The 911 season 8 premiere may have set up the perfect way to get Bobby back to the 118

Major spoilers ahead for the 911 season 8 premiere

911 season 8 opened with "Buzzkill," an episode that introduced a three episode long arc all about the killer bees that are released after a truck crashes. Bee-nado has been all the buzz since the first promo dropped but fans had also wondered what Cpt. Gerrard's return would look like and how the 118 would handle it. Well, we got our answer in the premiere: Chim, Hen, and Eddie are keeping their heads down doing their work while Buck is going to Buck.

For much of the hour, Buck chafed under Gerrard's command but he was still himself out in the field, coming up with solutions and methods to save people's lives. He did so on the bridge when the bees covered a woman's car and she and her daughter were trapped inside. Using smoke to calm the insects, the 118 were able to get to them and provide the medical attention the mother and child needed.

At a perfume launch party, it was Buck's idea that allowed the team to rescue the host's assistant who had jumped in the pool to fend off the bees. Sure, his planned involved spritzing Eddie down with a bunch of floral scented perfume to attract the insects, and his best friend certainly looked silly running back and forth, but it worked! The assistant was saved and treated.

In all this, Gerrard refused to budge his attitude. He recognized Buck's quick thinking and how it saved the day, but he barely seemed able to acknowledge it. Instead, he focused on his insubordination. By the closing minutes of the episode, Buck had had enough. Gerrard was continuing to berate him and yell, and it was getting under his skin. Then, something unexpected occurred.

What happened to Gerrard in the 911 season 8 premiere?

In the midst of Gerrard's tirade, Buck lunged at him just as the saw the construction workers were using flew off the work table. It went flying past and would have taken the captain out if Buck hadn't have tackled him. However, there was a big problem. Gerrard cracked his head against the cement floor of the fire station when he landed. Not only was he unconscious but he was bleeding profusely from the injury.

The 118 weren't sure if Buck had saved their captain or killed him, and the episode ended before we could learn more. While this may be wrong to say considering this character is gravely injured--he's a repugnant blowhard but no one wants his death on Buck's conscience--it's possible that this event is how Bobby finds his way back to the team.

He's currently on the set of Hotshots only being called in to discuss how the actors should move so as not to catch their lead up in the hose during a shot. The director clearly has no interest in his input beyond that and it's obvious that Bobby feels like he's twiddling his thumbs. Add that on top of the lead wanting to study him and you've got a workplace he wants to be away from pronto.

Gerrard's incident may just be the way for Bobby to escape the life of a TV show consultant as the 118 will need a captain, particularly with the killer bees still being around. Not to mention, Athena is set to do some emergency maneuvering with a plane that no longer has pilots. As the promo for episode 2 shows, Bobby is on the scene, but in what capacity? As the 118's captain, a fellow firefighter, her husband, or all the above? I can't wait to find out!

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