Spoiler alert! This story contains minor spoilers for the April 11 episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s fourth season, “Swipe Left.”
Is it even an episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star if Tarlos isn’t put through some new challenge in their relationship? Between serial killers, surprise wives, comas, being drugged by a murderer, etc., the sheer quantity of trauma might justify the fan-favorite couple never stopping to talk about whether or not they want to have children. The all-important topic came up while they were looking for a wedding officiant, and it caused the guys to question if a future was actually possible. However, this obstacle was actually a good thing for Tarlos, and creator Tim Minear explained why.
TK (Ronen Rubinstein) apparently just assumed the couple would have kids once they were married, while Carlos (Rafael Silva) was doubting himself, telling his mom he was afraid to make the same mistakes his dad made. In the end, no decision had been made, but Tim Minear explained to EW that “Swipe Left” proved just how much the couple has grown. In Carlos’ case, he said:
I think the thing that Carlos needs to figure out, and that he's starting to figure out over the course of this episode, is that nobody has it figured out. And that's what figuring it out is about: realizing that you don't know what you don't know, and to maybe not close off possible avenues out of fear. It's the first two steps on that journey.
Honestly, questioning whether or not one could be a good dad is often the first step to being a good dad. And the fact that Carlos was honest, verbalizing his concerns to his partner, was huge. As for TK, he accepted what Carlos had to say, which speaks volumes about how far he’s come. Tim Minear continued:
And then TK, who I think historically has been impatient, has now matured to a place where he's willing to let his partner take his own steps at his own pace. Nobody's tricking anybody. Nobody is demanding anything of the other. They both realize that what's important is wherever the journey may lead, that this is a journey that they're going to take together.
With Tarlos being such a long-standing couple on 9-1-1: Lone Star, it seems a little ridiculous that they’d never broached the subject of kids before, but all will be forgiven if we can just get to this wedding already! And there will be a wedding, as Minear confirmed:
Yeah, there's going to be a big gay wedding… The TK and Carlos wedding is happening. In typical Lone Star fashion, it's going to be an emotional combination of deep feeling and some epic stories.
That’s all I needed to hear. Tune into Fox for a new episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star at 8 p.m. ET next Tuesday, April 18, and stay up to date with all of the upcoming premieres with our 2023 TV schedule.
