They’re trying something new this season, and it’s been a hell of a ride.
Marjan’s road travel arc concluded with 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 Episode 9 as she found her way home in the most eventful, nerve-wracking way possible.
And even though much of the hour played out like a Lifetime thriller, it was enough to have you on the edge of your seat and emotional by the hour’s end.
Natacha Karam knocked this installment out of the park making for an unforgettable performance and installment for Marjan. It happened to be the embodiment of this character we’ve come to know for four seasons.
Marjan is honorable, brave, compassionate, and resilient beyond measure. We saw all those qualities as she fought for her life against Grant, saving herself from this terrible man and finding her way back home to where she belonged.
She was ready to return to Austin, and the rest of the crew also wanted her to — their excitement uncontainable.
As much as she didn’t want a party, obviously, it was worth a huge blowout.
Marjan: Thanks for saving my ass, Cap.
Owen: We just gave your ass a ride. You saved yourself.
Plus, Owen is still in party-planning mode since he had to take the backseat for the wedding planning.
As an aside, this season is doing a great job leaning into the “Cap” portion of Owen’s character — something the series desperately needed. And while the opening Nazi biker arc took him away from that yet again, it’s such a relief to have him fully committed to his role as the fearless leader of the 126 now.
The show is all the better for it when they can take full advantage of the cast’s camaraderie and hone in on the group dynamic, including Owen, who previously would seem detached from everyone else in that regard.
The party was a perfect way to have everyone there, and the ripple effect of Marjan’s absence built into this dramatic affair that had the badass trio of Owen, Paul, and Judd hunting for 126 sisters.
Sadly, with domestic situations, it’s never the last of anything. It wasn’t surprising to hear that Grant got out that same night he was arrested.
Unfortunately, that’s all too common, and it’s enraging to think about overall. We’ve come a long way with domestic violence awareness and providing aid, but it’s still not far enough.
But it was enough time for Marjan to help Kylie get on a bus out of there to start a new life in Florida away from Grant.
It was great that Kylie was safe and didn’t have to look over her shoulder and worry about Grant coming after her. However, he directed his sights on Marjan, taking the absolutely unhinged route of driving her off the road and trying to kill her.
Kylie: What if getting on that bus is the biggest mistake of my life? Look at how happy we were.
Marjan: That was real, Kylie. That was posted for show.
Grant couldn’t leave well enough alone, and frankly, one of the most satisfying aspects of the hour is that it ended with this man’s death.
But the best revelation of the hour was that little Mouse was Marjan. Funnily enough, it was one of those things that niggled in the back of one’s mind since the young actress looked similar to Karam.
Roughly halfway through, it became more apparent. Yet, the confirmation at the end with that lovely and emotional flashback and Marjan’s parents sending her flowers remained great moments from the installment.
In hindsight, many things raised some flags. It was shocking that Mouse managed to escape that car without a scratch.
And it was odd that she managed to climb into Marjan’s car to wake her up and get stuck by this stranger through a shootout and other such things.
But Mouse was exactly what Marjan needed to motivate and drive her as she fled Grant and narrowly escaped with her life. Marjan is a hero; she’s the type of person who will fight for someone else ten times more than herself.
The idea that she had to stay alive and keep alert to save Mouse kept her going when she otherwise would’ve succumbed to her blood loss. And she certainly managed to pass out several times despite her fight.
But at a time when Marjan would’ve likely felt most alone, something that could only exacerbate the state she was in, there was some comfort in Mouse’s presence.
Mouse: They’re dead, aren’t they?
Marjan: I’m so sorry.
Sure, it was the concussion that caused this. It was also Marjan’s mind’s way of protecting her, giving her some variation of herself to keep her company, alert, and present so she’d have the wherewithal to keep pushing forward.
And she persevered. Following Marjan through such a journey was beyond stressful enough to have you glued to the screen on the edge of your seat.
We’ve seen Marjan in some badass situations, but she’s rarely, if ever, been in a bad way like this, and something is grounding about the depiction of Marjan as a mere mortal like the rest of us.
In some ways, the hardships and trials they’ve put some characters through have done a solid job of humanizing them even more.
The Grant story was a tough one to work through. It’s always challenging to have someone like him, a violent, misogynistic abuser going after a beloved character—the slight similarities to the Gabby Petito case gone haywire made for a difficult watch.
And it can suck when you see even the strongest and most badass of women, like Marjan, on the other end of a man’s violence.
But she persevered, and while her boys were hot on the case to find out and Owen even got the hero’s carry of her, Marjan fended Grant off by herself and even killed him using the flare gun.
It was a creative way to take someone out, quite gruesome, too.
And despite the severe blood loss, knowing that Marjan will be just fine with some rest and relaxation is a relief. And she’ll have quite the memory of her trip.
Of course, it makes you wonder how long she’ll be on the sidelines as a firefighter.
I loved that we got to see that piece of Marjan’s past and her family. We learned a bit about her parents, who worked a lot, who missed her games, and other things that seemed like her whole world back then.
And it even gives us some insight into why Marjan is drawn to the public eye and some form of attention, enough to be Firefox on social media.
Also, with the background of that tragic accident that killed her friend and his parents, we could understand how and when she probably decided she wanted to be a firefighter.
After enduring something like that, either fear can rule you or bravery, for Marjan, it was the latter. She decided to run towards the danger and help rather than hide away from it.
We rarely get that insight about Marjan’s parents, and it was nice to see them via that flashback and have an idea of what life was like for her growing up and how that shaped the person she is today.
It was a great installment for Marjan, and the family dynamic was strong.
Notably, Mateo was the one who was losing his mind the most over Marjan’s absence, which was a fascinating and unexpected development.
Hopefully, we’ll get more about that, maybe an exploration of that particular friendship since he’s been like a brother to her, or perhaps it’s an inkling that he may be next on the list for some character exploration.
The situation also led to some great dynamics we rarely see explored. Carlos was there to comfort and reassure Mateo, and the two of them having that one-on-one moment was enjoyable.
And the trio of Paul, Owen, and Judd heading on the highway to find Marjan was the best. Typically, it’s a task that Owen would perform by himself, so it was so refreshing and rewarding that he took backup.
Mateo: Why did we let her go? We never should have let her leave.
Carlos: Mateo, you need to be strong right now. no matter what happened, Marjan needs us to keep pushing.
Mateo: I just can’t lose her, man.
He referenced Paul’s skillset for observation when having him come along, just as he knew that Paul would be the natural first person to go in to see Marjan as she recovered.
And Judd is always the guy who is cool, calm, and the best person to have your back in a crisis. They were fantastic together, and so were those scenes.
The series getting to play around with its dynamics and group scenes more has contributed to the strongest moments of the season.
They even know how to incorporate Grace into this installment, as she’s the go-to person to use when they’re trying to track someone down, and she’s just full of so much love, light, and determination.
It was another hour that lacked emergencies, focusing on character-driven arcs. But it wasn’t short on action, drama, and team work.
Over to you, Lone Star Fanatics.
Did you guess that Marjan was Mouse? What did you think of this installment? Sound off below.
You can watch 9-1-1: Lone Star online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.