User Reviews

If it wasn't for the forced and unnecessary "redemption" of both sets of so-called parents at the end, this would have been the perfect episode.

The acting was on point. Peter Krause as coma! Bobby was in especially great shape. As was Ryan Guzman who conveyed so much with so little.

Buck finally understood that he has a family. That he is important to them and he is changing their lives because he is who he is. There is no need to force himself into strange shapes just to please people who never really cared for him in the first place.

And it was nice of the show to finally acknowledge that Buck is Bobby's kid. Because he has been since pretty much the beginning.

They all took an important step in their journeys. I'm not sure I fully trust the writers with the destination but I'm still very willing to give them the chance. As so far they only disappointed me a little.

"In Another Life" was a very interesting episode - and a love letter to one of fandom's favourite character, Evan "Buck" Buckley.

After being hit by lightning, Buck finds himself in a coma and dreams of what life would have been if his older brother Daniel had survived. Scene after scene, we learn how important Buck is to his friends and his family. Important events from Buck's life are brought back by memorabilia (cheers to the props department!) as he races to wake up from his coma.

Especially Buck's impact on Bobby is highlighted, and the episode delivers an amazing importance from the whole cast.

It's made a point throughout the episode how Bobby and Buck are almost like father and son. Themes of finding your own family and loving yourself, and ultimately being enough the way you are are great core messages of this episode.

However, some things just felt... off, and that's not due to the trippy nature of this episode (that was fun!).

The found family theme is interspersed with scenes about Buck's biological family, especially his parents, who finally love and care about Buck in his - at least initially - ideal alternative universe. However, despite the abusive past in Buck's relationship with his parents, the contrast between the coma parents and real parents vanishes - they essentially become the same, seemingly very caring parents. It feels like the show is glossing over the fact that they were not kind to Buck in the past, redeeming them in a way that feels a little unearned. But perhaps that's the reason - it's Buck's perspective, and Buck's decision to forgive and let go.

While we can maybe accept redeeming one bad parent-son relationship, the show gives yet another bad parent the chance to forge a better relationship with their child when Chim and his father sort of... reconcile, all while the idea of found family is highlighted as a core message in this episode. But which is it? Forgiving your neglectful parents, or finding your worth enough in your found family? Both themes seemed to clash here and to dilute the Bobby-Buck resolution. It feels rushed and idealistic and something that doesn't seem realistic - that just like that, parents become better people.

One more jarring thing in "In Another Life" was the lack of Buck's best friend, Eddie, by his side. Now, even without the fandom's wishes for more between the two men, the importance of Eddie and Buck in each other's lives (and, by extent, Chris's) has seen major storylines since the series' second season. Just like other characters such as Chim, Bobby, Chris, Maddie, his parents and Athena, he'd be in Buck's coma dream? Or at least at his side in the hospital, or a waiting room? Speaking of how Buck's existence has changed the lives of his friends and family for the better, surely Buck saving Eddie's life in the season 4 finale would be at the forefront?

Well, it was not. In fact, it was "forgotten". So much so that all major events had their own little prop, their own little memorabilia, from the plane (season 1) to the truck that crushed Buck's leg and an image in a snowy forest (season 2), the ferris wheel and the train (season 3), and so forth. The absence was... strange. A throw-away line about Buck never introducing Eddie to Carla, as if that's the most important thing in their friendship? Most characters around Buck get to interact with or react to his comatose self, while Eddie... brings coffee. And notes that there is no oat milk. With the very, very little Ryan Guzman got to do in this episode, he gave one of his best performances of this season.

Were these things intentional? Maybe. Maybe not. But it does leave viewers scratching their head.

Still, "In Another Life" remains one of the stronger episodes we have seen this season, with an amazing performance by Oliver Stark.

Look, I enjoyed these last two episodes. Buddie aside, I just felt they rushed it too quickly. I really wanted this to last to the end of the season and make us worry about his life until season 7. They shouldn't rush his storytelling. Imagine if we could've seen him really falling in love with the alternate universe and giving into it, causing him to keep crashing in real life. Imagine teacher Buck... Then, imagine the last half where he starts to realise something is wrong and begins to fight dark Buck. They always rush Buck's storylines-well, mostly. Even TK's coma was a few episodes. I really feel like we should've been able to see this whole other life inside his coma world and then see the 118 begin to fall apart. At the end of the season, everything is in chaos. Then, they take him of sedation, and the scene ends. Cut to season 7, he begins to fight for his life and come back to us.

He's literally my absolute favourite, and I will always support Oliver. I haven't rated the episode, but I see it's at 8.3, which isn't bad out of 10. It was great, and I've already watched it a couple of times. It's just hard to swallow that he comes out of the lightning/coma arc at the end of one episode fully recovered from it and all his internal struggles.

I would've rated this about 4-5 stars maybe; however, I gave extra stars just to support Oliver because he is so proud of it.

He absolutely cannot be fully healed and stable now! It just doesn't make any sense that it happened so quickly! They really do rush his storylines too much when he is the star of the show for so many fans! We need more, 911 writers and producers! On one hand, this would absolutely be extremely great storytelling (if this were a mini-series or special presentation, and on the other hand, it was nowhere near at the level we, the fans, and the actors deserve. In the now famous words of Eddie Diaz, "DO MORE!"

Oliver Stark acted his whole heart out in this and you can tell. He shined as bright as Peter (who was phenomenal in the dream sequence) and the rest of the cast and gave a stunning, moving performance that deserves all the love and support. This truly might be one of my favorite episodes.

The entire cinematography was incredible, pivoting styles between the dream sequence and real life to give it added depth. Major props to the crew and directing staff on that-they killed it. I enjoyed seeing the coma play out as Buck navigated the dreamland in an effort to truly find peace with himself.

I've seen a lot of discourse about Eddie not being used correctly, but seeing Ryan play this mostly reserved character finally allowing his walls to drop just slightly has been a joy. You can really see how far Eddie has come as a character-previously he didn't let anyone see his emotions, outside of Buck last season, and yet on two occasions his team and his son got a glimpse of him breaking down around them. That tells me he's finally comfortable in himself and how he processes trauma, and I think it was executed perfectly.

I've also seen discourse about the lack of Eddie in the coma dream, which doesn't make a lot of sense when you consider a catalyst for Eddie settling into the 118 was Bobby taking him into it. Absent Bobby you have no initial support system, and you have no Buck to introduce him to Carla, so you have a character left struggling. The same character who we know canonically tried to fight Eddie over Chris to begin with. I don't think it should be a surprise to see how it played out in the coma dream, especially considering Buck is an unreliable narrator who shared that same fear of Eddie's parents fighting him for custody, even with a will.

There were so many subtle moments in the show that were so incredible impactful, from Maddie asking "which one", to Athena at his bedside, to May calling Buck Bobby's kid and them sharing a moving moment, to Christopher's "hey Buck it's me" and asking him to come home, to the little joke about being electrocuted when they all came to visit Buck. Not to mention the entire scene with Christopher and Buck, Eddie couldn't even look at the two of them.

This episode set up a lot of potential plot lines and closed some older, lingering arcs. I don't think the forced closure with both the Han and Buckley families was the best choice, but if it furthers the characters growth then so be it.

Beautiful episode about growth and self-acceptance. Fantastic acting, the journey of forgiveness and self-acceptance and recognizing our place in other peoples lives (and there's in ours!) and how that shapes our experiences and perspectives was so well done. Especially loved the balance between the found family and the way the family who raises us and the choices they make shape our self-worth and how that can be a good thing but also so damaging but it's up to us to decide what to do with it.

I only started this show a few weeks ago (and binge watched while home sick because I couldn't stop, thank you Hulu!) so this was the first episode I had to wait to watch and I couldn't help but review it since it was definitely worth the wait!! I'm always so impressed by the way we see the characters grow but still like stay true to their core and Buck's journey through this season has been so phenomenal-that process of learning to value yourself not only for what you can do for others but because you intrinsically deserve has been something I connect with and Oliver Stark has done such an amazing job of showing that growth while maintaining the charm and humor that made the character so endearing to begin with. I love that this season we've seen Buck really start to figure out himself and his wants and needs with the "age of absolutely" and I think this really tied in thematically with the way he cares so much about others and how he supports them.

I loved too that his parents care most when Buck is hurt and he like learning to value himself and his own happiness and we kind of see that at play here but at the same time his own brain is telling him that it's up to him that matters, not how anyone sees him and that so much of what we experience is just a matter of perspective. We see Buck face the challenge of having everything you think you want put in front of you and having to realize that it might not be what you actually want-I think Stark did such an amazing job of showcasing that struggle between like being happy you finally have it in reach and realizing that you were wrong and how complicated that must be with humor and a depth of emotion that was so excellent like when his confusion but happiness when seeing his parents and brother in this fantasy world his brain has created and then the horror and shock that Doug would still be there and the inability to help to help Maddie because she's not ready to be helped (continuing the struggle they've had with this throughout the course of the show!). Such an awesome job of portraying the like relief and grief of letting go of the stranglehold of the past but leaves so much new room for reflection and possibility but is simultaneously so painful I'm so excited to see what happens next and Stark did an excellent job of portraying that confusion of emotions.

Angela Basset (as ALWAYS) was so fantastic and the relationship between Athena and Bobby is so sweet and powerful-as someone with loved ones in recovery, their relationship and individual character arcs are always just so wonderful to see on screen, and the balance of support and struggle is so powerful. I especially loved her and May leaning on each other to support Bobby. And Peter Krause as like real-Bobby versus coma dream-Bobby was fantastic! I definitely cried in the scene with Christopher and Buck-Gavin McHugh did such an amazing job conveying sadness and trust and really added weight to episode in demonstrating the importance Buck has in the lives of the people around him.

Beautiful episode and the actors all crushed it, I love that we saw the important of Buck's place in their lives even in small moments and that everyone's own growth and stories we've seen were evident in their response to this crisis compared to previous ones (Maddie's like resignation when she asked which one killed me!, Eddie balancing stoicism and grief and the way I cried at those tears that just like ooze out of you when you're at that precipice of hope and despair that I don't think I've ever experienced outside of a hospital and they are the absolute worst and Ryan Guzman emoted them so beautifully, Chimney's own struggle with his family and what forgiveness means to himself and to his relationships, I could definitely go on!). I loved how Buck was like sorta aware of what was going on around him outside of the coma and knowing his parents were there as he heard the voices of his loved ones and the like doctor version of himself forcing him to reckon with the worst things he feels and thinks about himself (and the difference Stark conveyed between his two selves as they argued!! Such great acting! Plus I loved the call back to the prison episode and quoting Bobby!).

I love that the storylines aren't just one and done but continue through multiple episodes and even seasons and that the writers continue to touch on them and show how they impact the characters throughout as this one did in the themes of found family, forgiveness, and growth which we see centered around Buck (and his being the guy who always wants to fix things!) and his impact on everyone but also in their relationships to one another around him. Also the camera work being off centered through the coma sequences and the contrasting colors was fabulously done! This episode was funny and heart warming and (as usual!) made me tear up at least 10 times but probably laughed at least as many. My only complaint is I have to wait another week to see how Buck's journey continues and how almost dying himself complicates his trying to find that secret to ease and happiness he's been searching for and how almost losing a loved one impacts the others on their own journeys and how their responses to it have changed and shifted from one season to another!

In another life was an exceptional episode thus far this season. #OliverStark did an AMAZING job with the performance and we the people that see ourselves in him are way beyond proud of him for doing his character justice. Buck coming to the realization that being him was enough, being Buck was enough was the whole point of the episode and him going back to his found family for HIMSELF and no one else. This episode being centered around his growth over the seasons and him finally, FINALLY seeing just how important he is was done beautifully and I hope everyone including Oliver know just how excellent everything was.

6x11 In another life is no doubt the best episode of Season 6 thus far. It was a great and grand episode for Oliver Stark's character Evan 'Buck' Buckley who did a phenomenal job on this.

I must say it was nice for the writers to make The Buckley's catch up for their two remaining children. They may never say sorry, but actions speaks louder than words. They're trying and it's a good thing.

It's so nice to highlight Bobby and his importance to Buck's life. Their importance to each other.

And kudos to Oliver Stark for a job extremely well done. What a talent!

I feel you.....

I see you.....

As someone who was really excited for this episode i felt the need to come and write a review about it now that i've thought it through. Althought some of my theories about it turned out to not be right, one thing i definetly got right: this was gonna be a great episode.

Buck has always been the heart of the 118, he might've driven everyone insane several times but that's no foul, that's what makes him buck. He is loved and he is important to everyone around him not despite anything and not for what he can provide but simply for who he is. So an episode revolved around him finally understanding that and looking around himself and seeing the family he has built is truly beautiful.

His relationship with bobby was one of my favorite parts of this episode but also where we start seeing my main issue with it. With lines such as "mom brought two kids into the marriage. You brought one" from may to bobby the show continues to tell the audience what it has always shown us, that bobby and buck's bond with each other is a beautiful example of found family, with buck barging into bobby's life head first and stressing him out in a way only a son could. Which considering bobby's past, was definetly not an easy thing to let happen, and buck letting himself trust someone so deeply that he let's him perform that fatherly role in his life.

The problem starts when the episode, after showing a beautiful journey of self love from buck culminating in a scene of him actively choosing to live despite what his own head tells him, arrives at it's conclusion with a message of parental redemption for narcissistic parents that feels a little out of place after 40 minutes of buck struggling to leave this "perfect" life as he's finally getting to experience the family dynamic he never got to have. What sense does it make for him to struggle with that decision when his parents are now acting exactly the same in both worlds?

Althought the message of not needing his parent's and their aproval anymore is a beautiful one, the show doesn't seem to wanna commit to that. And it's not a new thing, as we see with chim's storyline aswell, which could've gone down this route if they so wished but didn't really work out with how superficially and rushed it was done. 911 seems to constantly need to redeem parents and fix their broken relationships with their adult children when in reality that's not often the case.

I really loved the touch of buck being a teacher, i think it worked really well with his character and who he could've been had his life been different. It feels like a nod to the fact that buck is a product of his life experiences like any other person and his childhood emotional nelglect is a big part of why he became a firefighter but that in no way undermines his love for his job and his hability to have a healthy relationship with it.

Also loved how this episode highlighted christopher's importance to buck, the show might not say it with words but it's very clear that role he plays in his life is a parental one and that that bond matters to chris just as much as it matters to buck.

Another issue i had with the episode which has been going on for most of the season so far and will most definetly cause some eye rolling but i'll still say anyway is that despite understanding that you can't really fit everyone equally in a 40 minute episode i feel like eddie's role as buck's best friend and partner feels really undermined. This man is in eddie's will as the one to take care of his son if something happens to eddie but during this whole season it has felt like they're strangers. In 6x10 i felt like there was a glimpse of their closeness but then it vanished again this episode. This isn't about shipping them or not, this is about a relationship that has been portrayed to be very significant regardless of it's nature but recently has felt constantly cast aside due to bad writing? Some vendetta from producers with a part of the fanbase they don't like? I'm not sure, but it's very noticiable.

Despite my criticism, i loved the episode (i literally created an imbd account just to review it) and most especially oliver stark's brilliant performance, you can see the passion he has for buck and his development. I'm excited to see the consequences of this to buck in the future.

I enjoyed the episode and Bucks interactions with everyone, especially Bobby and Chimney (crazy Bobby was unsettling it was great).

I am not on board with the absolutley unearned parents storylines with the Hans and Buckleys. Albert was stupid to force Chim to talk to his dad, it felt weird, sometimes its okay to not forgive your parents and move on.

Chris parts were lovely and heart wrenching, the excluding of Eddie felt weird. Buck and Eddie are one of the key relationships on the 118 and them interacting less and less frankly sucks. Eddies scenes were great tho.

Buck finally being enough for himself is a great message and i love how he also encountered his past traumas.

All in all solid episode but im also sorry for all the people who fell for the misinformation on review bombing and then proceeded to review bomb with 10 stars. Most dramatic fandom lmao.

I can't believe all the people who encouraged fans to sign up false accounts here so they could rate this a 10 to get their obsession Oliver's feelings un-hurt. I'm sure if this organization cared they could eliminate the shams by looking for multiple duplicate IP addresses. Shame on the idiots who took part in this. As to "review bombing" it is quite possible for many people to see poor writing and decide to bring that into focus.

If I could post numbers against several categories I would definitely award OS a 10 for his portrayal of a horrible script. He conveyed everything the writers and weird show runner asked of him. The main problem is they asked! The directing was a shared credit and it was amazing. Combining Joaquin's amazing photography talent with his directing skill was evident. And Jann Turner is always amazing. Their shared eyes for detail was evident.

Other cast members did a great job also. Watching wacky Peter Krause as "dead Bobby" was a delight - especially since you knew he really wasn't dead. Gavin is always a heart breaker in a sad and caring situation. Kenny Choi did well with a bad situation. He fought in both real and dream time to portray what the script said. I have to agree with others that the lack of Eddie time didn't make sense.

And that brings me to my main concern. Does this show employ anyone besides the actors who have watched since season one? Do they have a Consistency team? How do you take all three sets of parents (Diaz's last season) and suddenly make them appear as the graduates of the "Donna Reed" school of parent perfection. I used to see that reference in college. Never thought I'd actually see such a thing in 2023.

For Albert to bring the tyrant father into Chim's house was a betrayal of Chim.

For the Buckleys to suddenly be fronting the money for Chim and Maddie's house? For Buck to be happy to see them and sharing the sperm donor info so freely? Those were the true dream sequences. At least to anyone who has consistently watched this show. Does this half baked show runner really think this 180 degree sudden change is not going to be noticed? We can whiplash from watching this stuff. And we are supposed to believe Bucks immature thinking and approach to life is cured?? This is worse than any soap opera ever written. This is billed as a Procedural show. It's disintegrating just like many others who get bogged down in personal inconsistencies. It just took the others 10-13 seasons to get ruined. 911 is doing it in record time! Bring back the Tim Minear days. PLEASE! You have such talent being wasted. If they don't start jumping ship soon I'll be shocked. Totally underused and abused. And next week we get more cop fantasy. Happy to see Peter Krause being featured but in jail??? Get this junk writing team and SR out the door and bring back the real talent.

Not a fan of the supposed "redemption" of the Buckley parents, BUT, with that said, I don't think this episode was about that. It was about Buck recognizing that HE is worth it, he is good, people (his fire family) love him for who he is and don't need him to change. Most of all, he is showing he can love and accept himself without changing himself for anyone.

Oliver did a great job portraying both the little boy still seeking his parents approval, and the man he's grown to be (with the help of the surrogate father in Bobby) and is still growing into.

I do wish there was more reactions of Chimney, Hen, and Eddie. Chimney has already lost a brother and he has the guilt of being the one originally going up the ladder. Eddie of course because he's his best friend and we got to see how much his shooting impacted Buck, so I really wish we got more of his reaction (though the scene with Christopher was enough to make me tear up).

Overall, really good episode...the cinematography was trippy (very interesting camera work) and the set pieces/easter eggs in the coma dream were great.

Will watch (already have actually) again.

This was a very important episode for both buck and oliver. I watched it and understood exactly why.

Buck, a man who always lives for others and wants to "fix" everything finally chooses for himself after realising new things through the dream journey.

The different bonds at the bed and how those got shown, the vulnerability, emotions, dialogues, it was all very well captured

Oliver did an amazing job by capturing multiple small stories in one big episode and I actually really loved this one. It's an episode about understanding yourself better, healing and discovering what ACTUALLY matters for you in life. Don't live for others, live for yourself and find your way in how to start doing that, because if the way people see you is what you're worried about then you haven't figured it out at all.

Loved this episode so very much. This was great character growth for Bucks character. And I related to the plot line as well. What I saw was Buck battling with his dark thoughts and insecurities that was trying to convince him to give up and to let go. But we all know Bucks so strong! Of course he would prevail. And hopefully Buck has more confidence about his place on the team! Also interesting that they made Buck a teacher in the other universe! It fits actually pretty well!

I also enjoy that they're doing the whole parents arc. It's refreshing to see parents to make an effort to repair a strained relationship with their children. Especially when they acknowledge that they did their kids wrong. I'm glad Chimney is taking this step to repair his relationship with his dad. And it's nice to see Buck and Maddies parents loosen up and be present parents. I've noticed them trying to repair relationships with the crews parents. Hen and Eddie both I felt were able to gain some closure or patch some things up with their parents. Even Athena and Bobby came to an understanding with their parents/in laws. I enjoy that theme!

Oliver Stark is such a great actor. He shines so well in this performance. You can tell he put his time and effort into this episode! I hope to see more Buck eccentric episodes. He's definitely a fan favorite in my household!

I would like to first say I am still sleep hazed. Like just woke up from a nap

So here is the deal for starters. Let me give yall the definition straight from the web

"Filler episodes are entries in a generally continuous serial that are unrelated to the main plot, don't significantly alter the relations between the characters, and generally serve only to take up space."

So here is in a way a checklist to those who still see this ep as filler the things it needs to meet

• Unrelated to main plot

-Not altering the relations between the characters -Just to take some space.

So lets start with the first item Unrelated to plot. Bucks character arc, starting from 6x01 was him finding happiness. HE has been searching for happiness this whole season with the whole donor baby, the him saying yes to all stuff (yes terible idea Buck but again he is searchin). Also him trying to find his place again and again.

Idc if you think that storyline is bad, its an amazing storyline imo but you do you, but This was his plot this season and so its not unrelated to the plot.

Second item on the filler list is Not changing relationship between characters. Excuse me but we actually got confirmation that Bobby sees Buck as his kid (like yes we already knew it but still confirmation) We got to see again How much buck is important to Chris and other people in his found family and real family.

Yes I am actually not that happy about Buckley parents getting a redemption arc myself but like even in Bucks coma dream they were a portion of the ppl seen. The whole episode was not about Buckley parents. And by changing the character I would like to also add that Buck changed his relationship to himself too. But if you want to go technical about it This episode did change his relationship with Bobby at least definitivly built on their relationship and dove deeper in their relationship so the second item on the filler list is just not true

Now to last item "its here to take up space" This episode is in fact taking up space in my list of best 911 episodes but Thats not what this item means is it? It means as if this episode was just removed nothing would change and please don't make me repeat myself people.

I can go into detail more and more about how Buck who has been we saw relient on other ppl to find his worth and is having abondenment issues is realising that "yes he is worthy" is. So thats another item down at the "filler episode definition and oh look all 3 things for filler episode is not in this episode.

SO here we are on this massive wall of post. And let me give you my actual rewiew reader. This episode was an amazing gift from All the actors From Oliver to Gavin. To all the directors and the amazing cinematography we got with dream Horocruxes (ty buckleyplease on tiktok for the term)

And yes I get that some people are mad that their favourite character wasnt in it that lot but we had character centric episodes before. And to those who say that Eddie wasnt in the dream even and not in episode as whole:

We have another episode next week. You know that right? Like this aint the end of the movie roll the credits type of thing. We will likely see more of the aftermath or the recovery (haha get it I said the title of next episode) of all the events now. So please calm down the whole thing isnt over.

Oliver Starks acting in this episode was phenomenal, I loved seeing the "what if" and it just showed how important Buck is to the main story of 9-1-1, it's been very clear from the first episode that he is an integral character to this show and this episode proved it.

Without Buck, we wouldn't have Bobby, or Eddie (and by extension, Christopher) in the show(l, we wouldn't have Chimney and Maddie (And again by extension, Jee-Yun).

Watching Peter Krause play the 'ghost' of Bobby in Bucks coma dream was amazing, it showed off a parts of his acting range that veteran fans of Krause know he has, but haven't had chance to witness in 9-1-1 as it wasn't fitting of his character.

Bobby being a confirmed father figure in this episode by both May and Athena was brilliant, the Buck and Bobby dynamic is of of my favourite aspects of this show and even with Bucks actual parents now in the mix I'm so happy it's not been disregarded. Bobby has a living son in Buck and that's so important to his character, and having this parent who has loved him anyway (not just because he almost died) is great for Buck.

Moving onto the Buckley parents, Margaret and Phillip grew on my slightly this episode, but being there for Buck this time still doesn't make up for everything they put him through. Buying him a couch does not make up for a lifetime of emotional neglect, and I'm hoping that storyline is still expanded upon.

Honourable mention for the amazing Gavin McHugh, every time he's in a scene he lights up the episode. He's an incredible young man and he portrays my favourite character in this show (away from the primary FireFam, that is!) His acting in both the scene where he demands to see Buck and the scene in the hospital room was amazing. Can't wait to see more from him.

Touching on the sorer subject from a sect of fans that I am apart of but don't agree with the reaction of in this episode: The mistreatment of it by Buck and Eddie fans. I myself have watched 9-1-1 since the third episode aired, I've been a lover of this show from almost day 1. This episode was not a 'Buddie' episode, and sadly so many people went into it with high expectations, (which yes can be attributed to certain articles playing up on certain scenes) but that being said, it is not a canon romantic relationship and I do feel people still approach it as if it is. I love both Buck and Eddie, and I love them as a unit (and I do ship them, a lot! Since Eddies first episode!) However I am a realistic 'shipper' as I have been watching TV shows and consuming media like this for over 10 years now and can recognise when a line is being baited. I feel bad for the actors and writers of this episode experiencing the bad reviews and the backlash for not putting enough 'Buddie' in it. As much as I personally would have loved to see more of Eddies reaction, I content we even got one considering we rarely see him express outward emotion when his team is danger.

The episode as a whole was about Buck realising what his family was and that he could be loved, that he deserved that life he had in his coma dream, and realising he already had it. Down to the bone that is what it was, a story from Buck subconscious to hilo him realise that he already had what he was looking for.

So I truly believe this episode deserves a 10/10 rating, and I can't wait to see more from the show. It still remains in top spot for my favourite TV show and hasn't been knocked out of that spot for 4 years now.

There are episodes that are amazing in a character's indicidual arc. This was a great example. Acting was 10/10. I spent the entire episode on the edge of my seat and wishing simultaneously for any cut scenes. This was a beautiful chapter in Buck's story. After spending seasons growing unto himself, exploring his issues with his place in the world and finding it, you see some of his major themes (parent-child bonds, the need to fix things, giving away bits of himself like his worth is intrinsically tied to how much he can give away) explored in this episode. The exploration of Buck's own psyche and his relationships with his family, both biological and chosen, was flawless. I know some were missing other characters and I'd have loved to see more of them too - but alas, the crew only has a limited time to give us a whole story. I think it was amazing.

I had really high hopes for this episode but I was left disappointed.

Some parts of the coma dream were great and Olive did a great job but that was kind of overshadowed with a couple of things I hated.

Why has every awful parent on this show now been 'redeemed'? The Buckleys sucked for 30 years now all of a sudden they are awesome parents, Chim's dad again 40 odd years of being awful but redeemed in one quarter of an episode.

My main gripe is the lack of Eddie. In an episode where Eddie should have been front and center he was nowhere to be seen. Eddie is Bucks best friend and you are telling me he is reduced to 'the angry man' in Bucks coma dream? Yeah ok sure 🙄

Does the showrunner not like Eddie because every week we see less and less of him and it seems such a waste of an amazing character and an amazing actors work, Ryan kills all the emotional scenes so it makes no sense to me for him to be left out. Ryan made me feel more shedding one tear than the Buckleys did the entire episode.

If the showrunner reads these reviews please bring back Eddie Diaz!!!

This episode was hard to rate because when it was doing something well it was doing it PERFECTLY, but when it was doing something badly it was so bad it drug the whole rest of the episode down.

After a return to true 911 form last week, this episode was disappointing for many reasons and every single one of them have to do with the writing trying to say/do two different things at once and because it couldn't pick a lane, nothing ultimately worked. There are a lot of episodes that didn't go quite like I wanted but I still enjoyed what happened. This was...not that. After last week's cliffhanger giving us all of those delicious firefam feels, I was READY to sit down and watch the firefam love and support Buck in the way he never got from his parents. Buck has never (on screen) had anyone from the team besides Bobby around for any of his hospital visits and the audience has been waiting for that and it seemed like this episode would deliver.

It did not.

This episode had some truly phenomenal moments, but I'm going to get through the bad stuff first. The main gripe, as pointed out by many others (before someone made false claims of "review bombing" resulting in...this mess you see in the comments and the skewed rating), is that the writing was all over the place trying to do two sets of opposing themes. That kept anything from really hitting the emotional beats that were set up, and pulled viewers out of the episode because it was CONSTANTLY contradicting itself.

What WAS the theme for this episode? Was it Bobby being Buck's dad and how the family you choose will help support you while you heal from what your parents broke? Or was it the importance of bio family and how they'll probably change and magically do the right thing this time? Was it about Buck going back for himself because no matter what he's enough and worthy of living his life and being loved anyway? Or was it about how the firefam wouldn't exist and the people he's closest to would be dead or miserable without his actions so he HAS to go back to a world where he "fixed" them?

The show and showrunner mentioned the It's A Wonderful Life comparison, but it doesn't really work here because this episode was not about Buck questioning his place on the team or how much they love/need him at this point, it was about him looking for love and acceptance from his bio parents and needing to see that he doesn't need it because he's enough on his own, and he already has the "ideal family". (Plus, an adult with a loving wife and 3 kids having a midlife crisis about if he's done anything impactful because his life doesn't look like he expected, is not the same as a neglected child seeing that if his parents HAD loved him, everyone else he knew would have suffered or died, so he should have suffered because it's better for everyone else that way. Kind of the OPPOSITE of the lesson Buck needs to learn.) This episode tried to do a "look how awful the firefam's lives would be without you" which...wasn't anything Buck was struggling with right now. It tried to do "but my parents love me here and this is what I always wanted" but then had his parents acting exactly the same in the real world so it wasn't even a choice to be made besides the fact that a world with Doug still hurting Maddie isn't one where he would stay. And the episode tried to do an "I'm getting out of here for me because I'm enough just existing" but used Buck "fixing" Bobby and the others as the catalyst. (VERY poor choice of words there writers, along with reducing Eddie to the "angry" Latino man who apparently in Buck's mind needed Buck to be a competent father.) Not to mention last episode having Hen tell Chim he needed to express his hurt to his dad for his own good, advice that should apply to Buck and his parents as well, and instead of doing that, Chim was guilted into saying nothing and pretending everything was fine, and Buck's parents just acted like nothing ever happened. Just like they did when Daniel died. This is not growth and neither is them suddenly caring about Buck because he's hurt which they've always done to the point of him hurting himself for their attention. It's a toxic cycle.

This episode would have been amazing if they had committed to a side and gone for it As it is, everything fell flat without the depth or contrast needed to make the storyline work. Either go all in on redeeming the parents and make them put in the work or go all in on the found family and let the parents be awful, but you can't have both here.

If they wanted to compare and contrast Buck's coma life/"ideal family" with his real life/found family, shouldn't it have been HIS worst nightmare in the coma dream? (not "worst case scenarios" for everyone else which, being that it's how his subconscious thinks of everyone, came across really badly)? Picture a world where his parents might be happier and fostered a happier family because Daniel lived, but Buck's "found family" at the 118 doesn't know or need him and are fine without him, contrasted with real life where his parents leave because it's "too much" for them, but his found family is THERE and telling Buck in their own words what he means to them. THAT would have been a solid storyline and given us great firefam scenes. But by showing Buck that the people he loves most (Maddie, Bobby, Eddie/Chris) are suffering without him, it not only undermines the theme of "ideal world" vs "real world", but it undermines Buck choosing to go back for himself. If he is fighting ideal world vs reality, shouldn't the dream world be...ideal? Shouldn't it make him WANT to stay? Is he really "choosing" if he's leaving a world where Bobby is dead, Chris is gone and Eddie is lost, and Maddie is trapped in an abusive home, for a world where they're all alive and well AND his parents are now the parents he always wanted? Make it make sense!

Couple ALLLLLL of this mess with the lack of scenes for the firefam, but most notably Hen and especially Eddie who didn't get scenes talking to Buck in the real world (or at ALL in Eddie, the supposed BFF's case, which no matter how you see their relationship is a DISGRACE and downright bad writing), not seeing any of the firefam there when Buck was waiting to take a breath, and Bobby (or Eddie though with the parental focus my bet was on Bobby before the episode aired) not being the one to take Buck home with him, and we're left with a lot of contradictions, and too much screentime taken from the firefam and given to the Buckley parents and for what? I'm still unclear what this episode was trying to say, and I shouldn't need to read interviews afterword to be told things I should have seen play out on screen.

And it's SUCH a shame because otherwise from an acting and visual perspective? This episode was PERFECT. Oliver put everything into this performance and should be incredibly proud. The difference between Buck and his subconscious talking to each other was chilling in the BEST way. Peter also really shone this episode, and the brief moments we got of May, Athena, Hen, Chim, Eddie and Chris were all heartfelt performances that really struck a chord. Maddie seeing the man at the door and her face crumpling as she asks "Which one?" is going to haunt me, as is Chris' moment at Buck's bedside. Just absolute perfection. Along with all that was the camera angles we got in the coma dream, the little easter eggs for big events for Buck from crush injury and finding Maddie, to the tsunami and train derailment (though the lack of anything about Eddie's shooting was....very loud), and the eternal Hen/Chim bestism and older sibling energy Buck has always found in them.

It's frustrating that what could have been a nearly perfect episode had it been allowed to be about Bobby and the firefam and their relationship with Buck, and Buck's fight to get back to them was instead used to push side characters and unearned "redemption" while sidelining the very people the episode was trying to tell us were family. At this point you HAVE to wonder if the showrunner has any idea what fans of the show want to see.

As for the people incorrectly claiming this episode was "review bombed" before review bombing themselves, perhaps If you truly cared about the show you would be willing to call out its flaws and push for better for the characters and actors you claim to love. These actors, these characters, these stories ALL deserve so much better than what the current showrunner has done and continues to do to them, especially knowing she got her way and is bringing Lucy back to take more screentime from the other main characters when we can't even get a follow up on Eddie after he was ALSO struck by lighting and thrown from the truck.

Still not a single mention of Ravi in 11 episodes despite him also slated to return later on.

This is the bad place.