9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 8 Review: Step Nine

9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 8, “Step Nine,” shows us Bobby’s past to help us further understand his character’s suffering. Even though now he is nothing like his father, there was a moment he came close.

To better understand who Bobby was before the fire and why the fire happened, we needed to see his alcoholism started when he was just a kid. A part of Bobby that’s so elemental to his character.

And yet 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 8, “Step Nine,” does an amazing job showing Bobby is no longer that person. He has made more amends than he gives himself credit for.

It seems Bobby doesn’t see he has spent every day since that fire making up for what happened. Instead, he believes he has to go out of his way to make amends with Amir, following step nine.

The moment Amir starts speaking and the camera switches between him and Bobby, we know things are about to take a turn for Bobby. From celebrating how far he has come and the life he now has, he suddenly drowns in all of his mistakes.

He rushes to leave everything on standby to go after Amir and try to fix what he did in the past. After a terrible journey through the desert, he comes to understand he isn’t trying to get forgiveness but instead show Amir he hasn’t forgotten about the victims.

Bobby keeps track of everyone who died in the fire, remembering the family members they left behind. He carries that accident with him wherever he goes.

During their last scene together, Amir asks Bobby who he has been trying to save. At first, we believe it can be his wife and children. They died in the fire, and he has been trying to chase that guilt away ever since.

However, the episode doesn’t only focus on that. It shows us how tragic Bobby’s childhood was and why his alcoholism started.

Seems Bobby has always been trying to save someone. His father from himself. The people he killed in the fire.

But could he be forgetting to save himself? He is so focused on helping save lives and making amends that he forgets to care for himself.

Athena is the one to remind him of that. She points out he isn’t the same man he was years ago. Even though he says Amir will probably not care about that, it is he who has to focus on the changes he has made.

Even after Athena’s reminder, we can still see Bobby spiraling, wondering if he still deserves the good things that happened to him after the fire.

After this encounter with Amir, we wonder what the aftermath will be like for Bobby. It is obvious he is still carrying the guilt with him.

But is it the guilt from the fire? Or does he also feel guilty about his father’s death?

There is definitely more to explore in Bobby’s storyline, and hopefully, 9-1-1 will continue to go down that road. After all, Bobby is the glue that keeps the 118 together, and we need him around.

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What did you think of this episode of 9-1-1? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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