Chicago Fire - Lift Each Other - Review

“That’s what we do, life each other up.”

I’m eating my doubtful words concerning Casey and Gabby this week, that’s for sure. Family and marriage took front and center this episode as Gabby and Antonio prepared for their parents’ fortieth anniversary party. It will be Sylvie’s first foray into the Dawson family festivities, but Casey is not stranger. I wish Sylvie and Casey interacted more, because they could have a fun friendship. When Gabby tells Sylvie her family is harmless, Casey mouths behind her to Sylvie, “No they’re not!” Love it. Let’s do this.

Before we can dive into the Dawson family dynamic, the house responds to a call at a warehouse where two kids got a bit too adventurous and ended up hurt. One is mildly injured, but the other, Wylie, is found upside down and after being cut down and revived, is rushed to Chicago Med. It’s always a bit heartbreaking when the family of a victim stops by the firehouse to express their gratitude, especially when the victim dies or is in critical condition. While Wylie’s in a coma, his father stops by with some sort of baked goods to thank Casey and the house, and honestly, if everyone were like this, the world would be an infinitely better place. Casey takes an interest in Wylie and worries he didn’t do everything he could, and I loved that it was Severide who reassured him. More scenes with these two, please!

Before the anniversary dinner, Casey stops by the hospital to check in on Wylie, where Maggie sadly informs him he passed away. Casey takes the loss hard, and what’s more, he doesn’t even tell Gabby! He lets her go on about what earrings she should wear (I liked his choice, side note) and carries on as if nothing happened. The anniversary dinner is another disaster, as Mr. Dawson interrupts his own speech to announce he and his wife are divorcing. Yikes. To say Antonio took the news badly would be an understatement, and Gabby, too, is obviously upset. It doesn’t matter how old you are, having your parents divorce is never an easy thing. I would think it could be even more difficult as an adult, because you’d naturally compare your relationship to your parents’ and/or question your ability to carry on a lasting marriage. I was worried for a few minutes there that Gabby would do just that, but the closing moments of the hour put me at ease.

So while Gabby and Antonio’s parents didn’t go the distance, I’m betting Casey and Gabby will. After Gabby finds out about Wylie and how Casey knew before the dinner, she rushes home in tears. “You knew that boy died and you were more worried about making sure I had a good time.” Of course he did. Because he’s the best. They are the best. But, will they get married? It would be natural for Gabby to question marriage, now that her parents ended theirs. The promo for next week leads me to believe marriage definitely comes up in conversation…

Elsewhere…

Chicago is having a “Mud Hundred”, which I’m assuming is a fictionalized version of the Tough Mudder. Herrmann convinces Otis and Stella to hand out Molly’s shirts to the runners, which somehow turns into the two competing in the actual run. Herrmann bets on Stella so naturally, Otis wins. Part of me thinks Stella and Otis schemed a bit to get back at Herrmann, but then seeing their competitive nature at the end, I’m not so sure. Also, is it just me or would Otis and Stella be a fun relationship? Whether it stays platonic or turns romantic, we need more of these two sharing scenes, because they were gold.

“My partner and my brother holding hands, kissy face…”

So Antonio and Sylvie are…nauseating. There’s in that blissed out, everything is adorable/hilarious/incredible phase and while I can’t deny that they are, in fact, adorable, we all know it’s not going to last. Right? Look, if Jon Seda can pull this kind of double duty all the time, then maybe it could. But once again, you’re left with either Chicago Justice fans or Chicago Fire fans who don’t watch both shows missing out on key moments. For the moment, I’ll deal solely with the present. In the present, Sylvie and Antonio are crazy about each other and seem to be doing really well. Even after the debacle at the anniversary dinner, I don’t get the feeling these two are doing anything but moving forward. Alright, moment’s over. Is it just me or are the writers dropping the subtlest of hints toward a Severide/Sylvie pairing? They shared a brief and in no way romantic scene a few weeks ago, but the scene is this episode gave me a different vibe. First off, why is Severide having drinks with Antonio and Sylvie? That’s a first. Second, I can’t be the only one who noticed that brief but potentially flirty look Severide gave her, right? This isn’t just me projecting my hopes and wishes for a Severide/Sylvie relationship when there’s clearly nothing there? Help.

“The guys here, what you all do, it makes a difference.”

James-formerly-Jimmy is back this episode with a different attitude toward being a firefighter than the previous episode. He claims to really enjoy what the job entails and sticks around for another shift, where Cruz notices some serious bruises on him. Though the few involved at Firehouse 51 didn’t jump to conclusions right away, I don’t think there was any mystery for the viewers—James is being abused. Does his desire to live with Boden stem from wanting to get away from the abuse? Certainly. Does his new desire to be a firefighter also stem from that? Not sure.

Anyway, Cruz talks with Severide about the bruises, who keeps an eye on James when they respond to an accident. Things get violent at the scene and two men end up fighting in the street while James stands back, clearly afraid. If there was any doubt before, there isn’t now. Severide takes it to Boden, who later confronts James along with Donna. I’m surprised they got to the bottom of everything as quickly as they did. Honestly, this is the type of story the writers normally stretch out over several episodes. But thankfully for James, it’s all revealed very quickly that his mom’s new boyfriend has been abusing him, and he’ll be out of that situation immediately. James is leaving for now, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him (or at least, I hope we haven’t!). Boden was also suspended for his beating of the boyfriend, but as it’s only one shift, I’m not worried.

Line of the night: Boden, speaking for the people, on the new health initiative
“Ain’t no one here putting kale in anything!”


What did you think of the episode? What’s next for Casey and Gabby? Will Antonio and Sylvie last? Share your thoughts below and don’t miss Chicago Fire’s 100th episode on Tuesday, December 6!