Here's How 9-1-1 Could Have Easily Saved Bobby From Dying (And It Makes His Death More Insulting)

The worst part about Bobby’s death in 9-1-1 is that it could have been avoided with one simple change. Peter Krause’s exit from 9-1-1 season 8 was a shocking twist to complete the Contagion saga, but Captain Bobby Nash is far more than a dispensable plot device. Bobby was a leader to his team, including Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), and Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody). Without a doubt, Bobby was Evan “Buck” Buckley's (Oliver Stark) closest father figure. Bobby was even building a home with the love of his life, Athena Grant (Angela Bassett).

9-1-1 season 8, episode 15, however, pulled the rug out from under LAFD station 118 and irreversibly changed everything: after 121 episodes, Bobby Nash is dead. Rather than go down in flames or die in a mass-casualty event, Bobby passed more intimately and tragically. In one of 9-1-1’s hallmark intense disasters, the 118 are trapped in a lab after an explosion leaves them quarantined with a deadly pathogen known as CCHF (Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever). After Bobby insists on using the antiviral on Chimney, he reveals he was also infected and content to succumb to his CCHF without a fight.

Moira Could Have Been Easily Compelled To Create Another Antidote

The Evil Scientist Could Have Saved The Day

Athena’s pleas to think of a solution fell on unresponsive ears, but the CCHF strain in 9-1-1: Contagion was anything but ordinary. Bridget Regan’s 9-1-1 character, evil scientist Moira Blake, created a super-strain of CCHF which only requires one-tenth of the typical incubation period. Moira’s reluctant lab partners, Roz (Sadie Kuwano) and Allen (Brian Knoebel), were none the wiser about her plans, including the functioning antiviral she created by herself. While Roz said it would take weeks to synthesize another dose of the antiviral, she was never the genius in 9-1-1 season 8.

Given that Moira single-handedly created a super-strain and its antiviral in one day, it isn’t a reach to suggest she could replicate the antidote (even a half-dose) in a time-crunch. Admittedly, the biggest obstacle would be the U.S. Army and the FBI, as both refused to let Chimney have the original antidote in the first place. However, after seeing the antiviral save his life, it’s possible that the higher forces would feel compelled to turn a blind eye for a second dose. Alternatively, the 118 could have hatched another plan to deliver a vial to Bobby after the evacuation.

The Way Bobby's Death Was Executed Was More Frustrating Than His Actual Death

The Uncertainty Inspired Inaction

Unfortunately, Moira’s morally grey skills were never put to the test, which speaks to a broader issue with Bobby’s death in 9-1-1: there was no resistance. Every season of 9-1-1 has built on the 118’s bond, outright calling them a found family on more than one occasion. It’s impossible that they would have stopped fighting, even against Bobby’s wishes. Athena and Buck were both ready to do anything possible to save him, but Bobby’s utter resignation about his death rendered everyone hopeless. Regardless, the 118 would have kept pushing back, no matter how futile their efforts would have been.

If 9-1-1 wanted a tear-jerking final scene, there’s nothing more heartbreaking than the 118 doing everything they can to save Bobby and realizing it still isn’t enough. Having Bobby’s death be a quiet waiting game was worse than simply being out-of-character; it felt disrespectful to the ensemble cast at large— especially to Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman), who wasn’t even present for it. The mere existence of Bobby’s tragic fate in 9-1-1 was upsetting, but the way the 118’s tenacity was sidelined was nothing short of infuriating.

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