Chicago Fire - Category 5 - Review

The suspicion surrounding Rice finally boils over this week and causes quite the rift between Truck and Squad. On scene after the first call, Rice doesn’t help when he tells Severide, “The way lines are blurred between Truck and Squad around here, no one would guess that Squad 3 is one of the elite firefighting units in the city.”

Now I don’t know how it works in the real word but on the show, I understand that while there are these two different units, they operate as one team both on scene and in the house. Rice knew exactly what he was doing when he said that; he knew saying those words to Severide would only make the divide bigger. And as if that weren’t enough, Rice’s words turn Severide into the immature guy of season 1. Not cool, Rice. Not cool. Severide has come so far and seeing him revert like this was painful to watch.

I want to see both sides of this. On the one hand, do we really have firm proof that Rice is a bad guy? I don’t think we do. And knowing what we do about his backstory (losing his wife, being a single, committed dad), I want to root for him. But you can’t deny there’s something off with him. On the other side, there’s Otis. I think it’s valid for him to have suspicion, but he might have taken it too far too soon. Is his jealousy and desire to move off elevators what motives him? I don’t know.

One of my favorite things about Boden is how little crap he will put up with. As soon as he gets wind of the situation, he looks to his two lieutenants to shut it down. Casey and Severide have been doing so well, and I hope this doesn’t pull them apart. But when they finally talk about the issue, Casey plays the Darden card saying, “That’s always a great move, drawing lines between Truck and Squad. Like when you decided Squad doesn’t vent right before Darden went up in flames?”

Ouch. I understand what he’s saying and I agree with his viewpoint, but bringing up Darden was the lowest of blows. But, whether it be Dawson’s disappointment, Casey’s harsh words, or something else entirely, Severide proves himself not only by a crazy act of heroism but also by confronting Rice.

Elsewhere…

I’m thinking Chili could be a great permanent addition to the cast. She’s struggling to make ends meet which makes the promotions for her new drink, Chileeze, difficult to support. As expected, the one to step in as a guide/cheerleader is none other than Herrmann.

Herrmann sets up a fundraiser event at Molly’s for Chili and her Chileeze drink. She doesn’t get a chance to finish her presentation though, as the issues between Truck and Squad steal the show. Even Dawson, normally the amicable one, is clearly disappointed in Severide. Come on, guys! I felt so bad for Chili. She’s worked so hard and it’s clear public speaking isn’t her favorite thing to do.

We learn a bit more about Chili this week. Her dad, who passed away, is the one who came up with the idea for Chileeze. I do think there’s still something big in her past that we don’t know yet, but she seems sincere and Herrmann agrees. He talks with Cindy and they give Chili a loan to get the ball rolling for Chileeze.

Casey and Dawson are definitely making progress. I caught some heat last week when I said Casey deserved someone better, and I feel like should clarify. I think Dawson shut down – for whatever reason, the job, fear, I don’t know. And when she shut down, she quit trying in her relationship with Casey. Casey deserves better than that. But I do think that Dawson has come alive again and it’s clear she loves Casey and might just be at that point where she’s ready to fight for him. This Dawson is someone Casey deserves.

Jack Nesbitt tries to woo Casey back to the club after their falling-out last week. Casey’s having none of it, saying he’s done with his work at the club. Meanwhile, Voight reaches out to Casey because Nesbitt may be involved in human trafficking. I love that it’s Voight who reaches out, because it’s been long enough that I almost forgot about everything that happened between these two. The storyline with Casey is what made Voight such a polarizing character and ultimately resulted in the spinoff, Chicago PD.

Antonio also jumps in on the case (love when he appears on Fire!) and Casey agrees to go undercover. Chicago PD’s Mouse gives Casey a special phone to take with him to the club. Things get a little dicey when Casey goes into the back room (does anything good ever happen in a back room?) with men who are clearly up to no good. They pat Casey down and ask for his phone. He’s obviously reluctant to hand it over, and Nesbitt notices that hesitation. But before we can see Casey make it to safety, the episode ends and we’re left not knowing how his meeting went.


What did you think of the episode? Next week is the season finale, what do you hope to see? Will Rice stick around? It seems from the preview someone might not make it out alive (yet again), who might that be?

I have this crazy theory – what if Boden dies (I would need so many tissues) and next season we see Casey as Chief, which would not only free up the lieutenant position for Herrmann, but cause friction between Casey and Severide? It’s a longshot, and I don’t want to see Boden go, but what if?

Do you have any theories for how the show will move into season 4?

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.