Spoilers ahead for the spring premiere of 9-1-1: Lone Star on Fox, called "Saving Grace."
9-1-1: Lone Star Season 2 finally returned after fans spent more than a month wondering what would happen after the cliffhanger, with the fates of Judd and Grace uncertain after their truck went careening off a bridge into the river. Showrunner Tim Minear's comments didn't guarantee that both would survive the dangerous twist, and "Saving Grace" kept viewers hanging almost the entire episode to see whether Grace at least would recover. The episode fortunately came to a happy ending, but that doesn't mean Grace and Judd are in for happiness in the coming weeks.
Judd escaped the crash more easily than Grace, as Grace's legs were pinned and she was underwater for six minutes before she could be saved, and Judd had no way to be certain that she hadn't sustained brain damage by the time she woke up... if she woke up. When Grace did eventually wake, the doctor revealed that her recovery is a matter of physical therapy and healing, without any brain trauma. Even better, Grace is pregnant! Both Grace and Judd were overjoyed, and it was an uplifting way to end an episode that could have come to a tragic conclusion.
But the burst of joy Judd experienced at Grace waking and both of their happiness at the news that she is pregnant doesn't mean that they will be all smiles in the episodes to come. 9-1-1: Lone Star showrunner Tim Minear weighed in on Grace's pregnancy in light of her recovery from the accident, telling The Wrap:
It poses an interesting dilemma for Grace and particularly not so much the pregnancy of it, because it’s something she wants, something they both want. I think that they’re kind of a mythic couple in a way. But what we’re going to discover is that Grace’s injuries are quite serious and it’s going to take a while for her to, you know, literally and figuratively get back on her feet. So the idea of kind of negotiating, you know, impending motherhood along with feeling helpless, which is something she doesn’t normally feel like, she’s usually the one who was there to reach out a hand to help somebody. It’s very difficult for her to reach out her own hand and ask for help. So that’s going to be the story that we’re going to explore with Grace.
Judd may have been pretty thrilled when the doctor confirmed that Grace's recovery would more or less be a matter of physical therapy and time, but that is going to prove to be tough on Grace. Even though her job isn't nearly as physical as what the firefighters and paramedics of 9-1-1: Lone Star do on a weekly basis, she is not used to not being able to move around and help with ease. And these injuries on top of pregnancy, from a physical standpoint? Grace's happy ending in "Saving Grace" could lead to a challenging new status quo that is much unhappier than her life had been to this point!
But hey, at least both she and Judd survived. Plus, "Saving Grace" went back in time to show the origins of their relationship, which was so gosh darn sweet (aside from Judd's misstep that resulted in a temporary split) that it would have been downright heartbreaking if one of them died, or if Judd had snapped and killed the drunk driver and therefore gotten himself locked up.
All things considered, the episode went about as well as could be hoped considering what happened to them, and while the aftermath of Grace's injuries obviously isn't going to be fun for her (or Judd), it should be interesting to watch. Take a look at the trailer for what's to come, including what Grace is facing:
Find out what happens next for Judd, Grace, and all the rest when 9-1-1: Lone Star returns on Monday, April 26 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox, following a new episode of 9-1-1. Interestingly, the spring premiere of 9-1-1 also dealt with pregnancy, although that episode saw Maddie finally give birth after nine and a half months of pregnancy. For Grace's sake, I hope that her pregnancy goes as well as Maddie's did, but without the baby coming late!
