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When I was asked to preview the first part of another crossover plot between Chicago Fire and Chicago PD, I was extremely excited to get an early look at what Dick Wolf's tangled Chicago action series had in store. Now while I have watched Chicago Fire fairly consistently I must admit that I have only watched a few episodes of Chicago PD, so if I seem ignorant of any of Chicago PD's characters or plots please be merciful in the comments section.
Starting off in Firehouse 51, we follow the adventures of Matthew Casey who is taking a day away from the firehouse in order to raise money at a marathon. This makes Herrmann acting lieutenant for the day and most would assume that this takes Casey out of danger. Unfortunately, someone else had other plans because just as Casey is walking down the street, a bomb explodes in a hospital nearby. It isn't until a few minutes after helping multiple injured people that Casey realizes he hasn't seen Dawson since the bomb went off! Thus the quest to save Dawson begins and all of the firefighters band together in order to search for Dawson. While the rest of 51 sets out to find Dawson or any other survivors, the Chief, Mills, and Cruz search for the possibility of a second bomb.
A major portion of this episode actually focused on the people of this hospital (in the non-exploded section that is) which I found to be a little annoying given the fact that we don't know these characters on the same level that we do the firefighters of Firehouse 51. At the same time though, I must admit that it is quite brave of the writers to include these characters in such large capacities given the already crowded ensemble. There was a small amount of talk earlier this year about a Chicago MD spinoff, but I don't believe the idea got much traction. All the same, the amount of screen time that the people of the hospital received makes me wonder if NBC is quietly testing the possibility of another show.
Other than that I can't really say a whole lot without spoiling the episode. Small hint: Someone decides that the best course of action when hurt is to say nothing. Brave? Yes. Smart? Maybe not so much. Read into that what you will. This episode isn't the best I've ever seen from Chicago Fire, but it's entertaining enough. If you like action and drama, you'll be happy you tuned in.
Rating: 8.4/10
Tune in to Chicago Fire on April 29th @ 10/9c on NBC. Be sure to come back here to SpoilerTV to let everyone else know what you thought of the episode.
