Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0
4
As predicted, Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 5 brought us more action, mystery, and a healthy dose of warm and fuzzy feelings.
After a promo that showed Severide in (another) precarious situation, it was hard not to be a tiny bit worried about the guy.
Mercifully, we made it through the episode without any major casualties.
Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 5: Calls of the Week
Sticking to the typical formula, there were two major calls for members of 51 to tend to.
The transfer truck crash (which brought to life one of my biggest fears, thank you very much) delivered yet another near-death experience for Severide.
He escaped his certain demise with seconds to spare — as usual — and then he and Stella spent the rest of the hour investigating the cause of the crash.
For the big paramedic case of the week, Violet and Lizzie treated a man who was injured in a random attack.
Luckily for everyone, a handsome and competent bystander was there to lend a hand.
As they left the scene, Lizzie joked about the good Samaritan’s good looks, and that should have been enough of an indicator that he’d be back before the hour’s end.
As a viewer, I tend to be less invested in the week-to-week calls than the overarching plot and character development.
But even I can admit that the cases we saw in this episode were compelling.
Like I said, transfer trucks absolutely terrify me.
So, witnessing the aftermath of a nasty collision and hearing about the concept of “ghost drivers” pulling 24-hour driving shifts raised my blood pressure a bit.
If I stay off the highway for the next few weeks, we’ll have Dick Wolf and the Chicago Fire showrunner to blame.
Anyway, even with a couple of interesting cases, the real excitement from the hour came from the characters we know and love.
Character Development for Days
It will never cease to amaze me how much content Chicago Fire writers can fit into an episode, especially without making the story feel rushed.
We got to spend some time with several major characters this week as they each had their own things going on.
Stella and Severide started the hour with a steamy reminder that they are as connected as they’ve ever been, and then spent the rest of the episode working together like they were made for it.
Violet leaned into the idea that she is ready to move on from Carver, proving as much by asking the handsome bystander from her call out for drinks.
Lizzie and Ritter bonded a bit over their mutual desire to impress Chief Pascal, and Lizzie showed once again that she’s a true ride-or-die kind of friend.
Herrmann and Kylie worked together on a mission to get new radios for the house, even while being mercilessly mocked by Tony, Cruz, and Capp.
Pascal continued to give me whiplash after spending the entire episode being entirely reasonable, fair, and accommodating to his team.
Carver and Tori continued their toxic relationship despite both of their lies being exposed, and at this point, they deserve each other.
Mouch went out of his way to dress up for and host Violet’s birthday party at Molly’s, and the whole team reminded us that they really are one big family.
Plus, we got a small Chicago P.D. cameo when Stella and Severide enlisted Trudy for help with their investigation!
The entire episode was a masterclass in how to include stories from all of a show’s big players without overwhelming the audience.
Instead of feeling like it was too much, I enjoyed the sweet moments between characters as they came.
Lizzie was willing to take the fall for Ritter when he was terrified of upsetting Pascal.
Ritter told Kylie that Herrmann is the kind of leader you’d follow anywhere.
Stellaride showed us that they’re two halves of a whole.
These characters, most of whom have been growing and changing together for years, never stop telling the relatable stories we want to hear.
That’s what keeps us coming back every week, more than the action or the suspense ever could.
Even as they’re all flawed and complicated, we get to see them being divinely human.
Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 5 Left Me with a Bone to Pick
Okay, I know I just spent ages waxing poetic about how great this show is.
But.
While we’ve all collectively decided to hate Tori and the creepy, unhealthy relationship she and Carver has, this week’s scenes got me thinking about the “crazy girlfriend” trope.
I will give the writers credit where it’s due, because they’re showing Carver in a pretty unflattering light here, too.
Still, the jealous, possessive, and volatile traits Tori has displayed so far have my alarm bells ringing.
Time will tell how this relationship plays out, and it certainly doesn’t seem like an endgame kind of ship.
But I sincerely hope that the story plays out in a way that doesn’t play into harmful stereotypes about women.
There are ways to showcase toxic relationships without perpetuating ideas that women are crazy or unbalanced, and I hope the writers can dial that back with Tori a bit before things spin out of control.
Overall, it was a great hour, full of all the elements that give Chicago Fire its magic.
We didn’t get much insight on Pascal’s secrets, but it seems those answers are on the way, so we can be patient a little longer.
Until then, let me know in the comments how you felt about the episode!
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
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