For the first time in eight seasons, 911 has killed off a major character. This death is one that will have devastating meanings for the remaining members of the 118, but the entire situation could have been so much worse. In fact, there should have been at least one more death in 911 season 8, episode 15.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for 911 season 8, episode 15.
Am I happy with the death? Absolutely not, but from a storyline perspective, I appreciate and understand it. This death has now made it clear that nobody is safe. The 118 members have faced death time and time again, and some of those near-death experiences would have killed anyone else in any other show. It got to the point where we just didn’t expect a death to happen.
Sure enough, when the leaks of Bobby’s funeral came out a couple of weeks ago, we didn’t really think that it would happen. Maybe it was a dream or a hallucination. There was no way the series would kill off Bobby after eight seasons and no major deaths before this. Well, we were wrong, and 911 season 8, episode 15 brought us Bobby’s heartbreaking sacrifice.
How did Hen not catch the virus in 911 season 8, episode 14?
As heartbreaking as this was, there were two other deaths that should have happened. And no, neither of them were Chimney! After all, for Chimney to die, Bobby’s sacrifice would have been for nothing, and the point was that the antiviral worked.
The first death should have been Hen in 911 season 8, episode 14, but not from the lung collapsing. She was literally being operated on with the antivirus in the air. Chimney quickly caught the virus due to his mask breaking, but breathing in the virus wouldn’t be the only way to catch it. The whole reason Chimney stepped back and got Bobby to do the operation was because he was likely infected. He didn’t want to pass it to Hen via his hands.
Well, it would have been on everyone’s hands with it being in the air. Plus, Hen was literally cut open, so the virus would have found its way in. The fact that Hen wasn’t infected was a miracle.
Plus, we learned that Bobby’s hose got a leak in the explosion. He’d been feeling the effects of the virus for hours, and considering he died shortly after they were all saved, it means he was likely infected shortly after Chimney. So, the idea that Bobby didn’t pass the virus onto Hen is unbelievable, even with all their masks on.
Buck made a mistake at the end of 911 season 8, episode 15
Then we get to the end of 911 season 8, episode 15. Buck walked out of the room to give Bobby and Athena their final moments together, closing the door to the space behind him. After that, he took his mask off to allow him to break down from the loss.
That was the point he should have caught the virus. While there is a chance that the hallway was initially cleared when getting the 118 out, the door to the lab where the virus was had been opened. Even with clearing the hallway, the air inside the lab hadn’t been cleared. It’s why Buck and Athena had to go back in fully suited up.
The virus would have passed from the lab, into the room on the other side of the window, and then into the hallway. Closing the door wouldn’t have prevented that as the door had already been open for some time. So, realistically, Buck should have caught the virus there.
Of course, Bobby’s death was already traumatic enough, and we know that 911 has made some mistakes when it’s come to these types of arcs. The 118 is just lucky that the situation wasn’t much worse than it already was. Really, Chimney and Ravi should have been the only ones to make it out alive, creating a similar situation as Judd faced at the beginning of 911: Lone Star.
911 airs on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.
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