Spoiler alert! This story accommodates a giant spoiler for 9-1-1’s April 17 episode “Lab Rats,” so for those who’re not caught up, be sure you stream the episode along with your Hulu subscription.
I really feel prefer it’s going to take a while earlier than 9-1-1 followers are actually over the most important character demise we witnessed within the newest episode to air on the 2025 TV schedule. Regardless of the characters of Ryan Murphy’s creation usually discovering themselves in harrowing conditions, no one foresaw authentic solid member Peter Krause’s Bobby being the one killed off. In actual fact, Angela Bassett stated when the decision got here to tell her, she thought Athena was about to die.
The devastating lack of the 118 fireplace captain got here on the conclusion of the collection’ two-part “Contagion” occasion. Angela Bassett confirmed to THR that showrunner Tim Minear gave her and Peter Krause a heads-up that Athena was dropping her husband Bobby Nash, and the information got here as fairly a shock, as she stated:
Tim did pull Peter first and let him know. Then he pulled me and he gave me a name and was like, ‘OK, Angela, this can be a large change within the season. We gotta do one thing actually dramatic — and somebody’s going to die.’ After which there’s a pause, in fact. And I stated, ‘Is it … Athena? Is it me?!’
Given the entire challenges Athena has been via previously couple of seasons alone — the Season 7 cruise ship disaster, each Athena and Bobby practically dying in a home fireplace and this season’s airplane disaster, for instance — it’s not onerous to think about why Angela Bassett can be involved about Athena Grant-Nash.
Nonetheless, even after Tim Minear instructed her Athena was protected, the Emmy-winning actress didn’t suspect she was dropping her on-screen partner. She continued:
After which I began going via the checklist: ‘Is it Hen? Is it Chimney?’ And I feel lastly, after about three or 4 names, I used to be like, ‘What?!’ — as a result of it was inconceivable to me that it was Bobby. It was incredulous to me that it was Bobby, so it was simply very shocking. Typically, you’re simply struck dumb — and that’s a type of moments as a result of their bond has been so fantastic and so sturdy these previous 4 or 5 years. I didn’t see that coming. None of us noticed that coming.
That’s actually additionally true of Kenneth Choi, aka Chimney, who described “sobbing uncontrollably” after watching Bobby’s demise — regardless of having been there when it was filmed. I’m positive that is onerous for each the actors and their characters to understand (to not point out the viewers), and will probably be actually attention-grabbing to see how Athena copes, in addition to everybody who trusted him on the 118.
I feel this could function a warning to followers, although, that nobody is protected.
At the start of Season 8 — following the airplane emergency that had Athena piloting the craft after a mid-air collision — Tim Minear allow us to get comfy concerning Athena and Bobby’s fates, saying, “I feel for Bobby and Athena, they will breathe a sigh of aid for a second,” and turning our focus towards what Eddie (Ryan Guzman) was dealing with.
That sigh of aid is formally over, so we’ll all take per week or two to come back to phrases with this loss earlier than checking again in on Athena when 9-1-1 returns at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, Might 1, on ABC.