9-1-1 was determined to leave viewers feeling hopeful after the shocking and tragic death of Captain Bobby Nash.
Warning: Spoilers below for the season 8 finale of 9-1-1:
The Thursday, May 15, episode, titled “Seismic Shifts,” featured the entire 118 — yes, including Ryan Guzman’s Eddie Diaz — banding together to help save civilians after a building explosion left them trapped in rubble. After the successful rescue resulted with zero fatalities, Chimney Han (Kenneth Choi) made it clear that the team was not going to break apart and ruin Bobby’s (Peter Krause) legacy any time soon.
“Everybody just stop. You’re not getting on a red-eye. And nobody is transferring out and nobody is staying in Texas. This is our firehouse. This is the 118. And it’s not just a number. It’s us,” Chimney declared. “And you’re right, Buck, things are never gonna be the same again because Cap is gone. But leaving won’t change that. It won’t make you feel any less sad. It just means that you’ll be sad all alone.”
He continued, “Bobby died so that I could live, and it has screwed me up in ways that I can not fully express, but the truth is he would have done that for any one of us. You see, he knew that just coming into work every day there’s a chance that one or more of us would not make it home, and his job above everything else was to make sure that we did. And we are all standing here right now because of him. This team, we are his legacy. So we can miss him and we can mourn him and we can even curse his name, but we are not going to disrespect him by throwing away what he built right here. So you hang up your turnouts, you hit the showers, you go home and you get some rest, because we are all going to see each other on our next shift. Together. Understood?”
The episode concluded with the 118 reunited and working toward a new normal following Bobby’s passing. Keep scrolling to see where each character ended season 8 before season 9 premieres later this fall:
Athena
After witnessing a building explosion — not too different from the explosion that occurred before her husband’s death — Athena (Angela Bassett) headed into the rubble to save as many people as she could. After being joined by Chimney, the two found themselves stuck without an exit. When it was revealed that one of the civilians had been keeping his injuries a secret in order to save the other (an echo of what Bobby did for Chimney), the pair were able to set aside their differences and ultimately save both men.
“You’re a very capable paramedic and a great leader,” Athena told Chimney before they embraced. “He’d be so proud of you.”
Athena ended the episode by deciding to sell her newly renovated home and headed to the hospital to meet Chimney and Maddie’s (Jennifer Love Hewitt) new son, Robert Nash Han.
“Hello, Bobby,” she cooed while holding the infant in her arms.
Chimney
When arriving at the emergency with the 118, Chimney got wind that Athena was inside and headed in to help her. While in the midst of assisting injured civilians, a second collapse left them stuck inside the rubble. Together, the duo managed to save two injured men, working through their differences over Bobby’s death. (Bobby hid his symptoms after contracting a deadly virus so that Chimney would be given the single anecdote, ultimately leading to his death.)
Back at the station, Chimney lost his cool after realizing the team was able to save everyone — meaning zero fatalities — but still felt fractured. He then jumped into a passionate speech that inspired Eddie to stay in L.A. and Buck (Oliver Stark) to refuse his transfer so they could all stay together as the 118 was meant to be.
Chimney ended the episode at the hospital, welcoming his son, Bobby, who he introduced to Athena.
Eddie
Eddie began the episode with plans to return to Texas with his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), to start his job as an El Paso firefighter. At the 118’s goodbye lunch, the team presented him his turnouts to take with him to his new station.
However, as he packed up at home, Christopher alerted him to the news of the 118’s emergency, and Eddie immediately headed to the site to help. While Gerrard (Brian Thompson) wanted to go by the book for the rescue, Eddie found a different way to help Buck and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody) escape, zip-lining them from one building to the next. He credited the idea to Bobby, who taught him there’s “always a choice.”
After Chimney’s emotional speech at the 118 later in the episode, Eddie decided to stay in L.A. with Christopher, and the duo moved back into their home.
Buck
Buck (Oliver Stark) began the episode by revealing that he put in for a transfer, claiming that the 118 is “just a number now.” He then headed to the emergency with the 118, saving residents with Ravi before a second collapse left them trapped. He and Ravi ultimately escaped, thanks to Eddie’s quick thinking, and the trio headed back into the building to save the rest of the team.
Buck later took Chimney’s speech to heart like everyone else, choosing not to transfer. He ended the season by looking for a new place — one that feels “lived in,” like Eddie’s home did.
Maddie
Maddie’s main focus in the finale was figuring out who was stuck inside the collapsed building so she could communicate what she found back to the 118. She ended the episode by giving birth to her and Chimney’s son, Robert Nash Han, named in honor of Bobby.
Hen
Hen (Aisha Hinds) started “Seismic Shifts” by announcing to the rest of the team that she passed on taking over as captain after it’s revealed that Gerrard planned to step down and return to his TV consulting role.
She then took to the ground after the explosion with the rest of the crew. After returning to the 118 safely, she accidentally referred to Chimney as “Cap,” possibly hinting that he could be stepping up into the role for season 9.
Hen and her wife, Karen (Traci Thoms), ended the episode by officially adopting their foster daughter, Mara (Askyler Bell).