In the latest episode of ABC’s 9-1-1, fans were on the edge of their seats, praying Chimney would be okay. Nobody thought we’d have to worry about Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), too, but in pure Bobby fashion, the captain of the 118 prioritized the members of his team over his own life.
Why is Peter Krause leaving?
The previous episode left off with Bobby, Hen, Ravi, and Chimney trapped in a lab with a deadly virus, and Chimney was already infected. This episode followed Athena Grant Nash and Evan “Buck” Buckley on their hunt for the cure while Bobby and the rest of the 118 tried to save each other.
As of episode 15, which aired live on ABC on April 17th at 8 pm EST, and aired on Disney+ and Hulu at 5 am EST, Captain Bobby Nash saved Chimney at the expense of his own life. The 118 will have to replace their fearless leader for the second time, and Athena lost her husband.
We were able to watch Bobby’s last moments with Buck, and then his final moments he spent with his wife. Bobby shut himself back in the lab, revealing the fact that he’s been infected by taking off his mask and telling Buck, “You’re going to be okay, Buck. Remember that. They’re going to need you. I love you, kid.” Buck then tells Athena that she needs to come down there, and it’s then that the viewers learn that Bobby was infected for longer than we realized. His breathing apparatus had a hole in it, and he proceeded to hide it from everyone.
“I’m sorry,” Bobby tells his wife at the end. “This isn’t how I wanted to leave you. I’m not choosing to leave you. I chose to save my team because it was the right thing to do. It was never because I wanted to go. I don’t want to go. If I could choose, I would stay with you. Always.”
“L.A. was supposed to be my penance, not my home,” he continues. “And then you said yes to a dinner invitation, and I started to live again. I love you, baby.” This heartfelt confession, and watching Athena beg him to stay, had the fans in a puddle of tears. I’m not even sure what was worse, that confession or watching everyone’s reactions to being told that Bobby is or has died.
So why did Peter Krause decide to leave 9-1-1? There are a few explanations, and Peter Krause has addressed it himself on Good Morning America. Peter Krause spoke about how much his time on the show meant to him, that it has shaped the person he’s become over the last decade, and that, given Bobby’s heroic nature, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the captain would do something so monumental as this.
“It would come as no surprise to the viewing audience that Bobby chooses to save Chimney and stoically contains himself in a lab,” Peter Krause told the ABC morning series in an interview that aired on April 18th. “He was willing to sacrifice himself so that others could see another day. I will miss everybody dearly. This was my workplace home for eight years, eight seasons, and I am really gonna miss everybody.”
Peter Krause also talked about the bond and love between Bobby and Athena, and how he hopes to portray a romance just as significant as theirs on television again sometime in the future. So, is this the last time we see Bobby on 9-1-1? Not necessarily, according to the show’s co-creator, Tim Minear, who teased that Bobby’s presence will continue to be felt as the final episodes of season 8 air.
“After eight years, it just felt like, if we have any hope of creating stories going forward that have actual stakes, then someone’s got to die,” he told the outlet. “I think it needed to be Bobby for a lot of reasons… If you track the tragic arc of his character, of where he started, and how he came to L.A. looking for atonement, it just makes a kind of tragic sense for his character in a way it wouldn’t for another character… [but] I will say that episode 15 is not Peter Krause’s final appearance this season.”
Rumors had been swirling about Peter Krause’s possible end for the past few weeks after images of a large-scale funeral scene with the 9-1-1 cast and crew found their way onto social media. Peter Krause said this in a statement on Thursday:
“I’ve heard that many fans are upset by this loss, and they have a right to be. It is a loss. That said, it was more than a bold creative choice on a bold show. Bobby Nash was written in sacrifice, and he was built for this. First responders risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day. His story arc honors them. We at 9-1-1 salute all the incredible men and women who do these dangerous jobs and strive to keep us safe. Our show is incredibly difficult to make at times, with long hours, challenging stunts, and elaborate disasters. We couldn’t do it without each other.”
“Finally, I will miss my beloved and unruly children of the 118: Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Oliver Stark, Ryan Guzman, and Anirudh Pisharody. This is a tough goodbye. Stay unruly, but be professional and get the job done. Misfit heroes need each other. That’s how we do it at our firehouse. Pass it along to the next guy. This has been one wild adventure. I thank you all, with all my heart,” Krause says in goodbyes to the cast and crew of 9-1-1.
Angela Bassett, who plays Bobby’s wife, Athena Grant Nash, said she did not dare to ask Minear about what comes next: “But part of me can’t help but think that that means more is going to land on Athena’s shoulders.” She went on to add that Athena is “probably done” with relationships now.
The show will have three more episodes in Season 8, and has already been renewed for Season 9, announced just two weeks ago on April 3rd, to come this fall.
