9-1-1 Season 8 Debuts 118's Replacement For Bobby

Peter Krause’s surprise exit from 9-1-1 leaves the door open for a new LAFD captain, but the 118’s new leader won’t be around for long. Bobby Nash’s death in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 15 was a turning point for the long-running procedural, and his team of firefighters— Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman), and Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody)— are still dealing with the fallout. Sadly, 9-1-1’s intense disasters won’t wait for the first responders to finish grieving.

Even as the ensemble cast continues to struggle with their complex feelings surrounding the death of a series mainstay, the high-octane rescues and dramatic natural disasters will inevitably continue, regardless if the 118 is ready to move on or not. Following Bobby’s burial in 9-1-1 season 8, the ABC drama is ushering in the next chapter— and with it, the burning question of who will be the next captain. The LAFD offered one possibility in “The Last Alarm,” but the interim captain is a mere band-aid— a temporary solution to bide time until the true replacement comes out of the woodwork.

9-1-1 Season 8 Chooses Gerrard To Step In As Bobby's Replacement At The 118

The Face Is Familiar But Not Fondly Remembered

9-1-1 season 8, episode 16 takes place after a brief time-jump following Bobby’s death: two weeks after the Contagion saga, Athena (Angela Bassett) is touring mausoleums while Chimney harasses the federal government into releasing the body. The first scene at station 118’s firehouse displays a table of photographs and mementos to pay tribute to Bobby, but the fallen captain is uniquely eulogized by none other than Vincent Gerrard (Brian Thompson), Bobby’s former replacement and villain of the 118’s past. What’s more jarring is that 9-1-1 season 8 reveals Gerrard is the acting captain of 118.

It’s an ironically full-circle moment, as the season began with Gerrard in charge of the core team during 9-1-1’s ridiculous beenado (bee tornado). Yet, Bobby’s death seems to have rattled Gerrard just as much as the 118, with him acting uncharacteristically sympathetic and almost contrite. During the sole emergency in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 16, Gerrard even tries to talk Chimney down after he displaces his grief and blows up at a civilian. While the Captain Gerrard 9-1-1 first introduced would have punished Chimney for insubordination, “The Last Alarm” paints him in a suspiciously good light.

Why Gerrard Is Chosen To Replace Bobby At The Firehouse & Not Anyone From His Team

The Lab Catastrophe Left Many Out Of Commission

Bringing Gerrard back felt like a baffling decision, especially considering how hard the 118 worked to trick him into swapping roles with Bobby in the early episodes of 9-1-1 season 8. However, there truly wasn’t any other option for an acting captain with the circumstances of Contagion taken into account. Hen has stepped up to fill Bobby’s shoes on more than one occasion throughout 9-1-1, but she spent the time-jump on medical leave for the injuries sustained during the lab explosion. Going from healing a collapsed lung to leading the LAFD would be an unrealistic, whiplash-inducing change.

Similarly, Chimney started at the LAFD long before any of his current cohorts and has survived some of 9-1-1’s worst near-death experiences. Nevertheless, the comedic character has unresolved trauma from Bobby’s martyrdom that makes him too volatile to lead at present. With Eddie still technically residing in Texas, Buck emotional to a fault, and Ravi far too young, there are no known LAFD firefighters who could be the 118’s acting captain— at least not until Chimney or Hen’s story in 9-1-1 season 8 is resolved.

Gerrard's Time As The 118's New Captain Isn't Going To Last In 9-1-1

Bobby's True Successor Is Still Unknown

Luckily, Gerrard won’t be returning as the 118’s captain permanently. In fact, Gerrard explicitly says his role is temporary in 9-1-1 season 8, episode 16, explaining that he’s only there to act as interim captain until Chief Simpson (Richard Brooks) can appoint “a candidate more worthy” to replace Bobby. While the unsettling kindness and understanding displayed by Gerrard in “The Last Alarm” feels dangerously close to one of 9-1-1’s unnecessary redemption arcs, the former antagonist will thankfully be gone soon enough to make way for a new captain, either plucked from the existing cast or introduced as a new character.