What if I told you the seemingly senseless death of 9-1-1‘s Captain Bobby Nash might actually serve a larger purpose? That’s right, it’s all one big Ryan Murphy ruse to rescue Doctor Odyssey.

In case you missed it — though I don’t know how you could have! — 9-1-1 killed off Peter Krause‘s beloved character at the conclusion of its two-part “Contagion” event in a surprising move that TVLine’s Andy Swift called a “huge mistake.”

But might there be more to the twist than meets the eye? Here’s my take: Peter Krause is exiting 9-1-1 so that Bobby can breathe new life into Murphy’s other ABC procedural Doctor Odyssey, which just so happens to be on the renewal/cancellation “bubble.” But how can a dead character board The Odyssey, you ask? Let me explain.

 

If you’re a regular TVLine reader, you already know about my Doctor Odyssey Fever Dream Theory, which argues that the entire ship is purgatory and Dr. Max is trapped in his own COVID-induced hallucination. I gathered fresh clues in Episode 15, looked for hidden meanings in death sequences, and even had star Joshua Jackson weigh in on the validity of my conspiracy — and things are adding up.

Should my theory hold water — and I think it does! — it makes perfect sense that Bobby could pass through The Odyssey on his way to eternal rest. He could even stay awhile on board to help the crew out as they face disaster week-to-week before officially passing over to the other side. (Plus, Bobby would look great in florals — just check out our perfectly PhotoShopped image above!)

And yes, we know that 9-1-1′s very-much alive Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) visited the ship back in March. But this series comes from the guy who made American Horror Story — if they want to make this thing work, they’ll find a way.

I know what you’re thinking: Perhaps Krause was simply ready for a career change and decided it was time to hang up his helmet. Wrong! In the wake of Krause’s shocking 9-1-1 exit, TVLine spoke to showrunner Tim Minear, who revealed the twist did not stem from Krause wanting to move on. He called Bobby’s death “entirely a creative decision.”