Chicago Fire - A Real Wake-Up Call - Review

“Let’s not lose sight of one thing; that man lost his brother.”

Farewell, Jimmy, we barely knew thee (seems like it). This swan song of Jimmy’s just didn’t carry the weight I wanted it to. If there’s one person at 51 you don’t antagonize, it’s Boden (followed closely by Herrmann). Jimmy was off to such a promising start last season and quickly became a favorite character of mine. But that was all completely undone in last week’s premiere when he unleashed a whole lot of anger on Boden. It didn’t stop this week; in fact, a bit of arrogance was thrown in as Jimmy resumed his duties on Truck, against Boden’s recommendation and wishes.

Safe to say, Jimmy lost me before this episode even started. But it was his goading remarks at Molly’s that put the proverbial final nail in the coffin. Jimmy saying Boden doesn’t have his men’s backs? Oh, if I could punch someone through a TV! I was Herrmann in that scene. We all were, right? “I can’t do it, alright? You wanna trash talk my Chief, my friend, you take it out of my bar…I’m done tip-toeing around this punk. It’s time for some tough love.” And it was at that moment I knew there would be no redemption for Jimmy. Truck 81 goes so far as to tell Boden that unless Jimmy is removed, they will refuse to work. Not until next shift, of course, so it’s on the current shift that everything goes south. Jimmy ignores a direct order from Boden and finds himself badly burned in the process. In that moment, it wasn’t even Jimmy who made me sad, because I stopped caring about him. It was actually Sylvie, whose reaction was heartbreaking.

At the hospital, the house is informed that while Jimmy will live, he’ll lose his left eye. He has a long road of recovery ahead, and he certainly won’t ever be a firefighter again. And if you ever needed more proof supporting Boden and the man he is, look no further than the closing scene. Even after all Jimmy did to Boden, Boden didn’t hesitate in getting to Jimmy’s side as soon as possible after surgery. And when Jimmy opened his eye and stretched out his hand, Boden was there to take it.

I won’t miss Jimmy, not now. I will miss what could have been, the character he was last season. This storyline is baffling to me, because I don’t understand why the writers would spend an entire season building up this character, only to have him fall so far in two (really less than two) episodes. What was the point? Inter-house drama? Boredom (kidding, kind of)? He had so much potential. After all, Casey did at one point call him the best candidate he’s ever seen. What a horrible way to go out.

So…can we bring back Peter Mills? Is that still a pipe-dream? I will never give up hope of seeing him again!

Elsewhere…

“Whatever it takes, do it. I am not going to lose that boy.”

Well, heaven forbid Casey and Dawson go more than an episode without a little drama! After smooth sailing in the premiere, the couple’s first obstacle of the season presents itself. But before the problem arises, Casey sits down to read a story with Louie (soon joined by Gabby) in one of the most precious scenes I’ve ever seen on this show. Early in the series, the writers made it very clear that Casey loves kids, is great with kids, and would be the ultimate family man. But since Louie has come into his and Gabby’s life, we haven’t really seen that side of him…until now. But don’t get your hopes up for more adorable family scenes, as there’s trouble looming.

Casey is approached by Alderman Deering, who is looking for support on a project that Casey is against. Somehow, Deering knows that Casey pulled strings to move Gabby to the front of the DCFS line to get Louie, and he’s using it to blackmail Casey into voting his way. Seriously, is Casey the only decent Alderman in the city? We’ve yet to come across another honest Alderman.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Casey votes Deering’s way and calls their deal done. But of course it’s not done! And though Casey says he’s done and Deering can do what he pleases with the DCFS knowledge, you better believe Gabby will make him rethink that. Honestly, where is this leading? I’m hoping that should the worst happen (as in, Louie is placed with a different family), Gabby doesn’t hold Casey responsible and instead draws closer to him for support. Could Casey be forced out of office if the knowledge is leaked to the public? I honestly wouldn’t care if he wasn’t an Alderman and I don’t know that he would either. I do care about his relationship with Gabby and I’ll be furious if she blames him for everything.

“You ever think maybe that’s what caused this in the first place? You keeping him around for years after you should’ve cut him off?”

Stella spent a good portion of the hour making me mad. After Grant survives, she decides not to press charges, which is ridiculous. Though upon hearing her explanation to Grant at the end of the hour, I understood a bit more. “I wish that I was the one who could help you, but I have tried everything that I know how to do…I’m not making decisions for you anymore. I’m out. For good.” I am thankful they didn’t pursue a storyline involving charges against Severide; we don’t need that story and honestly it would have been a bit predictable.

So where does this mess leave Stella and Severide? Both insist they aren’t a couple and I don’t know that I even see an underlying desire on either side for that to change. Severide still seems fully against monogamy. Does his insistence come from when he was once engaged? We don’t know much about that situation (that I recall), and I wonder if we ever will. After this week, Stella certainly doesn’t seem to be in the right headspace for a serious relationship. So is this just another waste of time? I hope not. These two have great chemistry and could be good for each other.

Speaking of Severide, he’s totally regressing, right? Between the commitment phobia coming on strong, him once again hiding an injury (potentially), and socialite Travis Brenner, bad things are ahead for Severide. Travis is bad news, obviously. And of course, he strikes up a friendship with Severide. It’s just so frustrating to see how far he’s come to slide back into bad habits now.

“Okay, Shakespeare! I’m out!”

Did anyone else panic when Mouch and Sylvie had that partnership-ending argument? I was a bit concerned, but only because this is such a fun storyline. Thankfully they both came to their senses and restored their writing partnership by the end of the hour. Call me crazy, but this might be my favorite storyline currently. What if they actually get published? What happens when the house not only finds their lives in print but also finds out who the real authors are? Seriously, this is going to be a hoot.

Line of the night: Mouch doesn’t understand when to let a little romance win out over accuracy

“How can he rip open her turnout coat? It’s made of Kevlar…she’s ripping his off too. Lot of expensive equipment just being ruined, here.”


What did you think of the episode? Are you surprised by Jimmy’s story arc and departure? What do you hope to see this season? Share your thoughts below!

About the Author - Meghan Reynolds

A Colorado native, Meghan was born a raised a Denver Broncos fan. Aside from football, she loves television and some might say watches too much of it. Some of her favorite shows of the past and present include Galavant, Blindspot, The Office, Veronica Mars, The 100, and Gilmore Girls. She reviews Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med for SpoilerTV.

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