Please don’t bring us to tears when we just did our podcast so nice. Heartbreak is one thing, your ego’s another, we beg you, don’t embarrass us, motherfucker.

This week Tim Minear interrupts your regularly scheduled programming and forces Han, Cil, and Rachel through the five stages of grief as we unpack the emotional wreckage left in the wake of Season 8, Episode 15 of 9-1-1, “Lab Rats.”

This isn't your typical episode; we’re tearing apart the emotional tapestry of the show and discussing why the character Bobby Nash might have met his untimely demise. 

We kick things off with denial—did we just witness a heart-wrenching goodbye or a diabolically clever fake-out? 

Then we unleash our pent-up anger, calling out the showrunner for potentially misleading us into a false sense of security. It’s not just about plot twists; it’s about the heart and soul of the series. Why didn’t they give our beloved captain a proper send-off? Where the hell was Eddie? We critique the pacing of the episode and the rushed emotional reactions of the characters. We’re all about the depth of characters and their connections—we feel robbed of the gravity such a moment demands.

We appeal to Tim’s better angels in the form of bargaining, offering potential roadmaps he could utilize to bring Bobby back from the dead and still push everyone’s individual stories forward in similar ways. 

Hello depression, our old friend. In this section we share our personal history with fandom grief and the real-life ramifications of losing a character we’ve grown to love like a real friend or family member. We reflect on the disappointment of potentially losing the comfort in our comfort show and the healing it brought along with it from past experiences. We take a look at the implications of these narrative choices on the characters and the overall show, and how it ultimately wouldn’t feel like 9-1-1.

The final chapter of the grief journey closes with acceptance, even if it’s through gritted teeth. We overview the “logic” behind the decision to kill off Bobby, what we think Tim is trying to do, and how we can understand it to an extent, but don’t agree or approve of the execution (literally). We’re just trying to hold the tattered remains of our sanity together!

So, whether you’re crying in your cereal or just feeling a bit off, we’re here to hold your hand and process this together—because who doesn’t need a buddie when tackling the heavy stuff? Just a reminder that it's okay to feel grief over this fictional loss, as these characters have become a very real part of our lives and their journeys resonate with our own.

We know you’re craving some major character death, but the Fire Fam is SO NICE!

We could live so happily, as long as you don’t kill Bobby, we’re just kidding… but really. REALLY!

📔 Articles Mentioned

📰 Angela Bassett & Tim Minear Dissect ‘9-1-1’ Shocker, Explain Why Bobby Had To Die, Reveal Alternate Scene & Easter Egg, Deadline

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Shocker: Original Cast Member Leaving After 8 Seasons, Admits “It’s A Tough Goodbye”, Deadline

📰 ‘911’ Star and Showrunner Unpack a Series-Altering Death in “Lab Rats”, The Hollywood Reporter

📰 ‘9-1-1’: Tim Minear Explains Bobby’s Death & Reveals How Everyone Will Be Grieving, TV Insider

📰 9-1-1 Shocker: [Spoiler] Just Made a Heroic Exit After 8 Seasons — EP Explains Why It ‘Needed to Happen’, TV Line

📰 ‘9-1-1’ Creator Breaks Down Show’s First Big Death and Choosing ‘the Scariest Character to Kill’, The Wrap 

📰 9-1-1 boss on shocking main character death: If it's really their last episode, and the Easter egg we missed, Entertainment Weekly

📰 9-1-1's Kenneth Choi tearfully processes Bobby's 'devastating' death: 'This doesn't make any sense' (exclusive), Entertainment Weekly 

📰 Angela Bassett Can 'Absolutely Not' Picture a World Where 9-1-1's Athena and Bobby Don't End Up Together (Exclusive), People

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The Buddie System is a Nerdvergent Media production.

Music by DIV!NITY 

Chapters

(00:00:00) Intro and Stages of Grief Overview

(00:02:01) Where We’re At

(00:07:19) Denial — Why Bobby Isn’t and Shouldn’t Be Dead

(00:23:23) Anger

(00:51:32) Bargaining — An Open Letter to Tim Minear

(01:05:55) Depression

(01:16:19) Acceptance

(01:25:51) Outro