The 9-1-1: Lone Star series finale gave each character a fitting send-off while setting them up for the next chapters of their lives, except for Paul, who unfortunately got lost in the mix. In the wake of an asteroid strike, 9-1-1: Lone Star’s ending saw the members of the 126 firehouse dealing with a potential nuclear meltdown at a university facility. In the process, several of the team put their lives on the line. That was most true of Owen Strand (Rob Lowe), whose fate remained uncertain until the closing minutes. Ultimately, however, there were happy endings (almost) all around as the 9-1-1: Lone Star finale set up several potential spinoffs.
Though the 9-1-1: Lone Star finale left some unanswered questions, a number of key character arcs received proper resolutions. Owen survived his latest brush with death and returned to New York as their fire department chief. Another happy ending revealed that Marjan was pregnant with her and Joe’s baby.Mateo successfully fought off his deportation, allowing him to remain with Nancy. Carlos and TK adopted the latter’s baby brother, essentially becoming parents. Meanwhile, Tommy’s cancer went into remission, allowing her to return to work full-time. Conspicuously left out of the finale’s concluding developments, however, was Paul.
9-1-1: Lone Star Failed To Give Paul A Satisfying Send-off
Paul was very much in the thick of the action as the 126 dealt with the nuclear meltdown. In that regard, he was firmly a part of 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 12’s biggest moments. As each of the remaining 126 members huddled to talk in the wake of Judd’s captain confirmation, though, Paul was noticeably left out. In fact, the only real contribution was asking Mateo about his hearing and jovially commenting on the inevitable fierceness of Marjan’s unborn child. Everybody else’s next steps were laid out, offering a sense of hope and a future the fans could imagine for their favorite characters. Paul, however, received nothing.
It could be argued that Paul received his happy ending earlier in the season. After all, he had officially been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. As such, he was the right-hand man to Owen and, presumably, would remain as such to Judd. Equally, Paul was established as being in a healthy and happy relationship with Internal Affairs representative, Asha Fulton and found a potential protégé in Jax. Leaving them as part of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s unresolved storylines, however, none received any kind of forward momentum nor development leading into the unseen future. As such, it was a wasted opportunity on several fronts.
What Paul’s Ideal 9-1-1: Lone Star Ending Could Have Been
One of the ways the 9-1-1: Lone Star finale could have made good on Paul’s story would be through Jax. The non-binary teenager was introduced in the penultimate episode and quickly established Paul as a mentor figure for them. Despite them visiting the firehouse and helping out with some injured citizens, Jax was never mentioned again — even after 911: Lone Star season 5, episode 12’s time jump. Getting confirmation of Jax becoming a probie and Paul mentoring the next generation of gender-non-conforming firefighters would have been a crowd-pleasing development. It would have been a boost in terms of representation and could have brought Paul’s whole journey as full circle as some others.
Another way 9-1-1: Lone Star could have done justice to Paul’s character and journey was through his relationship with Asha. The show could have mentioned that they’d taken a step forward in some way. It could have been something as simple as them moving in together, or it could have been something even more significant, such as a plan to propose. In either case, it would have given fans of Paul something to picture for his future. Instead, Paul was given precious little, and it was ultimately a missed opportunity on the part of 9-1-1: Lone Star.
