Now that I’m thinking, I know we focus so much, and rightly so, on Eddie’s reaction to Buck finding out about Kim: how Eddie tries to hide it, and with just a look from Buck, caves immediately and confesses. But Buck’s reaction is also noteworthy. He finds out his friend is cheating on Marisol, whom he’s been dating for months, finds out it’s emotional not physical, finds out she looks exactly like Shannon and individually, those points would likely garner a big reaction from anyone who found out. But Buck doesn’t focus on any of it. He focuses on Eddie. He doesn’t question Eddie’s motives or decisions, because he knows Eddie, knows this is out of character and yet so very much something Eddie would chase, would hide. He isn’t mad Eddie never told him. He isn’t mad at all. He doesn’t accuse Eddie but doesn’t excuse him either. He’s just a pillar for Eddie to lean on, to remind Eddie of himself, while also recognizing the hurt Kim and Marisol would feel. He just has so much love for Eddie that he knows Eddie wouldn’t want to hurt either of them, while also having been in positions where he thought a relationship meant something specific when it didn’t for the other person. He loves Eddie so much—unconditionally—in a scene shortly before his parents use it as proof they were right 6 years ago, in a scene shortly before Chris is so angry with and hurt by him that he can’t even look at Eddie. Meanwhile, Buck never looks away. Whereas eddie “fails” as boyfriend, as son, as parent, for Buck, Eddie is always Eddie to him, no matter what. No label and no expectation that comes with it required, and so Eddie can never fail with Buck because there’s nothing to live up to.