The 9-1-1: Lone Star season 4 finale is here and was as emotional as ever. Part one, “Best of Men,” saw the surprising and heartbreaking death of Gabriel Reyes just days before the Tarlos wedding, as Judd made the decision to be Wyatt’s caregiver and quitting his job. In part two, Carlos does everything he can to solve his father’s murder as the wedding is now on hold, the Ryders adjust to their new life, and Owen struggles with helping Robert with his one last favor.
Keep reading to find out what happened in “In Sickness and In Health.”
The Art of Grief
T.K. wakes up in the middle of the night, not feeling Carlos next to him. Carlos is out in the living room, not being able to sleep, knowing that whoever murdered his father, made a widow of his mother, is out there breathing free air. Carlos apologizes as he knows that T.K. is just trying to comfort him, though T.K. assures him he has nothing to be sorry about. Their wedding is not canceled, just merely postponed. Carlos can’t go through a wedding right now, and T.K. understands.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
The next day, T.K.’s working on trying to call everyone back, from guests to the florist, the venue, the caterer, and the DJ. He is stressing about it since the wedding was supposed to be in five days, but Owen offers to take care of it. T.K. tells his dad he would have made an amazing Best Man, though Owen still plans to.
Meanwhile, Andrea and Carlos go into Gabriel’s office trying to look for the life insurance, and Carlos is able to find it immediately. Andrea feels like a fool, saying she’s just been all over the place. Carlos offers to help put the stuff back, and Andrea tells him she called a flooring company to change the floorboards so that his Tía Lucy and the kids could still stay there for the wedding. Carlos admits that he and T.K. decided to postpone the wedding, saying it doesn’t feel right to do it. He gets back to putting stuff away, and when he opens a drawer, he finds a false bottom. Inside is a tape, files, and a burner phone.
Uncovered Secrets
T.K. comes home to see Carlos messing with the TV, and Carlos tells him about the stuff he found in his dad’s office. T.K. looks through everything, asking Carlos if he thinks his dad was running an investigation off the books. Carlos puts in the VHS tape, and it’s from October 2003, so Gabriel says. Gabriel continues to say that if they’re watching this, something happened to him. He’s uncovered a network of corruption within the APD, the State Troopers, and the Texas Rangers. The three have been compromised by the cartels. For the safety of himself and his family, he will trust no one. Off camera, a young Carlos calls for his father after having a scary dream. Gabriel picks him up, and young Carlos tells him about the dream. He tells his son that nothing could ever take him away from him because he will never stop looking for the monsters. Carlos starts crying while watching the tape.
T.K. once again wakes up in the middle of the night to find Carlos in the living room. He’s broken the passcode on the burner and listening to very angry voicemails. He thinks it’s the man who killed his father, someone in the cartel named Pablo Martinez, who has been leaving threatening messages for months. Gabriel was scheduled to testify in court against a cartel lieutenant, David Santos. Martinez told his dad to catch a flu and miss court, or he’d catch a bullet instead. Two days later, he was dead. He doesn’t know if Martinez delivered the bullet, but he might know who did.
Carlos admits he hasn’t told anyone, not even the Texas Rangers. The video might be 20 years old, but the messages on the burner are not.
“I’m alone on this.”
Carlos keeps saying he’s fine, but T.K. knows otherwise. He says he’s right. He’s not fine, he’s angry, and he knows if it was any other Ranger, an arrest would have been made already. T.K. says he’s exhausted and grieving and knows that’s when bad decisions will be made. He suggests going to Detective Washington. She might know someone. Carlos agrees and tells him he will talk to her.
At the firehouse, T.K. tells Owen about Carlos, admitting how worried he is. He reached out to Detective Washington, who says he never contacted her. T.K. doesn’t want to get himself or someone else killed. Owen suggests they go to someone they can trust.
Owen calls Sergeant O’Brien, who, of course, knows Pablo Martinez, a known associate of the 46th Street Kings. He asks for Martinez’s address, and O’Brien wants to know why. Owen tells him about his future son-in-law and how worried he is, afraid Carlos is going to do something he will regret. After Owen brings up his nephew, O’Brien understands.
Carlos shows up at Martinez’s house, bringing up his father and bringing out his gun. He corners Martinez in the garage, trying to get him to admit he murdered his father while aiming the gun at him. Owen and O’Brien pull up just in time. Owen tries to get through to Carlos, and Bridges comes up. Carlos says that the Rangers can’t be trusted. Bridges says that Gabriel helped weed out corrupted officers, and Gutierrez (Martinez) helped him do it. He’s DEA now, and undercover. Carlos lowers the gun, and Gutierrez confesses he was warning Gabriel since Santos and his men were planning on putting a hit on Gabriel if he testified. Santos cut a deal. They just don’t know who really killed him.
At home, Owen tells Carlos that obsession and guilt is eating away everything good in his life. The only way to get past his father’s death is to decide to. If he can’t make peace with it, then Gabriel’s life is not the only life the gunman took. Owen and Carlos cheers to Gabriel.
“Te quiero siempre, Papa.”
Ryder Rehabilitation
Judd brings Wyatt home, and the living room likes completely different. Wyatt’s bed is set up with a little entertainment center, snacks, and the like. Judd brings him closer to his bed, bringing out cups that will help with his neural pathways. Grace notices the tension and suggests they let Wyatt settle in, and Wyatt says he just needs some time for himself.
Wyatt’s trying to concentrate on the cups, but Judd keeps encouraging him, making it worse and upsetting Wyatt. He gives up on the cups, and Judd tells him that he’s frustrated that he won’t fight. Wyatt’s upset that he never asked for his opinion, admitting he’d say that Judd is in over his head because he doesn’t know how to take care of him. He needs someone that will encourage him and not treat him like a baby. Judd just wants to help him, and Wyatt appreciates him. He just doesn’t think it’s the best thing for their relationship.
One Last Favor
Going back two weeks, when Owen was in LA with Robert and Robert asked him to help him die, Robert tells him how much more severe it’s gotten. He’s nearing the end of the middle stage then it’s the late stage of Huntington’s. His doctor tells him he only has two years left to live but that is two long years for his family. He doesn’t want to put them through that. Robert isn’t asking him to kill him. He’s just asking him to be there with him when he does. He needs to make this decision while he still can. It’s going to be like the disease took him in the night like it was going to.
“I don’t want their last memory of me to be one of disease and death. I want it to be beautiful. A perfect moment.”
In the present, Owen wakes up to Robert’s daughter Yvonne making her father breakfast. She asks her uncle to make him breakfast after she goes to California, giving him very strict instructions but appreciating him for taking care of him.
A Wedding to Remember
Carlos comes home and tells T.K. he made him from making the biggest mistake of his life. He saved him, and T.K. says he saved him first. Carlos gets down on one knee, asking him if he’s not doing anything on Saturday and if he will still marry him.
“Yes, I will marry the hell out of you.”
It’s finally wedding time; Owen and Andrea walk down the aisle, and Paul is at the altar. Andrea takes a seat next to her daughter, and Owen joins Paul and Iris up front. Carlos’ nephew serves as the flower boy, and T.K. and Carlos finally make their way to each other and walk down the aisle together.
After Paul gives a speech about their love, T.K. and Carlos say their vows, and it is as sappy and beautiful and heartfelt as ever (that is just too much to fully write out), though they did both end their vows with “heart.” As the two exchange rings, Gwyn is standing behind Owen, saying that T.K. is going to be okay. They saved his life, and now he gets to have one. Paul officially announces T.K. and Carlos married.
At the reception, everyone is having a blast, and there is not a care in the world (save for a few problems still on some guests’ minds). Carlos later sits down with Andrea, exactly where he wants to be. Andrea tells Carlos she’s good, and Carlos confesses this is the best night of his life. Tommy interrupts everyone, admitting she was pushed into this by a certain paramedic (T.K.), having told her that this was his mother’s favorite song. She is honored to do this for Gwyn, T.K., and Carlos. She sings “Being Alive” by Stephen Sondheim.
During the song, we flash forward to when Robert says goodbye to his family, Tarlos on their honeymoon, and the Ryders at home with Wyatt. Robert says he’s glad he got to know Owen, even if for a little. They say their goodbyes, and Robert dies via assisted suicide, with his half-brother right by his side, and Owen calls 9-1-1.
Season 4 of 9-1-1: Lone Star is done, but season 5 will be coming soon to Fox! In the meantime, watch all episodes now on Hulu and check out the rest of our coverage on the series here.
