911: Lone Star season 5, episode 3 recap and review: "C12"

Lives were on the line as the chlorine gas spread across town in 911: Lone Star season 5, episode 3. Here’s a look at everything that happened in the episode.

Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for 911: Lone Star season 5, episode 3.

The episode picked straight back up from the previous one, with the huge explosion. Fortunately, the firefighters of the 126 were okay, but there was a bigger issue. One of the tanks started leaking chlorine gas.

It wasn’t looking good for a few characters, and there are certainly some injuries that will need to be addressed in the coming episodes. However, our biggest concern based on the promo was about Tommy, TK, and Nancy. Would they make it out of the school?

Marjan stops the chlorine gas in 911: Lone Star season 5, episode 3

The first problem for the 126 is stopping the gas from leaking. Thanks to the train supplies, they have enough to be able to cover up the hole. They need to make their outfits as leak proof as possible, though. That means a lot of duct tape. It’s such a simple fix, and we know that this sort of thing could work in theory.

It isn’t great for Marjan, though. She gets caught up in a big burst of gas as she blocks the whole. It works to block the hole, but she’s left with chemical burns on her hands. She went against direct orders, but Owen has to admit that he would have done the exact same thing. In fact, he does it later on. Will this cost her the chance of lieutenant? The show really needs not overlook Marjan’s injuries. Chemical burns don’t just go away, and we need to see her handle them in future episodes.

Tommy, TK, and Nancy get stuck in a school

The promo made it clear that our favorite paramedics’ lives would be on the line. This storyline connected back to the premiere episode when the little boy was by some trees and a woman with bloody eyes jumped out of the bushes. Well, that woman was the reported from the second episode. She jumped out to warn the boy, although scared him in the process.

As the chlorine gas headed toward the school, everyone was evacuated. However, Tommy, TK, and Nancy responded to the call of chemical burns on the boy’s arm. How did he get them? It’s Nancy who points out that the burns look like a handprint. Finally, someone listens to the boy’s claims of a “monster” in the woods. And he’s so clear about what he sees. This monster is a woman.

It brings us to the reason Tommy, TK, and Nancy are stuck in the evacuated school. They went out looking for the woman. Sadly, it’s all for nothing. While they find the woman, she’s suffering too much from the chlorine gas. Tommy does the humane thing, giving her a larger dose of morphine. TK initially questions her dosage, but then he realizes what she’s doing. There is no saving this woman at this point, and they can’t let her suffer. We do get an update on what chlorine does to the body through a news report, and what that reporter was going through sounded excruciating.

However, it leaves the paramedics trapped in the school. There’s a heartbreaking moment as Tommy makes a call to dispatch to leave steps to take after her death. But all of this is pointless. The wind changes and suddenly the gas moves away. This is the bit that annoyed me. There is no way that gas would have suddenly just moved back out of the room. It would have still been around the door.

The 126 finally finds the boy from the train

Up to this point, there was one character forgotten about. Remember the boy who jumped the train to be able to get to his brother? Well, nobody found him all the way up to close to the middle of the episode. While cleaning out Marjan’s hands, Paul spots a baseball cap. This leads to him realizing that there is someone else there.

The boy is trapped in a tanker full of liquid. So, the 126 get to work to save him, just as he gets a call from his brother. There’s a beautiful moment of Owen making a promise to do everything he can to make sure this boy makes it out alive. And sure enough, when the wind changes and the gas cloud moves back toward the train, Owen stays while everyone else is ordered out.

It looks like it will be it, when suddenly there is a honk and something crashes into the train cart. Did the 126 go back? Nope! Instead, Judd made his way to the site and managed to move the train cart out of the way of the gas cloud. Look, this was all too convenient and weird. There’s barely any damage to the truck, and the owner didn’t even seem to care. Nothing made sense in this episode, making it somewhat lackluster because of it.

A new lieutenant is finally chosen in 911: Lone Star

The 126 family is back together after this episode, though. Judd makes his return to the 126, but not as a lieutenant. He’ll start back as a probie after so much time off.

That means there is still the question of lieutenant. Owen has a name written down, but we don’t get to find out who that name is. Marjan steps up to explain that while she will run into the fire, she stops once the objective is done. That boy would have died had it not been for Paul still looking out for people and the situation. She says that he should be the new lieutenant, and Owen agrees.

As everyone celebrates, Owen whispers something to Marjan. Will we ever find out what that is? I’m not sure. I do wonder if Owen had written Marjan’s name down and ended up changing his mind because he didn’t even look at the situation the way Paul did. Marjan and Owen are so much alike.

Tommy agrees to meet Trevor’s ex-wife

Finally, we have the Tommy and Trevor situation. I hate the fact that she is open to meeting Cassandra now, purely because it means putting her daughters through some sort of grilling. However, I do understand her way of thinking considering her near-death experience. She would like to know who is raising her daughters, so she understands why Cassandra would want to know who was raising Melodie.

I just hope that she puts her foot down on Cassandra saying anything about the twins. Those girls have been raised in a respectful way. They haven’t pushed boundaries with Trevor, and they haven’t acted out despite their father dying suddenly. There is absolutely nothing Cassandra could say in one meeting against them. So, let’s see Tommy stand up for her girls.

Something that I would like to see now, though, is more Carlos in action. For the last two episodes, he’s shown up to bring lunch/donuts and to babysit. We know that he is focused on finding his father’s murderer, so can we see him at work more? Can we see him in the action more? The series has struggled with Carlos from the beginning, and I want the fifth season to give him a chance to shine.

911: Lone Star airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX. Catch up the following day on Hulu.

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