Chicago Fire - Some Make It, Some Don't - Review

Happy New Year, Chicago fans! It wasn’t a long break, thankfully, but in case you’ve forgotten anything over the holidays, here’s a brief recap: Jeff Clarke, former Squad member and current med student approached Severide about being a bone marrow donor. Casey and Dawson finally tied the knot, but the joy was short lived thanks to the appearance of Louie’s birthfather. To kick off the new year, Chicago Fire paired up with PD (sorta) in a two-hour crossover event, though there wasn’t much crossing over (with the exception of Severide). Let’s get into it…

“She wasn’t ready to give up.”

To no one’s surprise, Severide is officially a match for Hannah, the woman in need of bone marrow. Severide is quick to sign off, and I hope this is the beginning of a new chapter for him. He even agrees to meet Hannah, something donors and recipients don’t often do. How wonderful was Hannah, am I right?! She’s wonderful. She’s adventurous. She’s got a great sense of humor. Hannah and Severide hit it off immediately, and I can’t help but hope for many more scenes between the two. Severide also met Hannah’s dad, whose gratitude for Severide’s donation brings him to tears. I can’t imagine how helpless a parent must feel knowing there’s nothing they can do to save their child. So for Severide, a complete stranger, to happily donate bone marrow to save his daughter is something Hannah’s dad will never forget and always be grateful for. When he cried, I cried, to no one’s surprise.

It wouldn’t be Chicago Fire without a few twisty heartstring-tugging turns, now would it? The day before the scheduled procedure, Hannah takes a turn for the worse and can’t receive the donation. Clarke tells Severide her odds of recovering are slim, but he’s not going to give up hope. Neither am I! I sincerely hope we haven’t seen the last of Hannah.

Is it just me or are the writer attempting Severide and Stella round two? I was all for these two last season, but they quickly proved early this season that they are better as friends. I’m no longer up for a romance between these two. But Stella serving as Severide’s emergency contact led to additional interaction this episode and I’m thinking the writers might be moving back in the romantic direction. Severide also runs into Erin, his kind-of ex, who assumes Severide is with Stella and suggests they all go out sometime. Aca-awkward.

The twists keep coming in the final moments of the hour when Truck responds to an accident involving Severide’s car. He’s nowhere to be found, and it doesn’t help that he spent the entire day leading up to the accident drinking. Sergeant Voight and Detective Lindsay show up at his apartment, where’s he’s passed out, and take him in for questioning. If you tuned in for the Chicago PD portion of the crossover, you know how it ends. If you didn’t tune in, you know how it ends. Because what’s Chicago Fire without one of its leads, right? Right.

Meanwhile…

“Mostly I wish they cared enough to come looking for me.”

Andre, Louie’s birth father, tracked down Casey and Dawson in search of his son. As Gabby says, the whole thing seems a bit shady. I mean, the guy waits three years and then lurks in the shadows, stalking the couple. It’s creepy. But nothing is ever what it seems on this show, now is it? Of course not! As expected, Dawson and Casey’s adoption attorney tells them that the birth parent almost always wins custody. And when the couple sits down with Andre to get the full story, things suddenly don’t look so good for them. Andre was a soldier in Afghanistan and didn’t know Louie existed until now, hence the creepy stalking search. It’s an interesting conflict to have, because as the protagonists of the show, we naturally root for Dawson and Casey to adopt Louie. But at the same time, how can you not want a father to be with his newly discovered son?

Later, Sylvie had a heart-to-heart with Dawson where she shared she was adopted. It gave Dawson insight she needed, as Sylvie revealed that as wonderful as her adoptive parent are, all she ever wanted was for her birth parents to care. This leads Dawson and Casey to allow Andre and Louie to meet once before letting the lawyers handle the rest. But Andre doesn’t show, and the plot thickens. At this point, we’ve come too far to lose Louie, right?

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!”

Mouch, Herrmann, and Otis are up to their usual shenanigans, which begins with the setup of Monopoly. But why play Monopoly when you can play ping-pong? After saving a kid who goes by the name of Pants (double yikes), the guys find a discarded ping-pong table and whisk it away to the firehouse while swearing there won’t be a repeat of the 2009 foosball fiasco. 1) I need a flashback to the foosball fiasco and 2) This is absolutely going to end like the 2009 foosball fiasco.

Naturally, the crew doesn’t even make it to the end of the hour without shattering the glass in the door. Who saw this coming? Everyone except Mouch, Otis, and Herrmann. Obviously.


What did you think of the episode? Will Dawson and Casey get to officially adopt Louie? Will Hannah recover enough to receive Severide’s donation? Share your thoughts below!