9-1-1could finally be breaking its eight-season trend of letting main characters survive, but the series finale of the franchise’s Texas spinoff would ruin it. Peter Krause is a mainstay of the9-1-1 season 8 castas Robert “Bobby” Nash, LAFD station 118’s devoted fire captain and de facto father figure. Throughout the series, he’s formed a tight bond with employees like Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), fell in love and married Athena Grant (Angela Bassett), and even begun to heal from traumas that have haunted him for decades, like the death of his father following his mother’s emotional departure.
As the leader of the 118, Bobby has been in the weeds of9-1-1’s most intense disasters, bearing witness to the greatest dangers and closest calls of the entire series. Throughout it all, however,Bobby and his team have pulled through and prevailed over impossible circumstances, including Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz (Ryan Guzman) barely escaping a collapsed well and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi) miraculously surviving a skull injury in the pilot season. Yet, for all of9-1-1’s most gruesome injuries, there has never been a main character death. New information suggests that might soon change, sadly starting with Bobby.
Bobby Dies In 9-1-1 Season 8 Rumor Explained
Set Photos Confirm A Funeral
Although nothing in recent episodes indicates Bobby’s presence is about to be cut short,new9-1-1set photos show a funeral scenebeing filmed, withAthena in black at the start of the procession and Bobby’s jacket hanging near a fire engine coffin. The rest of the 118 are present as well, dressed in typical firefighter funeral attire. One of the most interesting details of the photos is how both Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) and Gerrard (Brian Thompson) are at the funeral, despite both of their characters no longer having any affiliation with Bobby or the 118 at large.
Bobby’s last brush with death was in the 9-1-1 season 7 finale, when he falls into a coma following an act of arson that jeopardized him and Athena’s home and lives.
Bobby has had manynear-death experiences in9-1-1, but he has always found a way to fight through even the bleakest of circumstances, making his potential death all the more devastating.9-1-1’s funeral set even includes the return of May (Corinne Massiah) and Harry Grant (Elijah M. Cooper), ironically and tragically meaning thatBobby’s funeral would be the first (and last) full Grant-Nash affair in9-1-1season 8.From the turnout coat that says“Nash”to May holding a captain’s hat, it’s clear that the funeral is for Bobby— whether he’s actually dead, however, is another matter entirely.
How Owen’s Unbelievable Surviving In The Lone Star Finale Makes Bobby’s Death Worse
Why Would The Franchise Kill Bobby When It Defied Logic To Keep Owen Alive
Bobby’s9-1-1: Lone Starcounterpart, Owen Strand (Rob Lowe), had his own near-misses with death— including one experience that should have demanded a captain’s funeral much earlier. Although Owen led the charge for many of9-1-1: Lone Star’s most intense rescues, the nuclear reactor meltdown in the series finale realistically should have killed the transplant fire captain.9-1-1: Lone Starset Owen up to sacrifice himself for his team, but the heroic act was undercut when, mere minutes later, it’s revealed that Owen survived his traumatic injuries and moved to New York. The surprise ending was frustratingly saccharine and whiplash-inducing.
[9-1-1] would be doing Peter Krause a grave disservice by killing off Bobby so early and unnecessarily, whereas Owen Strand had undeniably run his course…
The series finale of9-1-1: Lone Starwould have benefited greatly from Owen dying, but9-1-1stands to gain nothing from killing off Bobby. While9-1-1: Lone Starfailed to commit to a full-circle ending where Owen gave his life for the greater good,9-1-1letting Bobby die would only underscore how many loose ends the death would leave in its wake. On a more basic level, the franchise would be doing Peter Krause a grave disservice by killing off Bobby so early and unnecessarily, whereas Owen Strand had undeniably run his course by9-1-1: Lone Starseason 5.
What Are The Chances That 9-1-1 Will Really Kill Bobby
Season 8 Already Proved He’s More Than A Captain
Regardless of the merits (or lack thereof) of Bobby dying, it’s still not necessarily certain that9-1-1is killing off one of its main characters. The set photos may as well be cut-and-dry evidence for any other series, but9-1-1has been known to play with realityand turn straightforward storylines into a roller coaster of convolution. It’s no accident that9-1-1has featured no main character deathssince its 2018 premiere, and it’s hard to believe they’d start now. Given that such specific details were in plain sight and being filmed publicly, it’s likely the funeral is a misdirection.
9-1-1- Continues A Toxic Trend With Its Latest Character Redemption, And It Needs To Finally Stop
9-1-1 season 8, episode 11 featured the unlikely return of one character who didn’t deserve redemption, but it follows a sad series-wide pattern.
If ABC were to truly kill off such a pivotal character, it’s unimaginable that they wouldn’t— at the very least— have a closed setfor such sensitive information. Combined with the fact9-1-1season 8 has introduced plenty of unresolved Bobby storylines and neglected to lay the groundwork for a major death, I’m hopeful that the real storyline will be easier to digest. Some of9-1-1’s best episodesoscillate between fact and fiction, like Buck’s coma dream (“In Another Life”) or Chimney’s fugue state (“There Goes the Groom”), meaning Bobby’s“funeral”could simply be9-1-1’s next nightmare scenario.
