9-1-1: Lone Star Review: Act of God (Season 1 Episode 4)

With a series of tornadoes hitting downtown Austin, 9-1-1: Lone Star shows no sign of stopping or slowing down. Unfortunately, this is the first episode this season that leaves us breathless, but not in the most exciting way. 

For 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 1 Episode 4, “Act of God,” a major natural disaster leaves us scratching our heads at the point of it all. That’s not to say we don’t also get some stellar relationship moments, but overall, the tornado hits and doesn’t leave much visual destruction.

First and foremost we have to talk about Judd and Grace.

These two characters are the type of relationship goals we should all be praising. Judd and Grace personify just what a successful marriage is.

To be quite honest, Judd can’t be easy to live with or share a life with considering his PTSD and lingering doubts about it all. However, Grace somehow manages to match him word for word and gives him nothing but true and unwavering support. 

“Act of God” is another prime example of how well these two work together and really strengthens that bond. Many shows have created a break-up moment for less so when Judd refuses to acknowledge faith anymore or even support Grace in her faith we are convinced this is the end.

However, Grace really shows just how fitting her name is by giving her husband his space to heal while also reminding him that God used to be what he was about too. Her cool under pressure with him is inspiring and exactly the kind of roles we need more of on television.

Way too often women who are married are portrayed as second to their husbands. That doesn’t mean these women aren’t fiercely independent. It just means that their desires and passions come second in the marriage.

Judd going to Grace at the end to help her clear up the destroyed church and promising her a Sunday service in exchange for loving him and supporting him is the kind of husband all women deserve. He not only validated her own beliefs and desires, but he told her he loved her on a level where he was willing to be a bit uncomfortable just for her.

Before this episode, I was on the fence about how I felt with regards to Judd. With each passing episode, I become more and more inclined to like him because he becomes a little less “Texas cliche” and a bit more Judd Ryder the man.

Their relationship serves as a prime example for Owen — which Judd in fact uses — of the type of bonds he can have along his cancer journey if only he allows himself to open up to it. 

Speaking of Owen’s cancer journey, on 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 1 Episode 4, “Act of God,” the most annoying aspect is that he hasn’t opened up to TK yet.

It’s understandable that Captain Strand is uneasy about appearing weak, but at this point, it feels like an excuse. While the relationship between TK and his father is a bond worth exploring and celebrating this conclusion to the deception storyline is disheartening. 

The idea that the main character has a secret and is scared of looking lesser than if the secret gets out so they hide it until it inevitably comes out is very much a tired routine that needs to be taken out to pasture. It’s been done so often before that utilizing it on 9-1-1: Lone Star seems a disservice to both the characters and the show itself.

TK confronting his father is an emotionally charged scene that could have been even more emotional if it had been on the other side of things — with Owen confessing instead of TK finding out on his own. It’s great to witness the knowledge not triggering TK into a spiral, but it isn’t enough to fully invest us at the moment.

Ultimately, better storytelling would have been to have Owen build upon the residual feelings TK and he were having after their shift and opened that line of communication. It would have been more meaningful to see Owen break down and then have TK reassure him that he’s going to get through it all.

All this episode does is give Owen the leeway to continue not taking responsibility for his role as the leader. It allows him to continue to skirt revealing he even has standard emotions — which could be detrimental to the furtherment of his character. 

That being said, TK stepping up and owning his role as his father’s rock is so encouraging to see. He is a troubled character and this moment pushes him forward toward getting back on the horse. We stan strong character development.

Another huge complaint, which in hindsight seems slightly petty, is to the lack of tornado destruction. There are three tornadoes spotted in the Austin area and yet when we get aerial views of the city, there isn’t nearly enough destruction shown to warrant putting three tornadoes. 

Trust me, I get that the focus of the episode isn’t on the visuals, but those visuals matter. They make or break a scene/show. 

As someone who grew up around tornadoes all the time, this episode is a major letdown and not entirely realistic. If a couple of EF 4 tornadoes had really gone through Austin, more properties would be totaled. 

Alone, this detail could easily be ignored and brushed off. However, coupled with the fact that the TK and Owen relationship was a huge misstep, it’s just another thing that didn’t work with this episode. 

Further Thoughts:

• Protect Mateo at all costs.
• Michelle’s story is actually starting to get a bit boring. Wake me up when she finds out more information that matters.
• Paul’s rigatoni sounds amazing. I want some right now.

What did you think of this episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star? Share your thoughts in the comments below! In case you missed it, catch up on our review of 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 1 Episode 3, “Texas Proud” right here. 

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9-1-1: Lone Star airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX.

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