9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 Episode 1 Review: The New Hotness
That was a quintessentially Lone Star opener.
From crazy calls like raining frogs to personal obstacles like secret wives and hitting on pastors, 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 Episode 1 got off to an entertaining start, and it's good to have these beloved characters back.
Did anyone see the Iris twist coming?
We're collectively counting down the seconds until we get that Tarlos wedding, and it's bound to be the event of the season. However, Iris Blake could be the hitch in the plan, and it's hard to know how to feel about that.
Iris is quirky, but she comes across as an acquired taste.
Bringing back a Blake sister and connecting her to Carlos in this capacity is undoubtedly an interesting and bold choice. It lets them play with the show's lore unexpectedly and connect these characters, including those who are no longer around. The issue is that it doesn't make much sense.
The series will benefit from building a storyline around Carlos that doesn't have him at T.K.'s beside or the shoulder that T.K. leans on during rough transitions.
TK: So you're married.
Carlos: In name only.
TK: To a woman.
Carlos: Back then, that was the only way you could do it.
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As a Carlos fan, it's nice to have something new for the character, some more background into who he was, and this connection. It also makes things interesting for T.K.
But the verdict isn't out yet on whether this secret marriage to Iris is the storyline anyone had in mind. It just doesn't ring true to character for Carlos, and it's a genuinely unusual choice. Surprisingly, Carlos never told T.K. anything about this in all this time, which feels out of character.
He was so close to Michelle, and it was huge when they finally found Iris. It feels odd that he wouldn't have brought it up around then or a half a dozen times since. But the moment the two got engaged, the truth should've come out.
How long did Carlos think he could go keeping this marriage a secret? Did he anticipate a long engagement? He can't legally get married without breaking things off with Iris first, and he knows that.
I can't imagine Carlito keeping this from T.K., especially when his reasoning for marrying her is sympathetic, considering his place with his parents at the time. And he had a valid reason for never getting divorced if it meant covering Iris' healthcare. All these reasonings, thankfully, don't paint this lovable character as a bad guy, even if it's an odd situation all around.
As much as Carlos probably should've reached out to Iris, it makes you wonder why she didn't do the same, especially when she got better and on her feet and had insurance of her own to cover her needs. Her slapping him was irritating because communication works both ways.
It's crazy to think that Michelle Blake had been in Austin the whole time even though she fell out of touch with everyone she worked with before, but it suits her that she's off on an adventure in Ecuador, helping people.
T.K. handled the news well. Hopefully, there will be more conversations the two can have about all of this. He's right that Iris was far more instrumental in Carlos' life than he ever mentioned, and it would be nice to have a better understanding of that dynamic.
TK: If she was your best friend, then how come I never met her? Is she still in Texas?
Carlos: As far as I know, yeah. You remember Captain Blake?
TK: Michelle? Wait, Michelle Blake is your wife?
Carlos: Michelle is my sister-in-law. I'm married to Iris.
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We'll see that up close and personal this season, especially now that Iris implies that she won't divorce Carlos unless she approves of T.K.
She's been absent from his life for so long that the notion of her getting to dictate what is and isn't suitable for her best friend doesn't land the way they probably intend it to, and it sets up Iris to be a contrived obstacle in Tarlos' path to marriage.
Carlos and T.K., namely T.K., have their hearts set on the perfect wedding to celebrate their love. The venue they had their sights set on -- opened up to them like a gift from the heavens.
It moves up their timetable from a year and a half until eight weeks. It's something that T.K. genuinely seems excited about, but was it just me, or did Carlos seem less enthused?
He may have waited it out and been content with a long engagement, and he's not as invested in the hoopla surrounding the event so long as he's with T.K.
If there is something more to that, it's bound to come up down the road. But even if Iris meets T.K., approves of him for her best friend, and divorces Carlos, will it be in enough time to meet their eight-week deadline? It's doubtful.
Ideally, they could set up an annulment anyway since we can probably guess that Carlos and Iris didn't consummate their relationship, and his sexuality and their time apart could all factor into voiding the marriage altogether rather than ending it.
But Iris seems like a character. So much of this falls on her and what she decides to do. It already doesn't bode well that she feels compelled to meet T.K. before making her decision.
Carlos: What can I say? He's the one.
Iris: Yeah, but is he hot?
Carlos: Smoking.
Iris: Well, I can't wait to meet him.
Carlos: Well, you'll come to the wedding.
Iris: Oh, I think I need to meet him before that, you know if I'm going to sign the divorce papers.
Carlos: You're joking.
Iris: How's tomorrow night?
It's this whole other part of Carlos' life that we didn't know about, so at the very least, with Iris around, we'll learn more about him through her.
Nothing can ever be easy for Tarlos, that's for sure. This storyline has the potential to be polarizing, but we'll have to wait and see how it continues to unfold.
On a personal front, things are looking up for Tommy and her love life, but it got a hell of a complication once Trevor's occupation became known.
As a Suits fan, Gina Torres and D.B. Woodside reuniting is a dream come true! Their chemistry is still spectacular, and for that alone, it's enough to root for this potential pairing.
Trevor is age-appropriate, not her late husband's brother, handsome and charming, too.
Their meet-cute is one for the books. It's not often you can tell the grandkids about how grandma saved grandpa from choking on a frog at the fair.
These are the type of batsh*t crazy cases and calls that are pure entertainment and make this series fun. Who knew that frogs could have the same effect as a sharknado and lead to some biblical-level weather conditions?
I don't know what was worse to deal with: the raining frogs or the gorilla hail stones the size of Texas. Although the She-Hulk green filter cast over the Reyes deserves a spot on this list, let's be honest.
Pulling a frog out of his throat wasn't the sexiest moment for Trevor. He went from that to needing to jump out of a Ferris Wheel, too. His line about gravity as he pushed his daughter was priceless.
Trevor seems like a good guy, and there's nothing wrong with dating a man of God, but that's a tall order when the guy you're into is also the pastor at your church.
Churches have some of the most judgmental and nosiest people ever. They're often filled with women with their sights set on the single pastor, and the gossip mill is strong.
There's no way Tommy could date this man without feeling as if she's on display and dealing with the judgment and scrutiny of everyone around her. It's an awkward situation all around.
Grace: What's wrong?
Tommy: I made a pass at my pastor.
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Of course, there's also the matter of how one even approaches dating a pastor. Is everything incredibly chaste? Do you have to watch what you say or how you joke? Will it feel like God himself is judging your every move?
I don't envy Tommy at all right now, and that's saying a lot since Trevor is hot.
Tommy was so smooth with her flirting and giving Trevor her number. She's come such a long way after losing her husband. It's exciting that she's willing to dip her foot back into the dating pool and connect with a man again after all the mourning and weird experiences with men since then.
But I doubt this is what she had in mind. The messed up thing is that she can stay in her head about this, which could ruin her genuine connection with Trevor. It's a tough call.
But it was absolutely hilarious how mortified she was when she pieced things together and how amused Grace was when she learned the truth. The Ryders are going to have so much fun with this development! Tommy is about to get roasted.
It was light on content for many of the others. Nancy and Mateo are going strong, which is nice to hear. They're the absolute cutest as a couple.
The Ryders are deep in the throes of parenthood, and it's amusing to hear Judd talk about stuff like potty training. He's such a freaking dad.
We only got a little idea of how things are for Marjan and Paul, but hopefully, we'll get some storylines with them in the upcoming episodes.
Marjan: You bought a crotch rocket, Cap?
Owen: This isn't a crotch rocket; this is a classic cruising bike.
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The kooky calls were a highlight of the hour and felt like a classic opening installment for this franchise.
The frog storm, hailstones, and heat bursts all within the same day were the type of thing you'd expect from Lone Star, and Marjan and the others' blase reactions to it were great for a few chuckles.
Poor Caleb's misadventure in a portapotty was memorable and a person's worse nightmare. The kid should never leave the house again. He always lands himself in some crazy predicaments. The melting portapotty has to be worse than when he got locked in the gun safe.
Can you imagine getting trapped in a melting portapotty, whisked away, and then conveniently landing in a water tank filling up and emitting toxic fumes?
Caleb couldn't have had worse luck if he had tried. The fact that it took him $80 worth of games to win that bear should've been an indication of that.
And that rescue was insane. Grace always comes through clutch the best advice for the situation, and Caleb would've had a decent shot at climbing out himself if he hadn't dropped that quarter.
But wouldn't it have been faster and caused less issue for Caleb if they burst the dunk tank, so the water came out while they were trying to saw into the portapotty?
The poor guy would've gotten spared the drowning part even if he still had to deal with the fumes.
Of course, there isn't an installment of Lone Star without some Owen antics!
It makes sense for a character like Owen to struggle in his day-to-day life when he doesn't have some outlandish problem he needs to tackle or some tremendous heroics.
He's a firefighter who deals with some of the strangest calls, but that never seems enough for him. It's his baseline for excitement and feeling like he's fulfilling his purpose.
Owen requires more action in a way that definitely seems unhealthy. He's not battling cancer anymore or fighting against shady trafficking cop coyotes, or living out his life as if he's in an action movie.
But his prayers may be answered now that he's thrown himself into an investigation into some fringe militia biker group of supremacists.
Yeah, it felt as ridiculous writing it as it did watching Owen find himself in this situation in the first place.
Bless his heart; Owen Strand will do literally anything but fight a fire.
It wasn't entirely unexpected that he would take up motorcycle riding. It suits him and the midlife crisis thing he often seems like he's combatting on any given day.
Owen: I'm not lonely; I'm just bored.
Judd: You're bored? So you're telling me that you ain't living your best life?
Owen: No. My best life is when I have dragons to slay.
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But it's utterly wild that Owen got involved with some radical motorcycle group and had no idea what was happening around him.
Judd assessed the room quickly, and by the time they started with certain buzzwords, he knew they needed to exit left. Judd's a man with some experience. His facial expression when Mikey cut right past him to fawn over Owen probably mirrored my own.
But it was worrisome to see someone as young and impressionable as Mikey getting branded into their group in some ceremony.
It's been no secret that fringe and radical groups have been on the rise and have indoctrinated young men like Mikey.
We have yet to learn about this group, but this is only the beginning. Now that Agent Casey has come knocking on Owen's door, seeking his help, we're bound to see more of this militia biker group.
How else can Owen play hero, right?
Owen needed a new dragon to slay, and he's found it. We're not even going to pretend like this setup isn't the most ridiculous thing ever, but by now, what do you expect from Owen's arcs?
Sometimes, it feels like he's on a totally different show than the one we're watching. But Owen's storylines are nothing if not unpredictable!
Over to you, Lone Star Fanatics. What's your impression of Iris? What do you think of Owen's association with the biker gang? Sound off below.
You can watch 9-1-1: Lone Star online here via TV Fanatic.