Fresh off last week’s jaw-dropping final twist, Monday’s 9-1-1: Lone Star turned back the clock for a Gwyn-centric hour that left us with a renewed appreciation for Lisa Edelstein‘s ill-fated character.
Zero punches were pulled in this bittersweet hour, which began with the devastating 9-1-1 phone call placed by a delivery guy named Liam who accidentally hit Gwyn with his bicycle. Liam’s description of the horrific scene, including the realization that Gwyn died after hitting her head on the street, was incredibly difficult to hear. I know I wasn’t the only person sobbing when he started telling baby Jonah how much his mother loved him. (A recapper can only take so much!)
“[Showrunner] Tim Minear always gives me the heads-up about things he’s planning in the world of Gwyn so I knew far in advance,” Edelstein tells TVLine of Gwyn’s unexpected death. “And anyway, once I had Enzo’s baby I had a feeling my days were numbered! (Just kidding).”
And while Edelstein was willing to act out Gwyn’s death on screen (“I love the adventure of stunts”), she’s ultimately glad that we didn’t see the whole thing play out. “Having been covered in that sticky horrible fake blood on other jobs, maybe I am a little relieved,” she says. “Not only is it sticky (thinking about that on my neck still makes me cringe), but they have to keep wetting it down with cold spray. So, I change my mind: yes, I’m relieved they killed me off camera!”
Edelstein’s farewell hour told the stories of two very different flights: T.K. and Owen’s present-day trip to Gwyn’s funeral, which they missed because their plane nearly crashed, and T.K. and Gwyn’s previous flight to a rehab facility in California, where she took her son after dragging him out of a drug house in New York. In addition to being an important memory with his mother, T.K.’s flashback was also triggered because he almost stole several vials of fentanyl from the narcotics pouch. If Owen hadn’t caught him in the act, things would have turned out very differently.
Much like the coma fantasies earlier this season, the scenes between T.K. and Gwyn painted a clear picture of their relationship. She was his guardian for life, someone who was determined to save him whether he wanted the help or not.
“My scenes with the lovely Ronen [Rubinstein] are emotional already, so it was built into the work,” Edelstein says of filming those scenes together, adding that Minear “wanted to use Gwyn’s death as a way to strengthen the story and connection between Gwyn and T.K. To really see what she meant to him in her absence, which is sadly how many people learn to appreciate people they once loved.”
Speaking of appreciation, Edelstein says adds, “I was surprised at how emotional my castmates were at my fictional death! Sweet people.”
As for Gwyn’s legacy, Edelstein knows exactly how she wants fans to remember her character: “As an amazing mother, of course!” she says. “Also, as a super sexy ex-wife who’s remarkably young for her age and in incredible shape, who’s smarter than any woman they’ve ever seen and more charming than they thought possible. Yeah. That sounds like the perfect way for Gwyn to be remembered.”
Then again, it’s entirely possible that this isn’t the last we’ll see of Gwyn, given Lone Star’s penchant for dream sequences.
“I mean, the producers refused to give me the traditional ‘It’s a series wrap for Lisa’ send-off, so one never knows!” Edelstein says of a possible future appearance. “Fantasy Gwyn gets the best lighting on the show, anyway, so I’m fine with showing up in a few dream sequences here and there.”
Your thoughts on Gwyn’s final hour (for now)? Drop ’em in a comment below.