Warning! Spoilers ahead for 9-1-1: Lone Star.
This article contains mention of substance abuse, abduction, extreme violence, and death.
9-1-1: Lone Star followed the firefighters and paramedics of Austin, Texas, but the disasters they tended to were just as dramatic as their personal lives. Though 9-1-1: Lone Star’s cancelation meant season 5 was the last for the first responder drama, the high-stakes emergencies have endless rewatch potential. The emotional character arcs are just as memorable as the improbable natural disasters that strike, making 9-1-1: Lone Star a comforting dose of chaos.
The most memorable episodes of 9-1-1: Lone Star walk the line between character-driven plots and high-octane rescue scenarios that leave an impact, for better or worse. 9-1-1: Lone Star’s final tragedy may be the most unbelievable of all, but some of the most extreme extractions occurred during perfectly plausible crises. Still, many of the most intense rescues in 9-1-1: Lone Star had a little flair.
10
A Paramedic Sacrifices His Life Following A Volcanic Eruption At A Pool Party
Season 2, Episode 2, “2100”
The original cast of 9-1-1: Lone Star mainly stayed the same since the pilot season, but season 2, episode 2 included the death of a worker from the 126’s small team of paramedics. After sporadic volcanic activity around the city, the 126 responds to a call at a pool party where Tim Rosewater (Mark Elias) tends to a college student with severe injuries. On one side of the scene, a young man gets a piece of magma lodged in his chest. The camera cuts back just in time for Tim to be obliterated by scorching material.
While Tim sacrificed his life, the student he was working on (and the majority of the other patients) made a full recovery. The stakes were high from the moment they stepped on the scene, but what makes this rescue extra intense is its aftermath. Tim’s death caused a domino effect with TK (Ronen Rubinstein) joining the paramedics, Nancy (Brianna Baker) becoming a more defined character, and Owen (Rob Lowe) being haunted by guilt throughout the following episode.
9
The 126 And 118 Save Owen & Hen In A Mine Shaft During A Wildfire
Season 2, Episode 3, “Hold the Line”
The crossover event between 9-1-1’s LAFD and 9-1-1: Lone Star’s AFD was iconic for a plethora of reasons, but one of the most dramatic moments of the episode included Owen and Hen (Aisha Hinds). The two took a helicopter to search for a missing teenager during a wildfire, only for the helicopter to crash. Owen and Hen took shelter in a mine shaft filled with dynamite and narrowly escaped death thanks to the combined efforts of the 118 and the 126.
Owen and Hen’s conversation about survivor’s guilt is what helped Owen overcome his trauma from Tim’s death and refocus on serving the 126. Of course, the stakes were higher due to characters from both franchise titles being in peril. Following the success of the crossover episode, 9-1-1 season 8 hid a secret cameo from a 9-1-1: Lone Star character, but many viewers still hold out hope for a second full crossover that will unfortunately never happen.
8
The 126 Reunites To Save An Elevator Full Of People During A Dust Storm
Season 2, Episode 14, “Dust to Dust”
After the 9-1-1: Lone Star firehouse is destroyed by a serial arsonist, the majority of the firefighters are sent to a new house with Mateo (Julian Works) as the odd man out. When a dust storm breaks out while he’s picking up lunch, Mateo has to single-handedly run triage on injured civilians until backup arrives. Once he runs into a nearby building, he realizes there are people stuck in a stalled elevator doused with jet fuel.
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The rest of his 126 crew arrive to help rescue the trapped civilians, but they’re instantly on a time crunch since the fuel makes the elevator an active fire risk. Nearly everyone is evacuated safely, but Owen has to jump onto the elevator to rescue the final person. The cable snaps beneath his weight, but the team manages to pull him up. This rescue was a group effort, but it was also a race against time that the 126 nearly lost.
7
A Snow Storm Collapses A Church On Paul And A Civilian
Season 3, Episode 2, “Thin Ice”
The 9-1-1 franchise is known for putting its characters in dangerous situations and (usually) allowing them to fight their way out. While there are plenty of near-death experiences in 9-1-1, no main character has ever died during a rescue. Since the spinoff proved early on that it was willing to kill off a named character, Paul (Brian Michael Smith) getting trapped in a collapsed church during a snowstorm in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 3, episode 2 was instantly cause for concern.
Paul initially entered the church to rescue a teen volunteer who never made it out during the initial building collapse, but aftershocks hit and left the two stranded in freezing temperatures. The teen fought to keep Paul awake until the rescue team arrived, but both he and his patient nearly succumbed to the cold. Thankfully, both make it out alive, and the volunteer’s parents end up saving the firehouse later that season with a generous monetary donation.
6
TK & Owen Administer Emergency Care To An Airplane Passenger
Season 3, Episode 8, “In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency”
9-1-1: Lone Star hurt TK many times in the early seasons, but the emotional damage caused by his mother’s death may have been one of the most brutal moments. The news is so overwhelming that TK nearly turns to opioids and relapses, but Owen and he board a plane to New York for her funeral. The flight is anything but smooth, however, and the woman sitting next to them is partially sucked out of a broken window after the engine catches fire.
While the pilot regains control of the aircraft, TK and Owen video call the paramedics to walk them through the emergency care they have to administer while still in the air. The father-son duo has to improvise and use makeshift tools to treat the woman, but she becomes stable after they use coconut water from First Class as a substitute for saline. The scene itself was stressful, but it was important for TK to have such a harrowing experience to ironically help him better cope with his mother’s death.
5
A Building Collapses On Judd After An Explosion
Season 3, Episode 18, “A Bright and Cloudless Morning”
Before Jackson Pace’s Wyatt took on the dispatcher role in 9-1-1: Lone Star, he was aiming for an internship at a tech company based in Austin. After failing his first chance at an interview, Judd (Jim Parrack) storms in to get his son a second shot. While arguing with the apathetic CEO, an explosion occurs that sends the building collapsing.
What made 9-1-1: Lone Star season 3, episode 18 even more risky is Judd had recently been in an accident that broke his leg. Before entering the building, he was recovering but still on crutches. The explosion sent him and multiple civilians down an entire floor in the initial collapse, exacerbating his injuries. During the rescue mission, the building triggered Owen’s trauma from the 9/11 attacks. Owen and Judd have near misses, but both luckily make it out thanks to a cooperative effort.
4
Carlos Is Abducted By A Serial Killer’s Mother
Season 4, Episode 4, “Abandoned”
Before Carlos (Rafael Silva) lost his father and got married during 9-1-1 Lone Star season 4’s finale, he went rogue while investigating an attack on his best friend, Iris (Lyndsy Fonseca). Due to Iris having Schizophrenia, the police didn’t believe her story. Carlos followed his gut and discovered the hidden tunnel her attacker used to escape, but it led him straight into the man’s home, where Carlos was incapacitated and bound to the kitchen sink.
Carlos soon realized the man was a serial killer and his mother, due to his mistreatment of her, had lost touch with reality. Carlos convinced her to free his hands by telling her about being engaged to TK and the love he has for his mother, but he was eventually attacked by the killer and drugged by the mother before he could escape. With no time to spare, TK and Gabriel (Benito Martinez) burst through the door and save Carlos.
3
Marjan Is Ran Off The Road And Pursued By A Murderous Criminal
Season 4, Episode 9, “Road Kill”
Marjan (Natacha Karam) was just as popular in the show as she was outside of it, from her viral “Firefox” account to her being a leading candidate for a potential character to join 9-1-1 after the end of 9-1-1: Lone Star. In one of the greatest character-centric episodes of the entire series, Marjan has to escape a dangerous man with a vengeance against her. During her brief sabbatical from 9-1-1: Lone Star’s station 126, Marjan took to the road to help those in need. After helping a woman escape her violent partner, the man seeks revenge.
Marjan’s rental car was run off the road and, while injured, she was pursued by the abuser. Once he corners her in a tunnel, Marjan shoots him with a flare gun as a last resort and nearly succumbs to her injuries. The rest of the 126 arrive just in time to save her from the fire, but Marjan persevered due to a hallucination of her younger self, a girl nicknamed “Mouse” who survived a car crash. The episode was intense but included an emotional revelation from Marjan’s past prior to 9-1-1: Lone Star.
2
Kendra Is Poisoned By Her Deceased Husband
Season 4, Episode 14, “Tongues Out”
One of Owen’s many exes, Kendra (Michaela McManus) left her mark on the series in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 4 after the suspicious death of her husband. Owen enlisted the help of Paul to help investigate the case under the table to prove Kendra’s innocence, and the group eventually concluded that Kendra’s husband died accidentally. After convincing Ranger Reyes that the evidence pointed to an accidental poisoning, the investigation into Kendra was closed.
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The true thriller came after the murder was solved when Kendra stopped by Owen’s to celebrate. She brought along a bottle of liquor she found that she assumed was a birthday gift her late husband bought before he died. When she took a shot, she collapsed just as Owen realized the bottle was poisoned. Owen administers rescue breaths against TK’s advice and absorbs the poison remnants on her lips. Though both survive, it showed how dangerous Owen’s lack of impulse control was in 9-1-1: Lone Star.
1
Judd Rams A Truck Into A Derailed Train Compartment To Save Owen & His Patient From A Deadly Gas Cloud
Season 5, Episode 3, “Cl2”
Judd’s sudden retirement at the end of 9-1-1: Lone Star season 4 was emotional on multiple levels, but the thought of the only original member of the 126 abandoning his calling was especially concerning. The first episodes of 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 made it clear that Judd felt aimless without firefighting, but his pride prevented him from rejoining from the bottom. Yet, Judd still saved the day in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 3.
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After a train derailment caused a tank full of chlorine gas to leak, the entire area became lethal. Owen tried to free a man stuck in a mangled compartment, but the wind shifted and sent the poisonous cloud of gas straight toward them. Just before it hit them, Judd appeared with a truck he was using for a job interview and pushed the cart out of harm’s way. Even without being an active firefighter, Judd embodied the indomitable spirit of the 126 that made 9-1-1: Lone Star’s legendary rescues so memorable.
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This story originally appeared on Screenrant
