9-1-1 Mourns Bobby Nash's Death in a Heartbreaking but Painfully Flawed Episode

In the span of just a few days, two of the most popular shows on television lost dear father figures: The Last of Us' Joel Miller and 9-1-1's Bobby Nash. At least Joel's death wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the apocalyptic drama. Bobby's sudden passing was a smack in the face on a procedural series that's been protected by bulletproof plot armor. But as The Last of Us did, 9-1-1 eases into the grieving process to allow both the characters and viewers time to mourn.

Season 8, Episode 16, "The Last Alarm" takes place two weeks after Bobby's death in the lab. As expected, hardly anyone is taking his death well, least of all Athena and Chimney. Athena isolates herself both physically and mentally to take up a new case out of the blue as a way of reaffirming her denial that Bobby is really gone. Meanwhile, survivor's guilt eats up Chimney, who is more angry than sad over Bobby sacrificing his life. A beautiful tribute to Bobby's life doesn't bolster hope that this show will ever be the same without him.

9-1-1 Confirms That Despite Fan Pleas, Bobby Nash Really Is Dead

Fan Theories About Bobby's Survival Are Quickly Dispelled

The reactions to Bobby's death have been interesting. A group of theorists huddled together in the most obvious example of the denial stage to speculate on Bobby's survival in the most absurd ways possible. Yet honestly, given how outlandish 9-1-1 has been in the past, the theories made sense within the show's standards. The four biggest ones were that this was all a Chimney coma dream, Bobby was going to be buried alive (courtesy of a leaked fake script), Bobby was being held by the government for experimental purposes and Bobby was literally going to be resurrected like Jesus. The last one is the biggest stretch of them all, but what does 9-1-1 expect after killing its most Catholic character on Easter?

9-1-1 may not give its audience what it wants, but it still knows its fan base very well -- in both good and bad ways. The episode opens with a flashback featuring Peter Krause as Bobby, making people believe that if he's back for a few scenes, he's back for good. Then it seems fishy that Bobby's body hasn't been released in two weeks, only for it to actually be released not long after. The final straw is his burial in his home state of Minnesota. At that point, everyone -- including viewers -- has to accept Bobby is gone. There's a certain level of cruelty to feeding delusions to grieving viewers and slowly giving them crumbs of a wake-up call. But it's powerful storytelling that manipulates the fans' emotions in order to make them feel a part of this world that is broken and full of sorrow.

9-1-1 Keeps Athena From Moving On With a Symbolic Subplot

Why Athena Still Can't Accept Her Husband's Death

No one expects Athena to move on from the events of 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 15 so quickly. She helplessly watched her husband die between a glass window. How can someone just swallow that and continue with their life? In true Athena fashion, she shuts down by burying herself in her work. She takes up a case investigating the possible kidnapping of a baby that allegedly happened during a fire that Bobby's team was called to several years ago. It's a case close to home -- not because Bobby was involved, but because Athena sees herself as the grieving mother.

The inclusion of this subplot is tonally a bit off. There's some goofiness to the way 9-1-1 approaches the mother projecting her grief onto a boy she believes was taken from her. And given that this episode is a sendoff to Bobby, the storyline doesn't always fit Athena's mourning period. But in the end, it does bestow one of the best performances Angela Bassett has given on 9-1-1. It's already been said enough that Bassett is worthy of every award possible, but to give this type of anguished performance that's conflicted between anger and sadness is a gift, particularly on a procedural series.

9-1-1 Tries to Establish a Show Without Bobby Nash

The Series Future Looks Incomplete, Yet Also Full of Potential

Once Athena tells the mother that her baby was not stolen and really did tragically die in the house fire, it allows Athena the closure she needs to put Bobby to rest. The funeral scene is beautifully done, honoring Bobby as a firefighter, mentor, husband and father. The episode perfectly ends with Athena, May and Harry flying out to Minnesota to bury Bobby next to his former wife and children. "You're home now, baby," Athena tells Bobby, kneeling next to his casket.

So now that Bobby is six feet under (a nod to Krause's superb role on the HBO series of the same name), what happens to 9-1-1? How does everyone just go about their normal lives? What's weird about this episode is that the only people given ample time to mourn are Athena and Chimney for obvious reasons, but that two-week time jump means viewers aren't privileged to see how Buck, Eddie, Hen and May initially cope with the loss. The deprivation of time results in a strange effect where it feels like they don't care as much as they actually should.

But more importantly, how does this affect Athena's storyline? Female characters don't always need men to carry and support their stories, but Bobby has always been a staple in her arc. Without him, where does she go from here? As long as Bassett is game to see Athena through this troubling time, she'll be around. But when 9-1-1 ultimately wants to move on for good, it may just be a matter of time until 9-1-1's other starring lead takes a final bow too -- and then the show will be in even more trouble.