While I’m devastated that 9-1-1: Lone Star is coming to an end, the series finale is perfectly poised to give Rob Lowe’s leading man a heartbreaking sendoff. Lowe has been the centerpiece of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s cast since the spinoff first launched in 2020, but his character Owen Strand only has one thing left to do: die. Since his first scenes in the series, Owen has been living on borrowed time in 9-1-1: Lone Star. While he beat his cancer and escaped countless near misses in the field, Owen’s death is— and always has been— inevitable.

Even before news of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s cancelation broke, signs were pointing to Owen moving on from the 126. 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 doubled down by giving Owen the opportunity to move back to New York, but it was obvious nothing would truly come of that offer. In my favorite narrative choice in years for the Ryan Murphy procedural, 9-1-1: Lone Star finale is setting up a hero’s death for Owen to end the series.

9-1-1: Lone Star’s Penultimate Episode Provides More Evidence That Owen Will Die

“Impact” Proved Owen’s Story Has Run Its Course

While I thought the trailer alone for “Impact” (9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 11) set the stage for Owen’s death, the actual episode only left more hints that turned my hunch into a certainty. Although Owen initially rejected the Fire Chief position with the NYFD to help Judson “Judd” Ryder navigate his sobriety journey, episode 11 promptly backtracked and revealed that Owen was already planning to leave Texas before the news of an approaching asteroid hit. The asteroid may provide some of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s most intense rescues, but the fallout hasn’t been revealed yet.

What’s more concerning than his leaving the 126 is how the characters discussed Owen in episode 11. Judd and Owen’s son, TK (Ronen Rubinstein), share an impromptu heart-to-heart in the ambulance bay. In their short chat, the conversation (like most conversations in 9-1-1: Lone Star) eventually leads back to Owen. Both men swear that Owen saved their lives; in a snapshot, it’s sweet. In context with everything else, it’s the start of a eulogy. 9-1-1: Lone Star even put Owen in direct danger by teasing him failing to stop an impending nuclear meltdown.

How 9-1-1: Lone Star Benefits From Owen’s Death

It Would Be A Perfect Bookend For The Series Plot

I’ll concede that Rob Lowe has done a wonderful job with his character in the last five years, but I nonetheless insist that Owen’s death is exactly what 9-1-1: Lone Star needs from a storytelling perspective. To borrow from 9-1-1: Lone Star’s showrunner Rashad Raisani, “the worst circumstances of life will bring out the best in people.” Even in death, Owen could continue serving his people. Owen dying could help Judd stay committed to his recovery, free the rest of the 126 to explore their individual happiness, and potentially save the life of his paramedic counterpart.

When Gina Torres arrived as Tommy Vega in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 2, my interest in the show increased tenfold. In one of my least favorite decisions the show has ever made, 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 suddenly diagnosed Tommy with breast cancer. Though she was undergoing treatment, her health took a turn for the worst in the penultimate episode. Yet, Owen’s death could pave the way for a miraculous recovery, since the show wouldn’t kill off two main characters. It’s not that Tommy’s life is any more valuable than Owen’s, but his death makes more sense narratively speaking.

What Owen’s Death Means For 9-1-1: Lone Star’s Legacy

Just Like His Brothers And Sisters Before Him, Owen Would Die For A Cause

Owen dying would be the perfect way to tie up 9-1-1: Lone Star’s story, but it would also be a meaningful full circle moment. The fictional firefighters and paramedics of the 126 have displayed unwavering bravery in 9-1-1: Lone Star, but the procedural hasn’t shied away from the dangers of their line of work. Owen was always anchored by his memory of the 9/11 tragedy, and the pilot episode disaster left Judd as the lone surviving member of the 126. Owen could pay tribute to the countless first responders who sacrificed their lives by following in their footsteps.Though it may seem counter-intuitive, Owen’s death would also be the best way to preserve his character. The procedural hasn’t killed off such an important character since the end of 9-1-1: Lone Star season 4, when Gabriel Reyes (Benito Martinez) was murdered. Letting Owen go in the finale would ensure he stays unsullied and dies a hero rather than continue his story in the franchise’s universe and risk ruining him. All good things must come to an end, and 9-1-1: Lone Star is no exception. Now, the show must follow through with a tragic yet necessary main character death.

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