Does Judd Resent Grace’s Decision In 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5? Showrunner Previews The Character’s “Dark” Storyline
After a five-year run, 9-1-1: Lone Star is coming to an end with the series finale set to air on Monday, February 3. Season 5, episode 9, “Fall From Grace,” addresses the show’s most lingering questions, including how Judd is coping with his wife’s absence. Former series regular, Sierra McClain, did not return for the final batch of episodes, resulting in Grace being written out of the series. Judd explains in the season 5 premiere that she elected to join Mercy Ships, a real Christian charity that provides medical help to those in need.
The timing is inconvenient due to their toddler, but Judd has continuously expressed pride over her decision. However, the fall finale reveals that he downplayed the impact of Grace’s absence and has turned to alcohol to cope. When speaking with ScreenRant, co-showrunner and executive producer, Rashad Raisani, admits that Judd will go to dark places before he can, hopefully, come out on the other side. Check out what Raisani has to say about the character’s storyline below:
Rashad Raisani: In Episode 10, Jim Parrack gives, I think, the most haunting performance of the series. He’s just incredible. It’s not so cut and dry. At the end of the episode of Episode 9, he’s saying, “Okay, I’m good. I admit it.” That’s it, right? Just admitting the problem. He still has a lot of work to do. And if you recall, when Judd met Grace, he was at the lowest point in his life.
He actually met her because he was calling what was, in essence, a suicide hotline. It was a faith crisis line. And so when he met Grace, he was swimming in rage, in substance abuse, and was right on the edge of suicide. He’s going to have to go to the darkest places before he can emerge. And so he’s going to do that in these last couple of episodes.
ScreenRant: Has Judd been hiding any resentment towards Grace? Or is he truly just feeling a loss of purpose?
Rashad Raisani: I think that Judd doesn’t like the feelings that he has inside and doesn’t want to acknowledge them, and that’s part of the problem, to answer your question, or maybe to not answer your question. But that’s all in the soup of what’s going on with Judd. He has these feelings, these frustrations, and as you said, these resentments, that he doesn’t want to say out loud. But if he wants to heal, he’s going to have to say them out loud and be honest about what’s going on inside of him.
What Raisani’s Comments Mean For 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5
Until now, Judd’s storyline in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 has mainly centered around Wyatt and returning to the 126. It’s been evident that the firefighter misses his wife, but it seemed likely that his responsibility to Charlie encouraged Judd to adapt. Although the positive outlook he displays helps viewers ignore the pain of Grace’s absence, it doesn’t reflect the monumental impact Sierra McClain had on the show.
Judd and Grace’s love story is the beating heart of Lone Star, and while the procedural can exist outside of it, it can’t touch viewers in the same way. The series dives to depths that others fail to reach and continues to do so by acknowledging what was lost when McClain left. While there is hope that Judd will find a way out of the darkness, his struggles echo what Grace means to him.
Judd And Grace’s Storyline Needs To Be Resolved Offscreen
Before 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 premiered, Raisani confirmed to ScreenRant that viewers had seen the last of McClain’s character. Therefore, if Judd has negative feelings towards his wife, a potential discussion can only take place offscreen. It’s up to fans to decide whether Grace’s choice is justified, but God is the only conceivable priority that would outrank her family. Killing Grace off would have cast an even darker shadow over Lone Star’s final season, ensuring it never recovered from the loss.
