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'9-1-1: Lone Star' Finally Gave T.K. and Carlos the Episode We Deserve

T.K. and Carlos

This is the Tarlos content we've been dying for!

It was an extra fiery episode of Ryan Murphy's hit drama 9-1-1: Lone Star last night, and that goes doubly for our favorite couple, T.K. and Carlos.

In the past, we've given Lone Star its roses. It's got a great cast full of diverse characters, including Brian Michael Smith as the first Black trans man to be a series regular on network television. But when it came to diving below the surface with the show's gay couple, Lone Star has always held back. Now that's all changed.

Paramedic T.K. Strand and his boyfriend Carlos Reyes, a police officer, have been a couple on the show for a while now, but previously, fans have been begging to see more of them together. While there have been plenty of scenes of them talking, and small glimpses of theire relationship, love scenes have been few and far between. This latest airing gave us the deep dive into the coupling we've been dying for. It was everything we wanted from a Tarlos episode. (Their ship name is a portmanteau of their respective names.)

The pair really went on a rollercoaster ride of emotions Monday night. First, their parents got to formally meet for the first time, a big step in any relationship. But soon, Carlos' dad was arresting T.K.'s dad and our favorite first responder couple had an explosive fight. But don't worry, they got back together by the end of the episode.

It turned out that the arrest was a part of a plan by both dads to catch a serial arsonist, and T.K. and Carlos are able to relax and forgive each other. After talking about the intense day, the couple started making out, shedding clothes as they made their way up to the bedroom. It's one of the hottest scenes in the show, and not just because Carlos' house is catching fire as they make out and strip each other.

It's not all about the sex scenes though. Faced with life-threatening danger, the couple was able to get more real about how they feel about each other. You know what that is? Character growth!

One of the things that makes this couple so sexy is the authenticity that the two actors bring to the roles. Rafael L. Silva, who plays Carlos, has been out for years, and Ronan Rubinstein, who plays T.K. came out as bisexual earlier this year. "I fully identify as bisexual," he said, "I literally just got goosebumps saying that. It feels so good to talk about it, it feels so good to finally be comfortable with it."

But this also represents a change for the series. Earlier this year, fans of the show, and especially fans of Tarlos, were mad when a kiss between the couple was included in a promo for the first episode of season two, but was cut out of the actual episode. We've been begging for more of those steamy make out scenes, and this episode, we finally got it.

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Mey Rude

Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.

Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.