Tommy Kinard Is An Absolute Icon. Using The Age-old Fake Radio Interference On The Chief Of The LAFD?!

Tommy Kinard is an absolute icon. Using the age-old fake radio interference on the Chief of the LAFD?! No one else could. I need more.

This episode was absolute perfection! The writers are geniuses, the actors are geniuses, the directors, camera people, lighting, editors, everyone who worked on this episode are all geniuses and they deserve a MASSIVE round of applause.

There's so much to talk about but I wanna start by talking about the staging of the scenes where Buck is feeling jealous, because ugh it was so well done.

It's so simple but they just isolated him. And it's not that noticeable in some of the smaller scenes but I know many people noticed it with the teaser and stills at the airfield. It became obvious to me after Eddie gets injured, but here are some examples:

In all these scenes Buck is obviously in his feels (but when wasn't he tbf) and he's stood by himself, opposite to everyone else.

I found this really clever, because yeah, Buck does express that he feels like he's being left behind, but he's done that before so what's new? What's new is the very confusing feelings of romantic jealousy being thrown in the mix. But romantic jealousy over a MAN. This has never happened before.

Finding out you're queer can be so scary and isolating because your entire view of yourself is changing and if that's changing how are you supposed to be yourself around others who've only known you as heterosexual up until this point? Add in the fact that Buck is somewhat oblivious to why he is acting the way he is towards Eddie (his bestfriend who's done nothing wrong) for a time and he's going to feel even more isolated. It gets to a point where he's lashing out because he doesn't know why he's feeling like this. And even when he's hurt Eddie he doesn't even ATTEMPT to move towards him, he's just stuck where he is.

By isolating Buck at all these moments, both the initial problem that sparks the jealousy and Buck's subsequent internal struggle are portrayed to the audience in a such a simple way. Doing this allows the audience to truly understand what's happening. Queer audiences will recognise themselves in Buck's isolation and heterosexual audiences will gain a further understanding of how troubling a queer realisation can be, allowing them to empathise more.

Even when Tommy comes to the loft Buck still starts out isolated:

They move to either side of the kitchen and put two (2) tables in between themselves. Then as they work through their issues and Buck starts to realise just WHY he's been so standoffish about Eddie and Tommy hanging out they get closer. Then they start to connect over how cool they thought the other was and how annoying that was and end up toe to toe:

Buck's finally accepting what he's feeling and then BAM! They kiss and everyone screams with joy!

I don't know, l just loved all the little nuances they put into this episode that were subtle indicators of their endgame (bi Buck), and it made it feel like the creators really cared about this storyline and wanted to do it properly for the fans but more importantly for THEMSELVES, and not just randomly giving Buck a throwaway line of 'yeah I've slept with guys before' to establish his bisexuality purely for fan appeasement. So, to that I want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone involved with creating this episode because I was sobbing for 10 minutes straight after it aired from being handed bisexual representation in such a loving but also unfussy way and seeing myself reflected in my favourite character. So on the off chance someone involved does see this, THANK YOU!

Reasons Frank should be invited to the Firefam barbecues:

1. He’s basically an honorary member of the 118 extended family at this point

2. He can get the tea straight from the source

3. He’d probably solve impending problems before anyone realises there were problems to be had

4. He still hasn’t met Chim or Buck and heard about their collective mountain range of trauma

5. He’s always so serious, he should be allowed to let loose a little

6. I reckon he’d just love to study them all in a group setting

Norman: I think I'm gonna puke 🤢

Everyone underneath him: 🏃🏃🏃

I was disappointed when Rock the Boat by The Hues Corporation didn’t play during 7x02 ‘Rock the Boat’, but I’m glad to see they’ve rectified the situation this week (and as part of a Home Alone-esque montage no less!)

Yes, Eddie and Buck are gonna be facing their past traumas in 7x03 (helicopters and ocean), but let's not forget that 2/5 occupants of that helicopter have been involved in helicopter crashes.

Eddie has managed to successfully get in a helicopter post-army, as witnessed in 4x12. Not saying that he doesn't have trauma around them and it won't be important but Hen's helicopter trauma seems more significant this time round.

The last time she was in a helicopter (LS 2x03) she was basically going against orders and had recently lost someone in a car accident and had been doubting her ability to do her job because of it. Then, obviously, the helicopter crashed.

This time? Hen's getting in a helicopter while defying orders after very recently losing someone in a car crash that led to her once again questioning her ability to do her job. It's almost like history is repeating itself...

Point is, 2/5 occupants have been in helicopter crashes, 2/5 occupants have water based trauma, 1 occupant was previously promised it was his turn to go in the helicopter next (and he takes turn-taking so seriously it literally killed him) and 1 occupant is a miracle survivor of another vehicular based crash...

Needless to say, this helicopter is doomed.