Chicago Fire - Three Bells - Review

“I will not rest until justice is served. I will serve it myself if I have to.”

First off, congrats to Chicago Fire on the early renewal for a fourth season! It’s been a great week for the Chicago shows.

The fire that killed Shay was arson, making her death a murder – that notion is where Fire picks up this week and what leads us through a two-night crossover event with Chicago PD.

The fire department is looking into the case and Dawson calls Shay’s sister, Megan. Megan comes to town for the investigation – and I can’t help but notice how alike she and Shay look. Great job, casting. Megan clearly doesn’t want to be in Chicago, and at first, I can’t tell if it’s because she doesn’t care, or because she really cares. I really didn’t care for her the first 10 minutes or so.

But as the episode went on, it became clear that Megan and Shay were close, and revisiting her sister’s life is painful. Yeah, for you and me both Megan. Shay is missed terribly, and this episode served as yet another reminder of great storylines we’ll never get to see. I know a lot of fans have been upset with the writers about Shay’s death, but I have to say, I stand by them. Your life doesn’t end when your storyline runs out, and cutting Shay’s life short has made it feel more realistic. She was the only character on the show whose death could have a lasting effect.

Hadley (remember him? I vaguely did) calls for Severide from prison, inviting him to visit. Apparently, he’s got information about the fire that killed Shay. Hadley has definitely seen better days – he’s barely recognizable. He offers Severide a return address for a piece of evidence sent to him in exchange for a mattress. Yeah, he’s definitely seen better days.

When Severide gives Boden the return address, the look on Boden’s face was unsettling and slightly terrifying. It’s not a return address, it’s the address where Peter Mills’ dad died, the fire that badly burned Boden. Friends, we have a serial arsonist.
Using the serial arsonist theory, the fire department is able to compile a list of unsolved, suspected arson cases, and most (if not all) spanning decades in one area are linked together.

I think my favorite scene of the night was with Megan, Sylvie and Dawson. They reminisce about Shay and it’s touching, funny, sad, wonderful, heartbreaking, and everything in between.

Later, Megan goes out on a call with Sylvie and Mills. After Sylvie has a knife pulled on her by some crazy man, she tells Megan it’s par for the course, nothing out of the ordinary. Megan breaks down, saying that Shay never mentioned anything like that on the job. It was moving to see Megan realize the hero her sister was, and yes, there were tears. (How about they make Chicago Fire tissue boxes?)

“That’s what she did. She went through that every day and she never said anything to me. I’d ask her how her day was and she would just make some inappropriate joke to get me laughing.”

I can’t think of a better description of Shay.

I know the season isn’t over yet, but the Character Growth award would go to Sylvie Brett, no doubt. Remember that timid, insecure girl who first came to 51? She’s changed quite a bit, and I know I say it a lot, but she is a fantastic addition to the show.

When Cunningham has the storage unit owner go over suspected arsonists, he picks out Adrian Gish, a definite creep. This guy should just walk around with a shirt that says, “Hi, my name’s Adrian and I’m an arsonist.” Seriously, he’s creepy and oddly forward about his pyromania.

Leave it to Christopher Herrmann to be hilarious yet profound all in the same scene. After telling Megan a funny story about Shay, he says, “We miss her, Megan. She was the heartbeat of…we all move on, right? But you never forget. Not a girl like Shay.” And the tears start flowing and they just don’t stop!

I think it’s because Shay’s death was ruled a murder that she receives the ceremony, but I’m not entirely sure. Either way, it’s a somber scene. Firehouse 51 salutes Shay, and I won’t write it all here, but go back and watch Dawson’s speech – I bet you won’t be able to keep from crying! Megan is presented with the folded American flag and as if that weren’t enough, Severide unveils the new door of the ambulance that reads “Leslie Elizabeth Shay 1978-2014”.

Cunningham meets up with the gang later at Molly’s, and the fire department has decided to not pursue the case. It’s not closed, but I guess it’s not active either. So of course, who do they call? Antonio! So much better than Atwater. I would have been very angry if he was on point for the case. I miss the old days of Fire, pre-PD, when we saw a lot more interaction between Antonio and Gabby.

And for our subplots of the week:

Baba, aka Otis’ grandmother, has come to move in with him from Russia. Because that’s not weird or completely out of the blue. She doesn’t speak a word of English and I actually find her presence humorous.

So apparently it’s Sylvie and Cruz’s three month anniversary. GAG. ME. PLEASE. Seriously, is it just me? Come on, guys. There is
zero chemistry between these two! Thank goodness for Baba and her knitting ruining their make-out session (hilarious, by the way), because I was about to lose it.

By the end of the episode, I loved Baba! She can stick around, especially if it means less Cruz and Sylvie.
Elsewhere, Boden spends time with his dad, who has been given a bleak diagnosis: stage 4 cancer. I hate to say it, but I’m getting a weird vibe from Papa Boden. Is it just me? Is he really sick, or is it some ploy? I don’t know! I just have this unsettling feeling about him every time he’s on screen.

Well, Casey and Dawson fans, it was quite a rollercoaster ride of emotions for me this episode. It started out bleak, but there is a shimmer of hope.

“What happened to you and Matt?” Megan asks Dawson.
“We gave it our best shot,” replies Dawson.

Your best shot? That’s your best shot? You fought for this man for what felt like an eternity and a bump in the road is suddenly just your best shot?! I wanted to slap her.

As their first call wrapped up, Dawson says to Casey, “Damn, baby. Don’t scare me like that.” WHAT?! Not okay. She lost all “baby” privileges when she chose firefighting over him. Back the heck off, Dawson.

There was a hopeful scene between Casey and Dawson. It seems they are leaving the door open for the future, and for the first time, they are back to their old selves, sharing their day with each other and being friends. And for the first time all season, I wasn’t angry with Dawson. I hope she’s starting to realize that she messed up.

This was definitely one of my favorite episodes of the season. Sure, there was drama, but it all came back to the 51 family, which is the best part of this show.

What did you think of the episode? What are your thoughts on Cruz and Sylvie? Is this the end of the Shay storyline? Which two characters do you want to have more onscreen time together?

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.