Spoilers Ahead for 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 15 “Lab Rats”
For a television series full of shocking twists and turns,9-1-1just pulled off its most surprising twist yet:Bobby Nash’s (Peter Krause) death. After eight seasons, Krause is leaving the ABC procedural drama and saying goodbye to Bobby, the captain of LAFD’s Station 118.Season 8, Episode 15, titled “Lab Rats,” concluded the two-part “Contagion” storyline, resulting in the death of the fearless and reliable leader, leaving fans and his crew devastated and heartbroken.
The captain of Station 118 died an honorable and heroic death by putting his crew first and choosing to save one of his own instead of himself. Thursday’s episode saw Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) and Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) acquire Moira’s (Bridget Regan) antidote for the hemorrhagic fever she created and rush to Howard “Chimney” Han’s (Kenneth Choi) side to save him from the deadly virus. Chimney was given the antidote, but Bobby’s actions that followed revealed that he was infected with the virus, and there was only one cure.
While other supporting characters have died, this is the first main character death since the series premiered in 2018. Rumors of Krause’s exit from the series after nine years of portraying Bobby began circulating when leaked photos of a funeral procession appeared on social media. Still, many were hopeful that the storyline would take a different turn. Viewers are left wondering how this will impact future storylines and the characters now that the leading actor is stepping away. ABC renewed the series for Season 9, and now fans will have to see if9-1-1can survive without Bobby, but there’s no doubt that his absence will change the series moving forward.
Bobby Nash Sacrifices Himself To Meet a Heroic End in ‘9-1-1’
Since the first responder series premiered in 2018, Bobby Nash’s selflessness and courage have been established from the get-go. He never left anyone from his 118 team behind if he could avoid it,and9-1-1Season 8, Episode 15, titled “Lab Rats”, cemented that quality of his character as he chose to sacrifice his life to save the life of another.
In the previous episode, Episode 14, titled “Sick Day,” Chimney (Choi) contracts Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, CCHF, the virus that Moira created and unleashed, and is on the brink of death during this past Thursday’s episode. Buck (Stark) and Athena (Bassett) race against the clock to find the cure and eventually retrieve it from Moira. During this time, Bobby never leaves Chimney’s side, and the two talk about Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and the child they’re expecting. This information was the deciding factor for Bobby to give Chimney the life-saving vaccine, of which there’s only one.
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After he hadhis final moments with his crew, Chimney, Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), and Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody), Chimney was given the cure, and all seemed well untilBobby revealed to Buck that he was infected with the virus. Bobby explained that his breathing supply was compromised as a result of the explosion, and, after taking his mask off, he quarantined himself in the lab, saying his heartbreaking last words to Buck: “You’re gonna be okay, Buck. Remember that. They’re gonna need you. I love you, kid.”
Bobby and Athena are given time to say goodbye, and Krause’s character’s gut-wrenching arc is brought full circle in their final conversation. He said, “L.A. was supposed to be my penance, not my home.” He makes peace with his death, and in his final moments, he turns away from Athena, kneels, and prays before succumbing to the virus.
Why Is Peter Krause Leaving ‘9-1-1’ After 8 Seasons?
Tim Minear,9-1-1’sshowrunner, spoke toTVLineabout the creative decision to kill off Bobby in the latest episode and revealed how Krause felt about leaving the ABC show. In the interview, Minear was asked how he concluded that Bobby’s death was necessary for the show’s survival and said:
I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I kind of hinted at it in the “Hot Shots"episode when Brad Torrance is saying that [his character] isn’t going to wake up from his coma, and he had that fan going, “you’re able to’t kill him off! He’s what holds the[firehouse] together!” I was really thinking seriously about it when we wrote that scene. Look, am I crawling out on a skinny branch? Maybe. On the other hand, if the stakes are never real, if there’s really no chance that any of this peril in which these characters find themselves amounts to anything, I think the show could die.
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He then touched on how he approached the conversation with Krause and his response to this creative choice. He added:
He was really professional about it and completely understood, creatively, why I wanted to do it. None of uswantedto do it, because if I kill off Bobby then Peter Krause is going to be a casualty of that choice. That was the hardest part about it, to be honest. I didn’t want to not keep working with Peter.
The actor wrote a goodbye letter to fans on social media, but it doesn’t mean this chapter of his career is fully closed, as Minear teased that there are ways for Bobby’s presence to remain in the series. Still, Krause will be missed, and any Bobby crumbs fans get will be appreciated.
What Does ‘9-1-1’s Future Look Like Without Bobby Nash?
Bobby’s character has been an integral part of the series from the beginning, so without a doubt, he’s leaving behind a lasting legacy that will continue to be felt as the show continues without him. The next fewepisodes in9-1-1Season 8 will explore the other characters’ grief and the weight each character feels about Bobby’s decision. However, “Lab Rats” is currently one of the lowest-rated episodes of the series, as audiences mourn the character and question the decision to kill him off.
Now,Buck will have to come to terms with losing a father figure, Chimney will have to face the guilt of knowing Bobby sacrificed himself to save him, and Athena will have to mourn the love of her life. The whole 118 crew will have to face the fact that new leadership is needed, as lives continue to need rescuing, and Bobby would want someone who honors the work and meaning of sacrifice to lead his team. His legacy lives on in each of these characters, and viewers will have to wait and see how the creative team honors thatlegacy moving forward.9-1-1is streaming onHulu.
