Note: This story contains spoilers from “9-1-1” Season 8, Episode 16.
“9-1-1” mourned the loss of Peter Krause’s Bobby Nash with a funeral and an old case with a tragic resolution.
Episode 16, titled “The Last Alarm,” followed as the firefighters of the 118 and their loved ones grieved losing their beloved captain. Bobby appeared in the heartbreaking hour through flashbacks and visions to his wife Athena (Angela Bassett), cementing the death of a character fans hoped would miraculously be revealed as a fake out in this week’s installment.
The somber tone did not slow down the case work, as Athena was recruited to solve a mystery surrounding one of Bobby’s past rescues. She juggled that with her own grief and finding the right resting place for her husband. Meanwhile, the other “9-1-1” characters struggled through their own grief, including Eddie (Ryan Guzman), who returned from El Paso for the funeral.
A Case From the Past
The episode kicked off with a flashback to eight years ago, showing Bobby, Chimney (Kenneth Choi), Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) working a house fire. Bobby has to tell a mother that they were not able to save her baby from the flames, and she falls into his arms in grief.
Back in 2025, Athena hesitated to make funeral arrangements while the government kept custody of Bobby’s body after he was infected with a deadly virus, resulting in his death. A call from Chimney got the authorities to give up the body, which Athena was upset about and led them to schedule the proceedings. As she left the firehouse, she stumbled upon the brother of the woman Bobby saved all those years back. She was arrested for child abduction and stalking charges, and the man hoped Bobby could help talk some sense into her. Athena volunteered to come to her aid instead.
The woman, played by Julianna Guill, believed that someone from her maternity class had used the fire to kidnap her baby and was raising him as her own. While avoiding her own grief, Athena investigated and exhumed the baby’s grave in search for the truth. That led to the woman’s brother admitting they buried an empty casket, since the fire had left no body for the family to bury.
After performing a DNA test on the suspected kidnapper and the child, Athena told the woman her theory was wrong and she had been confused by her grief. Her charges were dropped after she agreed to seek help.
Grieving Process
Athena sunk into the investigation to avoid dealing with her feelings about Bobby’s death. A conversation with Hen revealed the resentment Athena was holding onto about her husband not telling the truth about contracting the virus that killed him.
Meanwhile Chimney tried to avoid his grief, which led to him lashing out at his wife Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), friends and even his temporary superior. He took up running and yoga to avoid talking about his feelings and considered missing the funeral. But Buck (Oliver Stark) helped him see he was also angry at Bobby for choosing to save him — the first member of the team to contract the virus and who got the one vial of antidote — over himself.
Laid to Rest
The funeral brought many familiar faces together to celebrate Bobby’s life, including his estranged mother. Eddie also returned to be there with his friends, expressing his guilt about not being with them when the emergency took his former boss down.
After a heartwrenching ceremony, Athena and her kids took Bobby to his final resting place. She decided to bury his body alongside his family, whom he had lost in a fire back in 2014 — the emergency that changed his life and eventually led him to being captain of the 118 so many years before.
“Rest easy. You’re home now baby. You’re home,” Athena said as she said a final goodbye.
Who Will Be the Next Captain?
Early in the episode, former 118 captain Vincent Gerrard (Brian Thompson) revealed he would be leading the team through Bobby’s loss, but a permanent captain replacement would be appointed at a later date.
Will “9-1-1” recruit a fresh face to lead the firefighting team moving forward, or promote someone from within? Series creator Tim Minear would not tease the resolution to that mystery when speaking with TheWrap after Episode 15, but he did share that the remaining episodes of Season 8 will still deal with the aftermath of Bobby’s death. There’s more story to tell from here.
“9-1-1” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
The post ‘9-1-1’ Says Goodbye to Bobby Nash With a Funeral and Tragic Flashbacks appeared first on TheWrap.