Chicago Fire - Just Drive the Truck - Review

“I’m a Firefighter, okay? And if I’m not that, then what am I?”

I have to say, I was slightly disappointed in this week’s episode. So much focus was put on the crash, and a lot of it felt repetitive. What piqued my interest were a few of the subplots this week: Gabby and her firefighter status, Newhouse and his magic, and Peter Mills.

The main plot this week featured an accident between Truck 66 and Truck 81. As Truck 81 heads to a fire, they see Truck 66 on their way as well. Casey tells Cruz it’s not a race, but before you know it, Truck 66 T-bones 81, which flips on its side. Guys, just so we are clear, Cruz really did have the light! I went back and looked. Several times.

No one is seriously injured in the crash except 66’s driver, Molina. Mouch has a pretty nasty-looking eye injury, but he’ll be fine (thank goodness). To make matters worse, Molina is Welch’s best friend. Awesome. Let’s add a little more fuel to the growing hostility between these two houses.

For the rest of the episode, Cruz gets dirty looks from everyone at 66. He is under investigation, and things aren’t looking so good. When those in charge of the investigation find a tape from a traffic camera that shows Cruz running a light four blocks earlier, it only gets worse.

Herrmann, being the wonderfully diplomatic person that he is, prevents what could have been a nasty altercation and suggests that everyone gather at Molly’s to raise money for Molina’s family. I love Christopher Herrmann. He’s just a good man. While everyone is at Molly’s, they get word that Molina woke up and though he has a long recovery ahead of him, he’ll be fine. Not only is he alive, but he admits that Welch gave him a nod, meaning, “Beat 81 to the scene come hell or high water.”
I can’t decide if this actually happened. There’s a part of me that really thinks Welch made this up to cover for Cruz, God knows why. We are seeing a lot of Welch, and I’m convinced now more than ever that there is a lot more to him than we know. I stand by what I said last week, I bet we come out of it liking him.

Alright. Now for the interesting parts of the episode:

Cruz is looking for a food truck for the Molly’s expansion plan. When he can’t find one, Newhouse magically appears with one. He’s super secretive about where it came from, and tells the guys they can have for 20% of the profits. Newhouse keeps getting more interesting. Call me crazy, but I think he’s a burned spy (Michael Westin, anyone?). Let’s look at the evidence:

1. He’s got some pull somewhere that allows him access to ALL of Peter’s family history.
2. His daughter hints that she is tired of constantly moving around; she likes where they are now.
3. He got a vehicle (with a bullet hole, I might add) very quickly and didn’t offer up much information about it.

Moving on…

Peter Mills passes out yet again on the scene, and Severide tells him to see a doctor before the next shift. While he checks out his very large bruises in the bathroom, Boden comes in and encourages him to keep pursuing his dad’s family, because his dad would have wanted it.

Peter visits the doctor and finds out he has a vertigo issue that may or may not clear up. The doctor tells Peter he can’t clear him for truck duty, and his firefighting career is over (I bet not forever!).

In what ended up being a surprisingly touching scene, Peter meets his grandfather, who has stage four cancer. Seeing his jacket, Grandpa Mills quickly pieces together who the man before him is, and almost cries (me too, Grandpa Mills, me too!). It’s obvious he regrets the past, and he hugs Peter. I hope we see a bit more of Grandpa Mills.

Quote of the night goes to Newhouse, during his conversation with Peter:

“It’s a fine thing to honor your father by filling his shoes. But if the shoes don’t fit, it doesn’t mean you have to go through life barefoot.”

Newhouse is a wise man. And well-connected. I want to know more about him.

Elsewhere, Boden tells Casey that he is willing to turn a blind eye to Casey and Dawson’s relationship in order to make Dawson the new candidate at 51. But there’s a catch; Casey and Dawson can’t be married if she’s on Truck 81. I knew that darned wrench would show itself sooner or later.

After Gabby and Casey talk about it, they of course decide to have her take the position. I know it would have been silly for me to hope for a wedding this year, but shoot. I wanted it! I know these two will end up together, but it’s going to take forever to get there.

When Casey tells the Captain that they want Dawson on 81, Peter promptly goes to Boden and asks if he can fill her paramedic spot. You go, Pete! I wonder if this is a permanent transition. I just don’t see Gabby staying a firefighter for long, because she obviously can’t leave 51. Nothing against New Girl Sylvie, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Peter and Gabby as paramedics together.

And how about this ominous ending?

“We reap what we sow, right?”
“So they say.”

What did you think of the episode? What are your thoughts on Newhouse?

About the Author - Meghan Reynolds

A Colorado native, Meghan was born a raised a Denver Broncos fan. Aside from football, she loves storytelling, whether it be movies, television, books, or music. Some of her favorite shows of the past and present include LOST, Friends, The Office, Scandal, Chicago PD, and Chicago Fire. She is excited to be reviewing two of those shows for SpoilerTV, Chicago PD and Chicago Fire.