9-1-1’s Showrunner Reveals The Scene That Foreshadowed Season 8’s Monumental Death

This article contains spoilers for 9-1-1 season 8, episode 15, “Lab Rats”

9-1-1 showrunner and co-creator Tim Minear reveals the scene that foreshadowed season 8’s controversial death. The death of Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), as a result of a deadly virus, late in 9-1-1 season 8 is still sending shockwaves through the audience that has watched the first responder drama for years. The hit ABC show is on hiatus for two weeks, returning with the first of three remaining episodes on Thursday, May 1 at 8 PM ET. But, in recent remarks, Minear says Bobby’s death was foreshadowed several months ago.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Minear opens up about Bobby’s death and reveals that his demise was hinted at through the fictional actor Brad Torrance. Played by Callum Blue, and recurring early on in season 8, Torrance revealed that he would be killed off in the show that he starred in. In the quote below, Minear explains that this was a way of hinting at Bobby’s coming death:

Well, there is a moment in episode eight, the midseason [finale], there’s a moment where [Callum Blue’s] Brad Torrance says that the captain that he plays on the TV show [Hotshots] will not be coming out of his coma, and there’s a fan there — the guy who was going to jump — who says, “You can’t kill him! He holds the fire fam together.” So that was me kind of hinting a little bit about what my intentions were.

What This Means For 9-1-1

There Was More To Brad Than Meets The Eye

Minear, who co-created the 9-1-1 franchise with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, is referring to the 9-1-1 midseason finale. In it, Brad thinks about quitting acting because it’s cost him his relationship with his family. He reveals to a suicidal fan that the character he plays, on a fictional fire show, won’t wake up from his coma. This gets his fan to reconsider, arguing that Brad’s character has to live, and so will he.

It’s a heroic moment for Torrance, who got on Bobby’s last nerve during his time in a ride-along with the 118. Brad ultimately reconsiders his decision to quit acting, going back to his comfortable job on a network TV show. Bobby moved on as well, reconciling with his estranged mother and building a new home with Athena (Angela Bassett). It’s what makes his death such a shock, he had a full life to lead that was abruptly cut short.

Our Take On Bobby’s Death Being Foreshadowed

In A Way, It Works

There’s an argument to be made that, since Bobby was going to die, more time should have been spent to tie up the character’s loose ends. But the shocking exit, with so much left on the table, speaks to the harsh reality of the situation. That, in turn, is exactly why some viewers are struggling to accept the death as they head into 9-1-1 season 9. Up until now, grim outcomes for beloved protagonists have not been a part of this show.

Source: EW

9-1-1

8/10

Release Date

January 3, 2018

Showrunner

Tim Minear

Directors

Bradley Buecker, David Grossman, Brenna Malloy, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jann Turner, Jennifer Lynch, Marita Grabiak, Sarah Boyd, John J. Gray, Barbara Brown, Robert M. Williams Jr., Kristen Reidel, Marcus Stokes, Tasha Smith, Millicent Shelton, Juan Carlos Coto, John Gray, Greg Sirota, Alonso Alvarez, James Wong, Kevin Hooks, Varda Bar-Kar, Shauna Duggins, Sharat Raju

Writers

Tim Minear, Andrew Meyers, Brad Falchuk, David Fury, Ryan Murphy, Christopher Monfette, Nadia Abass-Madden, Nicole Barraza Keim, Erica L. Anderson, Matthew Hodgson, Stacey R. Rose, Taylor Wong, Tonya Kong, Adam Penn

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  Angela Bassett

  Athena Grant

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  Peter Krause

  Robert ‘Bobby’ Nash