It’s been a month since the roller coaster that was the 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 finale, and Rob Lowe is opening up about one particular scene. The two-hour finale saw everyone coming together for T.K. and Carlos’ long-awaited wedding, and in the midst of tragedy that was the murder of Carlos’ father, Texas Ranger Gabriel Reyes, there was another tragedy that happened at the end of the episode, and it was all too real for Lowe.
In Season 3, fans were introduced to Owen’s estranged half-brother, Robert, played by Rob Lowe’s actual brother, Chad Lowe. In Season 4, Robert broke the news to Owen and T.K. that he had Huntington’s disease, and it was on their dad’s side. While Owen and T.K. were cleared of it, Robert’s health was quickly deteriorating. Robert had asked Owen for one last favor, and that was staying in Austin after the wedding and wanted Owen to be there with him while he died via assisted suicide. The finale ended with Owen doing exactly that, and it was as heartbreaking as ever.
Lowe was a guest on Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, where he spoke about the scene and what the finale really is like, saying, “It’s the feel-bad finale of the year. When Tim Minear, who is just such a genius who runs our show, pitched me that the season was going to end with me euthanizing my actual brother… I was like, that’s amazing. And are they letting you do that? I was actually surprised. You know, network TV is still network TV. But they did. And it’s as powerful as anything I’ve been a part of.”
Even though Owen and Robert only knew each other for a short time, that was obviously not the case for Rob and Chad Lowe, which definitely made the emotions, and everything leading up to it, even harder. It’s unknown if the series will still bring up Robert in 9-1-1: Lone Star’s fifth season or if there will be a time jump of some sort, meaning that Robert’s death could still be very fresh or Owen is slowly coming to terms with it. Either way, the Season 4 finale was as emotional as ever, and it was a roller coaster from start to finish, no matter what storyline it was.
With the writers’ strike, it’s very likely 9-1-1: Lone Star won’t be coming back later this year, but Fox also hasn’t even released its fall schedule yet, so the network is probably still working out its lineup. Since the first responder drama has always premiered during midseason, it wouldn’t be surprising if that continues, but with 9-1-1 moving to ABC, Fox may want some changes. In the meantime, all four seasons of Lone Star are streaming on Hulu, but bring tissues with you.
