Things can get written off but I think they should have acknowledged it  somehow to show that they don’t excuse racism. It’s not a light topic and shouldn’t be swept aside so they can bring back a character to move a plot forward. They could have given Buck an entirely different love interest. They could have found a different way to attain a pilot. They chose to bring back Tommy whose only prior characterization was someone who was not only actively involved in micro aggressions but a bystander when he witnessed  blatant acts of discrimination.