Buddie Week: Day #1: Outside Looking In or a Scene from a Romantic Comedy?

This is my first post for Buddie Week and I wanted to start out with this scene from the 9-1-1 episode Outside Looking In (season 5 episode 11). The framing of this scene really feels like it's right out of a romantic comedy. As someone who loves watching this genre of movies, this is a scene I have seen so many times. It's when the character would see their crush/potential love interest or ex (who they re-kindle a romance with) and would smile when they see them. But then they notice their love interest is having a good time with someone else. And then that character doesn't know what do with those feelings, so they leave without their love interest knowing they were there.

And that's exactly how this 9-1-1 scene is filmed because although it supposed to show Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz feeling like an outsider looking in. It read more like a scene from a romantic comedy. Eddie was at the bar to hang out with his former firefighter team, the 118. However, the framing of this is very interesting because why is the camera angle or Eddie's line of focus on Evan "Buck" Buckley. The rest of the team (Henrietta "Hen" Wilson and Robert "Bobby" Nash along with firefighter from a different station Lucy Donato) were at the table but they were facing away from Eddie. Which makes it clear that Buck is the focal point.

This scene has all the key elements from a romantic comedy that I mentioned above. From Eddie's smile when he notices the team (Buck) to it dropping when realizes the team (Buck) is having a good time without him. Can't help noticing all of Eddie's longing looks at the team (Buck) before leaving. I'm sure if you showed this scene to anyone who has never watched the show, they would probably think this was a romantic moment. Which is truly the appearance it's giving. There was no reason for Eddie to have felt like he didn't belong, these were his friends even if he no longer at that time was an active firefighter. However, the scene reads as if Eddie saw his crush, Buck looking happy and laughing without him and left the bar without letting anyone know he was there. This is a scene that always stood out for me because why was this filmed this way? They could have easily put the focus on the entire group at the table instead of just focusing on Buck. But it wasn't filmed that way instead it was like a scene from a romantic comedy.