The Buddie System: A 9-1-1 Yapathon

“What died didn't stay dead, you're alive, you're alive in my head”
Our 9-1-1 Season 9 wrap up is here, and with Season 10 about to erupt, Han, Cil, and Rachel are taking one last space walk through the season of perpetual grief before it's laid to rest (at least until our rewatch). This week we give three rounds of applause and all the props to what might be the strongest season-wide writing this show has ever pulled off (perhaps some of the best storytelling we've seen on TV, period). Then we step onto our soapbox about 9-1-1 finales, which somehow turns into a thesis on what Supernatural taught us about cliffhangers (and how we'd love more on 9-1-1).
Athena, Harry, Maddie, Chimney, Buck, Eddie, Hen, May, and Ravi get handed some very scientific superlatives, followed by a Buddie System style full-season arc breakdown from the space launch all the way to the hospital lockdown, before we get to the part you're really here for.
Buck-le up for a Glee-inspired "that's what you missed on Buddie" in our Season 9 Buddie Breakdown. Buck still hasn't realized his feelings and Eddie hasn't even realized he's gay, but between Buck being jealous over Hen and Eddie's friendship, the tension at the Nashville Firefighter Games, and a face cradle in New Mexico that should be studied by queer coding scholars, we still had a veritable Buddie feast.
We also crown our favorite episodes and moments including a certain road-trip montage set to a Kansas song that finally healed the Supernatural trauma it used to hold for us, and we will not be apologizing for how many times we've rewatched Eddie bleeding out. Then we hop into the confessional booth to talk about our new fears from this season, including a game of tug of war we will simply never recover from. We nerd out over the production side too, from the neon lighting and a split diopter shot that made us feral in 9x13, Mother's Boy, to how an airing schedule with more starts and stops than Buck's love life shaped our viewing experience. Finally, to wrap up the wrap, we dig up our old wish lists and break down which ones the writers granted (a surprising number of unhinged demands, child acquisition included).
“If I didn't know better I'd think you were still around
I know better, but I still feel you all around”

Episode title inspired by “Marjorie” by Taylor Swift

🫂 What Would We Change About Season 9? – Check out this week’s Patreon-exclusive Best Buddies Mini-Segment!

We are @buddiesystempod everywhere:
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Watch The Buddie System podcast episodes and our live reactions to the most recent 9-1-1 episodes on YouTube!
Support us on Patreon for perks and extra content like access to our exclusive Discord, Early Access to Episode Live Reactions, Behind the Scenes Podcast Content, and more!
Music by DIV!NITY

Chapters
(00:00:00) Previously on 9-1-1 Season 9… 🚨
(00:00:20) Season 9: The Season of Perpetual Grief™
(00:12:15) 9-1-1 Finales Are…Fine
(00:20:02) Season 9 Superlatives – Most Likely to…
(00:22:14) Hen – Chronic Illness and Identity Crisis Can’t Keep Her Down
(00:28:33) Chimney – Captain Commitment Issues to Captain Confidence
(00:35:03) Maddie – Plot Twist: She’s the Boss Now
(00:39:55) Ravi – Bitchless to Disney Simp: A Love Story
(00:44:24) May – Finding Her Own Way to the Family Business
(00:49:27) Harry – Growing Up Grant, One Fire at a Time
(00:54:41) Athena – From Floating Away to Finding Her Way Forward
(01:01:27) Buck – Learning He Doesn’t Have to Do It Alone…Just in Time for Theo
(01:14:33) Eddie – Looking for the Light, Becoming It Instead
(01:33:56) Here’s What You Missed on Buddie – Season 9 Unhinged Edition
(01:37:35) The Episodes That Owned Our Hearts
(01:44:00) Season 9 Hall of Fame – Our Top Moments
(01:56:24) New Fears Unlocked 🔓
(01:59:18) Behind Season 9 – Production Retrospective
(02:08:00) Dear ABC: About That Airing Schedule…
(02:17:54) Production Said: Let Us COOK 👏
(02:23:36) Season 9 Wish List – Ask and You Shall Receive?
(02:34:46) Take a Buddie With You & Outro

“I've got the brains, you've got the looks, let's make lots of money”
This week Han, Cil, and Rachel get out our magnifying glasses and try to find the character work in Season 4 Episode 12 of 9-1-1, “Treasure Hunt.” Spoiler alert: there isn’t much. We discuss how everyone except Buck is pretending that they’re too smart to go looking for hidden treasure, and what led them all to be at the scene of the crime at the end anyway. Eddie’s playing not-so-third-wheel to Taylor, Hen and Chimney are coasting on Karen’s coding skills, Ravi’s in it solo for the love of the game, and then we have Bobby and Athena, dancing around a fight that’s been simmering their entire relationship.
We dive into our thoughts on the episode (a fun romp without much substance) and how we would have improved on the latter. Then strap in, because the running theme of this episode is us slowly descending into madness, trying once again to connect the dots on why Buck and Eddie’s love interests are more underwhelming than an empty treasure chest.
Some light armchair psychology pops out when we examine Buck’s relentless need to be wanted and how we’re very, very tired of him not loving himself anyway. Then for a Buddie System happy ending we talk about how easy Buck and Eddie are for each other, and how at the end of the day, they really just wanted to do it with their best friend… the treasure hunt that is. Ahem.
“I'm looking for a partner, someone who gets things fixed
Ask yourself this question: Do you want to be rich?”
Episode title inspired by “Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)” by Pet Shop Boys

📔 Articles & References From This Episode 📔
🫂 Taylor Kelly Clocking Buddie – Check out this week’s Patreon-exclusive Best Buddies Mini-Segment here!

We are @buddiesystempod everywhere:
TikTok
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Watch The Buddie System podcast episodes and our live reactions to the most recent 9-1-1 episodes on YouTube!
Support us on Patreon for perks and extra content like access to our exclusive Discord, Early Access to Episode Live Reactions, Behind the Scenes Podcast Content, and more!
Music by DIV!NITY

Chapters
(00:00:00) Previously on 9-1-1… 🚨
(00:00:50) Welcome to Dispatch
(00:03:14) 4x12 “Treasure Hunt” Review
(00:12:41) Jaws of Life – Production Deep Dive
(00:20:05) Narrative Echoes – Parallels, Callbacks, and Foreshadowing
(00:22:15) Flashover – Episode Themes
(00:29:35) Athena & Bobby – $5 Million Worth of Unresolved Issues
(00:39:45) Everyone On The Hunt – Dangerous, Reckless, Stupid… We’re In!
(00:54:16) Buck, Eddie, & Taylor – Eddie’s Self-Inflicted Third Wheel Problem
(01:15:56) Slow Burn – Romance Is Complicated But Buck Time Is Easy
(01:38:32) Take a Buddie With You & Outro

This week Han, Cil, and Rachel celebrate our favorite Josh storyline in Season 4 Episode 11 of 9-1-1, "First Responders,”, flashing back fifteen years to see how a freelance stenographer became L.A.'s best dispatcher.
Josh gets his origin story and we explore what makes him so perfectly built for dispatch, and the journey he went on to discover that. We also break down Buckapedia Buck rolling out first responder facts and somehow landing on the galaxy brained "9-1-WUH" theory.
Hen and Athena have one of the most important conversations of the season. We trace how it echoes back to the "Rage" pullover and discuss Athena calling out how differently the police would treat the case she was on if it was a missing white woman.
May drops the bomb that she wants her own apartment, and we unpack Athena fighting every parental instinct not to hold on too tightly for fear of becoming her mother, Beatrice. We love growth!
Finally we dissect the parallel between Eddie's date with Ana and Buck's lunch with Taylor, both of them using these women to help someone they actually care about instead of really seeing them.

📔 Articles & References From This Episode 📔
🫂 Parallels Between Eddie and Athena – Check out this week’s Patreon-exclusive Best Buddies Mini-Segment here!

We are @buddiesystempod everywhere:
TikTok
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Watch The Buddie System podcast episodes and our live reactions to the most recent 9-1-1 episodes on YouTube!
Support us on Patreon for perks and extra content like access to our exclusive Discord, Early Access to Episode Live Reactions, Behind the Scenes Podcast Content, and more!
The Buddie System is a Nerdvergent Media production.
Music by DIV!NITY

Chapters
(00:00:00) Previously on 9-1-1… 🚨
(00:00:52) Welcome to Dispatch
(00:02:46) 4x11 “First Responders” Review
(00:12:04) Jaws of Life – Deep Dive
(00:20:34) Narrative Echoes – Parallels, Callbacks, and Foreshadowing
(00:29:30) Flashover – Episode Themes
(00:35:07) Josh – From SexyBack to Saving Lives
(00:50:03) Josh Learns to Be Somebody’s Sue 🥹
(01:04:14) Athena – Fighting Her Instincts While Internally Screaming
(01:17:53) Buck – Buckapedia Won’t Sit This One Out
(01:27:15) Buck & Taylor – Can They Actually Just Be Friends?
(01:40:24) Slow Burn – Sorry, the Partner Position Has Already Been Filled 👀
(01:56:07) Take a Buddie With You & Outro

“And even though you want to
Just try to never grow up”
This week Han, Cil, and Rachel feel the growing pains as three different families experience the epic highs and lows of loving their children in Season 4 Episode 10 of 9-1-1, “Parenthood.” Hen, Karen, and Denny say goodbye to Nia, May fights with Athena over making nice with her high school bully, and Chimney and Maddie are ships passing in the night as they learn how to raise their newborn baby Jee-Yun… and Albert.
We dive into our thoughts on the episode ranging from, “oh my god can we get a break on the crying” to “is there a reason Buck and Eddie’s love interests are always so underdeveloped?” But underneath our many opinions, this episode delivers some incredible character work, starting with Hen and Karen.
Our girls have big hearts and love fully, which is why it’s so hard to watch them let go of Nia and struggle over potentially fostering again. We explore the way they both process this and communicate, highlighting what makes Hen and Karen so special as both partners and parents.
Find out why we’re on Athena’s side in this round of mother-daughter fighting, and how both she and May make huge strides towards understanding each other better, which only grows with time leading to one of our favorite moments in Season 9.
Chimney and Maddie are sleep deprived, just like us for real, but making the most of this special time with their daughter. Unfortunately, Chim sticks his foot directly in his mouth when he accidentally implies that Mrs. Lee is a stranger to Jee-Yun. We discuss the difference between “it takes a village” for Maddie and Dispatch and Chimney and the 118 and how Madney finally lean on their found family at the end.
Finally, we dissect what it means when two best dude bros co-parent so hard they accidentally start finishing each other's disciplinary sentences, and why their synchronized “NO!” to “can’t you both be good cop?” might be the most married thing either of them has said all season.
Episode title inspired by ‘Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift

📔 Articles & References From This Episode 📔
🫂 How Little Buck & Eddie’s Love Interests Are Developed – Check out this week’s Patreon-exclusive Best Buddies Mini-Segment here!
📰 '9-1-1' and 'Lone Star' Showrunner on What's Next for Bobby and Owen's Teams, by Jennifer Maas for The Wrap

We are @buddiesystempod everywhere:
TikTok
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Watch The Buddie System podcast episodes and our live reactions to the most recent 9-1-1 episodes on YouTube!
Support us on Patreon for perks and extra content like access to our exclusive Discord, Early Access to Episode Live Reactions, Behind the Scenes Podcast Content, and more!
The Buddie System is a Nerdvergent Media production.
Music by DIV!NITY

Chapters
(00:00:00) Previously on 9-1-1… 🚨
(00:00:53) Welcome to Dispatch
(00:02:12) 4x10 “Parenthood” Review
(00:23:23) Jaws of Life – Production Deep Dive
(00:30:44) Narrative Echoes – Parallels, Callbacks, and Foreshadowing
(00:39:48) Flashover – Episode Themes
(00:48:06) Hen & Karen – Heartbroken But Still Openhearted
(01:03:10) Athena & May – Seeing the Person Behind the Parent
(01:16:23) May Hears Athena at Her Most Vulnerable
(01:25:47) Maddie & Chimney – Running On Empty and Everything! Is! Fine!
(01:33:30) Is Dispatch a Village?
(01:38:10) Madney Ask for Help, FINALLY 🙌🏻
(01:46:17) Slow Burn – Good Cop, Bad Cop: Buckley-Diaz Edition
(01:58:23) Take a Buddie with You & Outro

“When the gusts came around to blow me downHeld on as tightly as you held onto me”
Han, Cil, and Rachel are a wreck over Season 4 Episode 9 of 9-1-1, “Blindsided.” Hen and Karen are going through the unimaginable, Bobby and Athena continue their failure to communicate, and Maddie and Chimney are waiting for a special delivery.
Hen and Karen seem to be on different pages when they find out their foster daughter, Nia, will be going back to live with her birth mother. We discuss Hen’s big emotions and thirst for vigilante justice in a circumstance where there’s no place for it, Karen barely holding it together, and how a tense and emotional conversation gets them back in sync.
Bobby is triggered at a mass casualty pile-up caused by a drunk driver, where his wife and Hen make a few comments that unintentionally twist the knife. We take a look at how Bobby isolating himself in the aftermath leads to this growing rift between him and Athena the rest of the season.
Maddie is ready to pop and Chimney, husband-of-all-time, is more than prepared. After several false alarms, the time has finally come and Madney have a new baby girl! But, plot twist, Uncle Albert’s life is hanging in the balance. We explore how much Chimney has grown since season one to not only be someone who goes after what he wants, but someone who believes in the universe to deliver him a perfect baby girl and a brother who survives a car crash in the same night. Tears were shed many times in this very moving episode, but Kenny Choi’s watery eyes of emotional mass destruction are the biggest culprit.
We also dive into a couple parallels between Buck and Eddie’s future storylines together and the couple’s journeys in this episode. Buddie is everywhere for those who look!
“This is a place where I don't feel aloneThis is a place where I feel at home”
Episode title inspired by “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra

📔 Articles & References From This Episode 📔
🫂 Buck, Eddie, and Theo vs The Foster System – Check out this week’s Patreon-exclusive Best Buddies Mini-Segment here!
📰 '9-1-1': Jennifer Love Hewitt on Birthing a 'Robot Baby,' Maddie and Chimney's 'Perfect' Name Choice, by Jennifer Maas for The Wrap
📰 Jennifer Love Hewitt Broke Capillaries Filming '9-1-1' Labor Scene, by Emily Longeretta for Us Weekly
📰 '9-1-1' Star Jennifer Love Hewitt on Maddie & Chimney as Parents and [Spoiler's] Recovery, by Meredith Jacobs for TV Insider
📰 9-1-1's Jennifer Love Hewitt Talks Maddie's Labor, Albert's Fate And More In Bittersweet Spring Premiere, by Andy Swift for TV Line
📰 '9-1-1' and 'Lone Star' Showrunner on What's Next for Bobby and Owen's Teams, by Jennifer Maas for The Wrap
📺 8x17 Buddie Kitchen Divorce Dissection, The Buddie System on YouTube
📖 Counting Pulses, by tinyydancerr on Archive of Our Own (AO3)
📖 Here., by classicalpaca on Archive of Our Own (AO3)
📖 there goes my heart beating (cause you are the reason), by cleverly on Archive of Our Own (AO3)

We are @buddiesystempod everywhere:
TikTok
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Watch The Buddie System podcast episodes and our live reactions to the most recent 9-1-1 episodes on YouTube!
Support us on Patreon for perks and extra content like access to our exclusive Discord, Early Access to Episode Live Reactions, Behind the Scenes Podcast Content, and more!
Music by DIV!NITY

Chapters
(00:00:00) Previously on 9-1-1… 🚨
(00:00:48) Welcome to Dispatch
(00:02:33) Our 4x09 “Blindsided” Review
(00:22:13) Jaws of Life – Production Deep Dive
(00:36:16) Needle Drop – Music Analysis
(00:41:31) Narrative Echoes – Parallels, Foreshadowing & Callbacks
(00:47:36) Flashover – Episode Themes
(00:55:36) May – Past Trauma Has Entered the Chat
(00:57:11) Bobby & Athena – One Bad Day Away
(01:13:21) Hen & Karen – Raging Against the Machine vs Holding On
(01:27:36) Maddie & Chimney – The Luckiest Day of Their Lives
(01:55:58) Jee-Yun’s Name Says Everything 🥹
(02:08:35) Slow Burn – Communication: A Revolutionary Concept 😂
(02:18:37) One of These Partners is Not Like the Other – Buddie Parallels
(02:28:46) Outro & Take a Buddie With You!