S04.E01: The New Hotness

[jewel21]

Quote

Captains Strand and Vega along with the members of the 126 are called into action to a county fair when a "Derecho," a series of fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms hit Austin, causing hurricanic and tornadic-force winds, heavy rains, flash floods and a wide path of destruction. Owen's newfound passion for motorcycling puts him on a potentially dangerous path. Tommy has the potential for a romance when she meets an attractive single father. And as T.K. and Carlos prepare for their wedding, a secret from Carlos' past may stand in their way to happiness.

Airdate: 01/24/2023

[jewel21]

I thought it was giant hail but I could be wrong. 

[Sweet-n-Snarky]

It was giant hail. Gorilla hail.

Owen can never just, like, fight fires or just save people doing his actual job... nah... he has to play action hero too. He's totally about to be the only hope to stop this militia supremacist biker cult isn't He?

It's ludicrous how they wrote this Carlos marriage to Iris storyline. It doesn't even make sense or align with season one. Carlos not telling TK at all is out of character and absurd. His initial reason for supposedly getting married is weak... he didn't have to get married at 17 for his parents... he could've just gotten a fake girlfriend for a while or something.

Kinda not a fan of Iris. She didn't have to slap him. She easily could've reached out once she got back on track herself without the onus being solely on him... it's not like he didn't spend years looking for her and everything. Where's her effort? And who is she to hold a divorce hostage until she approves?

 

[Lady Calypso]

The weather disasters were too over the top for me this time around. They felt ridiculous and not as fun as I presume they were supposed to be. I found myself questioning why and then they never really explained. 

This whole secret marriage plot feels like they threw it in the ring while planning season 4. It doesn't feel like it's something they planned to do from the start. It's also extra ridiculous since we know the papers will be signed and TK/Carlos may or may not get married in eight weeks. They'll get married eventually, but it just feels like a stall tactic. 

Now, I love Lyndsy Fonseca and was upset when her story was cut extra short due to Liv Tyler leaving the show. I was excited to see Iris. But, because they had to wrap her story up with no conclusion, her returning all better and apparently still in Austin all this time felt weird. It just didn't quite click. And the slap to Carlos felt unnecessary since she ALSO didn't reconnect with Carlos at any point. Not that Carlos lying about being married is any better. It just makes Iris AND Carlos look bad. Just a dumb plot all around.

Same with Owen going undercover because he accidentally joined a Nazi cult. I also don't trust Lone Star to do it any justice because look at how they treat their POC characters to begin with. Besides Tommy and occasionally Grace and Carlos, the majority of the stories go to Judd, Owen and TK while Marjan, Paul (did either of them even SAY much this episode?), Nancy and Mateo get maybe one storyline in one episode per season. Granted, they did a slightly better job last season, but they're not starting off well so far so....I definitely worry yet another Saviour storyline from Owen is coming.

Now, the episode wasn't ALL bad. Tommy has a new love interest (hi DB Woodside!). And him not being her dead husband's brother makes it ten times better for her already. But that's about it.

[shapeshifter]

I actually enjoyed the piled on impossible situations in the episode.
Real life seems to be like that too these days.
And there have been several high-profile, atypical (e.g., non-white) spokespersons for various Neo Nazi-type groups, so I can see them being okay with Owen so long as he approves of them.
Which I guess is what the FBI is hoping for too.

The only thing that seemed odd to me was that Tomy didn't ask her "repeat customer" what he "does" here in Texas before inviting him and his daughter on a play date. But it wound up fitting with the episode theme of It Really Can Get Crazier. 
Thank goodness he's not a serial killer or a member of the biker gang, but I was hoping for something else than pastor. And it looks like Tomy is too. 

I may have LOLed more than any other viewer at this bit:

• [GRACE] Sir, are you okay?
• [DAUGHTER] He can't speak! He has a frog in his throat!

...because 2 weeks ago my son-in-law, who tested positive for Covid (he's vaccinated but has been grocery shopping without a mask), tried to downplay his cough with: "I have a frog in my throat."

[eel21788]

11 hours ago, Sweet-n-Snarky said:

It's ludicrous how they wrote this Carlos marriage to Iris storyline.

Whether or not he needed the divorce, what was the big deal with waiting 18 months to get married?

Also, was the 18 month delay only for people who insist the only day to get married is Saturday? Could the venue have been available earlier if they had decided on another day of the week?

The whole thing was just too contrived and had nothing to do with the reason I'm watching the show (did anyone get rescued after the port a potty and the frog?).

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

(did anyone get rescued after the port a potty and the frog?).

Would you count Jud rescuing Owen from the bikers' mind control? LOL

But, actually, yeah, the guy with the frog and his daughter had to be rescued again from the top of a carnival ride.
And the ticket taker had to get rescued because she was somehow trapped in her booth, and in the middle of that rescue the 126ers had to form a kind of human shield/tent over her to protect her from at least Bocce ball-sized-hail stones (officially "CD" or "DVD" sized?)

[tennisgurl]

I vastly prefer Tommy's new love interest being her hot new pastor instead of her own brother in law. Great to see DB Woodside on my screen again, I'm glad he's apparently going to be around for awhile, it would be a waste to hire such a good actor for just a one off save. 

This retcon about Carlos being married to Iris, the formally missing sister of the very much not missed Michelle, is so painfully contrived. What is the point of this? To add yet another minor roadblock to Carlos/TK? To bring back that whole stupid Michelle plot that almost sunk the show from day one? To just add a tiny bit of extra drama on top of everything else? If I was TK I would be pretty pissed, not that Carlos married his friend while he was figuring himself out or that he stayed married to her so she could use his insurance, but for never saying anything about it. How is that not something you bring up with someone who your planning on spending your life with? I also see that Iris inherited some of her sisters "charms", where does she get off smacking Carlos and acting all mad that he never reached out to her? Why didn't she reach out to him? Aren't they supposed to be best friends? Why didn't she say that she was around and had insurance now so they could go ahead and divorce? This just makes both her and Carlos look bad, especially now that we know it was apparently Carlos who kept Michelle from facing real legal consequences for her constant stalking and harassing of an innocent man. I'm kind of surprised that Carlos never found Michelle snooping through his place, tearing apart his bed whole accusing him of hiding her sister under his floorboards. 

Everyone's "yeah, that sounds right" reactions to the weird weather stuff was funny, even they wish they could just fight fire now instead of fighting volcanos and swarms of locusts.  

So Owen accidently falls in with some Neo Nazis and now the feds are probably going to ask him to go undercover to stop them. Because of course that's what happens. 

[eel21788]

46 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

So Owen accidently falls in with some Neo Nazis and now the feds are probably going to ask him to go undercover to stop them. Because of course that's what happens. 

When the doorbell rang, my first thought was "here's Owen's next love interest." I'm sure that's where they're going with this, but danger will be involved, too.

Is this going to be terribly different than the scenario with the Governor's office?

[shapeshifter]

26 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

When the doorbell rang, my first thought was "here's Owen's next love interest."

Heh, the FBI lady at the door actually did look like Owen’s type, so your first thought could still be correct.😉

[iMonrey]

I have no recollection of Iris from a previous season.

When I saw DB Woodside I wondered why he's just be some random guest actor on this show. I should have figured he was going to be a new regular, he's a pretty recognizable name.

When the finally found the port-o-potty why didn't they smash the glass and empty the water tank before sawing open the top? The dude was drowning inside.

[possibilities]

If being a first responder/firefighter isn't enough excitement and danger and problem-solving for you, you have a problem. The show is always better if you just excise Owen from it. 

How did the frog jump into dad's throat feet first? 

I agree about the Carlos/Iris retcon.

 

[Artsda]

Carlos has been married this entire relationship and only now it comes up? 

TK should have a huge issue with that considering this is someone you're supposed to marry. 

[shapeshifter]

55 minutes ago, possibilities said:

How did the frog jump into dad's throat feet first?

“Head over heels.” 🙃🤣 🤸‍♂️  🐸

 

 

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

When the finally found the port-o-potty why didn't they smash the glass and empty the water tank before sawing open the top? The dude was drowning inside.

Seriously! 
IRL there was a serious risk that they’d hit the guy with the chain saw. 
 

 

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I have no recollection of Iris from a previous season

Same.

[ajsnaves]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

If being a first responder/firefighter isn't enough excitement and danger and problem-solving for you, you have a problem. The show is always better if you just excise Owen from it. 

How did the frog jump into dad's throat feet first? 

I agree about the Carlos/Iris retcon.

 

Hey, if Kelly Severide can go play fire cop ever third episode of Chicago Fire, Owen can help take down a Neo-Nazi Biker Gang if he wants. That’s his God  given right as a TV character dammit!  I did love how fast Judd clocked them as Nazis though.  Basically when we all figured it I’m sure. 
 

I read that the Carlos is married to Iris storyline was there from the beginning if the actor is to be believed  

 

[anna0852]

14 minutes ago, ajsnaves said:

Hey, if Kelly Severide can go play fire cop ever third episode of Chicago Fire, Owen can help take down a Neo-Nazi Biker Gang if he wants. That’s his God  given right as a TV character dammit!  I did love how fast Judd clocked them as Nazis though.  Basically when we all figured it I’m sure. 
 

I read that the Carlos is married to Iris storyline was there from the beginning if the actor is to be believed  

 

I would believe the marriage storyline was plan. Retooling for Covid and not having Liv probably messed with it.

I’ll take Fire Cop over Owen-the-fake-Nazi any day.

[JH Lipton]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

How did the frog jump into dad's throat feet first? 

52 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

“Head over heels.” 🙃🤣 🤸‍♂️  🐸

 

T was going to say that it was part cat, but @shapeshifter's answer is MUCH better!

[meira.hand]

This is the third series Gina Torres and D. B. Woodside are playing a couple (Suits, Pearson and here). They do have great screen chemistry/

[NeenerNeener]

15 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I vastly prefer Tommy's new love interest being her hot new pastor instead of her own brother in law. Great to see DB Woodside on my screen again, I'm glad he's apparently going to be around for awhile, it would be a waste to hire such a good actor for just a one off save. 

You don't usually hire D.B. Woodside for a one-off; I hope Amenadiel is going to be around for awhile. And he gets to be Gina Torres's love interest again, too!

[madhacker]

My 2 cents on the Carlos being married (yeah, it's a dumb plot)

maybe I'm crazy, but wouldn't it be faster and easier to get the marriage annulled rather than a divorce? I mean, it's pretty easy for Carlos and Iris to say under oath that they never consummated the marriage (never had sex). Or am I wrong about this?

Speaking of Iris....from what I saw in the previews, I'm getting a bad feeling about her. As in, this is going to turn into a fatal attraction sort of story with her obsessing over Carlos, and it'll end with either Carlos or T.K (again) in the hospital. Well, that might be good since it'll speed up the divorce if she's proven to be mentally unstable.

[circumvent]

This show... I blame Rob Lowe. I bet this whole idea of having Owen infiltrate the neo-nazis came from his head. He has this thing with militarism and surveillance, he actually believes it is a good thing, plus he does that in every show he is in, just to play the hero of all things. He ruined Code Black as soon as he walked in. This show is already a joke, so not a lot to ruin, but still. 

Funny thing is, in real life, those neo-nazis are taking over "his side". The man is so ignorant and without so little critical thinking, he wants to insert reality in the show, but his reality is all distorted. 

 

[circumvent]

10 hours ago, LtKelley said:

I don't get what you mean here. While I think Lowe plays Strand a wee bit over the top liberal as a sort of spoof, he's always been pretty moderate in his views. Except for the ufo hunting show with his kids but I kind of thought that was spoofing the conspiracy theory sorts.

He said that JFK would have changed parties because his politics would fit better in that party, as the party is today.

He also shows how completely ignorant and how much critical thinking he lacks (in the context he used for the above mentioned opinion), knowing what we know today about who murdered JFK and why

[Ailianna]

On 1/25/2023 at 5:53 PM, ajsnaves said:

 I did love how fast Judd clocked them as Nazis though.

I'm guessing this isn't the first time Judd needed to read the room at super speed.

It took me an unreasonably long time to recognize DB Woodside, especially considering how much I enjoy his work, but it just wouldn't click last night. Always happy to see him though, even when I can't remember why!

[KeithJ]

So there’s an 18 month wait for the wedding venue that “everyone” in Texas wants to get married at.  There just happens to be a cancellation in 8 weeks and Carlos is the first one they called?  There’s nobody else on any kind of wait list?

[Bruinsfan]

On 1/25/2023 at 8:42 AM, Lady Calypso said:

But, because they had to wrap her story up with no conclusion, her returning all better and apparently still in Austin all this time felt weird. It just didn't quite click. And the slap to Carlos felt unnecessary since she ALSO didn't reconnect with Carlos at any point.

I didn't get the sense she was all better. Maybe it's because I started watching in Season 2, but Iris immediately struck me (no pun intended) as unhinged/experiencing wild mood swings and lack of impulse control. I think madhacker has the right idea about where this storyline is headed. Oh well, at least the crazy person putting people in peril will be someone from Carlos' life instead of TK's or Owen's!

 

On 1/26/2023 at 4:52 PM, LtKelley said:

The pit fall I see is that Carlos stayed married to Iris to keep her insured so I suspect that's a form of insurance fraud if they annul the marriage.

People get married for a lot of reasons; I think sincerity of feelings only comes up legally if a green card is involved.

Is there a good reason, other than DRAMA!, that Carlos and TK can't have a wedding ceremony at their dream venue in 8 weeks and just make things legal with a marriage license and Justice of the Peace later once they resolve the divorce proceedings? TK's not going to fall into another coma that Carlos can't kiss him awake from if he's married to someone else, is he?

[Nialla]

On 1/26/2023 at 4:52 PM, LtKelley said:

The pit fall I see is that Carlos stayed married to Iris to keep her insured so I suspect that's a form of insurance fraud if they annul the marriage.

On the other hand, wasn't Iris declared legally dead?

Annulment wasn't something I'd really considered as an option, but I looked for what grounds are in Texas. One that stuck out to me is "A spouse only got married because of fraud, duress, or force." Would it count that the marriage was a fraud to make it appear that Carlos was straight to his parents? Or could the fraud to get Iris on his insurance count? Either way isn't exactly a good look for him, but the latter one might get him in legal trouble.

Iris was missing about three years. While it varies from state to state, it's seven years before someone can be declared dead in Texas. There are sometimes factors that can speed that up. So if they'd found the truck she'd last been seen in where there were other bodies, it might be legally assumed that she'd also died but was ejected and dragged off by animals or something.

I just can't believe no one ever looking into the case ever said "The husband did it!" Too many true crime fans would be out there trying to figure it out whodunnit, and Carlos being a cop would make it look even worse for him. His name would be mentioned in print and online (not to mention podcasts) as Iris's husband, even if they weren't living together at the time.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 1/25/2023 at 4:40 PM, iMonrey said:

When the finally found the port-o-potty why didn't they smash the glass and empty the water tank before sawing open the top? The dude was drowning inside.

Not only that but unless the dunk tank was completely full of water before the porta potty fell into it how would the water fill up to the top of the potty and drown the guy inside (because the dunk tank didn't look that much taller). And if it was completely full the porta potty dropping into it should have displaced a bunch of the water and pushed it out of the tank.