Not sure why, but this year I wasn’t feeling the weekly recap for 9-1-1 Lone Star. Maybe that’s because I wasn’t watching nearly as many network dramas. Regardless, I kind of wish that I had because this season got a longer episode order (18) and a lot of stuff went down! I’ll try my best to cover it, an there will likely be spoilers, so you’ve been warned.
A big thing that was lingering from the second season finale was that the 126 was shut down. They only spent a handful of episodes apart before they all rallied together to raise the funds to build a new firehouse. That was pretty much the only big thing to face the house as a whole, and during those episodes we see everyone trying to help out during a winter storm that hit Austin (too soon?). With everyone back at the 126, the problems become more personal for the rest of the season, so I’m going to try and cover all the big stuff for our characters.
Nothing that drastic really happens with Marjan all season, but I love seeing her close friendship with Paul. This is especially tested when Paul learns he has to get a defibrillator put in. The conflict there gets resolved pretty quickly. Mateo really steps up this season and very clearly isn’t seen as a rookie anymore. Late in the season he starts a romance with Nancy, which I am randomly here for! Nancy is definitely more utilized this season, but her most major conflict is all the fallout that occurs from resuscitating a woman with cancer wearing a DNR bracelet. That was definitely intense. Tommy’s biggest storyline is that she almost starts a relationship with her brother-in-law?! I was a little skeezed out by that.
Now, our core cast really had a lot going on for them. Freaking Judd and Grace cannot catch a break! They are both stuck in snow storms in totally different locations when their daughter is born. They name her Charlie to honor Tommy’s late husband. Not too long after Charlie’s arrival, Judd finds out he’s got a seventeen year old son! As the Ryder do though, they handle the situation quickly and with a lot of humbleness. I always hate the tension that builds for them, but am relieved when it’s quelled easily. Towards the end of the season Judd gets his leg broken twice. First from falling off a horse, and then from a building collapsing on him. Give this man a break! He does learn in the season finale though that Owen definitely wants Judd to be the one in charge of the 126 whenever he hangs his hat up.
TK goes through a multitude of near-death experiences this season. First, he almost dies of hypothermia from rescuing a boy, and then he almost dies in a plane crash on the way to his mother’s funeral. That’s right, Gwen died getting hit by a car, but we still get to see her a handful of times over the course of the season. It’s through these events though that we learn more about TK. At the start of the season I was devastated to learn he and Carlos broke up, but the bout of hypothermia ended that quickly. Then we get to see more into his past with addiction, which was intriguing. In the season finale we are treated to his and Carlos’ engagement! Hell yes, people!
Finally, Owen also went through the ringer a bit this season. Obviously, his ex-wife passed away, but he also kind of gets back on the dating horse. The success of his relationship though is derailed by his ongoing anger issues. Late in the season we learn this may all stem from the estranged relationship he has with his father, who left when he was young. I loved the episode learning more about that. It turns out Owen has a fear of clowns because that was the wallpaper in the hospital waiting room where he learned his younger brother died by drowning. This also leads him to get some closure with his dying family who went on to start a whole new family after leaving Owen and his mother. Perhaps his half brother (I believe Rob Lowe’s real brother) will be in the mix more in later seasons.
Overall, it was a jam-packed season with lots of ridiculous 911 calls, and an obscene amount of drama. I never thought I would enjoy a show like this, but for whatever reason it lands for me. If you have never checked out this show before, why not start now?