Respectfully, can Chicago Fire please release us from the hell that is Carver and Tori’s toxic relationship?
It’s gone on long enough.
We’re heading into the sixth episode of the season, and that’ll be six episodes too many of Carver and his unstable, jealous, troublemaking girlfriend.
If we could fast-forward to the part when the two of them break up and dive into the song-and-dance, will-they-won’t they Carver and Violet arc that this is clearly supposed to be instrumental to, that would be great.
They don’t even have to show us the breakup onscreen.
Here’s the thing: I can’t even chalk it up to being a diehard Carver and Violet shipper who desperately needs the two of them to get their shiitake mushrooms together and move along with things.
Truthfully, while I enjoy the idea of the two of them together, I don’t need it to happen.
I could just as easily direct my attention to Violet and Lizzie at this point.
If anything, this showcases that neither Carver nor Violet may be ready for a relationship right now anyway, but that’s another conversation.
But for the sake of the plot, it’s evident that this is where their stories should be going.
And if I don’t stand by anything else as a viewer, it’s what makes logical sense or serves the storyline and the characters.
This is one of many reasons why Chicago Fire needs to put the kibosh on Carver and Tori expeditiously.
Who is this serving?
Is there a single viewer out there rooting for this couple, remotely invested in Tori, or appreciative of this obstacle in the way of the inevitable Carver/Violet relationship?
I’d be hard-pressed to find a single person.
In fact, if you are out there and find this story remotely enjoyable or interesting, please, I implore you to hit the comments.
I’d like to understand your perspective.
Even for people who may not ship or care about Carver and Violet as a romantic pairing, whatever the hell this is with Carver and Tori is insufferable and grating.
It’s a time suck for one of Chicago Fire’s most intriguing characters they’ve introduced in recent years because they’re choosing to waste our time in exploring his character via these means.
Carver is such a fascinating character because of how the series introduced him.
He had a chip on his shoulder, a complex background, and a story as a trauma survivor, and it took him a while to fall into step and find a genuine family at 51.
Carver’s relationship with Tori is a culmination of his internal struggles because of his past.
Maybe he doesn’t feel he deserves good and healthy things.
Maybe after what he deemed rejection, he’s in self-destructive mode, or he’s mirroring the type of toxicity he grew up witnessing or falling into old habits we don’t know about.
I’m open to the idea that we must endure Toxic Tori for this arc to have a satisfying and emotional conclusion.
But even if that’s the case, why are they subjecting us to this unhealthy dynamic, which frankly is a poor execution of what has now become one of the most annoying tropes: the toxic, jealous, “crazy” girlfriend, to advance Carver’s storyline and delve deeper into his issues?
Is it bothering anyone else that Chicago Fire is leaning so heavily into that bit?
Tori feels like the “histrionic” antagonist in a 90s thriller, except she is less fun and entertaining.
If this arc results in Tori going off the deep end, potentially harming herself, Carver, or Violet because of her potential mental health issues or whatever else, I will be incredibly disappointed in Chicago Fire.
It’s better than this; Carver as a character is better than this, and so is the pathway toward building up the relationship between Carver and Violet.
If Chicago Fire is seizing an opportunity to explore Carver deeper, I resent them for taking the least intriguing, most unoriginal, and frankly problematic avenue to do so.
They didn’t have to resort to this.
Carver is a goldmine for potential plots, and there are endless possibilities for delving into his background or exploring more about his character.
Why are they subjecting us to this one?
If the series was trying to take a serious approach to actually examining toxic and abusive relationships (because that’s precisely what Tori and Carver are), then that’s fine.
But they’re essentially keying this up as if it’s a teen love triangle from the 2000s, where the primary objective is to drive Carver and Violet back to one another.
Those needed to be two separate storylines for this to work correctly.
Tying the toxicity of this Carver/Tori dumpsterfire of a relationship to the Carver/Violet pairing and thus reducing this to merely a one-sided ship war where the goal is to put Carver and Violet together finally feels cheap, irresponsible, and reductive.
The characters and the viewers deserve better than this.
Regardless of their intentions, I can confidently say that it’s not serving what they want it to, and it’s time for Chicago Fire to snuff this pairing out and let Carver rise from the ashes.
Over to you, Chicago Fire Fanatics.
How are you feeling about Caver and Tori’s toxic love affair?
Let’s hear it below!
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