Jared and Grace Ryder are the brightest characters in “9-1-1: Lone Star.”
This couple is undoubtedly one of the most wonderful depictions of a married couple on television. However, for various reasons, the final season of “9-1-1: Lone Star” did not satisfy viewers in this regard.
We wonder what the hit series would be like without Grace, but the reality is bleak.
No matter how you slice it, Grace’s exit makes no sense
It’s hard for a series to develop characters, but that’s especially true when they’re beloved.
When the news broke that Sierra McClain wouldn’t be returning for the final season, we always knew that writing Grace Ryder’s story wouldn’t be easy.
The writers have their work cut out for them, so much of the problem is finding a way to respect the character and her marriage to Judd.
The Ryders have been the backbone of this series, so losing that fundamentals in the final season is already a huge blow.
The writers didn’t want to risk more outrage by killing off the character off-screen, or Grace and Judd splitting.
However, with two episodes left in the final season and the end of a dizzying emotional arc in 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 10, we can confirm that Grace’s absence means nothing.
Grace’s approach of prioritizing random strangers over the people she loves isn’t working
The Grace Ryder we know is a kind, giving, generous, loyal and, yes, religious woman.
Of course, she strips down to help others in need, so it’s no surprise that she lends a hand in some capacity.
However, missionary work that takes her across the globe and leaves her disconnected from her toddler, co-dependent husband is not at all appropriate for the character.
Grace nearly died while giving birth to adorable baby Charlie. She had great difficulty doing things like returning to work because it meant missing out on those quality times with her first child.
Her choice to leave Charlie for several months to care for other children was unrealistic.
Grace was a woman who had always answered the call, but now she had put herself in a position where she couldn’t do that for her husband and daughter. Not our Gracie.
Trying to prove Grace’s selflessness backfires.
This arc attempts to highlight Grace’s selflessness.
The problem, however, is that when you have to endure the extent to which things fall apart at home in her absence, it can be read as a rash, short-sighted decision that does serious damage.
Incredibly, Judd is not only able to cope with Grace’s absence in his life and limited access to her, but is also able to care for Charlie on his own.
Technically, when Grace left, Judd had ended up spending all his time helping Wyatt recover and then helping Wyatt prepare for fatherhood.
Judd then had to return to firefighting, which meant his work schedule was disrupted.
Sure, Judd will have help from his village, but the weight on his shoulders is heavy, and I don’t think Grace isn’t thinking more about that.
But it’s also bad that we have such a huge storyline in Grace’s absence, including Tommy’s cancer.
She and Tommy were best friends, and now, when she needs to support Tommy in his fight for his life, she falls out of the loop, often off the grid.
Knowing how Grace will play an integral role in some of these arcs doesn’t make her absence any easier to deal with because she’s not there.
Judd without grace is an empty vessel
In a flashback to their love story in 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 2 Episode 9, we got a good idea of what Judd would be like without Grace.
Before Grace, Judd had a breakdown and suicidal thoughts, he couldn’t find much meaning in his life and felt guilty about childhood trauma.
He breaks down again when he thinks Grace is leaving him and he doesn’t live up to her father’s expectations.
Judd is a reckless, angry man trapped in a dark space from which he can’t extricate himself, and without Grace representing him and ultimately reuniting with her, it’s no wonder where he would be.
When the truck falls into the river, Judd can’t get Grace’s legs free and he won’t leave her side because he would rather die than live without her.
While she fights for his life, he is willing and ready to kill those who hurt her.
Judd’s love for Grace is intrinsically part of his identity. There was no proper way to overcome or get through it, and watching him descend into alcoholism and depression was heartbreaking, but not surprising.
But do we want to see this character in a final season?
9-1-1: Lone Star extinguishes the light of the final season’s brightest couple
It’s unsettling that we have to end a series we love on such a dark note, given that the Ryder brothers have always been the heart and soul of the series.
If we had Judd stuck in darkness all season without even the emotional stability to care for Charlie on his own, they might have killed off Grace.
It breaks my heart to suggest this, but it’s true. The results are basically the same.
I still think, given how the series ended, it would have been just as easy for Grace to leave the screen or to busy herself with her degree and consider a career change.
We’ll still have a similar concept of Judd trying to hold down the fort and take care of Charlie.
Another plot won’t waste Judd’s growth and ending
He’ll go through growing pains and come to realize how much of a unifying force Grace brings to the family. The only difference is that it won’t have all the depressive, sad, or out-of-character parts.
In 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 10, Judd is at his lowest point, risking his life, drinking, lying, and being destructive.
He is facing a crisis of faith and seeks a sign from God that he will be okay and that Grace will come back to him.
It’s great that Owen helps him through it because they’ve developed a true brotherhood, but these issues aren’t surprising, but they are upsetting.
The Judd we know has always had his beliefs, livelihood, and will to live, so tied to Grace that he never had any other arc to explore.
Graceless final season misses the mark
It’s not an ideal ending for one of Lone Star’s most beloved characters, and one would have hoped he’d have a satisfying final season or be able to properly resolve the issues he’s faced since we first met him How much he has evolved since then.
Instead, Judd starts the series in a depressed state after losing his entire squad in a fire, and he basically ends the series in a sad state because of his wife and biggest support The two were gone and he couldn’t cope without her.
We know Sierra McClane won’t be returning for the finale, so any hope of a Ryder reunion is dashed. Best-case scenario, after the asteroid dust settles, he’ll get a text saying she’s on her way home.
But that doesn’t change the fact that the Ryder family’s good reign ultimately has an unsatisfactory outcome that’s unsettling even for casual viewers.
Over to you, Lone Star fanatics. What are your thoughts on Grace’s absence and Judd’s performance in the final season?
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