9-1-1’s Possible First Main Character Death Is More Insulting After Lone Star Finale’s Cop Out Tragedy

9-1-1 could 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 the 9-1-1 season 8 cast as 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 of 9-1-1’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 of 9-1-1’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, new 9-1-1 set photos show a funeral scene being filmed, with Athena 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 has had many near-death experiences in 9-1-1, 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 that Bobby’s funeral would be the first (and last) full Grant-Nash affair in 9-1-1 season 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’s 9-1-1: Lone Star counterpart, 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 of 9-1-1: 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 Star set 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.

The series finale of 9-1-1: Lone Star would have benefited greatly from Owen dying, but 9-1-1 stands to gain nothing from killing off Bobby. While 9-1-1: Lone Star failed to commit to a full-circle ending where Owen gave his life for the greater good, 9-1-1 letting 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 by 9-1-1: Lone Star season 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 that 9-1-1 is killing off one of its main characters. The set photos may as well be cut-and-dry evidence for any other series, but 9-1-1 has been known to play with reality and turn straightforward storylines into a roller coaster of convolution. It’s no accident that 9-1-1 has featured no main character deaths since 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.

Related

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 set for such sensitive information. Combined with the fact 9-1-1 season 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 of 9-1-1’s best episodes oscillate 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 be 9-1-1’s next nightmare scenario.

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9-1-1

8/10

Release Date

January 3, 2018

Showrunner

Tim Minear

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  Angela Bassett

  Athena Grant

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  Peter Krause

  Robert ‘Bobby’ Nash