Spoiler alert! This story contains major spoilers for 9-1-1: Lone StarThe season finale, “A Bright and Cloudless Morning”.
Explosions may have occurred approximately owen and Judd during 9-1-1: Lone Starthe season 3 finale, but the real fireworks were over at traditional knowledge and carlos‘ place. Fan-favorite couple Tarlos got engaged in ‘A Bright and Cloudless Morning,’ in a cute and fun scene in which TK woke Carlos up at 3 a.m. to talk about his will — oh, and his wedding. According to Ronen Rubinstein (who plays son Strand) and Raphael Silva (Carlos), the actors didn’t have to rehearse a lot to capture the emotion of the scene. Or rather, they could not do lots of reps.
Season 3 opened with the shocking news that The relationship between TK and Carlos had not survived the six-month gap between the Season 2 finale and this season’s premiere. However, the writer Tim Minear assured us that it was not a permanent break, and I think all can be forgiven now, because what a dramatic way to end the Austin spinoff season! The actors spoke with EO how meaningful Tarlos’ engagement is, and they both apparently got quite emotional during rehearsals. Ronen Rubinstein said:
Rafael and I both cried during rehearsals. Our director was like, ‘All right, let’s cut the rehearsal short. Save all the emotion for the real thing. The rehearsal was really intense, and that speaks to the beauty of the writing. Sometimes we are blessed with certain scenes where I don’t have to do any emotional preparation or anything. The words do all the work and all the emotions start to bubble just by saying the words on the page. It’s such a blessing for an actor.
9-1-1: Lone Star really balanced the sweetness of the moment with the humor, with Carlos waking up with a start, worried that the alligator lizard had come loose again (thank goodness that thing only lasted one episode). Then, at 3:18 a.m., TK announced he was ready to make his will, which sounded ridiculous until he followed it up with, “It’ll be easy because I’ll leave everything to my husband. . Marry me.” Cue the awwws! Not only is it a great story, but Rafael Silva pointed out that it’s also an important story to tell:
It’s incredibly important that this type of storyline airs on national television right now — especially with the endless amounts of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills trying to pass in multiple states across the United States. Having this kind of representation at the forefront is extremely imperative.
Ronen Rubinstein also said it was an important moment for his character, who at the start of the series was reeling from a rejected engagement. After TK’s suicide attempt and overdose, it was important that he was the one to propose to Carlos. Rubinstein also agreed with his co-star’s sentiment on the importance of seeing this story on television right now, and he said the entire team understood how important the moment was:
The crew was really on the edge of their seats, and it was a very beautiful moment on set that day. I think everyone knew the clout behind what was going on – just off the show, what it means to show a mixed-race, gay couple getting engaged and eventually getting married. This is a big problem for network television, especially with the climate we find ourselves in right now in the country. It was a really, really layered scene for a really layered relationship. I’m so excited to see yet another amazing milestone in the Tarlos saga.
Elsewhere in the Season 3 finale, owen and Judd survived the gas explosion, though Judd broke his leg again and Owen encountered visits from beyond the grave. Gwyn (Lisa Edelstein) and a 9/11 first responder both seemed to tell Owen that he needed to move on with his life, despite the tragedies he had faced. Hopefully, since finding out the lump on her lung was just an infection and not a recurrence of cancer, Season 4 will be her opportunity to do just that.
Fox finally announced this week that the the drama of the first responders has been renewed for a fourth season, and I’m looking forward to a big and fabulous wedding at Tarlos, so don’t let us down, 9-1-1: Lone Star! In the meantime, find out what other series are ending on our spring final programand be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what premieres are to come.