Spoilers ahead for the latest episodes of 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star and light spoilers for the upcoming crossover.
9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star are never light on the action or shy away from delivering deadly twists, but Lone Star served up a shocking twist at the end of its latest episode by killing off none other than EMT Tim Rosewater. He didn't die in a last-minute cliffhanger, and his fate wasn't left in question, but rather the episode left enough time for his friends and coworkers to try to absorb his sudden demise. With his death still fresh, the episode ended with the reveal of a brand new crisis, which is leading into the big crossover with 9-1-1. Here's how Lone Star set the stage and what it means for the crossover.
First things first: in a twist that was wild even by 9-1-1 shared universe standards, the heroes of Austin's 126 were tasked with battling the effects of a volcano in Texas, which involved everything from a boiling hot tub to a miniature golf incident to a food truck worker being trapped between lava and a floor full of scorpions. Tim's sudden death came when he was on the scene of the pool party where a frat boy died and others were injured. After bonding with a young man who was injured and possibly paralyzed, Tim was struck in the chest with a large piece of volcanic ejecta before the episode cut to a break.
I won't lie -- I originally had a wild moment of thinking that 9-1-1: Lone Star was going to miraculously save Tim, because surely the show hadn't killed a character off out of nowhere just a couple of episodes into a season that had already lost a major character, right? But nope, even a 9-1-1 show didn't try to explain how somebody could survive a collision with a massive piece of burning rock. Tim is indeed dead, and that wasn't even the only game-changing twist of the hour. The volcano subsided by the end, but a boy out in the wilderness was striking a fire that seemed destined to turn into something wild and uncontainable.
The good news for the boy is that he didn't start a fire that could destroy a whole lot of Texas; the bad news is that a wildfire had already been started not far from where he was camped, and if he doesn't join all the animals in running very fast in the opposite direction, he might not make it out. While the wildfire is obviously very bad for everybody in the Austin area of 9-1-1: Lone Star, it does open the door for a crossover with 9-1-1 that could be an action-packed pick-me-up for fans after the tragedy of losing Tim.
Take a look at what's in store with the crossover, and how bad it will get that the 126 will have to recruit first responders from the 118 in Los Angeles for help:
Well, the crossover looks like very bad news for Austin in general, and Owen and 9-1-1's Hen specifically, but I for one am looking forward to it! The crossover won't actually be a two-parter, as the next episode of 9-1-1 will still be set in Los Angeles even as some members of the 118 prepare for an out-of-state mission.
The action picks up in the 9-1-1: Lone Star episode, where the wildfire results in Buck, Hen, and Eddie traveling to Austin to help Owen and the 126. They'll be tasked with saving a group of teens trapped by the fire at a campground, but both teams will end up with one of their own at risk when Owen and Hen must fight for their lives after a helicopter crash. At least there's no volcano?
The good news is that the wait to see the first big crossover to mix 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star characters together is only days rather than weeks away. You can find the 9-1-1 episode with characters preparing to head to Texas on Monday, February 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and the Lone Star episode that actually delivers the crossover at 9 p.m. ET. For more of what's on the way to TV in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.
