9-1-1 Season 7 Finale Drama: Did Buck Do Enough for Christopher or Not?

Summary

• Season 7 provided no shortage of drama, but one of the most poignant was the situation in Eddie and Christopher's lives.
• Some viewers were unhappy that Buck didn't stop Chris from going to Texas.
• However, Buck did not intervene because he respects the boy's opinion.

9-1-1 remains one of the best procedurals on television today. Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have delivered seven seasons of great drama where every character feels vivid, multifaceted and someone you want to root for, even if that someone isn't from the 118.

Speaking of Season 7, while some arcs turned out to be untroubled and ultimately unproblematic, others presented many new challenges that the characters had to overcome. This was especially true for Eddie (Ryan Guzman), who found a very ambiguous way to deal with the grief that forced his son Christopher (Gavin McHugh) to move to Texas.

However, it wasn't Eddie that the fans lashed out at, but 'uncle' Buck (Oliver Stark) for not stopping the boy from leaving. But how wrong was he and should he have done more to stop Christopher?

What Happened between Christopher, Eddie, and Buck?

While Season 7 was a happy one for Buck, Edmundo Diaz continued to deal with the trauma of the death of his wife, Shannon Diaz (Devin Kelley). As a result, in episode seven, Eddie met Kim, a woman who looked eerily like his late love (and was also played by Kelley).

As events unfolded, they became emotionally close, and when Eddie revealed to her the truth about Shannon and her and Kim's similarities, she decided to help him deal with his feelings by pretending to be his wife. And that was when Chris caught them.

In the final episode, we saw the aftermath of this incident, as it so traumatized Christopher that the boy made the decision to move in with his grandparents in Texas for a while to escape the unhealthy situation that was weighing on his psyche.

Although Eddie agreed with his son's decision, he first asked Buck for help because he is no less close to Chris. But of course, Buck did not force his opinion on the boy.

Why Buck Acted Appropriately

It's not surprising that fans are unhappy with Buck's indecision. After all, he realized that it would be hard on his best friend Eddie, and so he could try to invite the boy to live with him for a while. But it's important to realize a few things.

First, Buck will only be Chris' legal guardian if something happens to Eddie. So regardless of the current father-son relationship, Buck has no legal ability to intervene just because Christopher is mad at Eddie. After all, he has other guardians, grandparents!

Second, even if Buck were to, say, offer to let the boy stay with him, that wouldn't solve the situation at all. Christopher needs time to be with himself, away from the environment that is triggering his trauma.

Oh, and it wouldn't be the best solution for Eddie either, as he would only begin to feel isolated with his best friend preoccupied with his son. Diaz is in an equally vulnerable place right now, and he also needs support.

Third, Buck did what he did simply because he respects the personal choice of someone who is already 13-14 years old. He recognizes that this is the way to make the boy feel safe.

Of course, Buck could have had a deeper conversation with Chris, getting him to empathize with his father, while suggesting that even if Chris is in Texas, he can always contact Buck for the support and reassurance he needs.

But we'll probably see that in Season 8. Until then, Buck will have to figure out what it's like to be a parent before he can make significant decisions himself.