Oliver Stark Breaks Down the ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Finale and Shares What’s Next for Buck

🚨🚨🚨Alert: This article includes spoilers from the “9-1-1” Season Eight finale, “Seismic Shifts.”🚨🚨🚨

In classic “9-1-1” style, Season Eight concluded with a dramatic conclusion — or should we say multiple explosions.

Beginning the season with a bee-nado (yes, that’s a tornado made of bees), the finale brought the 118 back to a more familiar setting: a building collapse.

The 118, still dealing with the absence of their captain, pairs up to tackle the aftermath of the high-rise incident. Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds) and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi) work to rescue trapped tenants, while Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) and Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody) navigate the upper levels debris.

On-site was LAPD Sgt. Athena Grant (Angela Bassett), who rushed back into the crumbling complex to assist. She discovers two tenants pinned in the laundry room and, as their condition deteriorates, she sends a survivor for help while Chimney joins her efforts.

However, the unstable building continues to tremble, rocked by small explosions, leaving Buck, Ravi, and a victim trapped, while Chimney and Athena’s escape path is completely blocked.

For Buck, this situation is a stark contrast to a prior emergency when the team was locked inside a lab — while he was out.

“I think he’s almost more comfortable being trapped as long as he’s able to do his job,” Oliver Stark said to TODAY.com regarding the finale. “Being on the outside was the most jarring thing for him.”

That earlier lab disaster culminated in the shocking death of Capt. Bobby Nash (Peter Krause). While quarantined, the 118 faced exposure to a deadly virus. Chimney was infected but was saved through Athena and Buck’s efforts. Tragically, Bobby, Athena’s husband, succumbed to the virus.

In the finale, staying true to “9-1-1” tradition, both the 118 and Athena manage to pull off a heroic save with no further casualties.

Here’s how events unfold — and, as Stark notes, how this experience may mark the beginning of a more “mature” Buck in the already-renewed Season Nine.

How does ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 conclude?

The 118 has seemingly fractured in the wake of Bobby’s death. Although they presented a united front at his funeral in Episode 16, they’ve been grieving separately in recent episodes.

Chimney and Athena, both affected by Bobby’s sacrifice, struggle to share the same space. Meanwhile, Buck and Eddie are embroiled in yet another argument, with Eddie calling Buck selfish regarding his job opportunity in El Paso amidst his grief.

Episode 18 opens on a somber note for the 118. The team gathers at the station to hold a farewell lunch for Eddie, who’s about to report for duty in El Paso. He receives his turnout uniform and shares a final meal with Chris and the team. Hen mentions she declined the captaincy, while Buck reveals he’s requested a transfer.

“Out of the 118?” Eddie asks.

“It’s just a number now,” Buck responds.

The team then heads to respond to the building collapse. Stark believes Buck excels when he’s in the midst of the action.

“Buck has different sides, some more playful. He’s incredibly capable as a firefighter, and being in the emergency context is where he thrives,” Stark shares. “This is a chance to witness a more mature, focused Buck.”

Eddie’s heroic intervention

While the rest of the team rescues victims, Eddie prepares to leave with Chris for the airport. Upon seeing reports of the building collapse and rescue efforts on the news, he puts on his uniform and heads toward the rubble, just in time to save Buck, Ravi, and a victim before more of the structure gives way.

“I was watching the news and felt a bit of FOMO,” Eddie tells Buck over the radio, before deploying a line gun to help them escape.

Stark believes Eddie’s timely save signifies a return to normalcy for Buck.

“It’s indicative of things returning to how they should be. They may never truly be the same, but the foundation for healing is being laid,” Stark mentions to TODAY.com regarding Eddie’s intervention.

The team, including Eddie, then rushes to rescue Athena, Chimney, and their patients. Ultimately, everyone makes it back safely, with no civilian casualties resulting from the collapse.

Is Buck leaving the 118?

After the emergency, back at the station, Chimney observes the team distancing themselves despite their recent success. Eddie checks for flights to El Paso while Buck stows away his gear. An assertive Chimney halts everyone, insisting Eddie should stay in L.A. and Buck should forego the transfer.

“This is our firehouse. This is the 118, not just a number. It’s us,” an emotional Chimney addresses the team. “… Cap is gone, but leaving won’t change that. You’ll still feel sad — just alone.”

He concludes with a call for everyone, including Buck and Eddie, to get some rest before their next shift “right here, together.”

A surprised Hen replies, “Copy that, Cap — I mean, Chim,” hinting that Season Nine may introduce its next leader from within the team.

When asked what makes Buck hesitant to leave, Stark responds to TODAY.com, “It’s not primarily his decision.”

“He is basically told, ‘Put your stuff down. Get to work. This is where we belong.’ It’s what he needs to hear,” Stark explains.

Is Buck relocating?

Eddie’s insistence on staying raises the question of their living arrangements.

In Episode Nine, Buck moved into Eddie’s house as a subletter to allow Eddie to follow Chris to El Paso. Since Eddie’s return for the funeral, he has been on Buck’s couch at his old place.

Regarding their roommate dynamic, Stark humorously notes, “They decide who will handle the groceries, yet don’t always follow through.” (Episode 17 saw a kitchen clash after Buck picked up groceries Eddie claimed he would.)

“With their demanding schedules, they hardly spend time at home,” he adds about Buck and Eddie’s living situation. “That leaves it to the audience to fill in the blanks.”

In the closing moments of Episode 18, it’s revealed that Eddie and Chris have settled back in, Buck is searching for a new apartment, and Athena is putting her incomplete house on the market.

When asked by his realtor why he’s leaving his previous residence, Buck responds, “It wasn’t really mine; I was subletting.”

“Buck is seeking his own space again, motivated by everything happening throughout the season — the old apartment is gone. This is Eddie’s place. What does standing on my own two feet mean?” Stark remarks about Buck’s journey.

This move could disappoint fans hopeful for a romantic development between Buck and Eddie. Earlier in Season Eight, the show hinted at this connection when Buck’s ex suggested he might be open to rekindling their relationship “now that the competition (Eddie) is out of the way.” Buck was later questioned directly by his sister Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) about being in love with Eddie, which he vehemently denied.

“When significant events occur, personal issues often take a backseat,” Stark reflects. “I’m unsure if this will be explored next year.”

When asked if Buck continued contemplating that question post-Bobby’s death, Stark believes Buck “shut it down.”

“I don’t think Buck went home and questioned, ‘Am I in love with Eddie?’ It caught him completely off guard when Tommy mentioned it,” Stark states. “The narrative isn’t that Buck is now questioning it.”

“Ultimately, (showrunner) Tim (Minear) will determine if that’s explored further,” he concludes. “At that moment, Buck felt, ‘No, you’re mistaken. What are you talking about?’ And we will progress from there.”

Overall, Stark expresses hope that Bobby’s death in Season Eight will allow him to portray a more “mature Buck” moving forward.

“I was eager for this to be the catalyst for Buck’s growth and evolution,” he reflects. “From my perspective, that’s the fallout or consequences Buck will face.”