9-1-1 Lone Star Season 4: Parade
On Tuesday night, Parade, the first episode of season 4 of 9-1-1 Lone Star premiered on Fox. If you followed our coverage last season, you know we had very mixed feelings about the way the writers treated our beloved Tarlos throughout the entirety of the season. Nevertheless, we tuned in this week to check out what our friendly neighborhood queers are up to, and it feels like the show is off to a relatively nice start.
Last season, we dropped a review every week, so long as the queers made an appearance, however, we’re changing it up this season. After today, we’ll drop back in for a mid-season review, and then we’ll release our thoughts in a full season recap once everything is said and done. You might catch us on socials screaming about the weekly happenings though, so drop by and yell with us there in the meantime.
Some things are not changing, however. We’re here for the queers, and the queers only, so, like last season, we’re only going to be honing in on their storylines in our coverage.
Okay, are we ready? Here’s what the 9-1-1 Lone Star queers are up to in Parade.
When the episode opens, Carlos (Rafael L. Silva) is having lunch with his mama. He tells her that he and T.K. (Ronen Rubenstein) are looking at wedding venues, but the wait for an available date is excruciatingly long. Then, by a twist of fate, their dream venue calls Carlos and says that a couple has split up and a date has become available in just eight weeks’ time.
Immediately, Carlos frowns and it’s obvious that something is wrong. Considering how badly he wants to marry T.K. and how much they loved the venue, that kind of news should have brought a smile to his face, instead of the opposite.
Carlos’s mama is shocked to learn that Carlos hasn’t told T.K. his big secret, and insists that he tell him today. The first responders are out on a call at the local fair, so Carlos heads to the firehouse to wait for his return.
As Parade barrels on, Carlos seems pretty anxious to tell T.K. whatever it is that he has been hiding from him, so we were expecting massive amounts of drama when the bomb was finally dropped.
It’s an interesting choice to deliver the news to T.K. while he is on shift at the firehouse, but those be the chips, were guess. Carlos tells his fiance that he is actually married already – to a woman. He explains that she is his best friend from way back when and she is mentally ill now. He hasn’t filed for divorce because she needs his health insurance to survive. How can T.K. be mad at that?
He can’t. And despite the fact that a lot of the promo seemed to tease the idea that painful shenanigans were likely to ensue in this episode, Parade will please Tarlos fans immensely. They deal with this setback with maturity and class.
When Carlos eventually approaches his friend to ask for a divorce, she is doing well. She is working, has her own health insurance, and her mental health is in a good, stable place. She understands that Carlos wants a divorce and says the only caveat she is placing on her signature is that she wants to meet T.K. first.
It all seems like it’s with good intentions and under the guise of being supportive, but the Q+ Magazine staffers are no fools, and we can smell a rat, even when it looks like a possum. There is something about this woman that we don’t trust, and we anticipate meddling and drama from her before the season is out.
But mostly, Parade was a warm and fuzzy introduction to season 4 Tarlos. They’re engaged, getting married, and not fighting over the fact that Carlos has been hiding a spouse all this time. We love this for them, and we love this for us.
We are excited to see how their journey unfolds throughout the rest of the season. See you again in a handful of weeks for our mid-season review.
9-1-1- Lone Star airs on Fox at 8/7c pm on Tuesday night. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
