Boots Episode 6 Reveals How Ochoa Dies

With all episodes of Boots out on Netflix, viewers finally get to know how Eduardo Ochoa dies in the series. While the show is a coming-of-age comedy, Ochoa’s death adds a somber tone to the show.

Here are the details on how the character dies in Netflix’s Boots.

How does Ochoa die in Boots Episode 6?

Created by Andy Parker, Boots is an adaptation of Greg Cope White’s The Pink Marine, which is based on the his real-life experience. The show is a comedy-drama that centers around Cameron Cope, a closeted gay man who joins the Marine boot camp. It features Miles Heizer, Johnathan Nieves, Blake Burt, Nicholas Logan, and Vera Farmiga in the lead roles.

Eduardo Ochoa was Cope’s bunkmate during their Marine boot camp experience. Things take a dark turn when Ochoa starts suffering from chest pains in Episode 5, “Bullseye.” Cope urges him to get checked, but instead, Ochoa brushes it off, stating that he’ll be alright soon.

Later, as a result of becoming the best marksman in the camp, Ochoa earns a phone call. He uses the opportunity to call his wife, Gloria, back home. Unfortunately, a man answers the call, indicating that his wife is cheating on him. This revelation sends him on a downward spiral.

Ochoa starts behaving rashly, even toward his drill sergeant, Howitt. Frustrated by his behavior, the sergeant punishes him with intense and grueling tasks. Due to the intensity of it all, Ochoa collapses to the ground. The sergeant performs CPR, but in vain—Ochoa has died. In Episode 6, “The Things We Carry,” it is confirmed that Ochoa had a “preexisting heart condition” that he hid from everyone.

This is quite different than what is mentioned in the book that it is adapted from. Ochoa’s character is based on the author’s bunkmate, Pritchett. In contrast, Pritchett doesn’t die in real life, though he did try to hang himself after learning that his wife hadn’t written any letters to him. However, his sergeant reveals that he was messing with him and gives Pritchett his wife’s letters.