Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5, Episode 9.
Judd (Jim Parrack) has always been a character that displays a great deal of strength on Fox's 9-1-1: Lone Star. He's a standout member of the 126 Firehouse and has saved the day in countless rescues. But he's not just there for his fellow firefighters in the line of duty. Judd has also continuously acted as a supportive person for his friends and family. In this week's episode, he even provides counsel to Owen (Rob Lowe) after Owen receives a job offer that would take him away from Texas (and away from his beloved fire station). Even though Judd would be sad to lose his mentor and best friend, he puts Owen's feelings above his own. However, by the end of the episode, Owen makes a discovery that illustrates that maybe Judd isn't doing as well as everyone thinks he is.
Judd Has Been Putting Up a Front on '9-1-1: Lone Star'
Judd has had quite an eventful life recently. His son, Wyatt (Jackson Pace), had to give up his dreams of becoming a firefighter after a bicycle accident placed him permanently in a wheelchair. Judd had also been committed to taking care of Wyatt until he could get back on his feet. Then, when Season 5 picked up, Judd reveals that his wife, Grace (Sierra McClain, who decided to leave the series before Season 5), is away doing missionary work. Now, Judd has been tasked with taking care of their baby girl, Charlie, on his own. After briefly quitting the fire station following Wyatt's accident, he has since resumed his duties, but as a probie instead of a lieutenant. Judd seemingly took all of these major life events in stride (not even complaining when tasked to do grunt work at the fire station).
In the latest episode, Judd suggests he and Owen go out to celebrate Owen's potential new job in New York. But when they arrive back at Judd's house, Owen is dismayed to discover that Judd's home is a complete pigsty. There are takeout containers and trash everywhere, but the most disturbing aspect is the many empty alcohol bottles strewn across the living room. When Judd wakes up the next morning, Owen confronts him about his situation. Judd tries to brush it off at first (blaming his less-than-stellar cleaning habits), but Owen pushes him to admit that he has a drinking problem. He tells Judd that he won't be taking the job because he can see that his best friend needs him. He commits to helping Judd through this rough patch and offers to take him to an AA meeting right away.
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Judd admits to Owen that his life has fallen apart without Grace there to keep him on the straight and narrow. He acknowledges that he was drinking a lot before he met Grace, and that she was the one who inspired him to clean up his life. Now that Grace isn't around (and no one knows exactly when she's coming back), the question remains of whether Judd will actually be able to take his addiction issues seriously and get the help he needs to stay sober. Although Judd is not in a great place, it's not like he's actually hit rock bottom yet. He's still showing up to work (and has never been drunk on the job). It's possible that Judd might have to fall a little further before he realizes how serious his addiction is. He'll definitely need to truly address the depression and grief he's experiencing that has led him to use alcohol as a coping mechanism.
Showrunner Rashad Raisani has teased that the next episode of the series, which airs on January 20, will explore more of Judd's journey. He notes, "We're going to see the power of addiction and the things that it can make good people do in Episode 10....It's just beginning." This certainly sounds like Judd won't just get clean and sober without a little bit of a struggle first. Judd will likely continue to try and act like Superman (and potentially try to keep his addiction secret from his 126 family) before he finally admits that he can't take on everyone's problems along with his own. And there's a strong possibility that the apocalyptic event that occurs in that same episode will also threaten Judd's sobriety even more (who wouldn't be stressed with an asteroid heading towards Earth?). There are only three episodes left until 9-1-1: Lone Star is over for good, so here's hoping that the series will ultimately allow Judd to fully work through his problems and give him the happy ending he deserves.
9-1-1: Lone Star will resume on January 20, 2025, on Fox. All previous episodes are available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.Watch on Hulu
A spin-off series of 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star is an action-drama series created for Fox. The series follows Rob Lowe as Owen Strand, a firefighter from New York City who, after having rebuilt a team in the aftermath of September 11th's attacks, is brought in to form a new one in Austin, Texas.
Release Date January 19, 2020
CastRob Lowe , Liv Tyler , Ronen Rubinstein , Sierra McClain , Jim Parrack , Natacha Karam , Brian Michael Smith , Rafael L. Silva , Julian Works , Gina Torres
Image via Fox
English (US) ·