Reviewer Rating: 3.55/5.0
3.55
The midseason premiere started out pretty depressing, but by the end of 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 10, we had a gorgeous wedding and a hopeful future for Judd. spark.
We’re down to the wire, with only two issues left in the series, and it’s a difficult process to process.
In many ways, we’ve enjoyed these characters as much as we could this season, but now one has to wonder how they could possibly wrap up their storylines in two episodes.
If All Who Wonder belongs to any one of the 126 characters, it’s Marjan and Judd. Their storylines dominate, and at least one of them is something the series has been building up to over the course of the season.
Dropping into Marion’s life feels like an unexpected one, especially since we haven’t seen Joe’s character since last season.
I almost forgot he was pursuing her, but it was nice to follow Marion into her personal life again.
There’s no doubt that Natacha Karam is outstanding as Marjan, and her hour-long performance reflects the layers of depth she brings to the character.
My only problem is that we don’t get to spend enough time with her in this capacity in this series.
We know Marjan as a bold, fearless, and unapologetic woman who speaks her mind and doesn’t allow anyone to silence her voice. However, this fiery personality disappears when you put her in the direct path of traditional parenthood.
Joe’s line about Marion figuring out whether she wants to be a fox or a mouse is a brilliant piece of wordplay that addresses Marian’s other nicknames and her different personalities.
Sitting with her parents, Marianne comes across as a meek, passive woman eager to please her parents and make them proud. Under their scrutinizing gaze, she disappeared, even shrank. It’s not that her parents were overbearing in any way.
From their perspective, it would be easy to assume that Marion was unsure about any plans she and Joe had seriously discussed.
She had no confidence or authority on the subject and would break down whenever her parents, especially her father, pushed her to make a statement.
This is so different from what we’ve seen of her, and it’s no wonder that Joe (or Yosef, as she has him respond to her parents) feels as though she’s not supporting him in any way, leaving him hanging and issuing vocal ultimatums.
He falls in love with a passionate, confident, outspoken woman who stands up for what she believes in, but he doesn’t recognize the cowering violet sitting in front of him.
By the way, Marion conveniently wore that stunning lavender/violet/cream suit to lunch with her parents, which just emphasized the point.
Marian was confident with everyone, but not her parents. But what makes the storyline even better is that it’s relatable to people from all walks of life.
It’s easy for them to make it seem like this is something exclusive to the conservative traditionalism of Lebanese Muslim culture, but we all know that’s not the case.
Even the most independent and confident people can be influenced by people-pleasing, and parents or relatives can have this influence on a person. I struggle with how likable I am—to the extent that I’m harder to shake down with some people than others.
Concepts like “respect for elders” can promote this quality, and if applied incorrectly, it is easy to mistake potentially damaging flaws for virtues.
The sisters’ case therefore hit home for Marian.
The poor young woman nearly suffered third-degree burns and lost her skin as she tried to comfort and help her sister with a project.
She was determined not to do it again. However, when her sister said they were going to play another round, she gave in despite her reluctance.
Marion couldn’t believe that this young girl allowed her sister to silence her and put her happiness aside to appease her sister whom she loved and was grateful for, but she did the same thing to her parents .
This season, they’ve been very careful and strict with the calls, but when they get them, they always use them to reflect on the characters’ struggles, development, and growth.
It’s not surprising that Marion stood up to her parents and realized they just wanted her to be happy, but the last-minute wedding was surprising.
The collection showcases their take on an Islamic wedding and it’s so adorable.
Which makes you think about how rarely we see less traditional and Christian weddings on screen.
Every blue moon you see broomsticks jumping at black weddings, sure, sometimes you see Jewish glass breaking, but that’s about it, especially on broadcast television.
The show also makes a major twist, once again taking advantage of the fact that Kalam is not a hijab-wearing Muslim in real life, giving us a glimpse into how a Muslim couple ends up seeing his wife without a hijab .
This is a moment that is supposed to be intimate between husband and wife, as other men are not supposed to see her hair, and this moment plays a big role in the mood lighting and the special intimacy of the sales moment.
I’m sure this will all leave some viewers with mixed feelings, much like how Marjan’s hijab randomly fell off in Season 1 of 9-1-1: Lone Star, prompting others to form a wall around her.
However, that’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from Lone Star.
Natacha Karam is gorgeous and has the sweetest, most beautiful hair ever, so every time we see it, it looks like a Pantene commercial.
My envy of the ensemble also transferred to Marjan’s wedding pantsuit, complete with a long beaded train and hair accessory. It was a beautiful moment, but also somewhat bleak.
The brief scenes we have with Tommy are truly frustrating and triggering.
I understand the importance of cancer storylines on television, but I still maintain that they didn’t need to do this to Tommy in the final season after everything she’s been through.
It was frustrating to see the toll the chemotherapy was taking on her while Marian and Nancy tried to cheer her up. My heart sank every time Marian helped her put on her slip-on scarf and clumps of hair fell from her head.
This storyline was unnecessary for the character and there wasn’t enough time to do any real justice in the first place.
It’s also difficult when we know Tommy is the Ryders’ best friend. With Grace’s absence and Judd’s problems, there’s a huge hole in the friendship/family that once existed during hard times.
Owen could at least help Judd deal with his often lackluster storylines. It works because Owen and Judd have one of the strongest friendships in the series.
Owen is at his best in a supporting role as Judd, and it’s delightful that he puts everything aside to make sure Judd stays on the right path.
No matter how hard Owen tried to help Judd, his drinking remained uncontrollable.
Judd’s faith in God was always tied to grace. If she hadn’t had enough faith in them both, he wouldn’t have gone to church on his own, or even prayed that much.
Unsurprisingly, her absence underscores how lost Judd is in that department without her. It’s telling that he straight up lied to the pastor in a faith-based alcoholic community without batting an eye.
But Judd’s faith in God was always tied to grace, as was his willingness to continue living on this earth.
Of course, without Grace, his suicidal thoughts surfaced. He wasn’t the type to actively try to get out of trouble, and he didn’t even mind putting himself in a situation where he would be willing to accept death.
Judd walks into the gun factory, bullets flying everywhere as if he has nothing left to lose, reminding him of when he was on the highway in 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 2 Episode 9 Speeding and coming to a stop before hitting a pillar.
When Grace becomes Judd’s reason for living and existing, he has a hard time coping with her absence, and even Charlie can’t fill the void, which is extremely unfortunate.
Again, this is a frustrating arc for one of my favorite characters in the series.
It’s enough to make me wish they’d settle for Grace doing a lot of work, going to school to get a degree, or something else off-screen, and placating us with text messages, phone calls, and off-screen mentions of her.
Without Grace, Judd is a shell, while Charlie moves in with her grandparents. Things are not going well at Casa de Ryder.
Luckily, a text message as a sign (or another sign after saving the priest) is enough for Judd to pour out the drink he was about to drink and give him the spark he needs again.
But it still doesn’t solve the original problem from the start.
I was curious about this moment that hinted at how difficult it can be to be in an AA support group when you are not a person of faith or do not believe in God.
Most plans, at least in their traditional form, are rooted in faith, but if that doesn’t work for you, so what?
How effective is it to follow this program and its steps when you are already an angry substance abuser and don’t believe in some higher power or half the concept of the program?
There were some funny moments in the plot, such as Owen calling Judd to say that Judd might be upset that Grace “abandoned” him and Charlie.
I like Grace very much, but this is a legitimate emotion for anyone to understand, and it’s hard to understand, so that’s a fair assessment. Instead, Judd refocused his anger on God and faith, which felt like an escape.
However, I wouldn’t feel any better if he was angry at Grace, and they ruined one of my favorite TV marriages, so no win here.
But Judd’s real addiction is his wife, so once he’s hit, he seems to be fine. I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be the end of this storyline and we’ll only get the occasional mention that he actually won the chip this time, but that’s about it.
Since there wasn’t enough time to delve into all the nuances of a storyline like this that felt unresolved, they grabbed the highlights and wrapped things up.
But that’s a lot of what the final season feels like, and when you know it’s the last season, you’re just grateful to get as much of a farewell as you can.
Over to you, Lone Star fanatics.
What do you think of Marian’s quickie wedding? Did you enjoy Judd’s dark arc? Turn off the sound below!
Watch 9-1-1: Lone Star Online
