At the end of 9-1-1 Season 7’s penultimate episode, “Ashes, Ashes,” fans of the hit first responder procedural were left screaming, “Oh Captain, our Captain!” after a major cliffhanger put our beloved Bobby Nash’s (Peter Krause) life in danger…AGAIN!
That’s right, folks! As if the 118’s Dad hadn’t been through enough in 9-1-1‘s first six seasons — or, you know, in Season 7, when he casually survived a capsized cruise ship, a desert cartel attack, and overwhelming levels emotional trauma — showrunner Tim Minear introduced another potentially deadly arc for Bobby to cap off the current season.
The four-episode arc kicked off when Malcolm-Jamal Warner joined the show as Amir, a burn unit nurse who survived the deadly apartment fire Bobby accidentally started back in 2014, which killed 148 people, including Amir’s wife. Desperate to make amends with Amir, Bobby followed him to Jacumba, where the two found themselves in another life-threatening situation. In between traumatic flashbacks to Bobby’s childhood, the 118 captain helped save Amir’s life. But the living reminder of the pain Bobby caused left him feeling unworthy of his amazing wife, family, job, and second chance at life.
In Episode 9, after the 118 and Bobby are awarded Medals of Valor for their heroic efforts on the cruise ship, Bobby shares his unexpected plans to resign from the 118 with his wife Athena (Angela Bassett). Worried for his safety, Athena enlists Amir’s help to get through to Bobby before it’s too late…but the episode ends with Bathena’s house going up in flames and Krauce’s character collapsing on the ground. So is this the end of the road for Bobby Nash?
Curious if Bobby dies in 9-1-1 Season 7, if Peter Krause is leaving the show, and if Amir started the fire at the Nash household? Here’s everything we know about Bobby’s Season 7 fate and next week’s episode.
What Happens to Bobby in 9-1-1 Season 7, Episode 9?
As noted above, Bobby spent a good chunk of Season 7, Episode 9 feeling guilty for the immense blessings in his life, so Athena sought out Amir to help Bobby “find his way back to solid ground.” Later in the episode, Amir arrived at Bathena’s house ready to speak to Bobby, but after seeing his family photos and lifesaving firefighter awards, he got frustrated over Bobby’s beautiful life, stormed out, and told him and Athena to “stay the hell away” from him.
Bobby and Athena got into a fight after Amir left, with Bobby admitting he felt like a fraud, was tired, and he needed a break. Athena heard him, but said she was worried he was getting his affairs in order to leave her and his loved ones behind.
“I’m not supposed to be here. I should have died in that fire,” Bobby told her before finally sharing his plan to save 148 people to make up for everyone who died that night. When Bobby explains he threw the book of names in trash on the night of their first date and never wanted any of his pain to touch her, Athena said, “Too late!” Next time we saw Bobby, he was having a dream that his late father was alive (and still drinking) in his house. After Bobby’s dad gave him a scrapbook of all the people he didn’t save, Bobby apologized for not saving him and his dad Tim replied, “I was supposed to save you, kid. Now you’ve gotta save yourself. Do you smell that?”
Just then, Bobby woke from his dream, smelled smoke, and saw the house on fire. He kicked in the door to rescue an unconscious Athena, lying on their bedroom floor, and though he got her to safety outside, when the ambulance arrived, he collapsed to the ground and paramedics got the defibrillator out. NOOOOO!!!!
So Does Bobby Die On 9-1-1?
We’ll admit that things don’t look good for Bobby at the end of Season 7, Episode 9, “Ashes, Ashes.” And we definitely don’t LOVE that the finale, Episode 10, is reportedly called “All Fall Down.” But as we asked with Buck after his Season 6 lightning strike, is this show really about to kill off one of its core characters? Earlier this season, Tim Minear confirmed that 9-1-1‘s main characters aren’t unkillable, but he did admit, “I just don’t want to kill any of them.” That seems hopeful, right? But full disclosure, he also told TheWrap, “One day when it does happen, it’s going to be a sad day for me,” implying that a major death will, in fact, happen one day.
So is today or next Thursday that sad day? We’ll obviously have to wait and see how the cliffhanger plays out in the Season 7 finale (and potentially beyond), but I, for one, don’t think this is the end for Bobby. At least I HOPE it’s not. For starters, I doubt we’d say goodbye to Bobby this quickly — especially at the end of such a successful debut season on ABC. And when Decider chatted with Jennifer Love Hewitt earlier this season, she teased Maddie and Chimney’s future as follows: “For the rest of the season, the drama and the emergencies really happen outside of Maddie and Chimney’s life. They’re pretty solid. They do deserve it, but it’s kind of shocking to say. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it has not dropped yet and we’re almost done. I think they’re just going to be good for a moment, which is nice for Madney fans. But we’ll see what Season 8 brings.”
Now, while Bobby dying wouldn’t technically be happening to Madney, we know that every single character on this show would be distraught and gravely impacted by this man’s death. I’m choosing to believe the lack of general 118 severity in Hewitt’s response is a sign that Peter Krause’s character pulls through again! Perhaps the scare was simply a narrative vehicle designed to get Bobby to face one his greatest fears — not being able to save his family. When he and Athena were drowning on the cruise ship, he made it a point to say he couldn’t save his first family and felt like he was letting her down, too. But this time, he’s able to save her from the fire just in time.
If Bobby does survive Season 7, fans may be wondering why did Oliver Stark respond to the question “What’s your favorite Buck and Bobby moment?” with “Their final goodbye in the finale!” and then reportedly delete it?
The extremely stressful Episode 10 preview showed Athena in the hospital and revealed that Bobby was on a respirator. The teaser does make it sound like Bobby is coding, but there’s also a chance 9-1-1 goes the coma route again like it did after Buck’s Season 6 accident. If we’re looking on the bright side, “Final goodbye” doesn’t necessarily have to mean death. Perhaps Bobby has to stay in the hospital for a while and he and Buck share a touching moment before Buck leaves. Or perhaps Cap lives but decides to step back from his 118 duties after all — either temporarily or permanently — leading the two to share a proper farewell as colleagues.
The episode title and preview are bleak, no doubt. (For those who don’t know, the “Ring Around The Rosie” lyrics, “Ashes ashes, we all fall down” have a deeply dark meaning with ties to death.) But again! We’re looking on the bright side, people! (I’m sweating as I write this. I’m fine!)
Did Amir Start The Fire At Bobby And Athena’s House On 9-1-1?
Something else the show will have to resolve is how the fire at Bobby and Athena’s house started. With Amir’s scenes in Episode 9, viewers are led to believe that he played some role in burning Bobby’s house down, but this is also the show that lead us to believe Amir was intentionally holding Bobby at knifepoint, only for the tease to be a red herring. So we’ll have to see it to believe it.
When asked to tease his character’s role in the final two episode of Season 7, Malcolm-Jamal Warner told Decider, “Amir is forced head-on to deal with some of this resentment and anger that he realizes he had not quite successfully pushed down, and [those emotions] resurface for him to actually have to deal with head-on. I think as much as the audience likes Amir, there may be a shift where they go, ‘I don’t know if I like him as much.’” Warner chuckled, then when asked if he’d be sharing a scene with any other characters aside from Maddie and Bobby, he said, “Well, the good thing is that there’s going to be a Season 8, so there’s always opportunity.” If Amir started that fire, I doubt Warner would be talking about a potential Season 8 return, right? But those gasoline tanks? How’d those get there?! GAH!
Decider will be sure to update this article with new updates (interview revelations, Episode 10 teasers, etc) ahead of the Season 7 finale. Until then, fingers crossed that Bobby Nash has at least another season in him.
9-1-1‘s Season 7 finale airs Thursday, May 30 at 8:00 p.m. on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
