The season 2 finale of FOX’s 9-1-1: Lone Star is here! Following the 126’s explosive situation, the crew has been separated temporarily. For some, it works out and for others, it does not. However, when a massive dust storm comes barreling through the city, they will have to work with what they’ve got in order to save people, and Mateo is proving himself to be a worthy firefighter. Meanwhile, a shocking announcement could change the future of the 126 forever. Keep reading for a recap of the 9-1-1: Lone Star season 2 finale, “Dust to Dust.”
Judd and Grace are visiting Tommy and the girls. Tommy starts crying and tells Grace the funeral was two weeks ago. “You’d think I’d be able to go two minutes without a tissue break.” Grace tells Tommy to let it out. Judd looks behind him and walks over to Tommy and Grace. Tommy admits that every time she thinks she has a toehold on her sanity, it just hits her all over again. She tells them that Charles’ life insurance came in, and it’s more than she expected. He was always looking out for the girls, she says. “So I’m thinking it’s my turn.” Tommy says the only reason she put that uniform back on was to support her family. He’s taken care of that now. Judd tells Tommy she loves that job. It’s a part of who she is too now. It is, Tommy says. “But what am I supposed to do?”
After a meeting with department heads and captains of other fire stations about ways to save the department’s money, Deputy Chief Radford asks Owen to speak to him for a moment outside. In his office, he asks Owen if he knows that bringing him to Texas is one of the greatest accomplishments of his career. He praises Owen for how fast he remolded the 126 into the strongest station in their city. And Radford just has to wonder if he could do that with one house, what he could do with a whole department. Owen says he’s happy to help in any way. Radford says he’s not asking for his help. He’s asking him to be Austin’s next deputy fire chief. Radford admits he’s retiring. That’s why he wanted Owen assigned to his staff. “Because there is nobody that I’d rather pass the reins on to than you.” The offer surprises Owen.
Captain Andrews of the 122 is giving all the details to Paul, who has been reassigned to the station. Andrews tells Paul there are a couple of people he thought he’d want to say hi to; it’s none other than Judd and Marjan, who have also been reassigned to the 122. Happy as can be, Paul thought they were all going to be split up until the 126 opened its doors again. And not to mention that the place is like a country club. He still can’t believe they all ended up there together. Judd and Marjan look at each other as Paul asks where’s Probie. Meanwhile, Mateo is back to doing grunt work at the 129.
T.K. and Nancy show up at Tommy’s, and while Tommy gets them coffee, T.K. wonders if there’s any update on when they’ll get back out on the street. Tommy says she’s still waiting for a house with an ambulance bay to open up. She tells them she wants them to know that working with them has been the greatest blessing of her professional career. T.K. and Nancy’s expressions change, and T.K. realizes that Tommy’s not coming back. She says she can’t. The girls need her for this next chapter now more than ever, and she’s sorry. Nancy tells Tommy to not feel bad. “You’re not the first captain I’ve had leave to take care of family.” She has nothing but love and respect for Michelle, and this is no different. Except that it is different, Nancy says. Starting to break down, Nancy tells Tommy she’s her mentor for how she wants to be as a paramedic, as a captain, and hopefully, one day a long, long time from now, a mom. Tommy grabs Nancy and T.K.’s hands, as if she needed another reason to cry.
As Paul, Marjan, and Judd are enjoying their time playing games at the 122, Mateo is on lunch duty for the 129. A massive dust storm suddenly blows into Austin, interrupting everyone’s day. Everyone frantically tries to get inside. Mateo’s out in the open, Owen’s trying to save people, and the 122 bunkers down. Mateo hears an explosion, and when he gets up, it’s like a war zone. A plane has crashed in the middle of the street, with parts of it landing on a bus.
The 122 watches a news report about the 35-mile wide and two-mile tall dust storm that barreled across Austin, with winds locking in at 65 miles per hour. “So much for no crazy calls around here.” Paul says they got the 126 around now. “We bring the crazy.” Captain Andrews tells his team to gear up. The second the storm passes; they’re out. Meanwhile, Mateo’s telling people to get away from the bus and it explodes. He takes a breather before someone puts their hand on the window of the plane beside him. He goes around to save them and pulls them out. He calls two people over to help the pilot — to keep him talking until help arrives. A hoard of injured people are out on the streets, and Mateo doesn’t know what to do.
Mateo takes charge and creates a triage in the street to better help those injured and to assist first responders when they arrive. After Mateo helps someone, a guy wonders if there are any firefighters yet. Mateo tells him he’s one, and the guy points up, saying he heard screaming on the sixth floor on his way out. He thinks people are trapped in an elevator. Black smoke and a plane’s wing can be seen on the roof of a building. “Of course they are.”
Tommy, T.K., and Nancy are watching the news report. Nancy asks T.K. if he thinks they can get the rig out of the garage and T.K. says he knows where they keep the keys. The two of them begin to leave, and Isabela and Evie convince their mother to go too. Soon, Tommy, T.K., and Nancy are back in their uniforms, and the rig is all set up. Tommy tells the girls to mind their babysitter, who is revealed to be Carlos. “Adorable.” “Right?” Carlos tells them to not worry about them. “Go save the world.”
Mateo runs up the stairs of the building to the sixth floor and yells out, asking if there’s anybody there. He runs over to the elevator, and a guy, Graham, tells him they’re stuck in there. Mateo tells them he’s with Austin Fire and that he’s going to get them out. Mateo pries the doors open, and Owen comes to the rescue. He tells everyone not to move, use their phones, or vape. Owen tells Mateo they’re standing in jet fuel — that’s what the smell is. If they use anything metal to open those doors that throws a spark, the whole thing goes up.
The 122 roll up to the scene, and Andrews tells Paul and Marjan to start triaging until medical lands. Paul looks out onto the streets and sees people grouped together with colored sheets on the ground. Marjan asks someone who separated them into groups, and a guy says that handsome firefighter. “Hey, I’ll be damned.” Judd, Marjan, and Paul spot Owen and Mateo. After grabbing supplies, Owen, Mateo, Paul, Marjan, and other firefighters get back to the elevator. Four out of the five people make it out, but the last one, Graham, gets stuck in the elevator as it slowly starts moving down. Owen gets on top of it and opens the hatch, pulling Graham out. They both make it up just before the elevator drops to an explosive end. They all walk out of the building, and Mateo tells Andrews the prognosis of the civilians.
Captain Tatum of the 129 notices Mateo and asks what he’s doing over there. Mateo says he was in the neighborhood picking up lunch when the storm hit. Tatum thinks he needs to reread his academy manual. Owen interrupts Tatum and tells him it’s not like he did any better. The only reason that he’s out there today is Tatum’s rig didn’t check in for hours. Tatum tells him that’s different. They broke down in the dust storm, which killed all their comms.
Judd wonders if they thought it was smart to drive around in the middle of a dust storm. “Talk about breaking protocols.” Tatum says it snuck up on them. Mateo starts laughing and Tatum tells him to start wiping down the rig. He wants it dust-free by the time they’re done with this call. Mateo tells Tatum he’ll wipe down his cab, pick up his fatty foods, scrub his disgusting floors. Because that’s who he is. “At least he’s a happy grunt.” Mateo says he’s a firefighter, and he’s already read the FD manual five times. Listened to it, actually, because his friends recorded it for him. “So I’ve learned how to respond to toxic spills and dumpster fires, all of which was great training for working with you guys at the 129.” Owen, Judd, Marjan, and Paul all look at Mateo in amazement. Tatum starts coughing dust and he goes down.
Almost as if on cue, Tommy, T.K., and Nancy make their way to them. Tommy asks what happened, and Mateo says Tatum started ripping him a new one; then he started foaming at the mouth. Tommy figures that he’s aspirated a lot of dust and wonders if Tatum was in the storm when it started. Hank says they were stuck on the side of the road trying to fix their engine, but why would it start now? Tommy mentions his trachea’s probably been swelling this whole time. The yelling put him over the top. After they tube him, Tatum starts to pink up and wakes up. “Rescue 126!”
At the Strand household, as the 126 are catching Carlos up on what happened, Judd and Owen are out in the back. Judd asks Owen if headquarters gave him any sense in when they think they’ll get the station back up on its fee,t and Owen says these bureaucrats need 17 different signatures to change a light bulb. That red tape is no joke. “May as well be trying to cut through steel.” That’s it, Owen realizes. They’re firefighters. “We cut through steel all the time.”
Down at the charred station, the 126, joined by Carlos and Grace, get ready to start cleaning up the place. When everyone’s fighting over which tools they get to use, Owen says that Mateo’s no longer Probie. When they open this firehouse, “you are looking at Firefighter Mateo Chavez.” Meanwhile, Tommy comes up with the girls, who run straight to Carlos rather than Godfather Judd. The crew begins cleaning and tearing down walls. Grace asks Tommy if this means she’s changed her mind, and she says the girls wouldn’t have it any other way. She has no idea how they’re going to make this work, “but… these are my people. This is home.”
Billy walks in and asks everyone to hold work for a second; he has something to say. They all gather around. Billy wanted them to be the first to hear this, directly from him. He says as soon as Deputy Chief Radford’s retirement is official, he’s going to be Austin’s new deputy chief. Owen’s shocked by the news, but not as shocked as what comes next.
Billy says he considers the 126 to be sacred ground. He wants them all to know, each and every one of them, they have lived up to the great legacy of those fine men who risked their lives. That’s the highest compliment he could ever pay them. Which makes this next part so hard, Billy starts. He mentions there’s no reason to continue what they’re doing there. “We’re shutting down the 126. Permanently.” Everyone is surprised and saddened by the news, and Billy continues. The department is headed for a financial crisis, he says. “Wait, so we’re never getting back together?” Billy understands that it is a painful sacrifice, “but it is for the greater good.” Owen wonders if Billy is the deputy chief yet and he says no. Owen tells him good then punches him.
What will happen to the 126? Find out when 9-1-1: Lone Star season 3 premieres midseason 2022 on FOX! The first two seasons are streaming now on Hulu.
