Chicago Fire - The People We Meet - Review

Well, if you watch both This Is Us and Chicago Fire, chances are your tear ducts worked some serious overtime last night. Not that this is surprising at this point, but yikes. So much crying.

“Maybe my story here is over. Whatever higher power is pushing the buttons has a plan, and I’m at peace with that.”

Apologies, in past reviews, I called Anna “Hannah”. Whoops. Anyhow, Clark stops by the firehouse to give Severide some good news: Anna had a surprising recovery and can have the bone marrow transplant! Severide is called to a fire right after, so naturally, something is going to go wrong. Sure enough, Truck isn’t able to vent the roof fast enough, and Severide launches himself out a second story window.

Severide is surprisingly not seriously injured, but has enough damage to his pelvis that he won’t be able to donate his bone marrow to Anna. It’s not shocking--even though we still don’t know much about her, Anna is at peace with what’s happening. It’s also not shocking that Severide refuses to accept what’s happening. It’s not the procedure itself that is stopping the donation, it’s the inability to give Severide the epidural (to stop the pain). Despite Sharon Goodwin’s warnings (and many other doctors, I’m sure), Severide takes the Mt. Weather approach to bone marrow extraction—no epidural, no anesthesia, completely awake.

Let’s just for a second discuss how wonderful Anna is. We didn’t get to see her post-surgery, but based on the promo for next week, she seems to pull through just fine (and is apparently Severide’s soulmate?!). “I’m going to take really good care of your bone marrow,” she tells Severide pre-surgery. She’s amazing and needs to be around for a good long while. Or, in the immortal words of Mulan’s grandmother, “Would you like to stay forever?!”

Oy with the love triangle already! Seriously, I am not pleased that the writers have reignited Stella’s feelings for Severide. It just seems weird. The two decided to cool things off and while I was once excited about a romantic relationship between the two, they quickly proved to be much better friends. So why start it all up again? It’s clear Severide is developing a serious connection with Anna and honestly, I think Anna could be a game changer for him. She clearly challenges him to look at life differently. Might we see Severide in an actual relationship? While Stella’s banter with Severide is fun, remaining friends is the best option for these two.

“I love him so much…but this isn’t about us.”

Andre, Louie’s birth father, is back this week to explain his absence from the scheduled meet with Louie. He’s redeploying back to Afghanistan and therefore, decides to waive his parental rights. Gabby wonders aloud the possibility of Andre not returning from Afghanistan and decides to have him meet Louie before he leaves. We all knew what would happen next, right? Of course meeting Louie changed everything for Andre. Before Gabby and Casey really have a chance to catch their breath, Andre changes his mind—he’s requested a local position and will resume the petition for full custody of Louie.

The thought of Casey and Gabby losing Louie is heartbreaking, but so is the idea of a good man not being able to raise his own son. Ultimately, what Casey and Gabby want and what Andre wants doesn’t matter. What matters is what’s best for Louie. After Casey and Gabby see the large, loving family Louie would be part of, the answer, however painful, is clear—Louie belongs with Andre. Cue the tears. Seriously. I cried pretty much all the way through the last ten minutes. Casey and Gabby have had a rough year—the miscarriage, their breakup, her parents’ divorce, and now losing Louie. I’m not worried about them though; these two are stronger than they’ve ever been.

“When we see others running out of that fire, we run in.”

Otis has the bright idea to use his cinematic skills to film a recruitment video for the CFD. Things don’t go as planned, as Otis misses everything on every call. But don’t worry, he gets their feet every single time! In the end, it’s a speech Boden gives that proves to be the most moving. And isn’t it always? The man is an inspiration.

“Our family are not all here, and several of them are hurting. They might be suffering but they are not weak; they are among the strongest men and women that I know. That is what it is to be one of us, to be a firefighter…sacrificing their own happiness for that of another, that is the true meaning of what we do.”

Other nuggets…

I enjoyed Sylvie’s attempt to learn chess for Diego and Cruz lending a hand. Remember when these two were an item? Glad that’s over. Or is it…? I sensed lingering feelings on Cruz’s end…

In what world would a med student get to perform a bone marrow extraction, especially on an awake patient?!

Is Louie adorable? Duh. But does the kid have any other facial expressions other than the one we saw for a solid year? Debatable.

What did you think of the episode? What’s next for Anna and Severide? Casey and Dawson? Will we ever see Louie again? Share your thoughts below!