What Happened To Daniel In 9-1-1? Buck & Maddie’s Secret Brother Explained

Buck and Maddie’s sibling bond is a central aspect of 9-1-1, but there was a third Buckley child revealed at the beginning of season 4 — Daniel. Jennifer Love Hewitt joined the 9-1-1 cast as Maddie in season 2, acting opposite Oliver Stark’s Buck. As the siblings reconnected in LA, they contributed to some of 9-1-1’s most heartwarming moments, becoming each other’s best friend and most trusted confidant. In true sibling fashion, Maddie and Buck have also had rough patches throughout 9-1-1, whether it be petty squabbles over their personal lives or harrowing moments of despair following grave injuries.

The close relationship between Maddie and Buck often adds a unique twist to 9-1-1’s most intense disasters, with the firefighter/dispatcher duo often working in tandem. Although Maddie has Chimney (Kenneth Choi) and Buck has Eddie (Ryan Guzman) to be close companions, the sibling dynamic is distinct and supersedes all else at the end of the day. While little is known about their parents, Margaret (Dee Wallace) and Phillip Buckley (Gregory Harrison), what 9-1-1 has revealed about the Buckley family helps explain how Buck and Maddie became the people they are (in spite of their past, not because of it).

Daniel Died Before The Events Of 9-1-1

He Was The Middle Buckley Child

By 9-1-1 season 4, the strained dynamic between Buck and his parents had only been implied. In the fourth episode of the season (“9-1-1, What’s Your Grievance?”), Maddie and Buck attend a family dinner with their visiting parents that quickly spirals out of control. Maddie, the peacemaker of the Buckleys, tries to steer the conversation into safe waters, but Buck can’t hide his emotions. After Buck berates his parents for their failures in one of Oliver Stark’s best performances in 9-1-1, Maddie comforts him. The episode takes a turn when Buck discovers what he assumes is a picture of himself.

Maddie sends him reeling when she admits that the photo isn’t of Buck; it’s their late brother, Daniel. Born a year after Maddie, Daniel was diagnosed with childhood leukemia. After learning none of them can donate to save him, Margaret and Phillip decide to have Buck as a last resort. Unfortunately, Buck’s donor cells failed to graft, and Daniel succumbed to his leukemia in 1993, when Maddie was 9 and Buck was about 2. Despite being conceived to save his older brother, Buck didn’t know Daniel existed until he found the picture in 9-1-1 season 4, which sent him spiraling.

Why Maddie And The Buckley Parents Kept Daniel A Secret In 9-1-1

They Had Different Motivations

Understandably, Margaret and Phillip were consumed by grief following Daniel’s death. While Daniel’s death explains Buck’s childhood neglect, it doesn’t excuse it. Margaret and Phillip never told Buck about his brother in 9-1-1, but it was mostly a selfish decision. Margaret’s grief over losing Daniel drove her to avoid seeing her children in pain, which inadvertently meant ignoring them. Buck never felt loved by his parents due to their detachment, with his captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) becoming his father figure. In fact, Buck and Bobby’s relationship in 9-1-1 is the closest Buck has to a real parent in LA.

Maddie’s reasons for hiding Daniel from Buck were much more nuanced in 9-1-1, as she demonstrated an earnest concern for her younger brother. While Maddie was also deeply traumatized by losing Daniel, she honestly thought it would be best to shield Buck from the truth. It’s entirely possible that Maddie herself was trying to suppress memories of Daniel because they were too painful, especially with 9-1-1’s many near-death experiences often placing her and her brother in danger. In the end, Maddie and Buck both realize how complicated the situation is, and Maddie agrees to tell Buck about Daniel.

Can Daniel Appear Again In 9-1-1?

He’s Already Shown Up Posthumously

Even though he died prior to the series, Daniel remains an abstract character that can be— and has been— used. Daniel may have died before Buck met him, but that didn’t stop an imaginary version of his brother (portrayed by Aaron Staton) appearing in Buck’s coma dream after he’s struck by lightning in 9-1-1 season 6. “In Another Life” (9-1-1 season 6, episode 11) is widely regarded as one of 9-1-1’s best episodes, and Buck hallucinating a grown-up Daniel is one of the most unique and emotional moments of the entire dream. Consequently, Daniel could potentially return in 9-1-1.

Other characters have had their own dreamlike states coupled with hallucinations, like Chimney’s fugue state in “There Goes the Groom” (9-1-1 season 7, episode 6). When used sparingly, it’s an effective way for 9-1-1 to explore the inner machinations of its characters. 9-1-1 has never explored Maddie’s memories of Daniel, and it’s possible that the first-responder drama could use flashbacks from her childhood or dream sequences to expand upon Daniel’s character. Nevertheless, even if Daniel Buckley never shows up again, the impact he left on 9-1-1 can’t be overstated.

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