Yay to season premieres! The start of this new year is starting to feel just a bit more normal with the premieres of shows I would typically watch at this time. It is strange though, especially given that cases are worse than ever. I suppose a vaccine helps, and for that I am thankful. Anyways, the train is still rolling on Prodigal Son, but this week also marked the return of 9-1-1 Lone Star.
I was interested for what was in store for Lone Star on Monday night, especially since news broke many months back that co-lead, Liv Tyler wasn’t going to be returning. Not because she didn’t like the show, but for like, concerns about virus and being away from her family. Totally valid reasons! Anyways, that also made room for the introduction of Tyler’s character’s replacement. That came in the form of Gina Torres (Hannibal alum, y’all!) as former EMS captain, Tommy Vega. That’s right, the door is still open for Tyler to return if she wants to. In fact, tying it all together, Vega apparently trained Michelle Blake! Small world. I was glad to see there was no awkwardness with her and Rob Lowe’s character, Owen. He went out of his way to make her feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. It also doesn’t hurt that she has Judd vouching for her greatness (well-deserved).
Alright, enough with introductions, let’s talk about the action! This episode saw all of our first responders donning masks, as expected. It also saw them stop a man from mowing down a VA hospital in a tank that had denied his dying daughter care recently. Owen literally got smacked in the face with the barrel of the tank’s gun! Speaking of Owen, his cancer scare and T.K.’s recovering gunshot wound means that the matriarch of the family, Gwyneth, is in town. Her and Owen have apparently found the spark again in quarantine, much to T.K.’s chagrin. Him and Carlos are going strong, and I’m here for it! It’s also clear that the rest of the team’s bond is as strong as ever, even if they can’t hug each other at the moment. Aside from the man in the tank, the 126 also have to help a woman who gets a grisly injury from roller derby.
A lot of the episode was spent with Vega, and rightfully so, since she is the newest member of the team. It shows her struggling to balance being back on the job with her home life. She’s relying on her recently out of work husband to care for her young twin girls. She’s also mad that a 24-hour shift prevents her from seeing them at all. I think it’s just the growing pains of getting back into it. I have no doubts that she’ll be able to balance it. Owen is also given some good screen time, part of which was spent being told he’s in remission! That’s also part of the reason he asks Gwyneth not to go back to New York. I think he needs someone to lean on, so why not have it be his ex-wife? Especially if they’re reconnecting in a healthy way. Looking forward to what the rest of the season has to bring!
Now, onto Prodigal Son! Again, this show is still just so close to being really good that it almost pains me. Anyways, let’s just jump into the murder of the week, which happens to be a stabbing, bloodletting, and hanging of a priest. Malcolm’s got his blinders on and is convinced the killer is some ritualistic Catholic, but other clues lead them to the priest’s exorcised patients. Malcolm and JT get to visit someone named Norman, and I can’t deny how much I loved the Psycho reference here. Too bad this couldn’t have aired during October! Regardless, Malcolm concludes it couldn’t be Norman because he’s not in control when his mental state switches. After a nightmare (more on that later), Malcolm is talking with Dani when it suddenly hits him that there was a painting being restored in the church, and that the nun, Sister Agnes, is likely suffering from lead poisoning. Turns out the actual restorer is the one suffering, and again, Malcolm has to ask Martin for help.
Speaking of Martin, he is obviously confused about what being “okay” means, because he describes his children’s lives as essentially flourishing, but in reality, Malcolm is being eaten with guilt about what he did with Endicott. Even Ainsley admits that she’s a little broken, too. One of my favorite scenes in the episode is when Malcolm is talking to the nun who suddenly transforms into Ainsley, telling him he must confess about what they did. He snaps awake with half the office starring at him and Dani approaching with a bulletproof vest on. Can you blame her? Luckily, by episode’s end, Malcolm realizes he can do the same thing to Martin that he’s been doing to Malcolm. A big part of that is just leaving him. Martin is furious, and starts conspiring with a fellow inmate about “getting out of here.” I can’t wait for the chaos that could bring! Could it be a father-son murder in the future?! One can only hope.
Luckily, the second episode of the season is still seeing JT processing the attack he faced last week. Gil questions why he hasn’t reported it yet, but JT just reiterates what he said last week. He’s got a family to look out for, and more importantly, will his report even do anything other than putting a target on his back? JT does almost go to file a report after the same cop who attacked him antagonizes him over the radio and DOESN’T SEND BACKUP! How in the world is that okay?! Can’t other cops hear that radio channel? Regardless, JT’s had it, but loses his nerve on the way there. Sadly, the rest of the team doesn’t know how else to support him other than saying they’ve got his back. Who knows where this storyline goes in the coming episodes, but I’m glad to see they haven’t dropped it after the premiere last week. And finally, perhaps the least interesting character of the season is Jessica. Her biggest woe this season is whether or not it’s a good idea to date Gil. Seems like the problem is solved by the end of the episode, although I imagine an escaped Martin could definitely cause some issues there.
Until next week!