9-1-1: Lone Star, a spin-off of Fox’s9-1-1, follows the adventures of Captain Owen Strand (Rob Lowe) and his fellow first responders at Austin’s 126 firehouse — EMS Captain Tommy Vega (Gina Torres), TK Strand (Ronen Rubenstein), Judd Ryder (Jim Parrack), Paul Strickland (Brian Michael Smith), Marjan Marwani (Natacha Karam), Nancy Gillian (Brianna Baker), and Mateo Chavez (Julian Works). Together, they respond to emergencies in the field or in their personal lives as Texas’ premier group of first responders, paired with Officer Carlos Reyes (Rafael Silva) and Dispatcher Grace Ryder (Sierra McClain), of course. However, despite the ensemble cast,9-1-1: Lone Starhas always been theOwen Strand show. A majority of the stories are devoted to Owen, and those that aren’t, usually find a way to highlight him in some so-called savior capacity. Like, for instance, in “Double Trouble,” which spotlights Mateo’s past and family life. Frankly, it’s mind-boggling to watch, as the series has proven countless times Owen isn’t a strong enough character to lead and shouldn’t be the Captain headlining the show — Tommy should be.
Tommy Embodies What a Captain Should Be on ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’
Since Tommy joined the show at the beginning of the second season, following the departure of Michelle Blake (Liv Tyler) due to COVID-19, she has been a star. As her story has progressed, she has only shined brighter and brighter. Given that she is the other Captain and technically the co-lead of the series, we’ve never been short on Tommy-focused stories. We’ve watched her prove herself as a paramedic repeatedly, forced to make tough calls in the field that quite literally make the difference between life and death. She’s fought back against those who doubt her and her team, turning all of them into Tommy Vega fans in the long run. When things don’t go Tommy’s way, she uses outside-of-the-box thinking to plan ahead and attempt to find a way to (mostly) professionally go about getting what she wants. A great example of this is theSeason 4episode “Sellouts,” where private emergency services provider Paragon begins a plan to push Tommy and her crew out of Austin. Tommy finds a logical and responsible way to deal with this issue (which is more than we can ever say of her counterpart.)
Additionally, Tommy’s relationships with the other members of the 126 emphasize what a leader she is. This is most notable with Nancy and TK, as the paramedics she works alongside. Tommy has been a shining example of how to do the job, what risks are worth taking, and how to command respect. She has provided effortless wisdom, whether about work or issues in someone’s personal life, to her team and to Owen,Grace, and Judd as well.
Tommy has worked hard to earn the trust and love of those around her, and these relationships have all been developed on-screen, making them much more relevant to the story. This automatically makes them more believable than many of Owen’s relationships that, outside of a few select moments, were supposedly mainly developed off-screen. The show practically has the 126 team worship Owen, even though his actions have caused them all quite a bit of grief over the years. The series told us he is a good leader, but they have rarely/possibly never showcased that in their stories, unlike with Tommy.
In short, Tommy embodies the role of EMS Captain in such an inspiring, respectable way. It’s truly night and day to see the difference in how she and Owen lead their respective teams. Throughout the series, Owen has behaved like a reckless teenage boy. He loses his temper far too often, throwing out punches like they’re candy. (And, only recently decided to “work” on this aspect of his personality.) He’s unable to maintain a long-term romantic relationship; not necessarily because of his job, but because, as teased above, he has a terrible personality and is very immature for his age. For all intents and purposes, Owen is a glorified frat bro — though that isn’t to say he hasn’t had any growth over four seasons, just not much. Instead of using Owen’s role as Captain of the 126 to prove he’s a hero, we’re constantly saddled with stories where Owen alone is showcased as a hero to the detriment of the show, like with the terrorist biker gang in early Season 4. And, worst of all, the series has never depicted how Owen worked for and earned his team’s respect.
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Tommy Also Has More Impactful Personal Stories
Outside of work, Tommy’s stories also hold more weight and are far more enjoyable. Torres has the talent to pull off any story, however cheesy or ridiculous, without fail. The stories Tommy is given constantly help to depict who she is and what she strives for her future to look like. They don’t paint her to be perfect, but allow her to grow, learn from mistakes, and even occasionally fail. Even with lighter stories, like Tommy discovering she is developing feelings for her new pastor at the beginning of the fourth season. This is far preferable to a similar Season 4 story where Owen thinks the woman he has started seeing, who is way out of his league, thinks he is a male gigolo. Owen’s personal stories are usually about boosting his ego, resulting in little substance, which became incredibly tiring and miserable to watch back in the second season.
‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Needs to Stop Pushing Owen Strand on the Audience
For nearly four seasons,9-1-1: Lone Starhas detailed what a terrible leader Owen Strand is. He’s unprofessional, far too emotional on too often an occasion, and the character’s only saving grace is his off-screen history as one of the first responders who responded to the attack on 9/11. With as little offense meant to Lowe as possible, the Owen we are actively watching just isn’t anything special — despite the series constantly trying to shove it down our throats andtellus he is without any proof to back the claim. Owen is a character we have basically seen before on television, countless times, and will no doubt see again. If we compare Owen and Bobby (Peter Krause) on9-1-1, Owen pales in comparison to Bobby. While Owen remains the focal point, ignoring how he has remarkably failed to make a good impression on the majority of the series’ fans, the show will never live up to its potential.
Any team needs a good leader to succeed. Owen is not that leader. However, Tommy is. She is the Captain that should be at the forefront of9-1-1: Lone Star.She already has some of the most meaningful interactions with the team, which would only be expanded if she were the leading character and able to interact with everyone. (Here’s hoping we get some Tommy andMarjan/Paulcontent soon, by the way.) Tommy exemplifies what a leader should be, always carrying herself with dignity and admitting when she needs help. Hell, she’s even better at being an adult than Owen is. Ultimately, it’s time for a change, as interest in the series keeps dropping. Torres has more than enough star power and talent to lead the show into a new, more powerful era, which is only the cherry on top of why Tommy should be the Captain at the helm of the series.
Every episode of9-1-1: Lone Staris now streaming on Hulu.
