I Am Absolutely Heartbroken Over That Major Death in ‘9-1-1’ — and I Won't Be Recovering Any Time Soon

One of my favorite pastimes is talking non-stop about 9-1-1, but I have to admit that I am at a bit of a loss for words at the moment after Bobby Nash's (Peter Krause) death. I imagine that what I am feeling right now would have been tenfold if we hadn't gotten those leaks earlier this month, but even after seeing video footage of Bobby's actual funeral, I still believed that he would come out of this alive. Even as his death scene was literally playing on my television, I only felt a little sad, because I truly believed that he would survive this. And why wouldn't I? After all, this is the show that put a rebar through Chimney's (Kenneth Choi) forehead, buried Eddie (Ryan Guzman) underground, and struck Buck (Oliver Stark) with lightning, and they're all alive and well to this day.

Bobby himself actually died and came back to life just fifteen episodes ago, too, and it seems silly to have him die so soon after, if they were just planning to kill him off. There is a small part of me now that wants to believe that this is all just an elaborate prank, a sort of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) 2.0 situation, and that in two weeks, we are going to find out that Bobby was buried alive, just like in Oliver Stark's leaked and deleted script. With every new interview and every new goodbye letter, though, it's becoming clearer to me that 9-1-1 really killed off Bobby. To put it plainly, I am absolutely gutted.

With Bobby Nash's Death, '9-1-1' Broke My Heart and Ruined "Work Song" for Me Forever

I had Bobby's leaked funeral scene in the back of my mind for the whole two-part episode, but I wholeheartedly believed that "Lab Rats" would end with Bobby calling 9-1-1 from a coffin. What made me start to worry, though, was when the 118 got saved with 13 minutes still left in the episode. I have been watching Network TV long enough to recognize the false hope that occurs when everything gets neatly tied up a little too early on. The next thing you know, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) is getting hit by a truck, Michael Cordero (Brett Dier) is collapsing to the ground, and Bobby Nash is pulling off his gear to reveal that he's bleeding from the nose.

When a death scene is handled especially badly, it feels so cartoonish to me, that I can't even feel that sad about it. Bobby's death isn't like that, though. He sacrifices his own life to save Chimney, and has beautiful moments where he says goodbye to both Buck and Athena (Angela Bassett). Bobby tells Buck that he loves him and to look out for the others, and then he asks for a moment alone with Athena. Here, Bobby tells Athena how she changed his entire life, made him want to live, and turned LA from his penance to his home. It's a devastating moment, as Bobby dies praying while "Work Song" by Hozier plays in the background.

Bobby Nash's Death Is a Colossal Mistake for '9-1-1' – and It Sends a Harmful Message

Here's something that bothered me, though: Bobby tells Athena when he's dying that he has been on borrowed time ever since the apartment fire. Tim Minear also said in a brand-new interview with TVLine that Bobby's arc was always meant to end with him sacrificing himself to make up for the moment when he couldn't save his kids. I wrote back in the fall that 9-1-1 needed to stop punishing Bobby for the apartment fire, although I had no idea back then where his arc was headed. Now, I would like to double down. Bobby Nash's entire character arc is about redemption and second chances, and the fact that life can be worth living again after your lowest point. Making Bobby finally get his penance by sacrificing his life for Chimney's ruins the message behind his arc.

At the end of the day, Bobby Nash is a fictional character, but the conditions that he struggles with are very real. Making Bobby die all these years later to atone for the apartment fire that he accidentally started when he was at the worst of his alcoholism and addiction doesn't send a great message. I just can't help but feel like 9-1-1 was still punishing Bobby, up until his last breath, as he died alone behind a glass door. The moment where Bobby threw away his penance book in Season 1 was supposed to mean that he was done atoning for the apartment fire, and not that it would be the death of him one day. Ultimately, I'm heartbroken over Bobby's death, but it's more than that. I am angry that 9-1-1 couldn't stop punishing Bobby for something that happened when he was sick. I also know that the 9-1-1 we know and love, the one with a significant focus on found family and comedy, is gone. Above all else, though, I can't even begin to express how much I'm going to miss Bobby Nash.