Eddie's Big Return Helps '9-1-1' Season 8's Audience Score Rebound After Bobby's Death

Leave it to Eddie Diaz to save the day when 9-1-1 was experiencing an emergency. Following the death of the 118's beloved captain Bobby Nash in Season 8, Episode 15, the season saw a quick and steep drop in user ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, setting low watermarks for Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear's long-running procedural drama. Fans have been none too pleased by the sudden departure of Peter Krause's long-standing series lead and how the entire situation was handled, especially after his much-maligned burial in the follow-up episode. However, Episode 17, titled "Don't Drink the Water," has completely reversed the show's fortunes, with the return of Ryan Guzman's emergency responder powering the episode to an 8.8 IMDb score, the highest mark of the season so far.

Episode 17 marks the beginning of another two-part emergency as an earthquake forces the team to rush to prevent a potential disaster after methane gets into the city's water supply. Beyond the pending inferno, however, the crew is still processing their emotions from the death of their heroic leader. It means that everyone from the 118 isn't quite firing on all cylinders right now and, worse, there's tension in the air between them. Buddie, in particular, takes the spotlight as Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie have a nasty fight over their grief when it comes to Bobby. Further complicating matters is Eddie's job offer at the firehouse in El Paso, which would undoubtedly mean separating the pair once again. There's still a very different air to the show now that Bobby's gone, but reuniting the fan-favorite pair after Eddie's move to Texas has viewers tuning in to see what's next for their relationship, especially in the shadow of a mass casualty event looming. Its rating, then, is a huge bounceback from the 3.2 mark Episode 16 holds.

After a season in which showrunner Minear and company did the unthinkable, the finale, naturally, has to leave things off with something massive that will keep the positive momentum going from this week. Episode 18 will pick up right where things left off with Athena (Angela Bassett) as the lone first responder on the scene when an explosion sends a residential building toppling down. A promo teased the massive response to the disaster that will require the 118 to put everything aside to save as many lives as possible. That'll be easier said than done with the building experiencing a secondary collapse and leaving Athena and Chimney (Kenneth Choi) trapped together while Buck and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody) are also stuck with another victim. It'll be the ultimate test of a team still damaged from enduring their darkest hour and still overcoming some personal drama from the aftermath.

Does Buddie Have a Bright Future on '9-1-1'?

Season 8 will almost certainly have to address the lingering tension between Buck and Eddie before signing off. Though Episode 17 featured a heartwarming gesture by Eddie towards his bestie, their fight, and the looming job in El Paso, still hang over the pair like a cloud. The two have been forced to take a backseat lately with Bobby's death, but all indicators beforehand seemed to point to them finally becoming more than friends. Stark recently weighed in on the long-standing ship during an appearance on NBC New York, leaving the door wide open for the two to pursue that avenue in Season 9 if it's what the creative team has planned:

"Fans have certainly become very invested — let’s say — in that relationship and there’s quite an intense following to it. I don’t know. I’m down for wherever — Listen, I just work here. I’ll go with it regardless. I think we’re just trying to tell heightened but still authentic stories of these first responders and if that’s the direction they choose to take it in, then let’s go.”

The 9-1-1 Season 8 finale airs next Friday, May 16, on ABC. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the series until then.