T.K. Strand lives to fight another day on 9-1-1: Lone Star! After saving a young boy trapped in ice during the ice storm, T.K. was hospitalized and nearly died. Owen, Carlos, and his loved ones thought this might be the end for T.K. as his body started to shut down. Thankfully, during the January 31 episode, T.K. recovered and is now alive and well.
Ronen Rubinstein spoke EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife about this incredibly traumatic event for T.K. This will have lingering effects for the young paramedic and will change him forever.
“I think the beauty of the season, and I’m going to echo Tim [Minear] a lot, is he really wanted to have these situations not just disappear overnight,” Ronen said. “He really wants the traumatic events to linger and actually give it room to breathe, which I appreciate so much as an actor and as a viewer. This is something that you wouldn’t be able to just shrug off, and I think we’re definitely going to see that. He almost died, again. I think this is like number 4 or 5. He’s running out of 9 lives for sure. I think the situation with Carlos is also going to have some room to breathe and linger. I don’t think it’s just going to be like, well, we’re fine now. I’m really appreciative that we’re letting these storylines have after-effects instead of just ending after one episode. It’s definitely going to have after-effects for sure.”
While T.K. was still on life support, Carlos was by his bedside. Even though they were broken up at the time, Carlos couldn’t stay away from the man he loved. He tearfully poured out his heart to T.K. in what he thought may have been his last chance to say something.
Ronen admitted that he was there when Rafael Silva filmed the emotional Tarlos scene. “I insisted on being there. I wouldn’t want Rafael to act with a body double or a fake body in the bed,” Ronen told HollywoodLife. “He was brilliant. I remember that day very, very well because in between takes nobody was joking around or being like, ‘Hey, you want some coffee?’ Or like, ‘Hey, how was your weekend?’ He was very much in the zone, and everybody respected his space. In between takes, I would sort of wake up and just make sure he’s good. And then I’d take a nap again. That’s a brilliant scene. I love how they cut it in with the dream sequence. I really think the season is so elevated from a creative standpoint. We’re doing so many things that I don’t think they’ve done in the entire universe, especially the dream sequence stuff. It’s really, really interesting what they’re doing this season.”
T.K. and Carlos may be back together, but Ronen stressed that there’s still “a lot for them to talk about. Again, I don’t think it’s going to overnight be smooth. We’ll see what the breakup plus the near-death experience does to their relationship because I don’t think we’re just going to zoom past that storyline.”
The 9-1-1: Lone Star crew is moving forward from the ice storm, and Ronen teased a “detour” from the 9-1-1 status quo. “The beauty of this season is that we’re going to sort of take a detour, and we’re going to go down a very, very personal storyline that feels like a massive rescue in itself,” the actor revealed. “It feels like a disaster, but it’s more on a personal level. I might be involved in it. I don’t know, but it’s definitely the proudest work of my entire career. I can truly say that. I think that’s another example of the writers trying something new this season. Following the blueprint but maybe trying new things now and seeing how it works. It’s just such a blessing to be able to experiment on a show that’s so ingrained in their masterful ways. I love that they’re still trying new things and still keeping it fresh. That’s all I can say.”
Firehouse 126 was saved from demolition after a massive donation. The firehouse was able to be renovated, and everyone is back where they belong. “I think we’re back in action,” Ronen told HollywoodLife. “I think you’re going to see a lot of really cool fire rescues, a lot of cool EMS rescues, a lot of cool combo rescues. I think the firehouse is back and better than ever. I think people are excited to be reunited, and we’re definitely excited to be reunited as an EMS crew. They’re very excited to be back as a fire crew. I think it’s going to be smooth sailing for a while. Again, who knows what they’re going to do. Every script that comes out, I get so nervous because you really don’t know what the show is going to do. Anything could happen.” 9-1-1: Lone Star airs Mondays on FOX.