My Thoughts on 9-1-1's Taylor Kelly Being a Toxic Person

I don't know what the writers on 9-1-1 are doing with Taylor Kelly but I think there is something really toxic about her. And her sob story that was told on Monday's episode Past is Prologue just reinforced how toxic she is. Her backstory revealed that her father had killed her mother (which was already alluded to in the fifth season seventh episode Ghost Stories) and that where she used to live in Oklahoma everyone knew about the murder and how it affected her. And not to mention it was also in all the press. She told her boyfriend Evan "Buck" Buckley she doesn't like to talk about her life story which is why she prefers to tell other people's stories. The writers are trying so hard to give Taylor more depth that they've forgotten about how they introduced her and it makes her appear as a hypocrite, heartless and remorseless. She really lacks understanding for her terrible actions that she continues to do.

(Taylor Kelly      9-1-1 season 5 episode 9 Past is Prologue)

For someone who doesn't want their tragic life story out in the public, she has no problem putting other people's stories out there. Did the writers forget that Taylor was willing to exploit Fire Captain Robert "Bobby" Nash and his tragic story for views in the second season sixth episode Dosed. Despite her so-called tragic backstory, it doesn't change that she went into a career that tends to exploit other people's tragedies for ratings and views and rarely ever for the truth.

I think Taylor exhibits a lot of toxic behavior that is aimed at other people including her boyfriend Buck. She's either saying mean things to him or snapping at him as well as being dismissive (especially when they were just friends). And Buck is like an anxious puppy trailing behind her trying to fix things and make her happy. Taylor gives off bad vibes, she reminds me of people who are manipulative and abusive and make others walk on egg shells so not to set them off. I can't believe Buck traveled all the way to Oklahoma to be there for her but instead of Taylor being happy and relieved to see him, she was mean and condescending. Why treat your boyfriend who went there to be supportive like he's an annoyance? Buck's relationship with Taylor reminds me of when he was with 9-1-1 dispatcher Abigail "Abby" Clark and he's trying his best to right the wrongs that happened in his prior relationship. This is just what Buck does, he always tries to fix things and make everything better. So him traveling to Oklahoma to be there for Taylor was him trying to be a good boyfriend and to provide comfort to her.

With Taylor I feel like Buck is constantly trying to chase her for love, affection and attention. The same thing he did with his parents when he was a kid. Taylor never seems to give that back to him equally and when she does it's always with a tinge of toxicity. For instance in the fifth season fifth episode Peer Pressure, Buck was sad and struggling with his sister Maddie being gone, with Howard "Chimney" Han (who had left to go find his girlfriend Maddie) being mad at him and leaving and thinking all his friends/co-workers hated him because they thought he was the reason Chim had left. That was a lot he was dealing with but instead of being supportive, she dismissed his issues and made it seem like it was a non-issue. She told him "not everything is about you" making it feel like he was making the situation all about him. I think Taylor doesn't know how to be supportive and it's exacerbating a lot of Buck's insecurities and issues. This relationship feel like it's a growing experience for Taylor while for Buck I feel like it's a regression for him.

Counter that with this episode and how after finding out about Taylor's past and what she was going through he was more than willing to go with her back to Oklahoma for her father's parole hearing. He was being very supportive and caring but she brushed that off in favor of trying to go it alone. However, Buck traveled there for her anyway and in the end the big grand gesture of him showing up "earned" him her love. This felt like Buck is back to trying to do things to prove he's worthy of love. This also felt like a test, because in the fourth season final episode Survivors, she made a point of telling Buck that he didn't chase after her. She had kissed him and then ran away but returned later surprised that he didn't chase after her. Why play games if you're interested in someone and the feeling is very mutual why waste time doing things like that. Anyway, it felt like Buck showing up was a test he passed which had Taylor at the end of the episode telling him she kind of loved him for it which had him returning a similar yet awkward declaration.

(Evan Buckley     9-1-1 season 5 episode 9 Past is Prologue)

I don't know if this relationship is for the remainder of the season or series but the writers are really doubling down on how toxic both Taylor and her relationship with Buck is. Ever since the first season, Buck has been looking for love and as a fan of the show and character it will be really disappointing if his Happily Ever After is Taylor Kelly.