When 911 season 8 made the shocking decision to kill off the beloved Bobby Nash, there was uproar around the fandom. Sure enough, the pain and grief is still going to be felt as we move into 911 season 9, and Oliver Stark shares his thoughts on the stories to come.
While Peter Krause won’t be officially in the episodes, there is always hope that we’ll see him again. He did appear in episodes after Bobby’s death via flashbacks and as a ghost, and these are ways that the show can continue with him.
However, that doesn’t mean he will be felt in every single episode. Just like real grief, the feelings of Bobby around are going to come and go, and it’s going to be a powerful form of storytelling—if you’re willing to stick around, that is!
The creative team did what they intended in 911 season 8
Stark shared with Deadline that the creative team has arguably done what was intended with the decision to kill off Bobby Nash. This comes off the back of fans being angry and hurt by the decision, with some even calling for a boycott of the show.
As Stark was asked about it, he shared that the whole point of the storyline was to “feel hurt and upset.” There are times when people will feel happy, but there are times when people will feel sad. That is the whole point of television.
Those who feel hurt by the actions that are supposed to hurt means that the storytelling has done its job. It’s evoked the right feeling, rather than having people passively watching a show and scrolling on their phones.
“For me, if people are hurt by the actions that are meant to feel painful then it means that we’re on the right path and doing the right thing, so I thank them for their investment.”
The comments follow something similar to what Transplant showrunner Joseph Kay said to me at the end of that series. Whether it’s love or hate, at least he made people feel something and care deeply, and that’s what he wanted as a storyteller.
Healing isn’t linear, and this won’t be either
Don’t expect the 118 to just move on now that they’ve (potentially) found a new permanent captain. Healing isn’t linear.
Sometimes, you think that you’re over a traumatic or hurtful event, and then the memory of it pops up when you least expect it. This happens in grief as well. You think you’ve got to acceptance, but then you take a step back into anger.
Those five stages of grief aren’t really stages at all. They are a cycle, and you can be in and out of them throughout the year.
This is something Stark tells us all that we should expect to feel. There are times when it will feel like everyone has moved on, and then, boom, the memory of Bobby is back again. There are going to be many creative ways for him to haunt the narrative.
“There are episodes that maybe feel lighter and like we’re moving directly past it and then, as grief does, it sneaks up on you again. So I don’t think it’s an overall down feeling of the show, I think it’s looking to move forward, but in a way that is respectful to the memory of the Bobby Nash character and finding creative ways for him to still haunt the narrative.”
911 season 9 premieres on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 8/7c on ABC.