There's something about what's going on with the Triangle that makes me think people treat Buck as a Love Interest and not a MC because of the way the show frames him sometimes.
Like he was Abby's LI in season 1 - yes, he had development (a lot of it, but it was largely focused on her - he still credits her for his choice to change).
In season 2, they give him a sister (whose own storyline mainly focused on Doug and Chimney, they barely talk about Maddie crashing into his life after 3 years of silence and only focus on the sibling relationship when Doug attacks). Meanwhile Bucks out there bringing Carla to Eddie, attending Santa visits and boosting Eddie the entire time... Hes a little like Eddie's potential love interest.
This continues in S3 when he should be focusing on himself to get better and heal and address those abandonment issues he has and yet, it's all about Eddie feeling betrayed that his friend of barely a year couldn't talk to him for a couple of weeks. Like he didn't need Buck before the lawsuit yet somehow it was a big deal during and after... He apologized a billion times, Eddie never apologized.
And now with Tommy. People act like Bucks the one in the wrong when Tommy led him on. He never planned to be more than casual. He deliberately didn't try to get close to him, held him at a distance because he knew he was going to break up with him.
Like Buddies and Bucktommies both treat Buck as a LI. Like his bisexuality supported Eddie's coming out or Tommy get a family again with the 118.
And I think, despite having his own storylines and being an MC, the show kind of treats him that way too. Want drama? Give it to Buck, but don't spend too long dealing with it.
I mean, his first long term adult GF ghosts him, his sister comes back but even at Christmas only wants Chim and not her brother, he helps out the single dad but then he's expected to put C&E first even though he got his leg crushed, had a PE and then forced to babysit leading him to almost die in tsunami... All he wants is to not be left behind and be treated differently and everyone continues to prove he's all alone (Red showed that). Like wow.
Anyway, as an actual fan of Buck,.it really sucks that I get into the show and realize he's a LI to shippers. A prop whose feelings don't actually matter to them. It's sad.
I think Buck as a whole is very much a people pleaser. He gets happiness from making sure the people around him are happy and content even if that's at his own expense, which sucks.
I feel your frustration for sure, and you bring up a lot of good points. I think what makes it sting even more is that Buck consistently gives so much of himself to others—Abby, Maddie, Eddie, and now Tommy—but rarely gets that same depth of emotional investment back from the narrative. The show gives him big emotional beats, but then kind of skips over the aftermath or redirects it to support someone else's development.
The Tommy situation is another example. People keep focusing on Buck’s feelings as if they’re a complication rather than valid. He was vulnerable, and yet he’s the one getting flak for wanting more while Tommy was always planning to walk away and never fully committed himself to Buck. He thought Buck wasn't ready and made the decision for him.
You're right—it does feel like he’s often treated as a narrative tool to serve other arcs. Even when something huge happens to him, like the tsunami or the coma, the fallout isn’t really about him. It’s about how others respond or grow from it.
Buck is a main character with his own arc, trauma, and growth, but sometimes it does feel like the narrative and fandom both frame him more like a Love Interest than a fully fleshed-out protagonist.
Fully feel your frustration, nonnie.
