9-1-1: Lone Star Season 2 Episode 2 Review: 2100°
Jasmine Blu
at
.
We've endured a hell of a year where nothing is surprising, and anything can happen.
And that's why the 126 fighting a volcanic eruption on 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 2 Episode 2 was insane and yet fathomable.
Sadly, not all of the team made it out alive.
Tim Rosewater is our fallen hero of the hour, and it's not the least bit surprising. Naturally, if we had to lose a character, it would be someone whom we've seen but didn't exactly know.
All we knew about Tim was that he's occasionally snarky, disliked that Michelle left, and had not warmed up to Tommy yet.
In many ways, Tim was an example of the pitfalls of 9-1-1 Lone Star Season 1. We saw him sometimes, but he and Nancy mostly disappeared into the background since anything that did focus on the paramedics revolved around Michelle.
Admittedly, I didn't even remember his or Nancy's names until recently.
Nevertheless, his death was heartbreaking. He started the hour annoyed about Tommy chastising him for making promises he couldn't keep on a call.
He ended the hour and his existence dying from a huge lava rock landing on him. Of all the freak accidents and craziness within the hour, his death was high on the list.
This ain't your fault. This ain't nobody's fault.
Judd
I hate that we didn't get to know Tim until his swan song installment.
Despite his annoyance with Vega, he conducted himself better at the pool party scene. He quickly bonded with Spencer, and their moments were sweet and yet ominous.
The second another piece of molten lava shot into the other guy's chest, you had the feeling someone would die from it.
And so Tim's final scenes were a waiting game until that moment. Tim promised to call Spencer's mom, but it's Spencer who lived to tell his tale.
As tragic as Tim's death was, it was an understated effect on others because again, outside of Nancy, who spent time with or knew Tim?
The firefighters followed protocol, and it stirred up anger in Nancy. It made her consider the distinction between paramedics and firefighters-- how the firefighters would get the works, and Tim got nothing.
But as Judd reminded her, there was nothing left of Tim to work on or salvage.
The others were down and shocked after Tim's death. However, most of them had about as much investment in Tim as the audience. His death felt like something the others would make about themselves.
Nancy: Heroic measures right up to the hospital doors. That's how we were trained. We don't call in the field. We should've stayed, and we should've worked on him.
Judd: There wasn't enough of him left to work on, Nancy.
For Judd, it probably drudges up the loss of his first crew. It triggered Owen's Survivor's Guilt. It was a call to action for Tommy.
And Paul, Marjan, and Mateo were processing the loss of someone they knew at all. It'll likely prompt some things in T.K. too, especially with his romantic relationship.
The crew threw a cute party to celebrate Owen's remission, equipped with a horrific tumor cake.
Carlos was there to celebrate with the others, but when T.K. broached the topic of meeting Carlos' parents, Carlos changed the subject.
TK: Speaking of parents. When am I going to meet yours?
Carlos: you want some punch?
And then we never revisited it. Maybe this is a slow-burn storyline --pardon the pun -- and hopefully, it'll mean we get around to learning more about Carlos.
Ted's death and a long day of lava and scorpions kept the pair from revisiting that conversation, but T.K. isn't going to let Carlos' deflection and evasiveness go.
It's too late for Tim, but maybe his death will mean we'll get to know Nancy better.
She was a wreck after his death, and this is going to change her forever. I feel it will make Nancy and Tommy closer. And they probably will have a new person joining the team in his absence.
Tommy still doesn't feel prepared for the job, and after this, she feels like a terrible leader.
Thank goodness for Judd and their sweet friendship. Tommy is fortunate to have Grace outside of work to confide in, and she has Judd there to support her on shift.
Tommy is too hard on herself. She thinks she's failing on both fronts by not giving her all to the job or home.
Tommy is dealing with the stress and insecurities that many working mothers experience.
Grace: It's hard being back isn't it?
Tommy: Honestly Gracie. It's been hell.
Grace: Oh no, ma'am! Now you tell me who had been giving you a hard time, and I'll have Judd come in here and beat them up. Unless it's Judd, then you leave it to me. I got you.
Tommy: Judd has been my champion. And I can't ask for a better group of people. It's just the last time I wore this uniform, my girls didn't exist.
She beat herself up for reprimanding Tim, then later lying to her own kids to make them feel better. However, you could argue that making promises to your children is different than people you're helping.
Tommy adopting Tim's cat was the perfect scene and a way for her to honor this man she didn't know that well. It wasn't the positive affirmation he craved when he was alive, but it was touching.
Tim's death also stirred up Owen's Survivor's Guilt. It's something he's always battling, and he finally opened up about it with Gwyn.
It's been 20 years, and Owen is still beating himself up for walking away from 9/11 safe when so many didn't.
Tommy: I don't want to feel like I abandoned my family.
Judd: You haven't. You added to it.
He thought his lung cancer was proof that "the score was evened" after he walked away. Now that his cancer is in remission, he's right back at square one.
And now, he's feeling it again because he was there when Tim died, but he didn't get hit.
Survivor's Guilt is real, and it's serious. It's not something that anyone should diminish.
But doesn't it feel like Owen finds new ways to make something specifically about him?
You know when I got lung cancer in New York what the first thing I felt was? Relief. Like the universe had finally evened the score for me making it out that day. Everything made sense and then I'm in remission and nothing does.
Owen
Judd has Survivor's Guilt, too, and it's raw, and his grief and pain hits you in the gut. He's alive, and he feels guilty that he survived, but also, Judd feels guilty over his relief that he survived.
Owen feels guilty that he survived, and he also puts himself in danger and welcomes potential death while disregarding his loved ones.
It pains me to say it and risk insensitivity, but Owen often feels like he willfully chooses to be unhappy.
Something about it doesn't always click.
Gwyn and Owen are cute together, and Owen's comments about how beautiful this ash is compared to on 9/11 paints a somber picture.
Owen is having a hard time with his remission, and I'm curious about how it will continue to affect him.
I also wonder if Tim's death will set Judd back or not.
It's something the amazing Grace should keep an eye out for down the road.
Marjan: What are you saying? That a Hellmouth opened under Paradise Family fun center?
Owen: After the year we had, would it really surprise you?
Marjan: Nope, it's about on schedule.
Grace remains the best and this series' unsung hero. The scorpion case was insane, and it was easier to witness than folks' skin sliding off.
Grace is always a wealth of information and thinks quickly on her feet. She excelled at talking that woman through the scorpion attack. A little vinegar worked some wonders.
If you can't conclude anything from this, it's that animals always sound the alarms.
The scorpions were trying to escape the lava, and the animals hauling ass in the forest were trying to escape a wildfire.
Are you guys ready for that 911 crossover event? I know I am!
Over to you, 911 Lone Star Fanatics. Are you sad that we lost Tim? What are your thoughts on Owen's Survivor's Guilt? Why is Carlos avoiding the parent talk?
You can watch 9-1-1: Lone Star online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
