A major character’s death has long been a divisive trope in any form of media. It can further the story, develop a character, or convey a message. Good intentions can colour such a major shift, but the execution can still fall short. In a show about first responders, it should come as no surprise that at some point, a major character would die. So when ABC’s long-running drama 9-1-1 lost one of its leads earlier this year, it wasn’t a complete shock to fans. This year, the series said farewell to the 188’s Captain, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), a character we have followed through thick and thin since the show’s 2018 premiere. The fact that 9-1-1 has been renewed for a ninth season provides solace to some fans, but the future of the show’s other characters remains uncertain. And the big question remains, was Bobby’s death worth the pain to his friends and family and to fans? For many, it has left a decided sour taste in their mouths.
It could be argued that, despite the show’s ensemble nature, Bobby Nash has always been the heart of the story. The series has taken its time to peel back the layers of his character through flashback episodes and through arcs that have showcased his dedication to his team and his family. We have delved into his past to discover the fire he inadvertently caused with his alcoholism, his grief over the loss of his wife, his two kids and the 148 people who lost their lives, and his continued effort to make amends. We saw his childhood and the trauma that led him to eventually reach for the bottle. But why entrench audiences so deeply in a character and their challenges, just to kill them off? He found happiness with Athena (Angela Bassett), who stood by him during his moments of distress. Why bid goodbye to a character who has jumped over hurdle after hurdle?
According to showrunner Tim Minear, Bobby’s death was a creative decision and not a result of Peter Krause wanting to leave the show. In fact, the actor has since expressed that this was a series he could have continued doing, if given the chance. From tsunamis to earthquakes and capsized cruise ships to bee-nados, all of 9-1-1‘s central characters have found themselves in death-defying situations, and they generally come out unscathed. And if there are consequences, they don’t last long. So perhaps its not so surprising that at some point, writers would feel that they have to raise the stakes. In a recent interview with The Wrap, Minear stated: “I needed a major character death if I wanted, going forward, for the audience to feel any kind of suspense or that there were real stakes involved in any of the cases.”
But the thing is, realism has never truly been a big part of 9-1-1. This recent season had both the “bee-nado” and the cruise ship turn-over, along with a woman breathing fire. A rebar impaled Chim (Kenneth Choi), too, and he is still alive. Athena managed to land a plane with the assistance of a child. In fact, the show has become known for placing its characters in increasingly outrageous scenarios just for them to come out alive (remember when Buck was struck by lightning?). But that has now changed permanently. The writers and showrunners have decided to re-jig the establish rules and expectations and declared, in the biggest way possible, that stakes and realism are now the name of the game. Which really feels like something they should have established for their audience from the start.
And why Bobby, you may ask? Well, Minear made it clear that the character’s death would have a lasting effect on both the storyline and the characters. “It’s not a shock moment. It’s not a superficial thing. It is a potentially game-changing thing,” is what the he stated. Bobby’s death will absolutely have an impact on everyone, but it is a decision that should’ve been made seasons ago. A choice that drastic would’ve served a larger purpose much earlier in the show’s run. Certainly not after eight seasons of layered character building in an established world where everyone experiences loss, but just not of any of the indestructible 118. Given that, Minear’s given reason feels somehow contrived and disrespectful to viewers and to Bobby.
If the writers had killed Bobby in earlier seasons, it would have set a precedent that no one is safe. Viewers would’ve been sitting on the edge of their seats, feeling uncertain and wondering which member of the 118 would make it through to the finale. But instead the show chose to provide their main cast with contrived “plot armour”, seeing them through insane disaster after disaster.
If the monumental shift was because Peter Krause wanted to be written out, then it would all make a lot more sense. But a creative decision to kill off a beloved character “just because”, feels odd. Krause, one of the show’s Executive Producers alongside co-star Bassett, has spoken very little about the end of his time with the show. Most notably, he did a brief interview with Good Morning America and released a statement thanking the crew, cast and viewers for his time on the show.
Most of the highly devoted fanbase was caught short with Captain Nash’s death and took to the internet to share their anger and surprise, while other writers penned diatribes about doing such a popular character “dirty“. Though I would take IMDB’s ratings with a grain of salt, “Lab Rats” (the episode where Bobby dies) currently sits at a 4.0 star rating out of 10, “The Last Alarm” at a 3.6 (the following episode), and season finale “Seismic Shifts” at a 4.7. Far below 9-1-1’s usual positive ratings.
But of all the myriad decisions around this plot point, perhaps the oddest was to kill off Bobby in its fifteenth episode of the season. Not as a mid-season cliffhanger or way to wrap a full season, but two-thirds of the way through its latest run. The episode after his demise chooses to focus on Athena dealing with a case about a woman who believes her baby, who died in a fire, years prior, is still alive. Though this plotline somewhat connects with Athena’s grief for her husband, it was a stretch, and the case occupied most of the episode. So instead of giving the show’s lead a major farewell, Bobby’s funeral had a runtime of approximately ten minutes.
To have a character we’ve followed and loved since the beginning memorialized with such a short send-off, feels like a disservice. Bobby had recently reconciled with his mother, Ann (Lesley Ann Warren), yet she appears for only about five seconds at his funeral and had absolutely no screen time after. Why have him reconcile with her and then kill him off? Why choose not to show her grieving her son, especially given the pedigree of the actress in the part?
What’s even more heartbreaking is that there were promotional images that included Ann alongside Athena’s parents, Beatrice and Samuel (Beverly Todd and Henry G. Sanders), as well as Bobby’s brother, Charlie (Sean O’Bryan). But no scenes with them were present in the episode. So it turns out that the teasers proved more in-depth and meaningful than the episode itself. It felt like 9-1-1 barely took a moment to stop and grieve the loss of a major character, perhaps it most important character. A character who impacted the lives of many within the show.
The season finale attempts to pay tribute to his character by having Chim deliver a speech, Braveheart-style, about family. It does serve its purpose for the episode and emphasizes the common theme that the 118 is a family unit. It seems the writers appear to be positing Chim as the new Captain now that Bobby is gone. It’s so on the nose that even Hen (Aisha Hinds) slips and refers to him as such.
So what does that all mean for the future of the show and these beloved characters? It would be beneficial for the show’s ninth season to allow each character time to properly grieve and not open the season on a time jump. Given how much each individual cared about Bobby and how tight the team is as a whole, it would be a disservice to move on from losing the team’s captain so quickly.
It’s important to note that while Bobby’s death seems wrong from a series perspective, it doesn’t feel out of character at all. Time and time again, he has shown himself to be selfless. He often puts his life at risk to ensure those within his team are safe. His final sacrifice for Chim is not foreign; it’s familiar. This is the man that we’ve come to love, but this isn’t the way we wanted to say goodbye to him.
9-1-1’s ninth season will premiere on October 9 on ABC.
