‘9-1-1’ Promo: Who Will Be New Captain? Plus, Athena, Buck & More Try to Move On (PHOTOS)

How does 9-1-1 follow up two heartbreaking episodes about the death of the 118’s captain, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), and then his funeral? With a typical 9-1-1 episode, apparently.

The promo for the Thursday, May 8, episode — the penultimate of Season 8 — shows just why the title is “Don’t Drink the Water.” In Los Angeles, water’s on fire. There’s methane on tap, a news anchor explains, and flaming water in faucets. Watch the promo above for a look at the emergency the 118 will be dealing with — that takes them minutes from environmental disaster. In other words, it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from this show on a normal day. Right after Bobby died? That might be tough to watch.

The logline reads as follows: “Following an earthquake, the 118 races to the scene of several unusual fires and must figure out their cause before anyone else is hurt. Meanwhile, as everyone settles into their new normal, they try to move forward and plan for the future.”

“We’re going to do a real 9-1-1 emergency finale. I think we have, I don’t want to say fun, but I think we have a fun conceit in Episode 17, kind of a thing we haven’t really done before, which will then lead to a mass casualty event,” showrunner Tim Minear told TV Insider while discussing killing off Bobby in Season 8 Episode 15. “And even in their grief, they’re first responders, they got to put that aside and work together to save people. So I think what you’ll see in the last three episodes, yes, grief, love, loss, sadness, and rallying and victory.”

He stressed that the three episodes following Bobby’s death would very much be about his loved one’s grief and “that’s why I felt like I needed a run of episodes to let that breathe.”

The Season 8 Episode 17 promo also shows Athena (Angela Bassett) talking to Hen (Aisha Hinds) about the 118’s future. “The best thing for the 118 would be you as captain,” the sergeant says. But Hen asks, “What if I don’t want it?”

Tim Minear told us that the answer to the question of who will now be the 118’s captain will be answered in Season 9. “I’m not solving that problem right away for the rest of this season. There is an interim captain there who is not going to be the captain going forward, but the last three episodes are not about who’s in Bobby’s chair. The last three episodes are about that chair is empty,” he explained.

Plus, scroll down to check out photos from the episode, which tease some scenes we can’t wait to see, including between Athena and Karen (Tracie Thoms), Hen and Eddie (Ryan Guzman), and more.

What are you hoping to see in this next episode? Who do you want to be the 118’s captain? Let us know in the comments section below.

9-1-1, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC