9-1-1: Lone Star Review: Parental Guidance (Season 3 Episode 10)

This week proves to be beyond confusing, and not just because Captain Tatum has signs of dementia. 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 3 Episode 10, “Parental Guidance” needs a bit of guidance itself.

Between serious, life-changing, diagnoses seeming to disappear and promotions that defy all the rules and regulations, the only coherent part of this installment is Captain Tatum. A realization that is just sad if you think about it.

Tatum’s Problem

Let’s start with the part about this episode that truly saves it, Tatum and his sudden health issues. With the loss of a Lieutenant that meant the world to your team, anyone would be a little lost. 

So, it’s heartbreaking when Tatum leans over and asks Mateo who had died not moments after delivering the man’s eulogy. On the one hand, this story is giving us two things: a Captain in need that isn’t Strand and a more meaningful Mateo story.

It’s great to see Tatum’s issue come to light and Mateo jump at any opportunity to help the man who was like a second mentor to him — no one will replace Strand in his eyes. This gives us deeper insight into who Mateo is at his core. 

Out of all the firefighters on this show, Mateo truly embodies the family above all else mentality of the AFD — more so than anyone.  His heart is an unspoken truth about the 126 and clearly rubs off on the 129 as well. 

Tatum’s dementia is also heartbreaking because he’s been a legend in the AFD for decades. It’s never easy to see the good ones go, especially if they have to leave outside of their own terms.

Mateo’s Promotion,

All this talk of Captain Tatum leads us to one of the giant elephants in the room — Mateo’s promotion. Of course, we understand that plot devices are needed in television. 

However, the knowledge that Mateo, a probie, gets promoted to Lieutenant without taking any sort of exam or putting in the work just to serve the Tatum story takes me out of the moment. Instead of promoting him all the way to Lieutenant the writers could’ve created a general transfer offer, and have Mateo accept that.

Either way, Mateo would appear to be excitedly abandoning his 126 family for the 129. It would ultimately still rub both Strand and Marjan the wrong way, and create the tension needed in the episode. 

Instead, the role of Lieutenant is thrown at him as if that is even possible for someone of his rank and experience. I’m all for Mateo getting a story like that but in his own time and the proper way.

Otherwise, it comes across as a slap in the face of his character. Mateo really does deserve the chance to earn his place at an officer’s level, but not because it allows him to keep tabs on Tatum.

Miracle of Healing

Who knew you could overcome a permanent heart condition with some gumption and firefighter spirit? During 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 3 Episode 9, “The Bird,” Paul is told by his cardiologist that his heart condition would prevent him from ever doing strenuous exercise again — lest he risk further health issues.

Now, here we are a few weeks later and Paul is depressed about his new life outlook — which is within reason considering. And, what does Strand think he needs? To train to come back to the firehouse.

Am I missing something? Or does the show now think we, the audience, aren’t going to remember that Paul’s condition dictates he will never be an active firefighter ever again?

When his defibrillator shocks him during the exam I hoped it would put an end to all that nonsense, but nope it doesn’t. Instead, Marjan included, the firehouse family cheers him to victory on the physical exam. 

Marjan, Out of Character?

Finally, there is the matter of Marjan Marwani herself. This episode does a fantastic job of painting her to be an angry, bitter, defeated person. 

As if the start of this season never happened and she didn’t single-handedly bring the whole firehouse back. Even when the odds were stacked against her, she kept fighting — never giving up.

So now she gets in one fight with Paul over his feelings about his diagnosis and she turns tail and runs? Why does it take screaming at Mateo about being a traitor for her to realize she should still fight for Paul?

Also, if she’s still so concerned about her best friend shouldn’t she be yelling at Strand, Judd, and Tommy to stop this nonsense? It’s one thing for the team to want Paul to get out of his apartment, but she out of all of them knows the seriousness of his condition.

It just really seems as though the writing team has lost its spark. Season 3 started so strong and focused, now here we are a little more than halfway through and nothing flows or even makes sense anymore. 

What did you think of this episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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9-1-1: Lone Star airs Next Monday at a new time 9/8c on FOX.

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