When 911 season 8 ended, the 118 was left without their captain, Bobby Nash. Having died from contracting CCHF during a lab explosion, the team was left to grapple with this tremendous loss in the final few episodes. What does this mean for the leadership in the 118 firehouse?
For the time being, Vincent Gerrard had returned to the team in the Interim until the Chief could find a replacement. He was also planning to quit once “Hotshots” went back for season 2 so he could return to being a technical advisor, the role Bobby gave him so he could return to the team at the beginning of season 8.
At first, the most likely candidate would have been Hen Wilson. Since season six, she had been primed to take over and prepare for being the one to take over in Bobby’s place. However, Hen decided she didn’t want to do it after all, a decision that surprised the team, but they all respected.
Buck was also asked if he would go for captain, but he wasn’t interested. While Buck had previously expressed a desire to be noticed as a leader, he hasn’t shown a desire for that kind of promotion in a while. Plus, he has a lot of respect for Hen and Chimney, so he likely doesn’t see himself in the role of captain yet especially when they have seniority over him.
Chimney Han could be the glue to hold the 118 together in season 9
Speaking of Chimney, he had previously tried being the captain in season 2, but he has since refused to see himself as a leader. He never saw his capabilities for what they were, and would always lament that any good he did was a team effort. Athena even told him after the rescue in the season 8 finale that he drove Bobby crazy that Chimney couldn’t see what a great leader he could be.
In season 6 during a performance review, Bobby even mentioned to Chimney that he would like to see Chimney see himself for the leader he was. He sent him to the Fire Academy, in part to show him that he was capable of leading, but also to bring back their colleague, Ravi Panikkar. Overall, Chimney has proven to the 118 that he has a leader, but he needs to prove it to himself.
Chimney has been the heart of the 118 since the beginning, and while Bobby was said to be the center of the team, Chimney held them together. He showed this in the 911 season 8 finale by adamantly telling both Buck and Eddie, the former wanting to transfer and the latter about to head back to Texas, that neither of them was leaving and they were going to continue Bobby’s legacy.
Hen responded by calling him captain automatically, before calling him by his name. This gave Chimney pause, but he didn’t respond. This moment between them seemingly foreshadowed that Chimney could possibly be the one who is chosen to lead the team.
Chimney has been an amazing part of the 118 family, even as he dealt with survivor’s guilt in the wake of Bobby’s death. Becoming captain and coming into his own would show him his abilities as a leader, and also help to honor Bobby and keep the team together.
Does Chimney have too much going on in 911?
Would Chimney put his hat into the ring, though? His wife, Maddie, just had their second child, a baby boy they named after Bobby. Their family has gone through a lot as well, and Chimney might also want to make sure he has time to be there for them. After Maddie’s first pregnancy, she suffered severe postpartum depression. During this one, she was abducted and almost killed by a serial killer.
Add onto Bobby’s death and this is a lot for both of them to handle. Chimney taking on the role of captain could also affect things at home, but we know Maddie would be supportive of her husband no matter what he decided to do.
Even so, Chimney deciding to put his name in the list of possible replacements would also give him more of a chance to shine and move forward, since fans love to see Kenny Choi give it his all in his role.
Chimney would be the best possible person to take up the mantle as captain to help bring the 118 back together after becoming fractured in the wake of Bobby’s death. We would love to see Chimney really see how capable he truly is. Maybe going forward and becoming captain would be good for not just him, but everyone on the team.
Whatever happens for Chimney in 911 season 9, we know the loss of Bobby has, and will continue, to impact him in many ways. He said as much that he was still struggling to comprehend just how much it had messed him up. Whatever happens with his journey going forward, fans look forward to seeing Chimney learn to truly see himself as Bobby saw him.
You can catch up with Chimney’s journey during the hiatus by watching previous episodes of 911 on Hulu.
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