Warning: this article contains SPOILERS for 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 11.9-1-1: Lone Star’s penultimate episode gave away one of its most highly anticipated storylines in the very first scene. The Texas-based spinoff of 9-1-1 has been running since 2020, but 9-1-1: Lone Star’s cancelation unfortunately makes season 5 its last. Consequently, the final episodes have been dialed up to 100 in tension, dread, and uncertainty. Rob Lowe has led 9-1-1: Lone Star’s cast since the beginning, but his character Owen Strand singlehandedly spoiled the asteroid twist— in the best way possible.
9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 11 (“Impact”) followed the 126 dealing with personal drama that was completely overshadowed by the announcement of an impending asteroid that, as explained by the news anchor, could be harmless or existentially dangerous. The firefighters and paramedics worked together despite the chaos, with the episode closing on them huddled together under the fire engines and bracing for impact. Yet, 9-1-1: Lone Star revealed the truth about the asteroid in the first minute of the episode.
Owen’s Opening Scene In 9-1-1: Lone Star’s Penultimate Episode Reveals That The Asteroid Doesn’t Wipe Out the City
After Bracing For Impact, He Ends Up At A Nuclear Reactor
Before the ensemble cast began exploring their final conflicts, the episode opened with Owen regaining consciousness in a dark room. Disoriented, he crawled to a woman begging for help and gave her his oxygen mask before asking for directions to the East wall. Owen slowly makes his way there, reaching for a button before he collapses. The screen cuts to the title card before displaying a time reference that reads “the morning of the meltdown.” 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 11 then pivots to the asteroid, leaving viewers to wonder where the nuclear reactor would fit.
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While the show masked it. Owen’s opening scene reveals the 126 will survive the asteroid. It was already confirmed Owen, at the very least, made it to a completely different disaster site. By teasing the meltdown at the very beginning, no fear remained for the asteroid and its promise of potential extinction. Although there were already signs that 9-1-1: Lone Star’s asteroid wouldn’t obliterate earth, confirming it in the opening leaves the door open for the true final tragedy.
9-1-1: Lone Star’s Final Emergency Is Actually A Nuclear Meltdown
Owen Fails To Hit The Shut-Down Button In Time
In the opening scene of 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 11, the automated voice begins by referring vaguely to a “meltdown” before specifying in the last few seconds that it would be nuclear. Since Owen apparently failed to hit the emergency shut-off before the countdown ended, a nuclear meltdown now seems like an inevitability. The series finale of 9-1-1: Lone Star will have to set the scene for the new catastrophe, but it leaves no option open to prevent it; all 9-1-1: Lone Star can do now is damage control. Fortunately, such a high-stakes event invites even greater drama.
| Actor | 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 character |
|---|---|
| Rob Lowe | Owen Strand |
| Gina Torres | Tommy Vega |
| Jim Parrack | Judson “Judd” Ryder |
| Natacha Karam | Marjan Marwani |
| Brian Michael Smith | Paul Strickland |
| Julian Works | Mateo Chavez |
| Rafael L. Silva | Carlos Reyes |
| Brianna Baker | Nancy Gillian |
| Ronen Rubinstein | TK Strand |
The firefighters and paramedics of 9-1-1: Lone Star have navigated intense rescues throughout the series, but a nuclear reactor meltdown is historically documented for its disastrous effects. Nuclear events like the Chernobyl disaster set the precedent for what could happen if the area isn’t evacuated. The severity of the meltdown will depend on where the reactor is located in Texas, but it will nonetheless be a smaller-scale emergency to end on that could still have horrific consequences.
9-1-1: Lone Star’s Finale Will Still Put The 126 In Danger
The Stakes Are Just As High
Although the 126 will survive the asteroid, their life-threatening work isn’t over. A nuclear meltdown can release deadly radiation for miles, and the aftermath is even more hazardous. Showrunner Rashad Raisani promised the asteroid event would be “the most casualty-strewn rescue” in the series, implying possible main character casualties in the 9-1-1: Lone Star finale. However, the real threat now for 126 lies in what happens after the asteroid. While it’s entirely possible that fragments of the asteroid made contact and took lives, it seems increasingly likely that it was a red herring to set up the nuclear reactor.
Following the February 3 series finale, all episodes of 9-1-1: Lone Star will be available to stream on Hulu.
Since the opening scene additionally teased Owen missing his chance to shut the reactor down, there are very few action plans remaining. The 126 could try in vain to stop the meltdown and lose some of their own, they could evacuate and narrowly miss it, or Owen could sacrifice himself to save the rest of his team. With the talented ensemble cast all eyed as characters to join 9-1-1 after 9-1-1 Lone Star ends, the lattermost might be the happiest ending possible. Although 9-1-1: Lone Star’s penultimate episode spoiled its asteroid ending, the series finale is more exciting than ever.
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9-1-1: Lone Star concludes Monday at 8 ET on Fox.
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