‘9-1-1’ 7×05 Recap: You Don’t Know Me

9-1-1 has had banger after banger in season 7, including an arc where a character began the journey of figuring out his sexuality. In the fifth episode of the season, “You Don’t Know Me,” we got some very peculiar storylines that left us scratching our heads but also were heartwarming in some cases. Find out our thoughts on the latest episode of 9-1-1 7×05.

Buck’s journey into accepting his sexuality

(Disney/Chris Willard)

If you ever wanted to know how much we love Evan Buckley but also want to gently tap him on the head, this episode proved why. 9-1-1 found Buck working through his sexuality amid a first date with Tommy. Excited as he was for his date with Tommy after that mind-blowing kiss, he was understandably nervous about people watching him in the restaurant for the date.

He managed to calm down once Tommy reassured him and even shared his own coming out experience. However, things went downhill fast when Eddie showed up with his girlfriend, Marisol. Buck fumbled hard, trying to avoid the fact he was on a date as Eddie told him Marisol was moving in. We’ll get into our feelings on this in Eddie’s section.

Tommy gently ended the date soon after, letting Buck know he didn’t think he was ready. The nice part of this was that he did it in a way that allowed Buck to see that he did nothing wrong. But Buck felt dejected and later went to talk to Maddie.

Coming out to Eddie

(Disney/Chris Willard)

He was more concerned with the fact he lied to Eddie about what was happening. As he spoke about the date, he let Tommy’s pronoun slip, something Maddie caught immediately. Throughout the episode, Buck kept referring to himself as an ally. He hasn’t quite figured out what the label that fits him is. Maddie was a great support for him, allowing him to explain himself and telling him he could tell Eddie what he needed to do when he was ready.

Later when Eddie was at Buck’s loft avoiding his girlfriend, as we’ll discuss later, Buck got the courage to come out to his best friend. Eddie was surprised at Tommy’s sexuality but was so supportive as well. He told Buck that even if things ended badly, then he should still give things with Tommy a shot. Eddie said that once he gets to know him, he will love him like Eddie, Maddie, and everyone else does.

Eddie even paused before he left to hug Buck. It was such a sweet moment between them, and you could see in Buck’s eyes how relieved he was to have Eddie’s support. Buck did get the courage to call Tommy and they met up for coffee. Buck is so soft and earnest in his desire to get to know Tommy, even if he is unsure of what he is ready for.

Oliver Stark has been doing an amazing job with this arc, and we’re so excited to see where Buck’s journey takes him.

Hen and Karen adopt a little girl

Hen and Karen were excited to add to their family, but learned that the family of the baby they might adopt decided to keep her. They were happy she could stay with family and discovered another little girl that needed help.

Mara was a little girl who had been clearly traumatized in her life and didn’t speak. She found comfort in a blanket she carried, but didn’t voice her feelings at all. It looked like things weren’t going well, as she ripped off a stuffed animal’s head that Denny gave her and got upset enough that he got hurt later.

At first, Karen and Hen thought they were in over their heads, but were also hesitant to give up on her. While on a call, Hen realized there had to be underlying anger and that they could help her. Although, we have to say, using a dog as a metaphor for Mara’s struggles was not the best choice. They could have gone in another direction to help Hen get to the root of the issue.

It turned out Mara’s biological parents died and she found them. The young girl had to call 911 herself. Hen and Karen realized she wasn’t trying to hurt them or scare them. She was just afraid of them not waking up.

The two moms had been trying to figure out how to balance Mara’s needs with protecting Denny at the same time. It really showed how strong their communication skills were that they could talk through what they should do. Karen even gave Mara a camera set up so she could see they were okay.

If you ever wanted to know how much I love Karen and Tracie Thoms, then this scene should say it all.

Eddie’s girlfriend was…a nun?

To be fully transparent, I never got on board with Marisol as a love interest. It came out of nowhere and while it was great to see Eddie dating, it felt like she was a random decision in the middle of season 6 when they thought the show was ending.

This episode proved I was correct. Eddie knows nothing about this woman and even moved her into his house when they have barely been dating for a few months. How does Christopher feel about this? Is Eddie overcorrecting again because his son has issues with people leaving? Christopher is old enough at this point to understand how life works. He wasn’t even in the episode for us to see how he felt about it.

Eddie was trying to help unpack Marisol’s things when he found a photo of her as a nun. At first, he thought it was a Halloween outfit but learned she had dropped out of nun school. Suddenly, Eddie’s ability to even want to be with her sexually plummeted.

He was so freaked out that he went to work early to avoid sex and even hid out at Buck’s loft. Look, Buck, as much as we know you have a lot going on with your sexuality and you are trying not to tell Eddie what to do, we need you to say something. For us. Please.

Is this relationship right for Eddie?

(Disney/Chris Willard)

Buck did suggest that he talk to Bobby about what he was facing. This led us to an amazing conversation with Bobby, who told him that he didn’t think Marisol was someone that he thought Eddie had a lot of feelings for. He didn’t talk about her the way he did with Shannon. He helped Eddie a lot and we always love Bobby and Eddie’s relationship and conversations.

Eddie realized he did want to try things with Marisol, but also asked her to go ahead and move out. We agree, he moved way too fast, and they should get to know one another properly. This is a development we love to see on his part. He has always had it in his head he needs to move quickly. But he doesn’t have to in this case and, he could stand to take some time to reflect on the relationship himself. It’s important to get to know someone well before taking that much of a big step.

At the end of the episode, we got a glimpse into the Madney wedding. Maddie looked stunning in her wedding gown and Hen also cleaned up very nicely, as always! But then Eddie and Buck show up, looking like greasy versions of Tubbs and Crockett from Miami Vice. When Maddie asks where Chimney is, Buck awkwardly says, “It’s complicated.”

Uh, what do you mean Buck? Where’s Chimney? Unfortunately, we have to wait two weeks to find out!

Make sure to catch up on previous episodes of 9-1-1 during the hiatus on Hulu. New episodes come back beginning May 2, 2024 at 8/7c.