'9-1-1' Season 8 Finale Recap: I'm Worried About the Future of This Show Beyond Its Big Disaster Episodes

9-1-1's eighth season has officially concluded, and if the last handful of episodes of this season have taught me anything, it is to keep my expectations low. Still, there was a small but persistent part of me that had high hopes going into the Season 8 finale, that Bobby (Peter Krause) would be revealed as alive in a government lab somewhere, and that we would finally see some real movement forward for the romantic pairing of Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman). Alas, the episode is better than the more logical part of me had expected, and it ties up a number of loose ends in generally satisfying, albeit rushed ways. Ultimately, though, while this was as strong of a season finale as 9-1-1 could have had without the aforementioned additions, I am really concerned about this show as we move into Season 9.

This episode is the first one that has actually felt like 9-1-1 to me since Bobby died, and I think that's because of the big disaster. We see everybody, including Eddie, jumping into save a building full of people after it collapses. Both stakes and emotions are high, and the emergency at hand gives the characters room to explore their continued grief over the loss of Bobby. We know now that 9-1-1 will continue to pull off big emergencies in the wake of Bobby's death, but what worries me are the low-stakes and more casual episodes that this show used to do so well. The Season 8 finale got around that because it wasn't trying to achieve 9-1-1's comedic and lighter tone, but at some point, 9-1-1 will have try to embrace their old tone again, and I worry for that day.

In '9-1-1' Season 8, Episode 18, Our Heroes Tend to the Collapsed Building

The Season 8 finale of 9-1-1 focuses on five people in the collapsed building who are in danger: both Graham (Sam Roach) and Donnie (Adam Hagenbuch) from last week, as well as a resident named Flint, and a mother (Constance Marie) and daughter (Arianna Rivas) who just got to the building to move the daughter in. The 118 assists Athena (Angela Bassett) in saving everyone, and Hen is able to save the mother before both she and her daughter are rescued. Buck (Oliver Stark) and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody) get trapped while trying to rescue Flint, which is right when Eddie shows up in his newly-gifted turnouts. This is exactly the sort of moment I was hoping for for Eddie in the season finale, and it feels like a wonderful sequel to his return to the 118 in the Season 5 finale. Even though Gerrard (Brian Thompson) says that a ladder is the best they can do, Eddie does the impossible and uses a line gun to save Buck, Ravi, and Flint.

Chimney (Kenneth Choi) puts aside the awkwardness to help Athena, and eventually, the only two residents left inside the building are Graham and Donnie. Donnie is saved with the help of Graham, only for it to be revealed that Graham has been impaled on rebar the entire time. It's an awful callback to Bobby's heartbreaking death, in which a person hides their life-threatening injury as a sacrifice to save someone else. Everyone in the 118, as well as a crushed Athena, is worried about this. Chimney, who once survived a worse rebar injury and wants to right the wrong of Bobby's death, is determined to save Graham. He does, and it's a surprisingly emotional Near-Death Experience for a random character, because it is so reminiscent of Bobby's death. And it is great that Chimney could prevent an inevitable death with "Not today, Graham," but why couldn't it be "Not today, Bobby?"

This gets to the root of 9-1-1's main problem now. Eddie saves Buck and Ravi by saying that Bobby taught him that there is always a choice, even when it seems like there isn't. Hen finds an entrance into the building despite a very low likelihood that anyone will be able to do so. Chimney saves Graham by refusing to accept the realistic outcome. This is the 9-1-1 that I have always loved: somehow, our heroes are almost always able to do the impossible. The rules of 9-1-1 have now been broken with the declaration that the characters can no longer do the impossible to save each other, yet they do just that in this episode, ultimately forcing the show to contradict itself.

In '9-1-1' Season 8, Episode 18, Chimney Is the Captain Who Stepped Up

There are two central emotional conflicts at the heart of this episode: Athena's inability to forgive Chimney for living in Bobby's place, and the 118's loss of its found family unit. Eddie prepares to leave for Texas, while Buck reveals that with Eddie and Bobby gone, he has put in for a transfer from the 118. Buck loves to fix things that are broken, which was quite literally the subject of his Season 6 coma dream, so it threw me off a little to see him so prepared to jump ship. That said, this is clearly Buck's way of both respecting Eddie's decision and trying to move forward in his grief over Bobby's death (and I just knew that something would prevent that transfer by the end of the episode). It felt odd to me that we didn't get to see Eddie debrief this with Buck or try to talk him out of it, but this is just one of many deeper conversations that were sidelined in this episode.

The main goal of the Season 8 finale is setting up Chimney as Captain, which it does very well. I am very relieved that 9-1-1 isn't bringing in an outside person to become Captain of the 118, but it also feels right for Chimney, if Hen (Aisha Hinds) couldn't be the one to take Bobby's place. I actually really liked how 9-1-1 solved both of its central emotional conflicts this episode. Chimney saves Graham, which gives Athena a new perspective on Bobby's sacrifice. In a touching and emotional scene, Athena tells Chimney that Bobby always knew that Chimney was an excellent paramedic and leader, and that he'd be really proud of him. It ends with a beautiful hug between the two of them, and it is exactly what Chimney needs to hear to be able to step up as Captain.

And step up he does. In the following scene, after Gerrard gives a farewell speech before returning to Hotshots, Chimney takes initiative. He makes everyone (except for Gerrard, thankfully) stay at the firehouse, not just in that moment, but for good. Chimney says that Eddie is not allowed to go back to Texas, and Buck is not allowed to transfer out. Chimney urges everyone to move forward together as the 118, instead of dealing with their grief alone. He ultimately makes peace with Bobby's sacrifice by understanding that Bobby's job as the Captain was to protect everyone else and to even die for them (which has me more than a little worried 9-1-1 will make a habit of killing off the 118's Captains now). In a great line, Chimney says, "We are not going to disrespect him by throwing away what he built right here." This is the best 9-1-1 could have done with Bobby gone, but it's still not enough to bring back the old 9-1-1.

'9-1-1's Future Without Bobby Will Have To Lean Heavily on Major Emergencies – and That's a Real Shame

The season ultimately ends with a bittersweet and rushed epilogue. Athena gets ready to sell her and Bobby's dream house, which feels like it came out of nowhere, and is a real punch in the gut. Hen and Karen (Tracie Thoms) officially adopt Mara (Askyler Bell), which is a touching and long-overdue moment, but this also probably should have been preceded by a scene that provided some exposition. We then skip forward a bit to the hospital room after Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) has just given birth. Buck is looking at apartments, because: pro, Eddie and Christopher (Gavin McHugh) are staying in Los Angeles, but: con, Buck won't be living with them. I know that Eddie would never kick Buck out, but it feels odd that he is even letting Buck leave (if he actually knows that Buck is looking), and I'm really disappointed that we didn't get this conversation onscreen (and that we won't be getting Buddie as roommates). It doesn't feel right when Buck says that Eddie's place wasn't really his, because it feels like the show has been trying to tell us that Eddie's house is also Buck's, but maybe that's the point.

This is the first episode since Bobby died where Peter Krause doesn't make an appearance, but there is a Bobby Nash in this episode: Robert Nash Han, Maddie and Chimney's newborn baby ("Hello, Bobby," Athena says to the baby, which made my eyes well up). And as this season comes to a close, this seems to be 9-1-1's thesis statement about Bobby's death: he is gone, but they will all move forward together by honoring his memory. This would be a beautiful message to accompany Bobby's death, except for the fact that the season is now officially over, and I still don't get the purpose of that decision. This episode has proven that 9-1-1 will continue to do big emergencies well enough, but I love this show because it has always been more than just the big emergencies. 9-1-1 cannot return to its old self so long as Bobby is dead, and next season, the show is going to have to be more intentional about what it wants to look like without him.

9-1-1 will return to its same Thursday night slot on ABC this coming fall. In the meantime, it is available to stream on Hulu.