GayTV Recap: 9-1-1: Lone Star (Episode 2x4)

Episode 4 of the second season of the first responder drama 9-1-1: Lone Star, titled "Friends with Benefits," put some focus on the relationship between firefighter T.K. (played by Ronen Rubinstein) and his police officer boyfriend Carlos (played by Rafael Silva). They began the episode attending a roller derby match, supporting T.K.'s fellow firefighter Marjan as she competed. The couple cheered her on in the stands along with fellow firefighters Paul & Mateo. In addition to watching the action, they also took note of a boisterous fellow in the crowd who also had his eyes on Marjan.

After the match, T.K. went to grab drinks from the bar, where a flirtatious bartender (played by Colton Little) made conversation, saying that T.K. looked familiar. T.K. brought up the emergency case that his crew responded to previously there. The bartender realized he was a firefighter and jokingly said that T.K. could sign him up to get a calendar. 

Seeing the flirtation from afar, Carlos walked over and mentioned that T.K.'s boyfriend is a cop. The bartender immediately realized his mistake and backed off. T.K. playfully told Carlos that his behavior was a bit aggressive. Carlos said it might be the atmosphere of the place, but he liked making sure people knew they were together. T.K. suggested they come here more often then.

They thanked the bartender for the drinks and took them back to Paul & Mateo, who had been waiting for Marjan to exit the locker room. They found her talking to the guy from the crowd and looked to come to her defense, but she told them that she knew him. She introduced Paul & Mateo to Salim, just as T.K. & Carlos arrived. She then revealed that he was her fiancé, shocking the guys. She then revealed that they had been engaged since they were twelve years old, further surprising them.

A few days later, T.K. and Carlos were out shopping at a farmer's market as they discussed Marjan's unconventional romance, given the additional news that Marjan would be leaving Austin to live with Salim in Miami. Carlos mentioned that Salim had been waiting a long time to be with her. T.K. joked that he could not hold out that long. Carlos sarcastically reminded him of the little time that passed before they slept together after first meeting. 

T.K. wondered if Carlos would ever give up his life in Austin and move across the country. Carlos remarked that he probably would, for the right person. This drew a smile from T.K., while Carlos glanced off in the distance and saw his parents shopping, immediately changing his mood. T.K. noticed and wondered what was wrong. Carlos seemed unable to answer, just as his mother called out to him, getting his and T.K.'s attention. 

Carlos' parents walked over and he introduced T.K. to them. T.K. was very excited to finally meet them and Carlos then told his parents that T.K. was his friend from work, which immediately struck T.K. as odd. Carlos' father Gabriel figured T.K. was also a cop, but T.K. corrected him, saying he was a firefighter. Carlos told T.K. that his father was a Texas Ranger. T.K. attempted to hide how troubled he was with the situation, as Carlos talked to his parents about how surprised he was to see them there. His mother remarked about getting his father to lose some weight.

After the small talk, his parents prepared to leave mentioning they would see him at a family dinner on Sunday. Carlos agreed. His mother Andrea then incorrectly called T.K. by the name T.J. and said it was nice meeting him. After they left, T.K. glared at Carlos, who put on a forced smile, saying that was probably a little weird. T.K. then walked away looking upset. 

They later arrived back at Carlos' house. T.K. stormed in and started grabbing his belongings. Carlos wondered why he was so mad. T.K. claimed to not be mad. Carlos brought up him not talking to him on the whole ride there. T.K. figured he was actually talking to T.J., which caused Carlos to believe that's why he was upset. He said he would correct his mother next time, but T.K. didn't believe him, or believe there would be a next time. He brought up Carlos calling him a friend from work, despite them having sex just this morning. 

Carlos apologized, saying that he was caught off-guard and didn't expect to run into his parents. T.K. assumed he never intended to actually introduce him to them either. Carlos disputed that, but T.K. didn't accept that. He figured Carlos wasn't out to his family, but Carlos told him that he was. T.K. then said he felt even worse because he still didn't want to acknowledge him as his boyfriend. Carlos said it wasn't that simple. He brought up how traditional his parents are, different from T.K.'s parents, and how he didn't want to flaunt his sexuality in front of them or rub their noses in it. 

An offended T.K. got very emotional, saying that Carlos didn't want to tell his parents that he had someone who loves him and that he supposedly loves back. Carlos was silent as T.K. said he had cleared out some space in his closet now. Before Carlos could respond, T.K. left with his bags. An upset Carlos was left behind, alone in the house. 

The next morning, T.K. emerged from his bedroom, joining his parents, Owen & Gwyneth, in the kitchen. They were surprised he was there, figuring he would have been staying with Carlos. He told them about their fight. Owen (played by Rob Lowe) wondered if he wanted to talk about it. Though T.K. claimed he didn't, they encouraged him not to keep things bottled up. He told them about running into Carlos' parents and how excited he was to meet them, only for Carlos to introduce him as his friend. 

While his mother felt his pain, Owen wondered what T.K. wanted Carlos to do. T.K. told him that he wanted him to tell them who he was and what he meant to him. Then, T.K. said maybe that's exactly what Carlos did. Maybe they are just friends. Owen said that's obviously not true. They've all seen the two together and know they're more than that. He wondered why it mattered so much that Carlos make some public declaration. Gwyneth wanted to make sure T.K. was feeling safe in his relationship, because if he wasn't, then there were bigger problems. Then, Owen & Gwyneth's own relationship issues seeped through as they twisted the conversation to them, while using T.K. & Carlos as substitutes. Realizing that, T.K. made a quick exit, giving up on getting any advice from them. 

Later, T.K. showed back up at Carlos' place, wondering if he could come in. Carlos reminded him that he had a key, but T.K. wondered if he might want it back after their fight. Carlos wondered if they broke up, because it felt like they did. T.K. said he hoped not. Carlos invited him in. T.K. said he knows that he acted like a bitch before. Carlos disputed that, but T.K. said it was true. He also said he wasn't going to apologize for that because even though he made it seem like the thing with his parents was about T.K., he knows it wasn't. It was about them as a couple, confusing Carlos. 

T.K. said that what happened with his parents made him feel insecure about their relationship and what he means to him. Carlos said that kills him to hear. He didn't want that and he knew it would happen which is why he had been avoiding introducing T.K. to his parents. T.K. wondered why it had to happen if his parents know he's gay. Carlos explained how he came out to his parents when he was seventeen. They were shocked and he knew that it rocked their world, but they hugged him and told him that they loved him. 

He then told T.K. that was the end of the conversation. The next morning, they talked about everything else going on in their lives, but never what he shared with them. He told T.K. that they never talked about him being gay again after he came out. T.K. said they seemed like nice people. Carlos said they were, but they weren't perfect people. T.K. remarked that his parents weren't perfect either, despite being queer-friendly. He told Carlos about their attempted pep talk being more about them than him. T.K. said that one thing his mother told him did make sense, though. He was triggered because he didn't feel safe in their relationship. 

Carlos was sorry to hear that. T.K. said he was feeling that way because it was now obvious that Carlos had been feeling that way for years because of his relationship with his parents. T.K. assured Carlos that he was fully onboard with their relationship and whatever he wanted to call it with his family, for however long Carlos needed. T.K. took his hand and said it didn't matter and it didn't change the way he feels about him. Carlos wondered how he would feel if things never changed with his parents. T.K. told him that nothing ever stays the same forever.