9-1-1's Longest-Running Villains Make Bobby's Fate Much More Heartbreaking For The 118

Warning: SPOILERS for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 15.9-1-1 season 8 has already made history by killing off its first main character, but Bobby’s death is made worse by the absence of one crucial member of LAFD station 118. Peter Krause’s shocking exit from 9-1-1 was the climactic ending to the procedural’s two-part thriller known as “Contagion” (due to the high-octane setting of a quarantined research lab housing a deadly pathogen). Out of all the intense disasters in 9-1-1, the lab explosion will be remembered as a series-defining emergency— but only time will tell if that’s for better or worse.

Aside from Krause’s Captain Bobby Nash, the core crew in 9-1-1 has been Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), Howard “Han” Howard (Kenneth Choi), Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), and Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) since the season 2 premiere. Following the 9-1-1 season 7 finale, however, Eddie’s priorities lie with his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), rather than his role as a West-Coast first responder. Promising probationary firefighter— or “probie”— Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody) has joined the 118 in his stead, but Eddie’s dramatic move to Texas has been a monumental storyline in 9-1-1 season 8.

Eddie Was Absent From 9-1-1: Contagion And Missed Bobby’s Death

The 118's Former Firefighter Was In Texas

The Texas arc and Bobby’s death in 9-1-1 season 8 intersect in the worst way possible: while everyone else was either trapped in the lab or scrambling for a solution, Eddie was nowhere to be seen. Eddie was in Texas during the events of 9-1-1: Contagion, but he may as well not exist at all— during the saga, nobody so much as mentions Eddie, despite him still being an important member of the 118’s found family. After Bobby reveals he was infected by CCHF (Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever) and has his final conversation with Athena (Angela Bassett), Eddie’s absence is palpable.

The closing scene of 9-1-1 season 8, episode 15 follows the harrowing reactions of every other main character— ranging from Buck’s heartbreaking silent scream to Chimney’s guilt-ridden phone call— but the procedural never shows Eddie finding out. Even Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) was there as Bobby took his final breath, which makes it all the more painful for Eddie. Instead of including a clip of someone giving the temporary Texan the news, 9-1-1 essentially erases Eddie from the team by omitting him during such a life-altering moment. Remembering why Eddie is in Texas only pours salt on the wound.

The Diazes’ Nefarious Plan To Take Christopher Resulted In Eddie's Absence

If They Hadn’t Intervened, Eddie Never Would Have Left The 118

The only reason Christopher— and, by extension, Eddie— moved to Texas is the inescapable meddling of Eddie’s parents. Helena (Paula Marshall) and Ramon Diaz (George DelHoyo) have never necessarily been sympathetic characters, but 9-1-1 season 8 has only unraveled the disturbing extent of their dishonesty. After Eddie uprooted his entire life in LA to work on his relationship with Chris, Helena showered him with passive aggression at every opportunity. Ramon pressured his grandson to pursue chess, to the point where Christopher, overcome by stress over living up to Ramon’s expectations, vomited on the board during a chess tournament.

Eddie’s parents are the surprise villains of 9-1-1 season 8, but their worst crime was inadvertent. Eddie never got to say goodbye to Bobby because he was 800 miles away, and the Diaz parents are absolutely to blame. If Helena and Ramon weren’t so focused on raising Christopher as their own child with no concern for their real son, Eddie wouldn’t have had to abandon his post at the 118. Plus, based on Christopher’s confessions in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 13 (and how quickly the father-son duo began to reconcile), it’s clear that his move to Texas was wholly unnecessary.

What Eddie Missing Bobby's Death Means For His Future In 9-1-1

The Guilt Will Fester Before It's Resolved

9-1-1 season 8’s Eddie and Christopher plot was undoubtedly important, but the procedural never should have killed Bobby off without his full team there to send him off. Eddie will be present for Bobby’s funeral in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 16, but that doesn’t make up for the irreversible fact that Eddie wasn’t there when it happened. While Buck, Chimney, Hen, and Ravi watched the body bag be carried out, Eddie was across the country, none the wiser about it all. The exclusion was unjust in and of itself, but missing Bobby’s death will have irreparable repercussions on Eddie.

Ever since Eddie moved to Texas in 9-1-1 season 8, he has been something of a fish out of water. The firefighting job he was banking on fell through, his house is falling apart quicker than he can repair it, and his horrible parents are making his already bad experiences infinitely worse with their derision. Now that Bobby— the man who vowed to always welcome Eddie back with open arms— has suddenly died, the guilt over not being there will weigh heavily on Eddie. Unfortunately, 9-1-1 may even use Bobby’s death as a springboard for Eddie’s return.

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