Spoilers ahead for the Season 4 premiere of 9-1-1: Lone Star! Read at your own risk.
Fox’s first responder drama 9-1-1: Lone Star finally had its Season 4 premiere, and of course, it wasn’t without some crazy emergencies, like raining frogs. On top of the heatwave and weird storms the 126 dealt with, T.K. and Carlos continued their wedding planning after getting engaged in the Lone Star Season 3 finale. However, the premiere also set up a big problem for Tarlos, and apparently, it’s been planned for a while.
While trying to book their dream venue, Carlos found out there was availability in eight weeks, meaning that he had to come clean about a secret he had been harboring. He admitted to T.K. that he’s married to Iris, the sister of Liv Tyler’s paramedic captain Michelle Blake from Season 1. The two married after Carlos came out as gay to his parents, who didn’t really accept him, and they stayed married after Iris was diagnosed with schizophrenia so she could have his health benefits.
Carlos actor Rafael Silva revealed to EW that he actually knew about the storyline from the very beginning. This could explain why Carlos and Michelle were so close in the first season, as he always made sure he was the arresting officer when she went too far to find her missing sister:
Tim shared that with me when I first started on the show. We didn't have the time or the space to explore that storyline until now, but I've always known it, and it justified a lot of who Carlos is, who he wants to be, and why he acts in a certain way. I'm actually quite grateful that I had that little secret.
The marriage storyline was definitely a big shocker, and it’s even more surprising to know that it’s been planned from the start. Due to Liv Tyler leaving at the end of the first season, Tim Minear told EW that they never were able to resolve the storyline. However, now seems to be the perfect time to bring it back up with T.K. and Carlos getting ready for their special day, making secrets come back to create yet another obstacle for the couple:
There was something always in the back of my head that they had a failed romance of some kind when he was still questioning, when they were much younger. And we felt like that Iris story never quite got its full resolution [when Liv Tyler left the show at the end of season 1], so maybe there's more to be played there. And Lyndsy Fonseca is so lovely and so wonderful and so funny and such a great dramatic actress, so it just felt like there was a reservoir of talent there that we could tap. And boy, were we right, she is fabulous.
The episode saw Carlos finally meeting with Iris, who now works at a shelter (with full benefits) and looking a lot better than when we last saw her in Season 1. Perhaps this will all come together in a future episode that really takes a look back at their relationship prior to getting married so we could see how close they really were and just what happened between them.
While Iris is on board with the divorce since she no longer needs his help, what does T.K. think about all of this? Although he was confused at first and definitely didn’t like that his fiancé never told him, Ronen Rubinstein explained to NBC News that T.K. is as understanding as ever:
At first, T.K. is confused, and maybe a little bit put off. What’s so beautiful about that scene is, [T.K.] can’t take it too personally. It was Carlos being a tremendous friend to Iris, and once T.K. figures out why it happened, it snaps back into T.K. supporting Carlos, and then we show that loving couple. … It comes back to: ‘We will figure this out. I got you. You got me.’
With only eight weeks until the Tarlos wedding, the road to 'I do' is going to be a troubling one, because according to Carlos, Texas law states he will have to be divorced for a month before getting married again. Tarlos has gone through a lot already, and it’s nothing they can’t handle, even if it won’t be easy. Though the end result will definitely be worth it if it means that T.K. and Carlos will finally tie the knot.
New episodes of 9-1-1: Lone Star air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming out soon.
