[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 Episode 13 “Open.”]

It was in Season 2 that Grace (Sierra McClain), because of a name her husband Judd (Jim Parrack) was on, discovered her father cheated on her mom. It’s now in Season 4 of 9-1-1: Lone Star that the household really talks about it.

And since this can be a drama, it after all all comes out within the worst method doable. Grace reluctantly agrees to let her dad and mom babysit Charlie, just for her father to have a coronary heart assault as they’re. (He’ll recuperate.) And it’s within the hospital that Grace discovers her dad instructed her mother every part. However now, they’ll begin therapeutic.

McClain takes us inside this episode and teases what’s forward.

Again in Season 2, was there something you’d wished to see when Grace’s father’s infidelity got here up once more that was a part of this script?

Sierra McClain: Sure, her simply straight not solely confronting it, but in addition coping with a personality flaw that she has. We’ve seen with Grace that she has this factor the place she doesn’t wish to ask for assist. That’s in her each day, “Oh yeah, I do know I’m harm, however I can go to the shop, I can do that, I can do this.” However not asking for assist in an space like this yields very completely different outcomes and extra detrimental ones in the event you don’t search it, and also you see that very clearly on this episode, and that was what I wished to see from her. I wished to tug that out of her, and I actually wished to see her have a second the place she didn’t appear as robust as she usually does.

Yeah, as a result of Grace didn’t speak to her father about what occurred till that line about him stepping into bother got here out in what she mentioned was the worst method. Was there some other method she was able to carry it up?

It doesn’t seem to be it, proper? As a result of she’s gone all this time and has finished issues that even I didn’t agree with. I used to be having a tough time together with her not speaking to him and them not being across the household and across the child. Nevertheless it was so sincere that I simply needed to not contact it. Nevertheless it doesn’t seem to be there was some other method apart from tragedy. I’m glad that it didn’t finish fully in it as a result of typically it takes issues like that for folks to understand the implications of their actions and even their silence.

Judd says Charlie can really feel the strain, and it’s true. It was that dangerous.

It completely was that dangerous. It makes me so unhappy to consider as a result of I really feel like on this episode, every part got here to a head at one time, and I’ve been residing with Grace for all this time. She’s buried it so deep that when it comes up, it actually comes up and also you simply see and really feel and are hit with every part.

Scott Everett White/FOX

Particularly as a result of now she’s a mom, so she’s pondering of it when it comes to a whole household, like from her mom’s perspective.

I agree with you absolutely, and I really like the truth that though she is a mom, it nonetheless hasn’t clicked to her. She hasn’t made the correlation between her errors versus her father’s errors, as a result of the reality is that as a mum or dad you’re going to mess up. And I believe as quickly as we get to evaluating errors is after we find yourself in bother — in sure conditions. Some are clearly extra extreme than others and that could be a fully completely different ballpark. However I believe in an space like what Grace was coping with, though she had Charlie, she wasn’t capable of actually see it till she had that resolved as a result of her anger and her delight and all that stuff was clouding her judgment.

We’re so used to seeing Grace fully in management when she’s at work, however then comes the decision together with her mother and her supervisor was proper to step in. However was Grace conscious of how completely different she was on the decision? She’s so used to these conditions simply not when it’s that non-public.

Precisely. And that was the primary distinction. I’m so glad that we received to point out that as a result of Tim [Minear] and I had a dialog about this very scene. I mentioned, “Tim, it could be so attention-grabbing if Grace simply fully type of flew off the deal with when it got here to her mother and we present such a stark distinction from how she usually handles these sorts of conditions as a result of it is extremely private.” I really feel like if she had not had that argument together with her father, she would’ve been capable of preserve her head on just a little bit extra. However as a result of all of this was type of boiling in her in that very second the place she felt accountable and she or he was like, “Did I trigger this? Did I do that?” She misplaced it.

Speak about filming that scene, as a result of usually while you’re at that desk, Grace is totally in management, however not right here.

I can’t lie, I used to be just a little nervous as a result of I felt very a lot so out of my consolation zone. You’re precisely proper. Usually I method all of the calls a sure method after which we’ll play with them and shade ’em as we see match for every scenario. However that was one the place it’s similar to every part that you simply’ve discovered on this name middle goes out the window for a second, even Sierra as an actress and every part that I’ve picked up as I’ve sat at that desk. It was a nerve-wracking scene and hopefully it makes the viewers as nervous because it made me to shoot it.

As soon as Grace’s singing was introduced up early on, I used to be ready so that you can sing. Speak about filming that scene, particularly since Grace’s sisters had been performed by your sisters (Lauryn McClain and China McClain).

If I’ve ever felt extra like Sierra in a second… It’s bizarre as a result of it nonetheless felt like Grace though I used to be doing one thing that I really feel extra snug doing as Sierra, which is singing, after which my sisters had been there. This was a really, very particular second. It was a really completely different second for Grace and doubtless for 9-1-1 as a complete. I talked to my sisters and Tim rather a lot about it. He has so many nice concepts, and he’s so open to only no matter. We had completely different ways in which we wished to method it. We’re like, “It’s not a musical, so we don’t need it to really feel like that. We would like it to really feel as genuine as doable.” My mom has had well being points and my sisters and I, we’ve been within the hospital with my dad who does a lot of our music, and we’ve rehearsed together with her within the hospital room. It wasn’t fully international. We simply fell into that just a little bit to attempt to make it really feel as pure as doable.

It felt like a household second, which Lone Star has loads of.

That’s completely very true. I believe the music side was the one factor which may be just a little new and completely different, however that’s what made it particular, too.

Scott Everett White/FOX

I need to see Grace together with her sisters once more in happier circumstances as a result of the top did such a superb job of displaying their relationship in addition to her sisters’ with Judd.

Sure, and certainly one of my favourite issues — I didn’t even understand it till we had been capturing it and after — and the cool factor about bringing in folks which might be really associated to you is that you simply don’t simply get that underlying real-life relationship within the characters, like with Grace and her sisters. You get it with characters like Judd, too, as a result of they know Jim they usually have their very own relationship and it’s not similar to that with him, however with a bunch of different characters. So I’m excited, if and once they carry them again, to see the relationships that they really do have with a number of the different forged as a result of this forged is so shut, we all know one another’s vital others and husbands and wives and siblings, everyone knows one another.

One thing I like is that Grace and her dad aren’t pretending that simply due to this well being scare, they’re abruptly OK. They nonetheless have issues to speak about. However Grace is feeling optimistic about their relationship, proper?

Sure, and I assumed it was stunning the best way that Tim ended it. I actually didn’t see some other strategy to finish it as a result of that’s true. It’s not like every part disappears, however typically issues like that occur the place it doesn’t finish in tragedy, nevertheless it simply kicks open the door and it takes the facility out of a few of these issues which have held a lot rivalry between you and the person who you’re keen on. It does open up the doorways for only a new contemporary and healed relationship between her and her dad and the remainder of her household.

What’s arising for Grace and Judd?

I at all times say this and I at all times imply it: They’re going to be hit with some issues that they haven’t handled earlier than. And each time Lone Star throws a curve ball at them, you get to see a brand new facet of their relationship, whether or not or not it’s how robust they’re or perhaps a number of the flaws of their relationship. Each are nice for the 2 of them. You’ll get to see them be put in positions the place they should have conversations they usually’re undecided what to do they usually’re type of caught between a rock and a tough place. However I believe on the finish of the day, you actually do get to see how a lot they love one another it doesn’t matter what occurs.

What else is arising for Grace? Any wild calls she takes or something outdoors of labor?

She’s going to stand up from her desk, that’s for positive, perhaps even be out within the area just a little bit. I hope that this begins a little bit of a brand new enterprise for Grace the place you see her just a little bit extra within the motion.

When are we getting extra Grace and Carlos (Rafael Silva) scenes?

You’re going to get just a little bit extra Grace and Carlos, or Crace, as Raf so affectionately has dubbed them. That’s going to be one thing tremendous enjoyable for the viewers since you’ve seen them do some detective work and downside fixing collectively. And I’ll undoubtedly say it’s not the top of that. It’s actually nice as a result of Raf and I’ve a superb relationship in actual life. We received nearer these final couple seasons and so it’s enjoyable to truly be capable of play these issues with him now that we’re as shut as we’re.

9-1-1: Lone Star, Tuesdays, 8/7c, Fox