cancelation of 9-1-1: Lone Star meant the season 5 finale would also function as a series finale, with every unresolved storyline requiring a quick and easy resolution. For some, like Carlos Reyes (Rafael L. Silva) and TK Strand (Ronen Rubinstein), the happy-ever-after of adopting a child in marital bliss felt fitting and almost believable. Others, like Marjan Marawni’s (Natacha Karam) last-second pregnancy or Tommy Vega’s (Gina Torres) miraculous breast cancer recovery, felt more like wishful thinking.
The most egregious ending was given to the headliner of every season of 9-1-1: Lone Star, Owen was at the center of practically every plot— especially storylines that didn’t necessarily need to involve him. Furthermore, 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 leaned heavily on Owen’s imaginary main character energy and diverted attention away from actually compelling plots, pushing Owen’s heart-to-heart with a horse over the repercussions of Judson “Judd” Ryder’s (Jim Parrack) alcoholism. Unsurprisingly, the worst Owen moment in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 came in the finale.
Owen Strand's Final 9-1-1: Lone Star Fate Explained
A Fake-Out Death Leads To An Unsurprising Move
9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 12 had all the makings of a great series finale, but its Owen problem loomed as soon as the episode started. The penultimate episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star began with a cold open that spoiled Owen’s mission at the nuclear reactor, promising at once a smaller-scale and higher-intensity final emergency. When the 126 responds to an imminent nuclear meltdown, most of the firefighters are injured, leaving Owen to seemingly sacrifice himself to hit the shutdown button. 9-1-1: Lone Star implies Owen died, only for the time jump to reveal he survived and left Texas.
The series finale wasted its final moments in a needlessly somber tone as the ensemble cast spoke furtively of Owen, even zooming in on the wall of deceased 126 firefighters after Judd assumes the position of fire captain. The poignant ending is completely ruined by the saccharine plot twist that Owen went back to New York, alive and well, to become Fire Chief of the NYFD. 9-1-1: Lone Star not only squandered the bittersweet momentum; it took a able— if not truncated— series finale and turned it into an obvious (and unsuccessful) spinoff pitch.
Why Owen Dying Would Have Made The 9-1-1: Lone Star Ending Better
The Show Would Have Come Full-Circle
Rather than leave the door awkwardly ajar for Owen Strand’s future in New York, 9-1-1: Lone Star should have committed to his death for the sake of the series. Considering the spinoff began with a mass casualty event that left a sole 126 member alive, it would’ve been the perfect bookend for 9-1-1: Lone Star’s ending to flip the script and have one 126 member save everyone. In doing so, the procedural could have sealed Owen’s fate as a hero in perpetuity. Implying Owen could have died but achieved all of his dreams instead doesn’t pack the same punch.
Actor |
9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Character |
|---|---|
Rob Lowe |
Owen Strand |
Gina Torres |
Tommy Vega |
Jim Parrack |
Judson "Judd" Ryder |
Natacha Karam |
Marjan Marwani |
Brian Michael Smith |
Paul Strickland |
Julian Works |
Mateo Chavez |
Brianna Baker |
Nancy Gillian |
Rafael L. Silva |
Carlos Reyes |
Ronen Rubinstein |
TK Strand |
Jackson Pace |
Wyatt Harris |
Furthermore, it would have made perfect sense for Owen specifically to die during one of ’s intense rescues. Owen’s character began as a parallel to Judd: following his cancer diagnosis, Owen cheated death and poured his all into the 126, just like Judd did after losing his crew in the pilot catastrophe. 9-1-1: Lone Star could have ended with the two characters diverging, still having Judd become the 126 captain but, this time, allowing Owen to die. Rather than waste time setting up multiple characters’ near-death experiences, 9-1-1: Lone Star should have focused on one meaningful, real death.
Killing Off Owen Wouldn't Impact Any Possible Future 9-1-1 Franchise Stories
If Anything, It Would Have Improved Them
While, in theory, leaving Owen alive fosters hope for a future continuation, any New York-based franchise installment is doomed from the start, since the bulk of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s main characters wouldn’t be present for Owen’s new life. There could be small glimpses of the ensemble cast via Owen’s son, TK, but the series would never have the same charm as the Texas-based spinoff. In many ways, 9-1-1: Lone Star letting Owen live is like dangling a carrot in front of a horse, holding the 126 just out of reach instead of letting the series come to a complete end.
Huh? 9-1-1's Nashville Spinoff Sounds So Much Like Lone Star, And Now I'm More Confused About Its Cancelation
Details about 9-1-1: Nashville are beginning to trickle in, but the franchise's second spinoff already bears a striking resemblance to Lone Star.
Consequently, Owen’s existence is actively harming the future of the 9-1-1 franchise. Since the second spinoff location was revealed, sabotaged the Nashville entry. Aside from the setting, Owen’s character leaves a shadow that completely encomes the new 9-1-1 protagonist due to their glaring similarities. If 9-1-1: Lone Star had truly killed Owen and rounded out the 126’s ending, there would be more space for 9-1-1: Nashville to breathe without constant comparison before a pilot episode has even aired. 9-1-1: Lone Star’s finale had potential, but Owen’s survival may be the biggest mistake the spinoff ever made.
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9-1-1: Lone Star
- Release Date
- 2020 - 2024
- Network
- FOX
- Showrunner
- Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Tim Minear
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Tim Minear
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