Critic’s Rating: 4.2 / 5.0
4.2
If we wanted the action and harrowing moments, 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 3 delivered.
In keeping with the previous installments, 9-1-1: Lone Star capitalized on this cast and these characters we adore by expanding the focus a bit while still staying true.
The action of the train derailment reached its height during an hour that saw triumphant rescues and some tragedy.
The Lieutenant Race Marks a Refreshing Guard Change
The lieutenant race was interesting because we had two highly qualified individuals competing with one another for a position that they both earned and would be great.
Interestingly enough, we saw how great Marjan was, and they made a strong case for why she would be the right woman for the job as she took charge during 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 2.
And make no mistake, she’d be excellent in the role and still has that ability.
However, this hour also highlighted a drawback to Marjan, and it was refreshing to see her recognize her pitfalls and be willing to step back for now and allow Paul to take on the position.
Owen has a special relationship with Marjan and Paul; they’ve shown us bits and pieces of those dynamics over the years.
One of the most endearing aspects of the Owen/Marjan dynamic is how similar they are regarding their willingness to run headfirst into danger at the expense of their own safety for someone else’s sake.
They don’t mind putting their lives on the line and defying orders.
Marjan and Owen’s Similarities Influenced the Decision
Marjan is similar to Owen in that regard, and in the end, that’s an indictment of sorts against Marjan for taking up the task right now.
We don’t need another Owen in a house with Owen already leading things; challenging situations require a certain balance.
Judd provided some balance to Owen.
Paul can do the same as someone who thinks things through before acting and sees every scenario differently and at a heightened level because of his near super-human discernment and attention to detail.
Marjan was a true hero when she damn near sacrificed her hands to save the day, defying Owen in the process.
It’s as noble as it gets, but it’s also reckless as heck, and the problem with being a reckless leader is that it can leave the rest of your team in a pickle in the end.
Ironically, Owen probably saw much of himself in Marjan and maybe even opted to choose her, as we never saw the name on the paper or heard what he whispered in her ear when it was all over.
But Paul is level-headed enough to run this team of personalities, and Marjan, who lives for the thrill and the action, would still want to focus on that, at least for now.
She’ll still transfer to the 129 by the series’ end.
The 40-Year-Old Probie
Another interesting angle to the lieutenant race was that Judd wasn’t even a factor, regardless of how Paul and Marjan felt on the matter.
Judd’s return to the firehouse as a probie is mostly enjoyable because it keeps him in-house with his work family and ensures we have more of him around.
It’s a nostalgic nod and way of indulging the audience, even if it doesn’t make a lick of sense or challenge Judd too much for any extended period.
It feels like a cop-out. Sure, we’re willing to roll with it, but it doesn’t seem as if anyone put a lot of consideration into it.
It probably would’ve been more interesting if Judd had found a new avenue to pursue or realized he could have more than one great passion in his life.
But in the interest of “you can always go home again,” we have Judd humbly serving as a probie to the people he’s helped train and lead up in a switch-up of power dynamics.
Judd was on the cusp of something interesting, and now we’ve reverted back a bit.
But we’ll have to see what the rest of the season entails for him now that he’s back home with his fire family and has to adjust to being at the bottom of the ladder again.
T.N.T. Are the Bravest of Them All
The train derailment spiraling into so many crises at once was on brand for this franchise.
But it put T.N.T. in a particularly tough spot as they had to race around stabilizing and saving casualties and tracking down new people to save.
They’re such an indomitable force rooted in this special friendship, which we get glimpses of here and there.
Tommy can often balance many roles as a mentor, older sister, maternal figure, and friend with Nancy and T.K.
They are so utterly devoted to her that it makes you misty-eyed, so there’s no surprise that they’d follow her to the ends of the earth and proceed to clasp her hands, shut their eyes, and hope for the best while welcoming their impending deaths.
They’re all devoted to their job and each other. I’d even argue that devotion to one another trumps everything else.
Treating that poor young boy’s chemical burns was tough enough, but the extra task of finding the news reporter is where things got incredibly tense and dark as well.
Even knowing Lone Star and the franchise’s reputation in general, you still find yourself wishing and believing that every person they hope to treat and save will make it out alive.
Trina’s prognosis was bleak, considering she was bleeding from the eyeballs, wholly covered in third-degree chemical burns, and her lungs were likely liquified.
Deep down, you knew she was a goner, but it didn’t make her death any less tragic, especially as she spent her last moments alive, gurgling about that young boy and hoping that she saved him.
You could barely process the extreme sadness over this overzealous woman’s death before we were faced with the possibility that T.N.T. would perish, as well as yellow gas crept near and started seeping under the door.
Tommy’s Maternal Instincts Bring the Emotion in 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 3
Tommy is such a freaking mom.
Knowing she was facing death, she didn’t hesitate to tell Wyatt about her documentation that would leave Marriage Goals, Judd, and Grace in charge of her children, something that isn’t surprising and yet still incredibly emotional to hear.
She also didn’t hesitate to grab ahold of each of Nancy and T.K. and hold on with all of her might because they were facing this together, and she cared about them so deeply, too.
Was the wind changing direction just in time cheesy? Sure, but the emotional impact of the moment was still effective.
So far, the season has done well in allowing all 126 heroes to truly be heroes and for the series to celebrate by highlighting them all.
Owen Still Gets His Moment and Bonds with Two Brothers
The series realizes that Owen can still be the hero without having to dominate in doing it all of the time and that restraint has presented us with the best version of this character yet.
He cannot sit on the sidelines, so it’s wonderful that he could step in when it mattered most, remaining behind to save sweet Damon.
The call was particularly resonant for him given his own loss of not one but two brothers, and you knew there was no way on earth Owen would leave that boy behind.
He was determined to keep his promise if it meant he could spare anyone from experiencing the same type of devastation that he had experienced.
It was a remarkably poignant moment for him, and an Owen who’s dealing with his grief and facing it head-on in this way is always more intriguing than the shallow versions of the character.
Fittingly, a brother by bond rather than blood showed up in the nick of time to save him, and thus, he was able to honor his promise to these young boys.
Yes, Owen has experienced tremendous loss, but he has also gained so much and still has a brother — a dynamic that he’ll never shake.
Owen has put all his focus into his house and his fire family; he shines best in that role.
Playing with Dynamics is Serving Lone Star Well
It’s hard to believe that Carlos and Wyatt never crossed paths much before.
They’ve since done that, and now Carlos and Trevor get to spend some time together, too.
They probably didn’t speak much at the Tarlos wedding, but it was great to have these characters interact and for Carlos to serve as an ear for Trevor to bend as he worked through the situation with Tommy.
They’re delivering on all these little moments and character interactions, and while it’s late to the game for some of them, at least it’s finally here.
Thankfully, Trevor and Tommy could set aside their tiff as Trevor realized that springing that Cassandra caveat on Tommy unexpectedly wasn’t the best move.
But Tommy was also able to let things settle and recognize the importance of Cassandra’s concerns, and hopefully, things will go well from there.
The pair are too happy with each other to pull them apart now.
Now that the train derailment has ended, we’ll probably return to business as usual, which will likely mean focusing more on some of the other characters.
Centering characters like Marjan, Paul, Judd, and Tommy was a great way to really kick things off for this series.
But I also look forward to catching up with some of the others.
It’s Lone Star, after all, and we know they have to give us more Tarlos content at some point, and clearly, some underlying things are happening that T.K. may need to address sooner rather than later.
Over to you, Lone Star Fanatics.
Are you content with how Judd is returning to the 126?
Did Paul earn lieutenant?
Sound off below with all of your thoughts on 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 3!
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