Buck’s ‘9-1-1’ Journey Just Took Its Most Emotional Turn Yet, and Theo Is at the Center of It All
Few shows on television have built a character arc as layered and emotionally volatile as the one ‘9-1-1’ has crafted around Evan Buckley over nine seasons. From reckless rookie to grief-stricken survivor, Buck has gone through more than most fictional first responders could reasonably survive. Season 9 has continued that tradition, exploring themes of trauma, addiction, and impulsivity as the show adds new depth to one of its most beloved characters.
The groundwork for the season’s biggest emotional payoff was quietly laid all the way back in Season 6. Buck’s old friend Connor reached out and asked him to be a sperm donor, and Buck agreed quickly before developing conflicted feelings, particularly after being the one to deliver the baby. That storyline felt resolved at the time, a brief but affecting chapter in a show full of them. What nobody anticipated was how sharply it would circle back years later.
In the final moments of the Season 9 finale, it was revealed that Buck has taken in preschooler Theo and will be fostering him following the unexpected car-crash deaths of Theo’s parents, who were Buck’s close friends Connor and Kameron. Theo is technically Buck’s biological son, though Buck had previously wanted as little involvement as possible with the child, given that he donated sperm without intending to become part of Theo’s life. The twist reframes everything about Buck’s Season 9 trajectory in one devastating and hopeful breath.
When Theo first appeared this season, Buck rescued the boy after he climbed an electrical tower chasing a balloon, only to realize mid-rescue that he was looking at his own biological child. The casting has been widely noted as spectacular, with the young actor sharing a striking resemblance to Oliver Stark. Theo is described as a very impulsive kid full of energy who frequently gets himself into danger, and Connor and Kameron began raising concerns that Buck’s own undiagnosed condition may have been passed down to him.
Oliver Stark, who plays Buck, was candid about the complexity of his character’s decision to step in. Speaking to Variety, Stark said the choice feels like “a little bit of both” duty and genuine desire, explaining that Buck’s sense of obligation stems not necessarily from the biology of the situation but from the fact that these were his friends. In a separate conversation with TVLine, Stark clarified that Buck does not yet see himself as Theo’s father and that the paperwork shown in the finale most likely reflects the beginning of a foster arrangement rather than an official adoption.
Critics have noted that while the coincidences stacked throughout the storyline strain credulity even by ‘9-1-1’ standards, the emotional core of Buck potentially becoming a single father is genuinely compelling territory for the show to explore heading into Season 10. Stark himself teased that Season 10 will dig into questions around why Buck is the one stepping into this role and what that means for Theo, whose broader family situation remains unclear.
For a show that has always trusted its audience to follow characters into uncomfortable and complicated emotional spaces, the Theo storyline feels like a natural and rewarding culmination of everything ‘9-1-1’ has been building for Buck. Whether this ends in a formal adoption or something more uncertain, the question of what kind of father Buck chooses to be is one of the most interesting the series has ever posed, and we’d love to hear whether you think Buck is ready to raise Theo or if this is a storyline headed for heartbreak.
