“This house has weathered plenty, and we’ll weather this.”
I meant to say it last week, but congrats to Chicago Fire on the early renewal! Not that there was any doubt, but it’s nice to know this early Fire will be back for a fifth season. Now into the episode…
Patterson makes Squad, and by Squad I mean Severide, run drills like there’s no tomorrow. I understand that it’s good to stay fresh, go back to the basics, etc., but Severide reached Lieutenant status. He knows what he’s doing. Hold up, Patterson’s first name is Dallas? He should continue to go by Patterson. Anyway, he’s trying to assert his dominance, and it’s backfiring. The only person who is behind Patterson is Riddle, and he’s still the WORST. “Boden, Severide, Dawson, Casey…the people at 51 are not team players.” Whoa, Riddle. Way to call out the four leads. It’s funny he says they aren’t “team players” because I’m fairly certain those four (not that the others wouldn’t) would give their lives for their fellow 51-ers. Tension continued to grow between Severide and Patterson but didn’t explode as I thought it would. But when Patterson writes up Severide and requests he be transferred to a different house, Boden refuses. Boden has now openly taken a side, and Patterson’s not happy about it. So, will he leave now? Please?
At the end of the hour, Patterson approaches Severide at Molly’s with a very antagonistic attitude. Severide reminds him that they are off duty, which was the nice way of saying “Back the hell off.” Patterson continues to prod and as Severide isn’t one to stand down, asks Patterson if he wants to take it outside. Then, Patterson suspends him. I suspect that was his intention all along, and he knew if he kept antagonizing Severide he’d get something out of him that could possibly warrant suspension. What a turd. It looks like the showdown between these two won’t be happening just yet, but it’s coming. I’m a little disappointed; I hoped that maybe after last week Patterson would choose 51 over Riddle and advancing his career. He’s not a bad guy, he’s just overly ambitious and a bit controlling. It’s too bad, he could have been a great addition to the house. But now, he’s got to go.
Elsewhere…
On the first call of the night, the team saves family members of a man who works for Rush. Rush, as in the legendary classic rock band. Mouch is a super-fan (which surprisingly doesn’t surprise me), and I can’t say that I blame him. If you don’t know Rush, go educate yourself. You’ll enjoy it. But $800 for tickets? Nope.
An attractive woman has temporarily moved in next door to the Bodens. Serena is trouble, it’s easy to see. But Donna? Donna is the coolest. A few weeks ago I said Cindy and Herrmann were my #marriagegoals. That award this week goes to Donna and Boden. Later, Serena calls Boden because she supposedly locked herself out of the house and left the stove on. But not only is the stove not on, but Serena has wine and two glasses ready. Trap? I think so. At the end of the hour, cops show up to arrest Boden—and he’s shown a picture of a beaten Serena. Guess who she claims did it? Yeah, she was definitely a trap…planted by Riddle (call me paranoid, but come on!). I just don’t get it—anyone with a brain can see how amazing Boden is not only at his job, but as leader and human being. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than Boden. So what is fueling Riddle? Is it fear of competition? Or does he genuinely hate the way Boden runs the house?
A friend of Cruz’ brother Leon stops by the firehouse. Leon, you might remember, had help from Cruz and Chicago PD’s Voight in getting out of a gang. Now Freddie is asking for the same help. We didn’t see much of him this episode, but my bet is it was just a seed; we’ll see more of Freddie soon. This was a great episode for the supporting cast. In addition to Mouch’s favorable screen time, Cruz and Otis saw some action to. Aside from an entertaining game of “stop folding laundry when I get to a couple who isn’t a couple” with Dawson, Otis also has a great moment with Cruz. They examine the box from Freddie for Leo, Otis hilariously thinks a severed body part will be inside and even looks slightly disappointed when there’s not.
“What do you know about gangs, Otis?”
“I watched The Wire.”
Sylvie advises Chili against house romances. Girl better change her tune, because she needs to be with Severide. Thankfully, Chili doesn’t listen. Things seem to be going smoothly for Chili and Jimmy, they are just adorable. I’m loving this pairing. It will be interesting to see how their fundamental difference affect the relationship down the line once the newness of it has worn off a bit.
What did you think of the episode? How much longer will Patterson stick around? Will Chili and Jimmy last long? Will Boden lose his job? Share your thoughts below!
