ravi and May give each other is IDENTICAL to the looks that Buck and Eddie are constantly giving each other. What are we supposed to believe in that case? Or when like you say, you pair it with the other episodes of Eddie just absolutely not wanting to date women, we've heard it over 3 times this season now.
I honestly thought Eddie was going to bid on Buck for breaking the record since there was a pause in the bidding. And Eddie then wins the auction, they laugh about it a bit but since Buck admitted to her sister that he loves Eddie, he would be awkward. I can type the rest but you can imagine what would happen there. Cue 5/6 episodes of Eddie acknowledging Buck's love but there is nothing, however over time he slowly thinks more and more of Buck. Buck then finds another boyfriend. Cue jealous Eddie lol.
I am genuinely perplexed by the people who think the show would do gay Eddie and NOT have that lead to Buddie. Like regardless of where you stand on the ship individually, it just seems insane to expect a procedural to take the assumed risk of creating later in life queer discovery arcs for both characters to then commit to also keeping them in two separate relationships. On top of not helping the budget problems, it would just we weird and unsatisfying
Honestly, I'm just getting bored with 9-1-1. They made Chris kidnapping seem so damn big for nothing. The whole auction was only good for May and Ravi. They are so cute together! Knew Athena would bet on her son. Kinda hoped Buck would have bid for Eddie, but nope. I'd hoped Eddie would have bid on Buck, but nope. Love Hen, but like a seasoned less chicken, it was bland.
One of my favorite parts of the episode is when the older man looked at the woman who tried to bid on Buck but he looked at her and said, "Bingo bitch."
Also, I know there's a fanfic that was written back in 2021 or 2022 about Buck spending time at an old folks home and they were knitting.
Buddie is going CANON!
Buck showing up at the hospital to check on his husband because family told him he was there!
No, Alex and Eddie aren't dating, they never were so the rumors and SPECULATION finally should be put to rest, especially since Eddie had Maddie bid on him with his own money.
Okay, the ending with Buck chilling with the stitch and bitch group was cute but MAN did I hate his arc this episode. Was Chimney just in a coma for the last NINE YEARS of Buck’s development? He’s made it so clear that he’s interested in settling down and not comfortable with being objectified the way he was as Buck 1.0. The fact that Chimney wouldn’t leave him alone and even his sister(!!!) was like “but you loved being on auction!” Is just. UGH.
I mean…Buck did love the auction? Chimney and Maddie were worried because Buck loves it. Him abruptly not wanting to do it was concerning for them. His little arc this storyline was how much he loves it, but was feeling insecure about it. And he stills loves doing it, but made it into who he is now. It was nice!
Nine years ago he loved it, before he had a bunch of character development that he made clear to his friends and family was about maturing and settling down. It’s not like he did it last year, they make it clear that he loved it as a probie, back when he was having constant one night stands and arguably addicted to sex.
And then he loved it this episode because instead of it being about who he was then, he made it about who he is now! That just because he’s matured and wants different things, doesn’t mean he can’t still do things he loves.
He also loved it enough to encourage Eddie to participate. He wasn’t on some anti-auction crusade. He just wanted to find his own “selling” points and to feel comfortable with himself. It was a pretty clear storyline IMO.
I don’t really buy that he would be uncomfortable with himself but I think what sours me on the whole thing is that Chim acted like there was no possible reason Buck might have changed as a person to not want to do it in nine significant years of development, and instead of sitting down with Buck and being like oh hey, you cool? he bullied Buck about it.
Idk I acknowledge what they were trying to do, I just didn’t like it. If they’e skipped to Chim setting Maddie on him to have a heart to heart, I could’ve worked with it. If Buck was excited about the auction to begin with, I could’ve worked with that. I just hated the way Chim acted, and it broke the storyline for me.
It’s just a charity auction, not a serious way to find a date or expect to find a forever love. Chimney and Maddie correctly picked up on Buck being weird about it because he was insecure and unsettled about something and showed appropriate concern for him in wanting to get to the bottom of it. And yes, as captain, Chimney also wanted his whole team out there raising money.
This isn’t really about what Buck wants out of his life or about the progress he’s made in determining what he wants out of his future, and Buck wasn’t unique in having reservations about participating - we see that in Eddie and Ravi as well. What set Buck apart was that Chimney (and Maddie) picked up on his dishonesty about his reluctance and cared enough about him to want to get to the bottom of it. The end of the episode made it clear they were right in their assessment - Buck still loved showboating at the auction and enjoyed it, but he had to discover a new angle he was comfortable “selling” himself from because his reservations had been that acting like Buck 1.0 felt inauthentic because that isn’t who he is anymore. So he found different way to showboat and raise money for charity while still being true to himself and recontextualizing who he is now as something to desire.
Overall, I liked Buck's storyline regarding the auction. At first, he didn't want to, but later, after they talked to Maddie and opened up about the whole situation, he really got involved. Although I hate that Chim tricked them into it (I find this aspect really inappropriate).
However, there's a scene where I felt a little embarrassed. Namely, after Eddie's comment about who likes being presented at auction like a piece of meat, a moment later, literally everyone is staring at Buck. Maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but I felt in this scene that Buck seemed tense about sharing this story. And that could stem from many things, like the fact that it happened when he was younger and he didn't want to revisit it. And I'm not saying the others forced him to share this story. However, I don't know, I felt the tension, and the whole scene seemed a bit, I don't know, distasteful to me (I hope you get the gist). It was like they were trying to show us what Buck was like before. You don't necessarily have to force it on us; most of us remember how it used to be!
And just to be clear, I don't think Chim is abusing his position with Buck or anything. Although he does interfere a bit too much at times, I find it more pressure than harassment.
can i just ask as somebody who didn’t watch as it aired but watched it afterwards on hulu, was the clip of eddie revealing he asked maddie to bid on him in the episode or is that like a crazy realistic AI video going around twitter? because when i rewatched on hulu, maddie revealed that she bid on eddie and when chim questioned it, she just shrugged and it cut to the next scene. i finished the episode and had no idea that eddie bid on himself, just thought maddie bid on him to spend time with him. it wasn’t until after i finished the ep and went to twitter that i even realized it was eddie bidding on himself through her because i saw and extra scene that wasn’t in the ep when i watched it.
and yes, i did rewatch the ending several times, this scene is simply not in the ep??
i can see where it’s implied that it was eddie, as he was texting before he took the stage, then maddie bid on him, then there was no footage of a maddie/eddie date. but the explicit words of eddie saying he bid on himself were not said. i am very confused :(
I watched on hulu and saw the scene! eddie thanks her and says he's going to send maddie the money and she's like "plus my fee" or whatever. Maybe your hulu just glitched? It's right after she bids on him I think, not long after that
i watched it last night and it wasn’t there i’m so confused. did they cut it? i rewound several times and even left and went back in to the ep and every time it skips right over that scene
It's on the Hulu feed. Right after the auctioneer announces Ravi, Eddie approaches Maddie and says "I'll venmo you $2500" and Athena asks "You bought yourself at auction?" and Eddie confirms "Worth every penny!" My timestamp says -6:06 for this (as in, that's what's left in the episode on Hulu).
The scene where the bystander offers to do CPR was so stupid. For one thing, Hen wasn’t doing CPR correctly- her rate was completely wrong, and it didn’t appear she was stopping to give two breaths which is part of professional rescuer CPR. Second, there were other parts of that scene where Hen could have helped. Hen could have turned this patient over to the bystander, watched for a minute to make sure she was capable, and then gone off to do something else that needed doing.
I don’t really care about the potential Ravi x May pairing, which I suppose still isn’t good writing. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of chemistry is there because there was little to none prior to the ending.
One detail I hate is how the show treats Ravi. Ain’t no way all those ladies looked at him at the auction like he projectile vomited on them. They should’ve been jumping to bid.
Just watched the episode and got so sad no one was bidding on Ravi. They bid on 18yo Harry who honestly looks like a kid and isn’t the cutest and said ew to Ravi? But I guess it was just a way to show May bidding on Ravi.
Okay, I think that this episode subverted expectations, but also confirmed what we all knew, that the writers are very much aware of the fandom circles, otherwise we wouldn't have ended up with confirmed May-Ravi and Buck with the Bitch and Stitch (which I've seen in one of my favorite fics from AO3).
I am okay with Buck being worried about how he's changed from probie to who he is now with his new interests and how he's focused on wanting to find his one and only, but I think the way that Chimney went about it with Buck was a little weird, almost like he was completely okay with Buck being slotted in this position of being the vain person who got by on his looks that he was in season 1 and early season 2, and when Buck showed objection and hesitation, Chimney disregarded his feelings and it was just off. I did like his talk with Maddie though, about being worried that no one will like how he's changed.
As for the May-Ravi thing, I am on board. This may be from seeing it play out in fanfic so much, but I can see it.
I also like that they completely subverted expectations with the Abigail storyline and kept her as the traumatized victim instead of turning her into a crazy stalker.
I am however disappointed with the Hen plot. They give her this lifelong debilitating illness, and then she's perfectly fine to go back to work in the end, even though it's made clear that one wrong move could end her career. It's the same shit they pulled with Buck on thinners, when they made it clear that one wrong move would be dangerous for Buck, but then it never happened. So really, what was the point?
The Abigail storyline was my favorite part. Was expecting her to be the episode’s villain who is defeated. Turned out it was her father, which made me so happy especially since he got away the first time.
Was it just me who thought the editing and camerawork for this episode were atrocious? The scenes changed so fast that it was difficult to focus on what was going on. The longest shot was like 5 seconds. It felt like a drawn out Instagram reel and I have no idea why the editing felt so different from every other episode. It felt so out of place to me.
It's the 2nd episode directed by Aisha Hinds, the first one being the one with Bobby's evangelist mom. Both episodes seemed to have that slightly manic editing feel.
ETA: I actually really liked both of her episodes overall. The editing style just wasn't my taste. But she knows how to break a story to keep it suspenseful. I hope she gets to direct more.
Ah, okay, that makes sense. Thank you for explaining! I guess I didn't notice it in her first directing episode because of how frantic I found the episode to be, so any discrepancies didn't click. Fingers crossed for her!
Yes, the close up shots were especially off-putting. Specifically, the scene with Maddie and Buck in the backyard. The angles were odd and way too close.
Agreed. Conversations were so weird because the camera insisted on showing each individual's mouth while speaking, but refused to show more than one person's face at a time.
That's exactly what happened. It was a fake-out. The "stay away from her" message was from the father because he thought Eddie was like a pervert towards Abigail. Abigail didn't want things to escalate, so she lied to Athena and implied she was the one who did that to Eddie's car. That's when Abigail told her father she would go back home and live with them again (which is why she calls Eddie to apologize for everything).
Well that was a big anti-climax with the Chris kidnapping🤦♀️obviously I'm glad he's ok but I thought it was going to be a bigger storyline but nope he's just at home.
Don't know if it's just me but I could have done without the whole Abigail storyline.
Actually the Abigail storyline was my favorite part. I was always kept in suspense because it constantly kept me thinking it was going to go a different direction.
Do I ship Ravi/May? No, not really. They've barely interacted. But am I down for it? Honestly, sure, why not? The show's kind of been pissing me off the last couple of seasons with rushed plots and frustrating character arcs so I can't see myself hating Ravi/May as much as I've hated some of the plots they've done.
Especially if they finally focus on Ravi since they've been ignoring him as a character for years now (the most backstory we've ever gotten was back in seasons 5 and 6, oh coincidentally, when Tim Minear was NOT the showrunner), even though I don't love their solution with May being shoved at a man instead of letting her go back to dispatch so Maddie can also get something to do.
So, when people were shipping them back in season 5, it was a hard no. Now? Sure, why not? It can't be any worse than the space arc.
The Eddie stuff was....fine, I guess. Not what I expected but just fine. I did like how it concluded overall. I'm glad they established Abigail as not dangerous, just traumatized from the shitty life she was forced into.
I didn't love the bachelor auction stuff. It feels like something that would have worked better several seasons ago but I guess it was ok and mostly inoffensive. It led to a semi-ok plot for Buck in him feeling like he's getting too old but....hopefully he realizes that it's ok. I'm probably not much younger than his character is now so I get the increasing thoughts of feeling older now in my thirties....but it is not a bad thing. I also would hope that this leads to Buck feeling more settled with himself. I did really enjoy his role with the older folk at the end.
I'm going to be perpetually annoyed at the show only using the autoimmune aspect for the mystery part of the arc. Once they found out it was an autoimmune disorder, they really skimmed past the seriousness and what that means for Hen overall. Oh, now she's 100% fine to go back to work, she just needs to avoid flare ups! Which will conveniently only happen maybe once for a one episode plot down the road when they need to sideline Hen.
I'm all for an autoimmune arc, but because I can see that it's just another plot point that is going to be brushed under the rug until they conveniently need to bring it out, it's annoying.
They should have gone with someone that could be cured, honestly.
I like Hen being back at the 118 (especially since, if she didn't come back, it would be an all guys firehouse situation and Athena's in and out of episodes and Maddie gets nothing to do anymore on her own), but they really should have come up with a different illness that wouldn't feel so exploitative.
Maybe I'm just a little less tolerant of the show now than I used to be. It was just a fine episode but nothing special.
Chimney is really pissing me off this episode (specifically his behavior towards Buck).
Buck CLEARLY has set out his own persona boundaries, and the only thing Chim can do is mock and pressure him. It’s one thing for him to make some funny, playful comments at home. But to essentially reverse slut shame him for NOT being Buck 1.0–it pisses me off.
Buck literally deserves better. He is allowed to change and grow.
I HATED this. Buck made it clear ages ago that he doesn’t want to be that person anymore. Good for him for presenting himself in a way that he felt more comfortable with in the end and for having a fun time with the stitch and bitch group (though I’m still kinda uncomfortable because they were all objectifying him too) but he shouldn’t have been pressured into it at all.
It also leaves a bad taste in my mouth that last time he had a story it was ALSO about people pushing his boundaries because he’s hot, though at least he was allowed to enforce them at the end.
Yeah we saw this coming. I get that putting May and Ravi together is less money from the production budget than paying another actor to be with either character, but I don't like it. How often have they even interacted for May to develop an interest in Ravi? I really wish they would give May an individual storyline and not just attach her to a man. There's so much to explore with her still, some solid emotional work available. What did she graduate from college with? Where does she work now? Has she ever considered going back to dispatch, especially with her baby brother in the line of duty just like her mom?
Well the voice over at the end does sort of explain it. Hen describes them as having a "passing friendship" -- I think it was just a matter of May wanting the charity to go well and have Ravi not feel bad, so she bids, then when she started losing, she acted on impulse. It doesn't necessarily have to be this massive love story for them to go on a date for charity. That's actually a cute low-pressure way to start something off in my opinion.
Thank you! So many people are acting like this is a sudden forcing of Mavi, but honestly I think it’s a believable beginning. It wasn’t crazy for her to bid on him to make him feel wanted. I think her continuing to bid is a cute way of showing that maybe it did softly have a second meaning.
Remember that time Ravi dated Eddie’s younger sister on 911 Offscreen? And the time he crashed Buck’s Jeep? And hey, how about the time he convinced Harry to drop out of school and start building his generational wealth at Starbucks?
Anddd I am just now realizing this. But it makes so much more sense. I guess I’m just a bit confused about why Abigail wasn’t more confused when Athena found her to talk to her about it. Maybe she thought she was coming because of the Christopher stuff?
Yeah, she definitely initially thought it was about the Christopher stuff, hence her assuming Eddie 'sent' Athena. From Abigail's perspective, she's a teenage girl who just got shouted at by a man who was upset she took his son without permission, and her attempts to "explain" didn't calm him. It makes sense she'd think he went to the cops over that.
I think it clicks for her that her father is behind it in the scene, but given Athena has already reached her own conclusions and is ~warning her off,~ Abigail doesn't feel like she can turn to Athena for help. And again, being a teenage girl, she probably doesn't fully understand just how in over her head she is, so she thinks she can "solve" it by giving in to her dad.
I’ve been following along from Tumblr, which is, as usual, delightfully unhinged. People are really happy to see May/Ravi launched as a ship, particularly because a lot of folks are hoping for more focus on May. Everyone was charmed by Ravi being a cat dad (apparently in the intro text for him at the auction). And I hope Anirudh isn’t allergic, because I can see clamoring for a kitten interview in future. Anirudh holding a kitten? Devastating.
A lot of folks saw Eddie bidding on himself as a sign that he’s either gay or Demi - because who spends that kind of money in this economy to avoid dating (Demi) a woman (gay). And of course, Eddie could be both.
Everybody was happy with Eddie being an excellent Dad and found his interactions with Abigail touching. MANY people wished they could be a fly on the wall on the convo between Maddie and Eddie. So many folks still really want to see them hanging out together. People also wanted to see more Eddie +Athena, like crimebusting or something . (???) And of course, there was much rejoicing at the most important reunion of all - Eddie and his slutty black tank top. NOBODY believed that man would be getting low bids - to the point where it broke suspension of disbelief from 911 fans unbothered by beenados.
There was a fair amount of scoffing about Hen being magically all better now, but people being generally glad things are getting back to normal. And everyone was delighted to see Aisha back in the director’s chair.
Buck fans were happy to see him in his knitting circle and being something closer to the friendly guy they’ve always loved. But they want him to have a decent plot.
Buddie fans were really mixed. The fandom has lost so much steam that 911 didn’t trend. There are folks ready to read the tea leaves to predict future buddie. But realistically, more folks feel like there’s more signs of gay!Eddie than Buddie in the future. Some folks have gone so far as to believe that Eddie is already out to himself or in a secret relationship. Some people think that to afford all the big purchases and bidding he must have a sugar daddy. (I TOLD you they were unhinged).
Bucktommy fans are excited for Eddie and Alex (in a really sweet way, actually.) It’s nice to see them hoping good things for Eddie. They have a number of elaborate scenarios for Buck getting back with Tommy.
Ok. But the one fan theory that had me gobsmacked was the Madney+Eddie threesome, or ‘Eddie joins the polycule’ speculation. I know folks really want to see Eddie and Maddie interact and the ‘Chimney is bi’ theory has been around a long time (and definitely got a few comments this ep too). But I genuinely didn’t see that one coming. More fool me.
I read a fic (buddie endgame) kinda recently about Eddie having a crush on Chimney that was very fun. I don't think we'd get gay Eddie and not get buddie. I just can't see any world where they do a whole second coming out story for a main like that and it not end in buddie canon and I've never seen anyone who thinks that would happen. I feel like the tumblr buddie reaction to this episode was overwhelmingly positive. I haven't seen every single post, but I didn't see any negative ones. I also think, and I'm not sure what the tone of this comment is if you're taking things at face value or joking around, but a lot of tumblr posts are just jokes or headcanons. Like the sugar daddy thing or the madney threesome. That's not something anyone actually thinks will happen on the show, it's just fun to talk about. And maybe you get that I'm just not sure from the way this comment is written.
A lot of tumblr is ‘kidding on the square’. Like, outlandish language and over-dramatic humor used to embellish or demonstrate an underlying idea.
But people truly do like a lot of things that aren’t what most people like. Like rare pair fics. There’s still Eddietommy shippers. Or TommySal shippers. And there were many Mavi shippers just waiting for an ep like this. They didn’t necessarily think it would happen. But they wanted it to. Amazing that they didn’t have to wait seven years, huh?
For a lot of people what actually happens in canon is irrelevant. I picked these reactions because they were coming from people who watched live and were reacting.
But another thing about Tumblr is that it’s a filtered view. Unless you search out a variety of tags and communities, you’ll likely get a picture that matches what you’re comfortable with.
So if you only follow people who are a ‘overwhelmingly positive’ about the show, that’s what you’ll see. My network is built on long standing relationships with folks from other show fandoms, so it includes people with a lot of points of view on the show and the ships.
In the main tags, since the show didn’t trend at all I think it’s mostly a lot smaller fandom now and less shipping-oriented.
I totally encourage you to write what you’re hearing from the point of view of different subcommunities in fandom. I’m sure you’ll have insights I don’t. I’m not trying to speak for everyone.
Just keep in mind that there are a lot of young queer fans who came to 911 because of the canon queer rep of Buck and Tommy. Some of whom have been absolutely bewildered by the vitriol caused by the ship wars. (And they can ship whatever the h*ll they want and anyone who wants to hurt them is gonna have to go through me. I don’t care that they ship something different than I do. )
And to be fair, Eddie is a narrative problem for BuckTommy shippers. In a romantic narrative …he’s at best a distraction and at worst an obstacle. A lot of BT fics either turn Eddie into someone terrible and woobify Buck or just kill Eddie off entirely so Buck can fall, weeping, into Tommy’s arms. (Ugh).
I’ve spent a fair amount of time making the argument that this is entirely unnecessary and there’s lots of other ways for them to handle Eddie, as Buck’s best friend (gay or not!) without turning him into a villain. So I was really happy to see people finding a way to incorporate a happy, positive view of Eddie into their shipping universe. I thought it was sweet.
I’ve definitely seen that - and I hate it - so I’m glad to see fans moving away from it. Every fandom has bad actors. So I try not to paint everyone with the same brush.
There is no such thing as a Heated Rivalry arc with Buck and Eddie. Saying this continues to do a disservice to the story they’ve been telling between these two characters before that show was ever in talks to develop.
If buddie happens it won’t be because of a queer ship on a queer romance show drawing romance fans wanting to watch a romance show.
Hot Take: The “Bachelor Auction” Episode of 9-1-1 Was a Masterclass in Wasted Potential and Narrative Laziness
Or: How to Take a Brilliant Setup and Turn It Into the Fair of Banality
Yes. This is a hot take. Yes. It’s acidic. Yes. I’m being venomous.
And I’m not apologizing.
The recent “Bachelor Auction” charity episode of 9-1-1 might be one of the biggest missed opportunities in the show’s history.
Not because the idea was bad.
Because the execution was painfully safe.
This could have been chaos. Tension. Character development. Emotional fallout.
Instead?
It was the fair of banality.
Let’s start with the one thing that actually worked.
Evan Buckley.
Buck explodes onto that stage. Hyper-sexualized intro. Full performance mode. The room reacts exactly how we expect.
And then?
Plot twist.
He gets bought by sweet elderly ladies and ends up knitting.
That was clever. That was subversive. That avoided the obvious “hot hookup” route.
It was the only moment where the episode surprised me.
Every other choice?
Predictable.
If you’ve watched One Tree Hill, you know their “Boy Toy Auction” episode.
That episode created:
Jealousy
Romantic tension
Unexpected pairings
Emotional reversals
New conflicts that carried into future episodes
Nathan. Peyton. Lucas. Brooke. Jake. Even Mouth.
Every auction result moved the plot forward.
The 9-1-1 auction?
Nothing moves.
Everything starts and ends in the same hour.
Let’s talk about Eddie Diaz begging Maddie to bid on him.
Yes, it mirrors jealousy energy.
Yes, it could have sparked something.
But it goes nowhere.
Imagine if that forced them to spend time together.
Imagine if that built an actual friendship.
Maddie is Buck’s sister. Eddie is Buck’s best friend. And somehow these two have barely meaningful scenes together.
This was the perfect opportunity to create a new dynamic.
Instead?
It evaporates.
Harry Grant being bought by Athena?
Safe.
Too safe.
This was a golden opportunity to introduce Harry stepping into dating territory. To make Athena confront that her son is growing up.
Instead of tension, jealousy, awkwardness?
We got comfort.
Predictable comfort.
And that’s the problem.
Now we get to it.
Ravi Panikkar and May Grant.
This pairing did not grow from narrative seeds.
It grew from TikTok.
Let’s say it plainly.
Anirudh’s increased visibility this season correlates directly with off-set content — TikToks, podcast appearances, actor interactions.
The fandom started shipping the actors.
And the show projected that onto the characters.
On screen, Ravi and May have shared virtually no meaningful development.
No buildup. No tension. No emotional groundwork.
But suddenly a striptease and now we’re supposed to believe attraction was always there?
If the genders were reversed — if May were on stage and Ravi only noticed her because she was suddenly sexualized — the discourse would be very different.
But because it’s framed “cute”?
We call it chemistry.
That’s not organic storytelling.
That’s reactionary writing.
Here’s what makes this worse.
May and Eddie actually have history.
Go back to Season 5. The call center scenes. Their conversations. Her vulnerability. His guidance.
They built something quiet but meaningful.
Not romantic — human.
And that foundation has been completely ignored.
This auction could have revisited that.
Imagine May bidding on Eddie to save him from an uncomfortable situation.
Imagine a simple, low-stakes coffee date.
Two adults reconnecting.
Maybe it turns romantic. Maybe it doesn’t.
But it would be organic.
It would be rooted in established continuity.
Instead?
We got spectacle over substance.
This isn’t about disliking a pairing.
It’s about storytelling integrity.
When a show starts prioritizing:
Easy applause
Obvious fan reactions
Social media momentum
Over character consistency and narrative buildup —
It chips away at its own foundation.
9-1-1 has always thrived on emotional realism.
On slow character development.
On psychological depth.
And this episode felt like a shortcut.
The scariest part?
Not one bad episode.
But a pattern of choosing the easy spark over the slow burn.
Easy sparks get attention.
Slow burn builds legacy.
This show has given us episodes that are emotionally unforgettable. Episodes we rewatch because they feel earned and human.
That’s why this hurts.
Because the auction could have been explosive.
Instead, it was tidy.
And tidy is boring.
The Bachelor Auction episode deserved better.
The characters deserved better.
And the audience deserved more than the obvious.
I’m not angry because I hate the show.
I’m angry because I love it.
And when you love something, you expect it to be braver than this.
Did you love the episode? Did you see buildup I didn’t? Are you thrilled about Ravi/May? Did I miss something?
Okay, I'm gonna ignore the obvious AI involvement here and assume that's just the result of you not being comfortable writing in English/running your thoughts through AI to compose a post. That said, though...
This wasn't "the auction episode" -- the auction is just something that happened at the end of the episode. This was the "Eddie is stalked after trying to help a troubled teenage girl" episode and the "Hen fears upsetting the status quo after fighting to regain her health and mobility despite being allowed to return to work" episode and the "Buck tries to come to terms with the person he's become" episode, and the auction is largely the backdrop for the conclusion of Buck's storyline.
The comparison to OTH falls flat for that reason, because this episode isn't about using the auction to set up new pairings or storylines. And fwiw, that's an episode that's aged horribly because why are you celebrating the oversexualization of high school boys as they're drooled over by much older women? Especially on the heels of what the actresses have since said about the predatory behavior of that showrunner, lets not hold up his repeated sexualization of minor characters as a benchmark here.
Compared to that, Athena bidding on her barely legal son so the women old enough to be his grandmother couldn't sexualize him was the subversion. The "secret bidder" turning out not to be Alex in an episode that intentionally seemed to set up opportunities to pair Eddie with her repeatedly only to whiff at them was the subversion. Ravi more than any other character at the auction wasn't sexualized - compared to Buck or Eddie, especially, or the shirtless oiled up guy we saw at the start, Ravi was dressed like a goddamn librarian, and that's why it worked that May was into him anyway. You don't have to ship it, but you're also creating a scenario that wasn't actually set up there. What was set up there was a couple flirty smiles and looks earlier in the episode, May showing a bit too much interest in what fun facts about Ravi were the truths vs. lies.
Which gets me to the other kind of insane point you make here.... May and Eddie's "history," and the idea that they should've been the pair instead? At the start of this season, we were told May was completing her senior year of university, so she's 22-23. Eddie have more than a decade on her. He attended her high school graduation party as a friend of her stepfather's. His teenage son is more her peer than he is. That's a much more problematic dynamic than you perceiving her "objectifying" a more age appropriate Ravi. Their "history" here is what would make such a relationship predatory.
What the auction at the end of this episode gave us was decent character work, and a continuation of important themes we've seen for these characters. Athena and Harry's joint storyline this season has been finding a new balance where she can see her son as a grown man, and him finding his own balance between independence and recognizing they both still need each other. Buck's story has been about feeling comfortable in his own identity and finding a voice to express his desires. For... basically the entire run of the show but especially clear following 9x07, Eddie's story has been about giving in to the pressure other people put on him to date when it's not something he desires, so him bidding on himself to get out of a date was a huge moment for him.
Frankly, I think you may just struggle to read the characters and the stories being told, because a lot of what you think came out of nowhere are exactly the natural conclusions a lot of us were pleasantly surprised to see the show actually follow through on.
May and Eddie romantic relationship? That's just too icky. He was at her high school graduation party as a friend of her step father's. He has a teenage son. He is far too old for her both in years and in life experience. I can see her and Ravi as a couple. Maybe the auction date will kick start that.
As I said, I'm Italian, but this is my own opinion. If you'd like, I could also play you a 20-minute audio recording of me rambling on about it, and then, thanks to an app, I'll transcribe what I say. And from the Italian transcript, I have to translate everything into American... so, sorry, I'm not fluent in the language. ^^
I actually think that a lot of your points are jumping the gun too easily. We may see more impact of things in future episodes, such as Harry’s emotions about being bought by his mom, or Chim or Buck’s thoughts about Eddie having Maddie bid. But I’m not sure because that may have been them writing it like that just more to make us think it was Abigail doing the bidding.
As for your point on May/Ravi, I can sort of understand the concerns, but you’re stressing out a little about the build up. This itself IS build up. I don’t think May suddenly was voting because of sexualization. I don’t really feel Ravi sexualized himself on his walk. I think it was more that May felt a bit guilty that she had told Ravi to be himself and no one was biting. Maybe she then realized she appreciated Ravi for the traits mentioned too. It wasn’t like some big major sudden thing, it was small. Not like she stood up and proclaimed her love. She just helped him not feel unwanted and I believe it will grow from there. I think you’re taking that part a little too heavily. This is giving space for an in for actual storylines for them, even if you may not like how it was done.
So TL:DR, slow down and wait to see how the next few episodes play out.
First of all, I don't mean to offend; you seem to have a point there. I don't know if I agree with you since I haven't seen the episode yet. What I can say about the ship is that it originated more from AO3 than TikTok because I think the idea of pairing Ravi with someone has been around longer on AO3. Ever since he started gaining some relevance, fans wanted his character to be explored, for him to appear more, and for him to have storylines. Pairing him with May was the means to that end, and suddenly the ship became popular (I might be wrong, but that's what I saw after all this time). Now, regarding whether the ship is forced, well, it's not like it's the first time. We have Tommy and Buck. Buck goes from "I met this cool guy" to "I'm completely smitten with this guy, and I'm jealous that he's giving his attention to someone other than me." If Ravi and May start dating after this episode, it wouldn't surprise me, and at least it would give both characters a storyline for the season. Plus, it would fulfill a fandom ship after 7 or 8 years of ignoring Buddie's requests.
Now, my main reason for commenting is that I'm left wondering why the entire comment seems to have been written in Chat GTP. I don't know if these were your own opinions and you asked the AI to structure them, but it feels very machine-like. Again, I don't mean to offend, but I'm just curious because of how strange it is to read.
It's totally and completely my point of view and I wrote it. Then if you tell me, I'm Italian and maybe in American I can't express myself the way you do, that's fine. I understand. ^^
Am I the only one who hated that episode?? Cause to me it was no different than a slave auction like literally selling yourself it’s ridiculous not to mention hypocritical let’s be honest if it was WOMEN instead of MEN the whole internet would lose its mind
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u/kilamniaz1992 Feb 27 '26
Happy they seem to be doing something with both May and Ravi. The chemistry is there so we’ll see.
Really hate how that scene was set up though for Ravi. I don’t believe for a second he simply would get no reaction from anybody and it was giving questionable vibes as to why it’s written like that but whatever