What a shocking and heavy hour.

As far as elements go, 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 3 Episode 14 covered so many of them, bits of humor and fun, pain, grief, shock, and rage. They played with each of these emotions with their character, whether it was Tommy, Owen, or repeat offender causing calls, Al.

And by the end of the hour, some characters had the come to Jesus moment of self-reflection.

Larry Joe Campbell guest-starred in this hour as Al. He played the father with anger and impulse control issues who couldn't get it together right up to the tragic conclusion of his arc, and he was fantastic.

Via the calls, we could see how someone like him could get easily angered and want to react. The kid at the drive-thru was rude as hell, and it would've been enough for a person to want to strangle him.

Owen: As the kids say, today, I'm all Gucci.
Marjan: Are you?

• Permalink: As the kids say, today, I'm all Gucci.

The issue is that most people have the good sense not to do that. But every time Al acted on his anger, something terrible happened.

Hearing his son recount the incidents and how often he went viral because of his embarrassing displays made you feel awful for this family. Who wants to deal with their father popping up around the internet with nicknames like "lard ass" after getting stuck through a drive-thru window?

And the incident during the wrestling match was embarrassing as well. But that poor teen would probably choose each and every one of those incidents over his father making headlines as a man who killed a drunk driver in a fit of rage.

The kid will never live that one down or get over it. Al's family is irrevocably changed and traumatized after Al's split-second decision to kill someone like that.

All because he couldn't get it together, too. He was right there on the cusp of getting the help he needed, and now it's too late.

It was a sobering turn when the hour started with these calls coming across as funny and ended with everyone visibly shaken by the circumstances.

And it's hard not to replay everything in your mind repeatedly. Mateo couldn't stop thinking about how he was right there and didn't see that Al had that gun. We've seen Mateo notice and catch things before.

Meanwhile, Owen realized what was happening and where the gun disappeared much too late, and despite him opting for his typical heroic shtick of going for the weapon, the timing didn't work in his favor.

This was a reality check for Owen and his cowboy antics for many reasons.

And poor Nancy was sitting right there in the truck beside the victim when Al shot him. If he had missed, she could've died; hell, given the oxygen in the rig, they all couldn't have.

It was one of those cases that they all took with them and probably couldn't wash off at the end of the day. Owen's speech was a powerful one, and it was a real display of his leadership and influence on the squad.

Owen shines best during these moments when he's rallying the group, and he comes across as a strong, responsible, caring leader in tune with his people.

Please, don't call me again until you go to a therapist. I'll be waiting for that call.

Catherine

• Permalink: Please, don't call me again until you go to a therapist. I'll be waiting for that call.

It was a nice contrast from the defensive man who didn't want to hear with Marjan or Catherine had to say about his anger issues and how they were affecting his job and relationships.

The series consistently built up this to installment and this climax in Owen's anger issues. We only had to be patient and wait for them to address it adequately.

Owen thought that his court-mandated therapy was the extent of what he needed, and his appointments should stop once all the papers were signed, and he was cleared for duty.

It's on-brand for Owen that he isn't opposed to therapy and readily encourages it for other people. Still, he's resistant to continuing it for himself when he doesn't believe it's warranted.

The way he snapped at Marjan for broaching the topic did nothing more but supported her point.

And she's right; his mental health is all of their concern when they work together doing the type of jobs they do, and he's the one calling the shots all the time. Also, they care about him.

But it was his lunch date with Catherine that spoke volumes. For some reason, that woman still wanted to give Owen another chance. She's a better person than I.

The moment she mentioned his anger and impulse issues, backing it up with the multiple displays she's seen firsthand in a short period, he got defensive and wanted to lash out at her with what he deemed were her flaws.

She went from choosing to give things another go with him to put Owen on ice again until he sought professional help.

Furthermore, she's probably giving the man more chances than he deserved, but at least she put her foot down, established some boundaries, and now he must reach them if he ever wants to be with her again.

But even still, it's doubtful that Catherine was enough to change Owen's mind or send him back to therapy. However, seeing himself in Al did the trick.

Al was a sobering reflection, and Owen didn't have any other choice but to look at himself in the mirror and address something plaguing him for some time.

It was a carefully crafted execution of a rage arc, and it landed him in that chair across from a therapist in those final moments with the promise of more exploration.

Here is when you commend the series for some consistency with some of its characters and their overarching plots and development.

We can think of all the things leading up to the moment when Owen sat in that chair and expressed that all he feels is rage.

And just as Owen is grappling with his anger and must get to the bottom of where that stems, we have the beautiful consistency with exploring Tommy's grief and how she's trying to figure out what her life looks like without Charles.

Mostly I can't talk about Charles without wanting to cry but right now all I feel is anger. Your brother was many things, the one thing that he wasn't, he wasn't a fool, except Julius when it came to you. You made him a fool. You're the only one who could do that.

Tommy

• Permalink: Mostly I can't talk about Charles without wanting to cry but right now all I feel is anger....

The addition of Julius will take some getting used to only because of how out of the blue it is. It feels like they're back writing for the character in some ways.

We never got the impression that Charles had a brother, and it's beyond odd that neither Grace nor Judd, who has been friends with Tommy for well over a decade, never met this mysterious brother who only popped up roughly four times since the twins were born.

Nevertheless, Gina Torres and Nathan Owen have such incredible chemistry that you buy into every second of their fraught relationship and how it's beginning to thaw.

Torres' icy delivery during the twins' party, all behind that deceptively placid smile, was so spot on it set the tone for everything.

And when she went on, confiding in the Ryders, particularly Judd, about her beef with Julius, you could sense the resentment and where it stemmed.

As the baby brother, he always got his way, and he took Charles for granted, with Charles constantly bailing him out of things. Tommy hated that Charles always got sucked into helping Julius in some way or another.

But more than anything, she was upset that Julius didn't show up at Charles' funeral because it hurt to think that after all the times Charles showed up for Julius, his brother couldn't return the favor by showing up to say goodbye to him and support the family.

Of course, when Julius shared that he was there and had a hard time attending, you could sympathize with the man. I have people in my family who struggle with funerals so much that they never step foot in them and show up for repasts instead.

Laying people to rest is hard. For Julius, he had to face a world where his big brother was no longer there. It came with its own set of issues.

In the end, Tommy and Julius are two people who loved the same man with their whole hearts and are still grieving him terribly and craving some form of connection and family.

And it's through that that their kiss came into play. You could sense it coming mere seconds before it happened, but it was jarring nonetheless.

What are we supposed to do when we're still devastated by Charles' loss, but Gina Torres and Nathan Owen are so impossibly pretty that the idea of them kissing doesn't make you immediately hate it?

The conflicting emotions are real!

Yes, we can sit here all day and call the kiss what it was, a moment of comfort and connection via grief between two people who are missing the same person.

It didn't feel remotely romantic in that way, and it doesn't have to lead anywhere or be this awkward thing. However, the timing of this kiss coming when Tommy is getting back into the dating world and coming to grips with herself as a single woman isn't lost here either.

You don't introduce something like that unless there'll be some issues down the road, or you want to play around with it a bit, yes?

I was there. I didn't skip the funeral, not exactly.

Julius

• Permalink: I was there. I didn't skip the funeral, not exactly.

Julius is sticking around, and Tommy opened her home and guest room to him. We get the express confirmation that they recognize each other as the only family they have left, and they're clinging to Charles' memory and getting through their grief together.

No way they don't explore this further in some capacity. Even if it becomes some slow burn that progresses to something, or it leads to one or the other having some conflicting feelings as part of the grief process, there's bound to be something.

Nevertheless, Julius is an intriguing character, and he's this piece of Charles that the Vega girls don't have. He has so much to offer in this regard.

The girls could also benefit from their uncle around, and it's the happiest that they've been in some time. The prospect of Julius sticking around and he, Tommy, and the girls forging this new version of their family is intriguing.

Mateo: Nancy..
Nancy: Yeah.
Mateo: You wanna get coffee?
Nancy: Yeah, I do.

• Permalink: Nancy, You wanna get coffee?

Additional Notes:

• If we really want to mention slow burns, they've been so subtle with the mounting chemistry between Mateo and Nancy that it was a suprise when they got their coffee date. Here for it!

• This season, Gina Torres' hair is absolutely magical, and I live for every style. She looked stunning with that 40s/50s style sweep. She looked like a vintage starlet.

• Seriously, Uncle Julius is really freaking hot.

• Judd and Tommy's friendship is one of the best things ever.

• Speaking of Judd, it feels like he hasn't had a significant storyline since they introduced and then abandoned the surprise kid angle, and I miss Juddy being more than just the support character.

• I also miss all the sweet, domestic Judd and Grace scenes this season. Their love is everything, yet we've been deprived.

• Did anyone else wonder about all the other people in the background when Owen gave that speech? In another world, it would be so cool if we got to know about the rest of the 129.

• Is there an age limit on spa birthday parties? Because that sounds like so much fun.

• They've been rotating focus here and there with characters falling to the background. I definitely missed Carlos, T.K., and Paul.

Over to you, Lone Star Fanatics.

What are your thoughts on this hour? What's your impression of Julius? Are you happy Owen is seeking help? Sound off below.

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.