While 9-1-1 is finding a rise in popularity on ABC, its only spinoff — at the moment — is feeling left in the Texan dust. 9-1-1 Lone Star is preparing for its series finale, but is there any indication that the end is really near? For one character, it absolutely is, but for others, how their stories are going to wrap up is a guessing game, based on the events of Season 5, Episode 10, “All Who Wander.”

This series has never been one of the more popular procedurals on television, especially when in direct competition with its predecessor. But make no mistake: 9-1-1 Lone Star deserves way more love and attention than it receives. Sure, the gray color grading in Season 1 is an unappetizing turn-off for visual viewers. But looking past that, Lone Star has had a tougher job than 9-1-1 when it comes to representing inclusive communities because it’s based in Texas. In many ways, Season 5, Episode 10 encompasses the entirety of the show’s flawed attempt to give people from different walks of life a voice.

“All Who Wander” belongs to Judd and Marjan, whose storylines create a balancing act in the episode. Former 126 member Judd has his battle with alcoholism take a turn for the worse when he begins to show that he may have suicidal tendencies. It’s usually admirable when a firefighter puts their life on the line to save others from danger, but Judd literally walking straight into the line of fire is more senseless than heroic. But credit to the station’s captain, Owen Strand, who responds twith concern for Judd’s mental well-being rather than anger.

Judd’s alcoholism is connected to his rocky relationship with God, which itself is entangled with his long-distance relationship with his wife, Grace. Without her by his side, he feels less connected to his faith and more tempted to drink, perpetuating this torturous cycle. Those who aren’t religious can recognize the impact one’s lifelong faith has on a person, and how the absence of it has a detrimental impact when there isn’t something to replace it with. Judd and Grace had a major part in the first four seasons of 9-1-1: Lone Star, until actor Sierra McClain decided to exit in Season 5, leaving Judd without a partner to come home to. Season 5, Episode 10 tries its best not to make Grace the bad guy by painting her as a well-meaning hero on a mission trip due to “God’s calling,” but one can’t help but wonder if God couldn’t have called at a more convenient time.

Given that he now comes home to an empty house, since his daughter doesn’t even live with him anymore, Judd’s anger and depression is 100 percent justified. But those emotions have manifested into something dangerous and Lone Star is very sensitive about portraying alcoholism in a nuanced light. Lone Star‘s direction of the scene in which Owen and the pastor leading the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings confront Judd about his false sobriety is anxiety-inducing. Lone Star doesn’t need to tell its viewers how alcoholism can suck somebody into a chaotic existential vacuum — it shows through the camera.

Marjan’s Brush With Tradition Crosses Cultural Barriers

Her Journey to Marriage Speaks to Many Young Women

Marjan is also subject to a little bit of family drama, thanks to her parents’ arrival. Marjan has been courting her physical therapist, Joe, and both have agreed to take things to the next level of commitment. But getting her parents’ approval is an obstacle that’s not too easy to jump over — meaning the couple has to face it with resilience or cower in the name of respect. To Joe’s surprise, Marjan chooses the latter, breaking the confident “Firefox” identity that he fell in love with in the first place.

It’s easy to say Marjan’s rigid respect for her elders is a cultural stance stemming from her Lebanese heritage, but Lone Star accurately suggests this is a universal occurrence for younger generations, regardless of their background. Marjan realizes how much she has reduced herself to become the “perfect daughter” after a call where a younger sister willingly burns her own skin for her older sister’s art project. Pleasing elders comes in all shapes and sizes, but this societal expectation more often hurts young women who are raised to follow traditional values that erase individualism.