Reviewer Rating: 3.8/5.0
3.8
As “9-1-1: Lone Star” inches closer to its swansong, these pieces fell into place quickly.
“9-1-1: Lone Star” Season 5 Episode 9 seemed designed to bring closure to the Gabriel Reyes murder case and finally elaborate on Judd’s alcoholism.
Additionally, we can predict where Irving will find himself by the end of the series.
When a series like this ends in an almost unexpected way, the result is a bunch of seemingly sporadic storytelling with the sole purpose of getting us to the finish line of completion.
Fall From Grace is one of those films where it felt like they had a sticking point in their head and they needed some storyline to wrap up or set the characters on a specific path.
The entire hour focuses on Carlos and solving the unsolved murder following Gabriel’s shocking death in the 9-1-1: Lone Star season 4 finale.
The remaining hour gives us some insight into where Irving will be at the end of the series.
Irving’s return to New York was inevitable, so while he pulled in to assist Judd and get his best friend in top shape so he could take his rightful place as captain of the 126 team, we already knew he’d be back in the near future to New York.
The series certainly never shied away from knocking Owen’s ego, so yes, it’s a little nauseating to hear how amazing, perfect, and spectacular he was, and what a folk hero he was to at least two generations of Nebo. A firefighter from his old unit.
Historically, Irving was a firefighter who saved many lives on 9/11 but lost all his friends in the process. This idea is so ingrained in his character that the series naturally follows that path.
In 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 8, instead of taking a stand for Tommy, embarrassing the mayor, and facing consequences or being treated badly, Owen was offered the title of New York City Fire Chief A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
It’s big news, and the series sets him up for further advancement in his field, and another chance for everyone to see him as a hero, solving problems and making everything around him better.
In addition to his reputation in New York City, his work at 126 has made him the first choice in nearly every borough when people make lists of people they want to lead them into the next phase of New York City’s firefighting efforts.
There’s nothing Irving enjoys more than being in high demand and demand and having the opportunity to further his role as a hero.
At first, he couldn’t imagine leaving everyone behind. However, when Owen spoke to the children of a deceased friend and heard about all the other firefighter kids pursuing the same calling, Owen found inspiration to return home.
New York City and this opportunity to return to his roots were calling him, and he wanted to answer that call before he could even say it to Judd.
But there are moments here that hearken back to the 9-1-1: Lone Star series premiere, a look at why Irving came to Austin in the first place and why his position always felt temporary.
Of all the predictable outcomes of this series, the most obvious one is that Judd ends up taking over for Irving.
Judd has always been considered the leader of the 126.
While we know Judd is supposed to take over for Owen in his absence, and the series has set it up perfectly, we have to overlook how silly it is to have him go from Lieutenant to Proby to Captain… “because of the plot.”
Frankly, it’s a little frustrating that without a detour to Irving to “rescue” Judd before he leaves, the position Judd has earned all along wouldn’t have come naturally.
We can already guess that even if Irving turns down an offer he clearly wants, the position could be open to him again as soon as he changes his mind and Judd gets on track.
Now a noble captain and friend, Owen sacrifices his job and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to further help firefighters in need so he can stay in Austin and help his best friend deal with his alcoholism.
On one hand, it’s always nice to see a true bromance between Judd and Owen. They really support each other throughout the series through many ups and downs.
I don’t want to belittle this because it’s a great connection. But it also feels like another story pandering to Irving, which can be off-putting at times.
Judd’s current state is heartbreaking, but not surprising at all. We’ve always known that Grace was the center of Judd’s world, and that he would be lost without her by his side.
I mean, we’re talking about a man whose origin story with his wife includes him literally living for her and dying with her and killing for her.
Before Grace, Judd was a suicidal man with little purpose in life, ready to scorch the earth and die in the process if there was a possibility of losing her.
We see it all in 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 2 Episode 9 and beyond.
We all know that Judd has been putting on airs and isn’t handling Grace’s absence well at all, which is why it feels weird that he’s so distant from so many people.
Others don’t seem to have figured out yet that he’s fallen into a dark place and turned to alcohol.
Once again, there’s nothing they can do about Grace Ryder’s exit from the series and no satisfying way to overcome it, so sadly this storyline is just a sketchy byproduct of an unfortunate situation that doesn’t win.
It still doesn’t feel real or believable that Grace stood up and left her codependent husband, who couldn’t breathe and had no ongoing communication without her and their three-year-old for an unspecified amount of time. Other kids around the world.
A better option for Grace would be to stay away from screens, go to school and get a degree to go into social work.
Now, Judd can get the spot he always wanted.
He had to attend some AA meetings before he could control his drinking under the careful and experienced supervision of Owen, who knew what it was like to care for someone with addiction issues.
Owen felt like he had to go where people needed him more, and now, Judd seemed to need him even more.
Another issue with this installment is how separate Talos is as a whole.
It’s a hard thing to wrap your head around, and this season presents them with these difficulties that are meant to test them as a couple without fleshing them out enough to make it worthwhile.
As expected, Jonah’s whole problem plays out exactly how one imagines it, and in an irritating way, always seems to center on those who want children rather than those who don’t.
We all know that it’s not a question of whether Carlos wants to have a baby or adopt Jonah, but that he ultimately gives in to it without much thought, dialogue, or any real space for his feelings or stance.
It was always one of those things where he kowtowed to TK and agreed to adopt Jonah at the end, right? The whole situation was orchestrated and he had no choice but to give in.
Why? Because given the circumstances, if he didn’t, he’d look like a jerk.
It doesn’t matter that he’s not ready, not mentally or emotionally ready, or that their current life and work schedules aren’t conducive to having a baby.
This is Jonah, TK’s brother; they’re the only family they have; TK is adamant about it and is willing to give up his marriage for it, what his husband thinks be damned, so that’s what it is.
I didn’t like this storyline for the reasons I’ve already discussed. But the bottom line is that there isn’t even room to flesh this out properly, allow healthy communication for the couple, or be fair to both parties.
We did hear TK tell Tommy and Nancy that if he had to choose between his brother and husband, he would choose his brother. He was clearly adamant about something the two had barely discussed.
This left a bad impression on me, not because I didn’t understand TK’s position, but because there was really no room for Carlos. To be sure, Carlos always had to give in to TK, and it’s likely he didn’t even know how risky it was.
Are these two excited to have a baby together, like they’re fantasizing about “happily ever after” when they’ve never felt so distant and tense as a couple?
It felt weird that Carlos got the GSW and we didn’t even get a scene of TK finding out about it at or around his bed to show even an ounce of care or concern.
But I’d be interested to know what Talos shippers think of this pairing.
I’ve always had a nagging feeling that there was more to the Chief, so I wasn’t that shocked to learn that he was behind it all and framed Campbell.
Something always felt off about the Chief, and it became even more obvious when Carlos went to him and read him his findings about Campbell and other things.
Campbell’s cause was not helped by his escape and trip to Mexico.
I can’t foresee how he’s going to get out of this after the whole incident of escaping his home, getting into a shootout with a co-worker, and stabbing a man after cleaning out the safe and guns.
But I guess we can overlook all that because we know Campbell is a good guy now. He even saved Carlos’ life, and while his wife won’t be a fan of Carlos anytime soon, Campbell doesn’t have any hard feelings.
Maybe I’ll eventually get a spinoff of 9-1-1: Lone Star Ranger where Talos’ side takes care of Jonah. Even with this uneasiness, I still love Carlos and Campbell’s chemistry.
The resolution of Gabriel’s murder felt a bit neat in this installment, as if it needed to end at that moment. However, I appreciate that Carlos still struggles in the end.
Solving the murder didn’t make things better or fill the void he felt from his father’s death. The emotional scene with Silva in the grave was great. This also makes him a father like his father. So, that’s it.
Over to you, Lone Star fanatics.
Do you predict Campbell will ultimately be innocent?
What do you think of Talos’ status this season? Did they handle Talos and Jonah’s adoption storyline well?
What do you think about Owen staying on to help Judd deal with his drinking problem?
Let’s discuss it together below.
Watch 9-1-1: Lone Star Online
