Chicago Fire - Red Rag The Bull - Review

Well, the writers sure didn’t waste any time. Chief Pridgen (yes, I was wrong writing Pritchett before) knows that Casey slept with his ex-wife. Casey immediately goes to Welch, blaming him for the information leak. Welch wasn’t the leak, but he doesn’t exactly care that Casey is now in hot water. I LOVE the scenes between these two characters. With all the season 1 tension between Casey and Severide gone, our leading man was severely lacking a foil character. Thanks in part to Welch, Casey is interesting again. And you know what? So is Welch! I’m really liking Welch working with the house, and I hope he sticks around.

On the first call of the episode, Chief Pridgen makes a questionable call to re-deploy Truck 81, even though there are still people inside the building. This results in a man jumping out of a third-story window, which lands him in the hospital in critical condition.

Because of results of the call, House 51 is under investigation for negligence. When questioned, Chief Pridgen lies and throws Casey into the line of fire. Severide hears everything Pridgen says, and confronts him about it. I’ve loved Severide’s character growth; I don’t know that the Severide of season 1 would have done what he did in this episode for Casey. Severide goes so far as to visit the investigating chief and tells him what really happened. I’m so proud of Severide for not backing off, even when Pridgen threatens to go after him.

Severide also confronts Welch about what happened on the scene and the investigation. Welch is the one person who could refute Pridgen’s story with absolute certainty. He’s obviously reluctant to clear Casey’s name, because in case you’ve missed key components of this season, Welch and Casey aren’t exactly the best of friends. Yet.

Pridgen calls Welch into his office to discuss the investigation. He asks Welch to sign a sworn statement that supports Pridgen’s recalling of the events on scene, which Welch knows are false. Saved by the alarm, Squad gets a call and Welch can’t get out of that office fast enough.

The house arrives on scene after a car injured many by driving on the sidewalk. While the team is on scene, the same car drives by again and open fires at everyone. Seeing that Welch is in the line of fire, Casey runs full speed and tackles Welch, saving his life.

Back at the house, Welch returns to Pridgen’s office. Pridgen basically offers Welch Severide’s job, to which Welch replies, “You know everyone here at 51 has treated me with respect, Chief…I just want to get along in this house.” I want that too, Welch!

Pridgen threatens to fire Welch, so Welch leans up, pen in hand. I’m not kidding, the entire scene I was yelling, “Don’t do it! No! Put the pen down, Welch!” I was more excited than I thought I would be when Welch dropped the pen. My suspicions are true, Welch is a good man and I officially love his character. I really do think he has an interesting back story, and I hope we get to see it. I know Pridgen kicked him out, but I think he’ll be back soon.

Elsewhere…

Sylvie sets Dawson up on a date with someone who works at the hospital. Dawson reluctantly agrees to go, but only because Sylvie and Cruz, who are unfortunately still together, will be there. When Cruz asks Casey how he would feel about it, I have to admit I was disappointed with his reaction. He’s fine with it? No! That’s not allowed!

Dawson’s date shows up and within only a second, it’s clear there is zero chance of a second date. But who cares about the date, Cruz and Sylvie want Dawson to settle a very important debate: Truck vs. Ambo. She’s very diplomatic about it, highlighting the pros of both, but come on. Deep down, I think Dawson will always prefer Ambo.

Mills is testing to requalify for Squad! My guess is that he passes. And in some twist of events, Dawson switches back to being a paramedic. One can dream, right? But seriously, I would love to see Dawson as a paramedic again. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great firefighter. But, she was a phenomenal paramedic, and I think she misses it. She and Sylvie would work very well together and of course, it would mean she and Casey could get back together. Now, I say “could” because I don’t think it’s something that will happen right away. In fact, I’d be surprised if we see them back together before the end of the season. But a step in the right direction would be nice.

Mouch is a dad! In a fantastic subplot, Mouch finds out that a sperm donation he made many years before resulted in a child. After a breach in security, it’s possible Mouch’s information was leaked, and the child may know who he is.

Mouch’s fears are confirmed when he receives a message from an Emmett, claiming to be his son. He wants to meet Mouch and tells him where he’ll be waiting. Now I know that not everyone is thrilled with Mouch dating Chicago PD’s Sergeant Amy Platt, but I love it! I think they are great for each other, and she proves to be instrumental in convincing Mouch to meet his son. Even though Mouch doesn’t ultimately go through with it, it’s a step. I think he’ll meet young Emmett eventually.

Boden is enjoying furlough…a little too much. He’s driving Donna crazy, and also, I don’t think we’ve ever seen Boden in a baseball cap and it’s really throwing me off. Boden and Herrmann’s scenes have proved to be some of my favorite this season, and this episode was no exception. Boden tells Herrmann how much he’s needed at home with Donna, and then Donna tells Herrmann that Boden is driving her insane. Love it.

When Pridgen is officially relieved of duty, Boden agrees to come back to work. YAY! Boden may not have liked Welch initially, but because Welch supported Severide, I think he may have him stick around.

Big changes are on the horizon for Squad 3. Mills is requalifying, and I think it’s safe to say he’ll be cleared. A friend of Severide’s will be working with Squad for a bit (I don’t know how long), and Capp is still enjoying more screen time. I’d still really like to see Newhouse return and Welch stick around. All I need is Jeff Clark. While I don’t think Clark will return, I do think it’s likely Squad will be featured a bit more prominently in the coming weeks.


What did you think of the episode? Will Dawson return to Ambo? Will Welch stick around 51? And for love of all that is good and holy, how much longer will we have to suffer through Sylvie and Cruz?

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.