It’s Been a Week Since 9-1-1 Changed Everything – How Are You Feeling?

It’s funny how time works because one week can feel like the longest thing in the world at some point in your life; other times, it will fly by instantly.

It has been seven whole days since 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 15, the hour in which the world lost Robert ‘Bobby’ Nash, and it’s been a VERY long week.

Fans (myself included!) have been struggling since the last few minutes of that episode, and even days later, they are left wondering why it happened and where things go from here.

The series split the last hour of the Contagion arc between Buck and Athena out in Los Angeles looking for mad scientist Moira, who had the single dose antidote that would cure Chimney, who was quickly dying from a deadly super strain of the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever.

It was a race against time as Athena and Buck located the antidote, and Bobby and the rest of the 118 trapped inside the lab fought to keep Chimney alive.

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But unbeknownst to everyone, Bobby had also been exposed to the deadly virus, and after Chimney received the cure, Bobby stayed back in the lab and succumbed to the virus, getting just enough time to say goodbye to Buck and his beloved wife, Athena.

It still doesn’t feel right to type those words out because it’s tough to imagine the 9-1-1 universe without Bobby.

An older episode of 9-1-1 was on television earlier this week, and it was odd to watch the Bobby from 9-1-1 Season 2 and think about the happy guy who was in the early days of his relationship with Athena, falling in love again, and stepping into a new season of his life.

Knowing how stable and fully realized that relationship will feel in a few short years before it just ends will make you dizzy with misery.

We’re coming to the tail end of 9-1-1 Season 8, and to this point, the show has been devoid of a main character’s death, no matter how close some characters have stepped right up to death’s doorstep.

And that’s one reason fans are struggling to make sense of things. For so long, the one thing they could always count on was that their comfort characters would be safe, no matter what trials and tribulations the Gods of television drama put them through.

There is something to be said for that kind of stability while watching television, as for many, it’s often a form of pleasure and escapism from the monotony of everyday life.

You settle down, snuggle up, and lose yourself in the land of make-believe, which doesn’t feel so make-believe when the characters become such an essential part of your week.

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That’s what has the fans reeling, and they’re holding onto hope that a last-minute Hail Mary will turn things around.

You tune into 9-1-1 to see these characters, who feel so familiar to you, navigate difficult jobs and unique dynamics. While the show can get dark and deep, there’s always a pervasive sense of hope that blankets everything.

Bobby’s death feels like someone took a colossal hammer to that very ideal.

We asked before where the show goes from here, and with some days passing since then, we’ve had time to sleep on it, reset, and revisit the question again, and we’re still unsure of what lies ahead.

One of the best parts about being a television fan is theorizing and trying to predict what will happen, whether your thoughts make all the sense in the world or you need to do some heavy squinting to see how things can go from A to B.

Television deaths are a common occurrence, but just because something is common doesn’t make it any less painful. And for fans, there are so many questions to ponder (and keep pondering!) during this mini-hiatus.

It’s that uncertainty that has fans holding onto hope that maybe they missed something or things aren’t quite like they seem, even if the bold writing on the wall tells us that we may have to prepare for Bobby-less Thursday nights soon.

But 9-1-1 has done the impossible before and zigged where you thought they might zag.

It’s poignant, though, that a show whose body was built by hope would have so many fans hopeful that this tragedy will somehow turn itself around.

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A little hope never hurt anyone, and we’ve learned from 9-1-1 that it’s one of the most important things in life.

The mini-hiatus comes at an interesting point.

We’ve now had seven days to process our feelings, and we’ll have another seven before we find out what the post-Bobby Nash world of 9-1-1 looks like.

I wasn’t ready a few days ago, and I’m still not ready now, but I’ll still be here to see what happens to these characters as they pick up the pieces.

We’ll see how the show navigates the rocky terrain of an unstable core now missing its emotional leader.

Love this show? We do, too — and we want to keep writing about it.

Your comment or share can help make sure we get to. That’s the magic of supporting indie media.

We still have questions, and you probably do, too. And since we still have more time, let’s continue talking about it!

You can watch 9-1-1 on ABC at 8/7c on Thursdays.

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