9-1-1: Lone Star season 2, episode 12 review: The Big Heat

Episode 12’s reputation preceded it but could the fiery installment of 9-1-1: Lone Star live up to expectations?

9-1-1: Lone Star doesn’t know how to hold back. Or at the very least, it just doesn’t want to.

The 9-1-1 spin-off is nearly finished its second season and it’s making darn sure that its core group of characters will be completely and utterly traumatized by the time those credits roll on the finale. In the process, they are making damn good television.

This week’s episode, “The Big Heat”, picked up where the previous one left off (and where it started too, technically) as Captain Owen Strand took it upon himself to go all vigilante and track down the arsonist responsible for setting all the fires. The problem is that he is framed for the crimes by the arsonist in question.

9-1-1: Lone Star season 2, episode 12 – On fire from the start

From arriving at T.K. and Carlos’ dinner with their respective parents late to finding himself in an interrogation room with the latter’s Texas Ranger father, Lone Star‘s infamous episode 12 made it clear that throwing obstacles at Owen Strand would not be a problem for it… then again, it never was. But that would only be the beginning of a truly anxiety-inducing affair that wouldn’t allow you look away because you would most likely miss something if you did.

The writers deserve applause here because they set the situation up incredibly well. Owen’s determination to track down the arsonist was never in question but his desperation to feel like he has a purpose saw him unwittingly build a mountain of evidence against himself – evidence that Gabriel Reyes didn’t think twice about using against him. For a moment it seemed as if Owen incriminated himself because that’s exactly what they wanted us to think.

The fact that it was all a rouse – not to catch Billy but Investigator Raymond – was an example of the intricate plotting that went into this episode. But even that masterful twist took a backseat to the fact that it came only halfway through, as the dialogue-heavy episode set the stage for a final act in which the tension (and, y’know, the visuals) did all the talking for it.

That brings us nicely to the “Tarlos” talk because, honestly, these two were the best thing about “The Big Heat”. Many of us predicted they would be going in (thanks to some wonderful teases from actors Ronen Rubinstein and Rafael Silva long before this episode was even on the horizon) but not even that could have prepared us for the hard-hitting, emotional and, above all else, passionate content Tarlos provided us with in this one.

Carlos’ father arresting T.K.’s acted as a great source of conflict for the pair that have been so solid in their relationship this season that we haven’t seen anywhere near enough of them. And while nobody wants to see the pair disagree let alone fight, the conflict that they encountered – both in the form of their own conflict and the literal fire – provided Rubinstein and Silva with a real opportunity to showcase their dramatic chops.

And, boy oh boy, did they come through, with Rubinstein delivering one of his finest performances yet and Silva absolutely breaking us with his emotional portrayal of Carlos’ regret after the fire.

This pair’s chemistry was, for lack of a better term, fire… as always. I mean, we’ve heard of fiery passion before but it’s not often that it’s so hot it burns the house down! In all seriousness though, the foundations of their house may not be standing anymore, but the foundation of Tarlos is stronger than ever and “The Big Heat” is a clear example of why 9-1-1: Lone Star is at its best when it shifts away from its norm, putting the procedural nature on the backburner and focusing on other characters. And my only note is that we should see much more of these two in season 3.

Ever since it returned from its midseason break, 9-1-1: Lone Star has been throwing everything at its characters and while we’d really like to see T.K. and Carlos get a break now (seriously, they’ve been through enough!), the way that the creative team built the tension and threw obstacle after obstacle at the characters involved – all while making room for that twist midway through – was really something else. So by the time the closing scene came around, it was hard to feel anything… but they still found a way to make sure that we did.

As for where the show goes from here with only two episodes left, who knows… who knows? Whatever happens, may Lone Star continue thriving as one of the best shows on TV today.

Lone Star Leftovers

• I get that the episode wanted us to think that Gabriel Reyes wasn’t the fan of Owen that we thought he was, and that it needed the Tarlos family dinner in the same episode to pull that off, but it was a shame that one of the things we were waiting all season for ended up descending into an opening conversation about the arson attack.
• Like most procedural dramas, 9-1-1: Lone Star does struggle to balance its large ensemble of characters (Owen Strand aside) from time-to-time and that results in it often feeling like there are some important character moments missing. T.K. and Carlos have suffered from that before and here, it does feel like we should have actually seen the moment in which they discovered that their fathers had tricked them. It’s important that they make amends, particularly for T.K. who got uncharacteristically aggressive with his boyfriend.
• Okay, but like, Captain Strand and Texas Ranger Reyes should get their own spin-off.
• I swear you had better not take Charles from me, 9-1-1: Lone Star!
• Judd is such a good friend.
• Apologies Billy, I guess it wasn’t you all along after all.
• Ronen Rubinstein and Rafael Silva deserve a spot on the 9-1-1: Lone Star promo team for the weeks they spent teasing the arrival of “Episode 12” and they were absolutely spot on. It did not disappoint.

What did you think of 9-1-1: Lone Star season 2, episode 12? Let us know in the comments below!