Spoilers for 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 15 – “Lab Rats” – are ahead! To catch up, you can stream the ABC drama with a Hulu subscription. New episodes of 9-1-1 return on Thursday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
The latest episode of 9-1-1 to air on the 2025 TV schedule concluded the nerve-wracking two-part “Contagion” event, and not everyone made it out alive. Between Chim being exposed to a virus, Hen dealing with a punctured lung, and everyone’s oxygen running on empty, time was ticking. Eventually, Buck and Athena managed to snag the vial with the cure and arrest literal mad scientist Moira, who wanted to make millions off it. Although Chimney was saved, Bobby was not, and showrunner Tim Minear revealed why that was the case. While his reasoning makes sense, I still hate it.
After most of the 118 made it out of the lab once Chimney was injected with the cure, Bobby revealed to Buck that he was exposed to the virus and had hidden it from the team. After a tearful goodbye to Athena and putting her through even more, Bobby spent his final moments praying before eventually being carried out in a body bag.
It was a shocker, especially since 9-1-1 has gone eight seasons without killing off a main character. And the fact that it was Peter Krause's Bobby, 118 Captain and father figure to everyone, was even more shocking. However, Minear explained to Entertainment Weekly why it had to be Krause’s beloved character:
The decision about who to do it to, that was the hard one. But I just felt like, ‘If I'm going to do this, I need to do it in such a way that it will have the maximum effect for every character story.’ And so it's Bobby, right? I mean, that's going to affect everybody.
Bobby is the glue that keeps the firehouse together. Every time he leaves, no one knows what to do. Now that he’s dead, I'm sure everyone will be at a loss.
Plus, 9-1-1 has really delved into Bobby’s backstory, between losing his family and blaming himself, struggling with addiction, and also losing his AA sponsor, his road to recovery, and then this sacrifice. Thinking about this character's entire arc, Minear went on to share his reasoning for killing him off, and it’s understandable:
It also made sense for me in terms of it not being an arbitrary death. In a way, it is the tragic, logical culmination of his arc. He came to L.A. with a death wish, and then he learned to love life again. And then when he finally has to make the sacrifice, it's not because he wants to go, it's because it's the thing he has to do. It is true redemption. So everything about it lined up.
That being said, just because it makes sense doesn’t mean I have to agree with it. Obviously, with 9-1-1 being a procedural, there was always a risk that a main character would die. But that’s where 9-1-1 was different. Sure, characters would constantly almost die, but the key word was almost. Killing off Bobby changes the game.
Meanwhile, Bobby was always there for his 118 family. He was like a father, a friend, a brother; he was more than just a boss. It’s going to be hard to see 9-1-1 move on from this, especially since the show has been renewed for Season 9. Of course, shows have lost main characters before, but this one is definitely on another wavelength. Additionally, I'm going to miss Peter Krause's interactions with the cast.
Fans will have to wait to see the aftermath of Bobby’s death. 9-1-1 won’t be returning until Thursday, May 1, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, but it’ll give viewers more time to grieve, watch past episodes, live in denial, and pretend that Bobby Nash is still very much alive.
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