9-1-1: Lone Star fans are used to seeing Fox’s graphical procedure from the spaces between their fingers, but Monday’s episode gave us the most chilling moment of the season — and there wasn’t any blood involved.
Let’s just talk about it: After confronting their brother-in-law about missing Charles’ funeral, Tommy and Julius (guest star Nathan Owens) shared an emotional moment that led to a kiss no one saw coming. Well, except for Gina Torres.
“I was warned,” she tells TVLine. “[Executive producer] Tim Minear called me about this plan and I think my first reaction – as a fan of Tommy and the show and Charles – was, ‘Oh no! For real? I think it’s too early!’ But then I read it and saw all the history he had created around us. We have that moment when Jesus comes to Jesus where everything is revealed and when we get to the kiss it doesn’t even feel like a kiss. It feels like a hug that went too far, a hug that was broken by her lips. And it all came from grief, a need for comfort and a familiar love.”
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Torres says Tommy and Julius’ initial reactions were “completely on point” and admires their ability to quickly turn around after the awkward encounter.
“There’s this whole shift that has to happen because she realizes he’s someone of value and that her girls need him,” says Torres. “So they can grow up and they can put it down in that moment.”
As for what the future holds for Tommy and her hot, estranged brother-in-law (or not), the two “have reached a beautiful place and understanding” when we see them back together in the next few weeks. “It may move forward, it may not, but I believe that by the time we get to that particular crossroads, it has less to do with the grief and more to do with who Tommy is trying to return to, and that is… herself.”
“Part of her journey now is figuring out who she is if she’s not Charles’ wife,” says Torres. “We got to know her as a mother, we saw her as top-notch professionals and we love those things about her. That’s true of so many women. The older we get, the more titles we take on. I think she needs to come full circle now. However you get to a certain point – whether you’re an empty nester, widowed or divorced – you have to figure out who you are without any titles. Are you still the same person or do you need something different? And that’s it for Tommy.”
A phone call gone awry also put things into perspective for the 126, including Nancy and Mateo, who we definitely spotted a spark between. So naturally we asked Torres what she thought Tommy would think about this potential workplace romance.
“Tommy loves and believes in love,” says Torres. “As long as nobody gets hurt and we can all deal with it professionally, I think she’ll be on board.”