Chicago Fire - Let It Burn - Review

And we’re back!

We pick up exactly where things left off; Dawson finds Katya’s body in Casey’s apartment. Antonio, Voight, and a handful of officers we’ve never seen find Casey beating the snot out of the guy who seconds before was holding a gun to his head. Oh, and Weasel Jack Nesbitt? Yeah, he’s a CI for the FBI, so, scumbag walks. While I’m sure the twist with Nesbitt will come into play over the next few weeks, I’m a little disappointed this whole mess was wrapped up (with the exception of Nesbitt) in the first three minutes. For a storyline that took up a good portion of last season, I was expecting a bit more.

Casey, in typical Casey fashion, downplays the effects of the ordeal and returns to work as if everything were normal. Casey has a history of letting things build up and then exploding, so this can only lead to bad things. I forgot Casey and Severide lived together. Dang it, give these two more scenes together! Why is this still not happening? We’ve only been asking for it for 3 years!

Severide is…getting demoted. What?!?!? Chief Reynolds, also known as the actor who has never played a good guy (come on, he just has the bad guy face), tells Severide there’s been too much turnover in the house (Vargas, Mills, Clark, Hadley, Newhouse, Welch, Mills again, and Rice), you’re telling me! I’m so tired of the revolving door that is Squad 3. Come on, don’t the writers know the goldmine they would have with a Squad made up of Mills, Clark, Newhouse, Welch, Capp, and Severide? Please. Anyway, Severide’s leadership abilities are being questioned, so he’s stripped of his Lieutenant rank and Dallas Patterson is brought in as the new Squad top dog. I think I like him, but I hate that he took Severide’s job.

Boden tells Severide he will be evaluated in the future for his Lieutenant position as long as he completes a management training course. I was surprised that Severide was on board with this and that he made an effort with Patterson.

In his management training course, Severide meets Jaime (aka the girl Severide will have a relationship with for 5-6 episodes before breaking things off for the next 5-6 episode girl) played by Rachel Nichols, who is amazing. I love seeing her on the show, but I hate that she’ll likely be reduced to one of the many women in Severide’s life who never seem to stick around. Honestly, is it too much to ask for the guy to have a relationship with some depth? I’m so tired of these women who are in and out within a handful of episodes. And I love Rachel Nichols, which makes this exceptionally bittersweet.

But of course, the compliant Severide can only last for so long. By episode’s end, Severide tells Cruz he’s leaving Squad. For the record, I don’t think he will. And if he does, it won’t be for long. The relationship and continual head-butting we’re sure to see between him and Patterson is too good to pass up.

On the main call of the night, Firehouse 51 arrives on scene, or rather, close to the scene, of a burning crack house. The neighborhood blocks off the street on either side with their cars which does not go over well with the team. Boden yells at people, Patterson rams the Squad truck into cars, and Casey rams Boden’s truck into a few more cars than necessary (that boiling aggression, remember?). On the one hand, I get why these people want the crack house gone (duh). But willingly putting lives in danger is not okay.

While a good portion of the house deals with the fire directly, Dawson and Otis go next door to get a stubborn old man out of his house. He’s unwilling to go, and Gabby is clearly worried about the smoke inhalation. When the house is hit with falling roof, Casey’s immediate reaction and only concern is Dawson.

For the entire episode, we see Dawson wrestling with being pregnant and trying to tell Casey. Things have to change, right? I don’t think she can stay on Truck while she’s pregnant. That will definitely be an interesting storyline moving forward; Dawson worked so hard to make it and now might have to give it up (but only temporarily). I’m glad they didn’t drag out Dawson figuring out how to tell Casey. And I was wrong; the life and death moment Casey had at the club did lead to some aggression, but it mostly lead him to realize how quickly life can end, which prompted him to tell Dawson how she’s the only thing that makes sense. Hallelujah! And his face when she tells him she’s pregnant? Beautiful. I might have shed a tear or five…


Elsewhere…

Ladies and gentleman, fresh from Mystic Falls, Virginia, I present to you the new candidate! (Right? Did he just leave that show? I gave up on it years ago, so he might have left a while ago for all I know.) Anyway, I already love this Jimmy guy. Poor kid is pranked by his brother on the first day, and Boden is having none of it. Jimmy’s out before he’s ever really in.

Near the end of the episode, Jimmy returns to apologize to Boden and ends up with his candidate position again. I’m glad we’ll have another candidate, it brings a fun dynamic to the show and opens the door for new storylines. And did I detect some chemistry with Chili? Perhaps.

Speaking of, Chili and Sylvie are called to the train station where a very pregnant woman has been shot. She delivers right there in the ambulance but dies on the way to the hospital. These writers really know how to get you, don’t they? This was just heartbreaking. The two are obviously upset after the call and have a weird encounter with Severide. I say it’s weird not because the conversation was out of place (it felt very natural, actually) but because it felt like a total setup. Are the writers still wanting to push Sylvie with Severide? Or are they exploring Chili and Severide? The only purpose for having that scene seemed to be subtly establishing something moving forward. As you all know, I’m all for Sylvie and Severide.

Chili and Sylvie are worried about the baby they delivered, not quite sure if they want to know whether or not he lived. They run into Dr. Will Halstead at Molly’s, and he takes them to see the baby. The writers are shamelessly plugging Chicago Med by sticking Will Halstead on every episode of PD and now Fire, and I love it. I’m really excited for that show, guys.

While no team can ever replace the greatness that was Shay and Dawson, I like Chili and Sylvie as partners. But what happens with Dawson? She can’t stay on Truck while she’s pregnant, can she? Can she go back to Ambo? And surely there is a conversation in Casey and Dawson’s future regarding both of them being on Truck; if the worst were to happen, they wouldn’t want to orphan their child. So will someone give up Truck? If I had to bet, I would say Boden will be on his way out (so get out the tissues again, because I won’t be able to handle that one) and Casey will replace him as Chief.

And finally…

Someone, anyone, tell me what the point was in having that weird couple from Portland part of the storyline. So these two move in with their baby next to a bar and then expect things to quiet down. Seriously?! You moved in next to A BAR. This bothers me probably more than it should.



What did you think of the episode? Will Patterson stick around for a while? How will the new candidate do? How will Gabby navigate her job now that she’s pregnant? 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 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.