9-1-1season 8 had several memorable plotlines, but the saddest moments were foreshadowed by the procedural years beforehand. From Maddie’s (Jennifer Love Hewitt) brush with a serial killer toPeter Krause’s shocking exit from9-1-1, season 8 was a consequential batch of episodes that will continue impacting the characters for years to come. Originally, Krause’s Bobby Nash and Angela Bassett’s Athena Grant were9-1-1’s leads, but the rest of the ensemble— including Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), and Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman)— all became crucial parts of the procedural’s unique identity.
Buck’s relationships in9-1-1were particularly shaken up in season 8, from his sister experiencing a second pregnancy to his best friend and work partner leaving the state. With so many dramatic twists and turns, Buck served as a fitting reflection of the audience, as his strong and oftentimes emotional reactions captured the feelings of whiplash induced by the first-responder drama. Yet, for long-time viewers, many of9-1-1season 8’s biggest twists weren’t surprises at all, as two major storylines were already hinted at in one of9-1-1’s best episodesin 2023.
Buck’s Coma Dream In 9-1-1 Season 6, Explained
A Near-Death Experience Leads Buck To Explore An Alternate Universe
Buck has had some of9-1-1’s worst near-death experiences, but season 6, episode 11, “In Another Life," explores the direct aftermath of his most memorable.After Buck was struck by lightning, he was put into a medically induced coma, and the firefighter experienced anIt’s a Wonderful Life-style coma dream. Nearly all of9-1-1’s main characters were present as alternate-reality versions of themselves, but the differences slowly added up as Buck began to realize things weren’t as they seemed.
All episodes of9-1-1are streaming on Hulu.
The coma dream focused on what the world would be like if Buck never went to the 118— Maddie never escaped her abusive husband, Bobby never received help after falling off the wagon, and Eddie never got help for his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh). Additionally,Buck and Maddie’s secret brother in9-1-1was present, with the coma dream exploring how different the Buckley family would have been if Daniel (Aaron Staton) had survived his childhood leukemia. Eventually, Buck decides to return to his real life, deciding the good parts weren’t enough to make up for the bad.
9-1-1 Season 8 Made Buck’s Worst Fears Come True
The Coma Dream’s Two Biggest Changes Unfold In Real Life
Unfortunately, the two worst parts of Buck’s coma dream became realities in9-1-1season 8:just like in Buck’s dream, Christopher was taken to Texas, and Bobby died. The9-1-1Christopher and Eddie plotwas technically set up at the end of season 7, but the bulk of Christopher’s time in Texas (and Eddie’s reconciliation with him) took place throughout season 8. Whereas the coma dream had Christopher move to Texas with his grandparents following a“nasty”custody battle, Eddie voluntarily let his parents take Christopher before coming to regret his decision in9-1-1season 8.
Buck left his surreal coma dream to escape Bobby and Christopher’s dark fates, only to watch them play out in real life…
Similarly,Bobby’s death in9-1-1was different from how it occurred in the coma dream—in the dream, Bobby died due to his alcoholism, but his real death was a dramatic sacrificeafter being infected by a violent pathogen. Nevertheless, Bobby became9-1-1’s first main character to die after countless brushes with death throughout the first seven seasons. As for Buck, his literal nightmares came true in9-1-1season 8. Buck left his surreal coma dream to escape Bobby and Christopher’s dark fates, only to watch them play out in real life in a cruelly ironic narrative choice.
What Else Can Come True From Buck’s Coma Dream In 9-1-1 Season 9
There May Be More Clues Hidden Within The Episode
If9-1-1purposely set up Christopher’s move in season 7 and Bobby’s death in season 8, it’s possiblesomething else from Buck’s coma dream could come true in9-1-1season 9. Nothing else as heartbreaking was teased in the dream, aside from Chimney and Maddie not being together— though, given how Maddie just had a baby and Chimney has been primed to replace Bobby as captain, that doesn’t seem like a pressing concern. Still, there were small details that could become significant, like Buck being a teacher in his coma dream rather than a firefighter.
The most likely possibility, based on what’s left of the coma dream, would be the Buckley parents moving to L.A. from Pennsylvania.9-1-1tends to redeem bad parents, whether they’ve earned it or not, but Margaret (Dee Wallace) and Phillip Buckley (Gregory Harrison) have largely been absent in recent years. Buck’s parents moving nearby would majorly disrupt his life and open the door to serious and silly conflicts. Of course, it’s entirely possible9-1-1will abandon the coma dream altogether in season 9 and give Buck a brand new near-death experience to foreshadow season 10 and beyond.
