9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 16 Review: The Last Alarm

Through our tears, we watch 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 16, “The Last Alarm,” which shows only a few of the core cast members’ emotions as they navigate returning to work two weeks after losing their captain. Then, we cry even more as Bobby Nash is laid to rest in the only place that makes sense for him—Minnesota, with his first family.

Even now, an episode after his unexpected demise, we are scratching our heads trying to figure out why this death is even necessary. There are other ways to force characters to handle a moment of grief and watch it alter their lives.

Aside from that, this episode falls short in taking us through the whole two-week journey from Bobby’s death to his funeral. As loyal fans, whom the showrunner must convince to hang on, the emotions that are there are great, but they’re not enough.

Buck Seems to Be Put Together, Maybe Too Put Together

Starting the present-day storyline with Buck being there to comfort his sister about Chim is a choice. Look, I’m always happy to have Buckley siblings time, but not at the expense of Buck showing any emotion.

As I watch this episode, I am trying to find a way to show the writers some grace, but the longer I sit with it, the more it feels unreal. We know Buck is the type of person who pushes everything down until he spins out, but he still seems way too calm two weeks in.

Considering Buck was inconsolable at the end of 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 15, “Lab Rats,” Buck should still show some signs of grief. Instead, he’s the steady voice for everyone else. 

It’s understandable, considering Bobby essentially put that on Buck’s shoulders, but for him not to cry at Bobby’s funeral is a slap in the face. Bobby was Buck’s father for all intents and purposes. Hell, Athena even acknowledged it in the earlier seasons.

So, for Athena and the kids to be the only ones who show emotion during the service is a choice that, if framed better, could have been interesting. Instead, the writers force us to decide why nobody on Bobby’s team is breaking down.

It’s a beautiful moment when Chim hands Bobby’s helmet to Buck so the younger firefighter can place it on the truck. However, their lack of outward emotion makes the moment feel less than it should.

I’m not saying Buck needs to be constantly crying, but I was hoping to see him cry even a little, especially at the funeral. Again, Bobby is his father figure, and Buck canonically wouldn’t have been able to be that stoic.

But maybe it’s a chance for Buck to spin out at some point in the next two episodes. I really hope so because, at this point, it’s the only thing that could possibly redeem things.

Chim is Feeling The Survivor’s Guilt

Despite my criticisms about Buck’s out-of-character moments, I will say his moment with Chim up on the roof is beautifully written and performed. It reminds us that Chim and Buck have a strong bond, even if the show refuses to show it 9 times out of 10. 

By the time Chim is drinking on the roof instead of showing up for Bobby’s funeral, the episode has firmly established that Chim isn’t handling any of this well at all. For it to be the only team member of the 118 showing any outward emotion, the moments are downright jarring.

We see Chim avoiding Maddie by taking up walking and running. He is so upset that he is hounding the FBI to turn over Bobby’s body so the team can bury him.

However, when the moment comes for the funeral, Chim can’t even face it. The combination of grief and guilt is perfectly performed and explored. 

Chim deserves this focus and attention, especially after he almost died himself. It’s only natural that he would be angry at Bobby for keeping his condition a secret from them.

That said, it also greatly highlights just how much Buck isn’t emoting and how much Hen is just ready to move on—both of which don’t fit their relationship with Bobby. Until the previous episode, the writers of 9-1-1 were doing well with Season 8.

Now, we have a grief and goodbye episode, and only two characters can show they are grieving. It’s a disservice to the family unit that Bobby built within the 118. 

However, Bobby still haunts the narrative, as clearly indicated in Buck and Chim’s rooftop exchange. They discuss how Bobby taught them to always look for a third option. Chim is using that lesson as a reason to hold onto his anger at Bobby.

Despite not exploring grief in everyone, I have to hand it to the writers for allowing Chim to be angry, sad, and confused. Most of the time, Chim doesn’t get emotional; he’s the stoic one. 

Athena Needs a Case to Accept Bobby’s Death

At first glance, it might seem like a disservice to Bobby to have Athena focus on a kidnapping that isn’t really a kidnapping case so soon after his death. However, taking a step back, it makes sense for Athena to use this as an excuse to avoid her own overwhelming grief.

If any performance should be commended for 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 16, “The Last Alarm,” it is Angela Bassett’s multiple breakdowns. Her harried focus on someone else’s grief and pain instead of her own is a very real depiction of Athena’s pain.

We’ve always known Athena to be a strong, stable character, but we’ve also seen her have her fair share of moments where she completely breaks down. Bobby was the love of her life and the second man she loved to die. This woman has been through hell.

The shock of the episode comes when she is doing a case board in their almost-finished house. Ghost Bobby visits Athena and walks her through what she’s really doing. 

Despite his words to her in remembrance that he’s dead, Athena doesn’t seem to grasp his meaning. She has to follow through completely on Leah’s case before she can see it for what it is — processing and acceptance of her own loss.

When Athena is finally confronted by Hen about her behavior, Angela Bassett gives the performance of a lifetime. She breaks down and sobs while also remaining angry at Bobby.

She repeatedly states that she deserved the chance to make a choice. Bobby left her, even though he didn’t want to, and now she has to clean up the mess all on her own.

It’s heartbreaking to see, and it’s the only plot I would have accepted for Athena post-Bobby’s death. Her avoiding her grief completely reminds me of my grandmother when my grandfather died. It was a grief so profound she couldn’t think about it, or she’d fall apart.

Athena is going through the same thing. She knows that Bobby isn’t coming back, but that pain is so acute that she can’t even accept it. Until she helps a mom get closure about her baby’s death.

It’s helpful for Athena on the grief front and in terms of saying goodbye to Bobby. This woman was saved by Bobby 8 years prior. Athena helping her is like she can do one more thing for the husband she loved so dearly.

At the end of the day, this episode falls short on so many fronts but does justice for the characters who do get to show their emotions. It’s not the send off a character as impactful as Bobby deserves, but it could’ve been even worse.

Stray Thoughts:

• I see and hear the people complaining about Eddie not showing up in LA until two weeks after Bobby died. Honestly, after an entire season of the writers dismissing Eddie, it tracks, but it still remains a point of contention for so many of us.
• I appreciated the moment in Buck’s place where Ravi, Buck, and Eddie momentarily lean on each other. 
• As much as I don’t like Gerrard’s return, I did appreciate his words to the firehouse. He makes it very clear he’s only a transitional leader, which they needed to hear in that moment.
• Bobby’s funeral deserved to be longer than the short 10-ish minutes it got. Why didn’t we get moments with Athena and the 118 leaning on each other?
• Once again, Tommy Kinard’s inclusion doesn’t make sense. Luckily, he was only in the flashback and briefly in the funeral.

 

---

What did you think of this episode of 9-1-1? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

Critic Rating:

Audience Rating:

 

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

Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!