9-1-1: Lone Star follows Captains Owen Strand (Rob Lowe) and Tommy Vega (Gina Torres) as they work with their dedicated teams of firefighters and paramedics — TK Strand (Ronen Rubenstein), Judd Ryder (Jim Parrack), Nancy Gillian (Brianna Baker), Mateo Chavez (Julien Works), Paul Strickland (Brian Michael Smith), and Marjan Marwani (Natacha Karam) — to keep the city of Austin (and often Texas as a whole) safe. Of course, with some much-needed assistance from Officer Carlos Reyes (Rafael Silva) and outstanding dispatcher Grace Ryder (Sierra McClain). As with the flagship series, though, it isn’t the epic adventures of these first responders that keep viewers tuning in on a weekly basis; it’s the relationship between them and the recurring characters, which are some of the best-written relationships across the vast television landscape.
We see this most notably in the beautiful romances in the universe, like Athena (Angela Bassett) and Bobby (Peter Krause) and Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chimney (Kenneth Choi) on 9-1-1. Lone Star definitely lives up to the original with the incredible romances between TK and Carlos and Grace and Judd, amongst others. However, there’s one relationship in particular on the spin-off series that doesn’t get the same attention or credit as the romances but is arguably one of the best relationships we’ve seen across the universe, which is Paul and Marjan’s friendship.
‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Season 4 Proves How Important This Friendship Is
This ride-or-die friendship has been going strong, too often off-screen, since the series premiered and the characters joined Owen at Austin’s 126. Neither character has had memorable romantic arcs, so their relationship with each other has become their primary relationship on the show, which truthfully makes them stand apart from just about every other character in the universe. They have always been there for each other, providing the other with a shoulder to cry on and words that only your best friend in the world can say to you without warranting a punch in the face.
The fifth episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 once again brings focus to this relationship as Marjan is put in a tight spot. When a save from the season premiere episode — the wife who was stuck in her trailer as her husband drove it down the interstate — comes back to haunt her, with the husband and wife back together and trying to extort Marjan for her Firefox followers, Paul is the person she relies on. He is the one fighting for her, showing up to human resources to vouch for his best friend and her competence when in the field. Later in the episode, when a man is reluctant to be saved during an emergency and refuses to cooperate with Marjan, she freezes up and Paul steps in. He saves the day, lifting the weight off of Marjan’s chest, while not criticizing her for freezing up. It’s not explicitly said, but it’s obvious that Paul completely understands why she froze up and how the ongoing investigation into her actions is causing Marjan to not feel comfortable on the job anymore. The issue isn’t her; it’s the Austin Fire Department.
RELATED: The '9-1-1' Universe Is Better Without Multi-Episode Disasters
This Isn’t the First Instance Proving How Special the Friendship Is on ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’
This story, which ultimately ends with Marjan deciding to leave the 126 after not giving in to the couple’s extortion, is reminiscent of an episode back in the second season where Marjan is “canceled” after losing a man on the job. After the death, the man’s girlfriend makes a viral video calling Marjan out because of a harmless interaction Marjan had with an Instagram follower before the save. Paul and Marjan’s friendship is showcased in this episode, too, as Marjan is stricken by guilt over the incident, torn between whether to feel guilty or angry about how the situation is playing out. Marjan even begins to question if the woman is right and whether she’s only a firefighter because of the spotlight, but Paul doesn’t let his best friend wallow in this self-despair. He makes her see exactly who she is, as only a best friend can do.
What most television fails to grasp, but the 9-1-1 universe surprisingly does not, is how special friendships are when showcased in the right way. We see this time and time again with Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) in the flagship series, as their relationship with each other is more important than with anyone else, including their various significant others. Grace and Tommy on Lone Star also have a very special friendship, which was also highlighted in the same Season 4 episode, and rivals Paul and Marjan’s as the best on the show. However, Paul and Marjan — as individual characters — do not get enough of the spotlight already, which is always far too trained on Owen and his ridiculous exploits. This also means that it’s rare to see their beautiful friendship in the spotlight, though we have been lucky to get at least one episode highlighting this per season. The potential is there to do great things on this spin-off, if only the writers could for once grasp that potential.
Going forward, as the series has proven repeatedly, this friendship needs to be a constant. There needs to be more balance between the main characters, yes, but also more balance in the relationships the series chooses to highlight. So much of the spin-off has been laser-focused on romance, not allowing much space for the friendships between the 126 to grow. (Whereas the original has always done an excellent job at balancing this and really developing the relationships between each member of the 118 at various times.) The spin-off cannot continue much longer without becoming completely dull if change doesn’t come quickly, and Paul and Marjan’s friendship is a great place to start with introducing some balance, given how special it is and the attention it has received thus far in the stories and from the fans.
9-1-1: Lone Star continues Tuesdays on Fox. Every episode is now streaming on Hulu.
