9-1-1 Season 8 Finale Shockers: Who’s Leaving? Who’s Coming Back? And Who’s Totally Taking Over as Captain? (2025)

May 15, 2025 6:00 pm

• Chimney Becomes Captain

  

  I suppose I should put quotation marks around this one, since Chimney didn’t officially “become” the 118’s new captain, but it’s a foregone conclusion after that powerful speech he gave about the importance of carrying on Bobby’s mission by staying together and saving people as a team.

  “Bobby died so that I could live, and it has screwed me up in ways I cannot fully express,” he told the 118 upon returning from the finale’s explosive crisis. (Zero casualties! Go team!) “But the truth is, he would have done that for any one of us. He knew that just coming in to work every day, there was a chance that one or more of us would not make it home. 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.”

  It was an electric moment. You could feel Chimney stepping into his power with each sentence. Hen clearly also felt it, instinctively responding with a “copy that, cap… I mean, Chim.”

  And this was after Athena commended Chimney for saving Graham’s life in the collapse. “[Bobby] always said you never gave yourself enough credit,” she told him. “But he knew that you were a smart, talented, capable paramedic, and a great leader. He’d be so proud of you. So proud.”

  In short, Chimney now has both Hen and Athena’s seal of approval, not to mention the support of Bobby from beyond the grave. In what universe does he not become captain in Season 9?!

  Hey, at least we can be certain (and grateful) that Gerrard is leaving the 118 to return to Hot Shots. Whichever fake in-universe executive decided to renew that show, we thank you.

• Eddie Comes Home For Good

  

  Eddie was dead set on returning to El Paso at the top of the hour, no matter how many puppy dog glances Buck shot his way, but he changed his plans when he saw a news report about the building collapse. Throwing on his turn-outs, which he received earlier in the episode as a “retirement” gift, he returned to action and helped save multiple victims. Still, it wasn’t until hearing Chimney’s post-emergency speech, which included the line “nobody’s staying in Texas,” that he knew he couldn’t go. (I’m telling you, it was a heck of a speech.)

  The closing montage included a sweet scene of Eddie and Christopher getting resettled in their old apartment. And Eddie clearly doesn’t need to worry about Christopher readjusting to life in Los Angeles; he’s already ditching him to go to a friend’s party!

• Buck Moves Out

  

  Of course, there was one downside to Eddie coming back — now Buck has to find a new place to live!

  Buck, who almost transferred to a different firehouse before Chimney put his foot down, was seen looking for a new apartment at the end of the hour. When his realtor asked what he enjoyed about his old place (aka Eddie’s), he said he liked “that it didn’t feel so new. It had character.”

  It had “character,” you say? I’ll take any #Buddie crumbs I can get at this point, so trust me, I’ll be savoring that line all summer long.

  I originally thought that this subletting storyline was an inventive way to get Buck and Eddie under the same roof full-time, but as Ryan Guzman reminded TVLine on the Disney Upfront carpet, it’s not the most spacious apartment.

  [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0wxRMwqH4s?feature=oembed&w=650&h=366%5D

  “I own the house, but he has claimed the room, so now I’m doing the couch situation,” he told us. “I don’t know how long that’s going to last.”

  Alas, just a few days after we spoke to Guzman, his prophecy has already come to pass. (But did it have to? At the very least, this show missed an opportunity to put Buck and Eddie in bunk beds.)

• Hen and Karen Adopt Mara

  

  There was nothing bittersweet about the way things ended for Hen in Season 8. She passed on the promotion to captain because she wanted to spend more time with her family, and that promise is already bearing fruit. During the finale montage, surrounded by Karen and their children, a judge made it official: “I hereby declare you to be the Wilson family,” thus finalizing Mara’s adoption.

  (Not to take away from this beautiful moment, but did anyone else just realize that her name is now Mara Wilson? Like the actress from Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire? I had a good laugh about that one. It’s good to laugh.)

• Athena Moves On… and Away?

  

  Despite initially telling Harry and May that she had no plans to sell her house, Athena experienced a change of heart in the finale, which ended with her putting it on the market. After taking one last stroll around the home that she and Bobby rebuilt from the ground up, she snagged the framed photo Karen gave her last week and took off — to where, however, is anyone’s guess.

  The finale also helped Athena gain a sense of closure via her cart-cop buddy Graham, who nearly died sacrificing himself to save Donnie in the building collapse, just as Bobby did for Chimney in the lab. Hearing Graham explain that it was the right thing to do, echoing the sentiment Bobby shared with Athena before he died, gave her a deeper sense of understanding. And Chimney pulling out all the stops to prevent Graham from suffering Bobby’s fate also helped to repair their shattered friendship.

  Like I said, this episode was healing.

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1. For awhile I thought they finalized Mara’s adoption off-screen guess I was proven wrong.

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2. What was the name of that song in the season finale disbelief was in the lyrics

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   • Tragedy Is Not the End
     Song by
     Joel Ansett

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     • Perfect song!

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3. I don’t know how you can reference the upfront interviews and still hold onto any “Buddie” crumbs, considering I lost count of the number of times Ryan Guzman and Oliver Stark called Eddie straight, said Buck wasn’t lying in episode 11 when he said he didn’t have feelings for Eddie and said fans were making up their own lore of the show by shipping Buck and Eddie. Not to mention anyone who thinks Buck should be with Eddie, who made him homeless before his lease was up and got in his face so threateningly last week that Buck actually flinched, does not actually care about Buck, since Eddie is a romantic nightmare that should be wished on no one. They’re not happening, period.

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   • Thank you for all your hard work at writing the show and developing the storylines for us fans. I’m so sorry said fans that are enjoying the show and the characters just upset you so dang much.

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   • THANK YOU! Seriously, well said.

     The show has no problem with people shipping or liking Buck and Eddie, as friends or romantically, whatever. But the show has been very kind, perhaps, one could argue, too kind in explaining with everything short of a neon sign that Buck and Eddie are just friends and Buck is straight. It’s the demanding the show do x y and z, harassing the actors and tagging them constantly online, etc.

     And far too many journalists are focusing on the buddy instead of what’s actually happening in the show.

     Down vote me all you want folks, Buddie isn’t happening.

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     • LOL at rational fandom member who thinks they are the showrunner and know what is and isn’t happening. Bet Tim Minear would get a kick out that! Funny to see your talk about harassing and tagging the actors when only one group of fans made an actor actually close his IG tags (and spoiler alert, it wasn’t the Buddie fans) or when the same group started campaigns to get entertainment journalists fired because they like Buddie. But hey, that’s the new fandom the show created this season and I mean it sincerely, good luck to those poor souls on the show who have to deal with you all in the future. As it stands, they’ve upset and alienated Bathena fans, Bobby fans, Athena fans, your average run-of-the-mill viewer, and honestly the entire online fandom who created hype and attracted new viewers to keep the show relevant year after year. Hope they come up with something quick.

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       • Goodness it’s like a vampire coming out of the shadows. I never said I know what the plan for the show is. I am basing this off what the show was saying. What the cast and crew were saying. Multiple actors have referenced Eddie being straight. Tim said he has written Buck and Eddie the same way he has since the beginning. Ryan has talked about their friendship and brotherhood of Buck and Eddie. And Aisha said the door was closed on Buddie after 8×11. Buck himself in the show was very adamant and clear he was not in love with Eddie. I’m not making things up. I’m just coming to a logical conclusion based on information gathered

         I don’t harass people on Instagram and I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t obsess over what actors post on social media. Do I follow actors? Sure. Do I comment on their post constantly demanding my ship be canon and harass them? No. I don’t, because I’m not a weirdo, I don’t care what and who you ship. Frankly, actors shouldn’t be pulled into fandom nonsense. That stuff should stay in its own corner. Bringing it up maybe once in a while for fun, sure. Fine. But the way every interviews and articles are centered around it is exhausting.

         I don’t speak for any fandom or ship. I only speak for myself and my views.

         But let’s do this: Buddie fans harassed Oliver of twitter.
         Buddie fans send LFjr death threats on twitter constantly and tried to cancel and fired.

         Buddie fans stalked the set multiple times. So if you’re trying to play some moral high ground right now, you can’t. So why don’t you stop acting like the issue is one ship or the other when its now about who people ship, but how they behave.

         But boy, I didn’t realize media literacy is so hard.

         But I do agree with you that there were a lot of missteps this season, and the show needs to fix the dropped storylines, and let the characters actually develop and move forward.

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     • Oh apologies. I should have said Eddie’s straight. Buck is Bi. That’s my bad. Typed too fast.

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   • To be completely fair, Eddie is a romantic nightmare: he was a terrible spouse and even worse steady boyfriend during the course of this show. So, technically, he hasn’t done worse to Buck than he has to any other partner, if that’s were the show is going with this. I don’t expect him to miraculously change and be considerate or supportive if it’s Buck instead of Shannon.

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     • It is very obvious why Eddie is the way that he is in relationships but the show acknowledging that is about as likely as Bobby rising from the grave.

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       • It’s really obvious and it’s really sad. Eddie’s stories are dumb or dropped or taper off in deeply unsatisfying ways because the writers are being prevented from being true to the character. Hey, he’s going to discover this vital thing about himself…just kidding. I blame the writers for plenty of things, but I can’t even blame them for this because they are being honest in how they write the character and stopped by external factors often last minute. It’s when they try to write Eddie otherwise, that he feels most unnatural. Performing. I would hate to lose him and Christopher, but at this point, it’s bad stories anyway. I can think of exactly one romance for Eddie that would be groundbreaking and life changing and it’s not going to be with MariAnna NoLastName in season 9.

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   • Your aggressiveness and insecurity over such an innocuous comment – which is no different from the kind of comments that this writer has been making for YEARS – is so funny. As is your misrepresentation of Eddie’s character, and the nature of the bond of deep trust and understanding and love – however you want to define it, platonic or not – that exists between Buck and Eddie. But I know that those of you who started watching after 7×04 and fast forward 90% of scenes do not understand anything, really, about the history or depth of these characters and this show. And that you think you can bully anyone who does not share your opinions into feeling differently or shutting up. And, well, that’s not happening, period 😍

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   • NO WAY someone actually speaking sence and who seems to be watching the same show as i am i thought i was legit nuts and watching the wrong show the way people want these 2 together , eddie is the worst why would u want that for buck

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4. They killed Bobby Nash for this? Respect to Kenneth Choi and Angela Bassett because their acting is amazing. But this did nothing for me. It was an underwhelming and disappointing finale to me but I guess that is fitting for the season. By the way ABC: the episodes of this season and the seasons of the show that are generally not well-received all have Kristen Reidel’s leadership in common…mama let’s research!

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   • Totally agree. I was so bored and dozed off on the middle. Judging by this recap, I didn’t miss much.

     Getting the vibe they’re paving the way for Chim and Maddie to be the new Bobby and Athena. Not sure how that’s gonna work or if I’m interested in that show. Obviously Angela is the lead, but her character is so marginalized that it feels like she’s leaving. And where are her kids? She spent more time with Chim than helping Bobby’s stepchildren through their grief. I guess everyone is over it because “realism?”

     Calling the baby Robert felt like rubbing salt in the wounds of fans. I don’t know. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.

     What happened to exploring grief? We barely got any of Hen’s these past few episodes. Athena got an episode and then a handful of additional scenes. It was mostly Chim, which I guess makes sense if he’s the new male lead???

     I don’t even know what the point of Eddie in El Paso was…

     It feels like everyone just wants to move on from Bobby quickly. The writers. The network. The showrunner. Did Peter Krause do something to Tim Minear? His character got a worse send-off than the actor who sued the show. And Athena selling the house is the final nail in the coffin. Getting rid of the only thing she has left of Bobby so fans will get the message it’s time to move on from him. Maybe it’s just time for me to move on from this show since it’s becoming a slog to watch…

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     • “His character got a worse send-off than the actor who sued the show.” !!! So I was never a “Bobby is buried alive” truther. I found the line about the government keeping his body was kind of suspicious, and while I didn’t expect it, I thought there was a remote possibility that he survived and they were keeping him for testing or whatever. Mainly because I simply couldn’t – and still can’t – conceive that the actual send-off for Bobby was so utterly lacking the heart and respect and gravity that he deserved. I have been wondering if this was a network push for a “shocking death” combined with budget reasons and poor Peter Krause happened to look at some executive the wrong way on the wrong day. What is frustrating is that the show did have some moments of greatness this season, but it’s largely unrecognizable now. And don’t even get me started on the OTHER nasty story that they pulled this season, because I literally won’t be able to shut up.

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     • Wish there was an editing feature–the thing that left a bad taste in my mouth about the baby name? There’s already someone in the world of the show named after Bobby. HIS SON. Robert Nash (Jr.). Who they made such a big deal of reuniting him with in death? Why would you give your son the same name as Bobby’s dead son? That’s so bizarre.

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       • Tim Minear didn’t plan to name the new Han boy baby after Bobby Nash. He said he had planned to name him “Grant” in an interview. But so many fans brought up the idea of naming the baby for Bobby, that Tim took their advice — for once

         Too bad he didn’t listen to the thousands of fans who didn’t want to lose Captain Bobby Nash. This was very traumatic and depressing for 911 original fans. It was done very fast and last minute. In my mind Tim’s “creative decision” was due to ABC budget cuts or something else BTS.

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5. It was an ok episode. I wouldn’t have labeled as a finale. I think this season needed a few more episodes.. But some great moments from Chim’s actor.

   And I love that we see Buck looking for a new place, and it looks like he’s looking for a house. I wish the show would have focused a little bit more on the character’s grief and journey. I also felt there were a lot of threads that didn’t quite get resolved from earlier in the season. But I hope season 9 they really delve further into those.

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6. How about bringing Matthew Lawrence in on the cast. He would be a great addition.

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   • Why do so many people apparently hate Matthew Lawrence??? 😭

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   • Woah ✋🏼✋🏼

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7. Yeah. No. I think I’m done with 9-1-1. In my opinion…Tim Minear ruined the show. It lacks the heart I have loved since episode 1. This episode seemed rushed…and there really wasn’t much story. Chimney can do his speech all he wants…it just feels hollow at this point. I don’t even care that Eddie is back and I’m kind of a Buck and Eddie shipper. Naming the baby after Bobby would have been touching…but that even felt hollow (and predictable) to me. And Buck moving out! Seriously? 9-1-1 has so many talented actors and it feels like they are wasted on sub par writing. As for the season as a whole…not my favorite. It again…felt hollow. Killing Bobby killed the series for me. I honestly think it is the worst decision Tim Minear could have made. To end this I feel sad that a series I have loved is just not what it once was…and that’s largely due to a producer that I honestly doesn’t know his own fan base. I know a lot won’t agree with me but this is my personal opinion.

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   • Kristen Reidel shares a big part of the blame as the writer of the episode and I’m wondering if based on the recent nosedive she is back in creative control too. But yeah, I’m with you. I figured Bobby was really gone but still can’t handle the way it all happened and I guess there was always a little bit of hope until the last scene of the episode. Buck hasn’t actually left the apartment yet from the sound of it so there is a small chance he will be there come season 9 but I doubt he will be and I can’t imagine I will be either. So ridiculous to set that up and go nowhere.

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     • His move will be off screen like so much has been this season.

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   • You do know Tim was the showrunner for seasons 1-4.

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8. Since Bobby has died,I haven’t stop crying.That was a shock. This season handsome twists and turns. But the last couple of episodes has-been amazing g. Can’t wait for next season.

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   • Thank you! I can’t believe so many people rated the episode and season as a fail. This is one of my favorite shows. The season finale was great. Many tears were shed.

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9. This season finale wasn’t game-changing. It was just the usual 911 episode. What a disappointment.

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10. Still upset about Captain Bobby dying

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11. So the woman can’t be captain for her family but the man with a newborn is…

    I mean I love Chimney he’d be great.

    But tired of Hen getting storylines where she’ headed to be a doctor, or be the Captain and then nothing comes of it.

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12. It be Chimmey who becomes Captain!!

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13. This was a good Finale. Chimmy’s speech made me teary eyed. That right there made him Captain next season but he still needs to be a paramedic unless the cart guy decides to become a paramedic in the future. I’ve come to accept Bobby’s death because of Chimmy’s speech.

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    • Eddie could do it, he was an army medic.

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14. Was thrilled to find out the show would continue- disappointed we had to lose Bobby though – he’s a great actor & part of the show.

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    • Sorry to lose bobby. Was hoping they would lose Eddie. I feel like he’s running his course. He’s very toxic. That would have made room for fresh blood

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15. What a lackluster finale. The entire season derailed when Minear randomly decided to kill Bobby and then had to try to justify it with the remaining episodes. Guest characters are getting more screen time than the regulars we care about. Two parters that accomplish nothing and just an excuse to remake a 70s movie… Do none of the writers remember what made this show special? Shame.

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16. So they kill Bobby to be “realistic” about the possibility of dying in random emergencies and then have a grand total of zero deaths in a building collapse caused by an explosion? The idiots behind this show need to take time in a corner so they can rethink their life choices.

    The girlfriend of the guy who the moron was antagonizing said the laundry room, where the disaster started, was in the basement. We saw the initial explosion from the outside and it was clearly above ground. So either it wasn’t the initial explosion, in which case what was it, or she was wrong about the location of the laundry room, which also doesn’t make sense because she should know what floor it’s on.

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17. There’s a noticeable lack of continuity in character development most clearly seen in Buck’s regression and abrupt transfer request. If we’re meant to think that he is either still grieving or has given up trying to get the group together, how did we get from last weeks episode where he was on cloud 9 with Eddie and Chris and Pepa? Is it because Eddie is leaving? Why doesn’t he have a conversation about that considering they have always been very open with each other? It feels like the season’s arc wasn’t properly mapped out in the writers’ room. Aside from Chimney’s excellent emotional speech, the finale’s structure was baffling. For a finale episode that followed the death of a major character, why open with such a drawn-out emergency sequence, only to cram major life events of all the main characters like Maddies’ birth and Mara’s adoption into a rushed montage? These choices felt very disconnected and unearned. It’s starting to feel like a filler show, lacking real emotional stakes, especially since nothing in the finale actually justified Bobby’s death. The cringe predictable name of the new baby would have him rolling in his grave.

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18. Bobby isn’t alive. I’m done with the show. I read the synopsis – no need to watch the finale. Done. The other characters don’t matter. Bobby was the show.

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19. An absolutely fabulous season finale for 9-1-1. A tribute to Bobby Nash, to Chim’s growing leadership and to the entire team at the 118.

    ABC has had some really great finales this week. Will Trent is still the best but 9-1-1 gave us a great story and sets up a lot for Season 9.

    Outstanding television. Congrats to the 9-1-1 production team.

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20. I wish Athena stayed on for the kids and everyone in the 118…she was the strong heroic woman who maybe needs a rest but the city and her “family” need her!

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21. I still think they should Bobby back and make it all a dream. Maybe also she should find out she is pregnant or something

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    • To what “she” are you referring? Certainly not 50-something (although 60-something in real life) Athena. At least I hope not.

      The dream sequence is really a copout and I would hope that network TV learned its lesson years ago with the ridiculous dream story on Dallas.

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22. This was the best closing season episode that I have ever seen. It was engaging, thoughtful and tied up lose ends while leaving you wanting to see more next season! I hate it when things are left hanging and you have to wait months to find out what happens! That drives me crazie and I lose interest!

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23. I loved the ending that wasn’t a cliff hanger. I loved that people had a happy and that Athena and Chimney got over what happened. Maddie and Chimney naming the baby after Bobby was a teary-eyed moment. I can tell you that when Bobby died, I was crying and even when I talk about it now,I get teary-eyed.

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24. I was a weepy mess at the end of that hour. I don’t see how any fan of the show wouldn’t be after all of the dramatic storylines climaxed near the end.

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25. The season finale was not worth the watch. Yes, I was hoping Bobby was going to be alive and was waiting right up until the final moments to see it. Why, because the writers left so many open plot holes that it made it possible that he could come back. Even having the actors leak fake scripts. Beyond disrespectful to treat the audience the audience that has watched since the beginning. But even more it was the worst character send off. The lack of respect for both Bobby and Peter. ABC and Tim should be ashamed. Tim Minear’s decision to kill off Bobby was a recent one and they had to change many of the story lines that had been planned in order to make it happen. What that left the audience with was rushed and inconsistent episodes. Did I miss the part where they actually grieved the loss of Bobby? Athena had the 30 second breakdown with Hen and that was it?? You killed off Bobby for nothing. So disappointing.

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