The first main character death in9-1-1was heartbreaking, but the reason Bobby died was hidden in plain sight since the beginning of the season. Peter Krause has been a fixture of the9-1-1cast since the first-responder procedural premiered in 2018, but fire captain Bobby Nash shockingly died at the end of “Lab Rats” (9-1-1season 8, episode 15). Previously, he and three members of LAFD station 118— Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody), and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi)— were trapped in a lab containing the most dangerous strain of CCHF (Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever).
Chimney almost immediately begins showing symptoms in9-1-1season 8, episode 14, but Bobby waits until the lone antidote has been administered to reveal that he, too, was infected by CCHF. While9-1-1could’ve easily saved Bobby, the drama instead opted to kill off the patriarch of station 118. Many are holding out hope thatBobby Nash isn’t really dead in9-1-1, but there are only so many false-deaths one character can go through. Despite the emotional whiplash, Bobby’s death wasn’t out of nowhere— in hindsight,9-1-1season 8 began setting up the twist ending months in advance.
Bobby Died Saving Chimney In 9-1-1 Season Episode 15
The Beloved Fire Captain Died A Hero
The only comfort in Bobby’s death was that it wasn’t in vain—Bobby purposely hid his symptoms to save the teamfrom the dilemma of deciding who gets the single CCHF antiviral. There may have been alternative strategies, like administering half doses to both of them or asking9-1-1’s evil scientist Moira Blake(Bridget Regan) to synthesize another antidote, but Bobby wanted to save Chimney at all costs. For Captain Nash, it was simple: with Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) still recovering from a traumatic attack and a second baby on the way, Chimney had to make it out alive.
Bobby’s death in9-1-1was always going to be a selfless act, but the first-responder drama practically turned the fire captain into its sacrificial lamb. Truthfully,9-1-1’s characterization left no room for debate:if Chimney died, Bobby would have been consumed by guilt for the rest of his life. While other characters, like Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) and Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), desperately wanted to help, Bobby accepted his fate without a fight. Although Bobby would have sacrificed himself for anyone in the 118, it’s no coincidence that9-1-1season 8 gave Chimney in particular so much to lose.
How Maddie’s Second Pregnancy & Near-Death Experience Set Up Bobby’s Death
Maddie and Chimney have been major characters in9-1-1season 8, which served to lay the foundation for Bobby’s heroic sacrifice. News broke ofChimney and Maddie’s second baby in9-1-1season 8, episode 6, but the celebration was cut short. Quickly thereafter, the pregnant dispatcher had one of the most gruesome experiences in the series’ history, whenAbigail Spencer’s9-1-1antagonist, Detective Amber Braeburn, slit Maddie’s throat and left her for dead. At the time, the unborn baby seemed to act like plot armor, butthe pregnancy storyline saving Maddie is a cruel inverse of how it killed Bobby.
New episodes of9-1-1can be streamed on Hulu the day after they air on ABC.
Neither Maddie nor Chimney are strangers to9-1-1’s intense near-death experiences, but having a baby on the way changes everything. There was no world where9-1-1killed Chimney during theContagionsaga, as it would’ve left his and Maddie’s second child fatherless. Bobby didn’t need any extra convincing to save his life, but it was fuel to the fire, knowing that Chimney was urgently needed as a father. In a way,9-1-1season 8’s shocking death was a full-circle moment, as it tragically reunited Bobby with his own deceased children just as it sent Chimney home to his family.
9-1-1
Cast
9-1-1 is a television series that explores the intense experiences of police officers, paramedics, and firefighters. Premiered in 2018, it follows these emergency responders as they navigate high-pressure situations and attempt to balance their demanding work with personal challenges in their own lives.
