Members of the firehouse are frustrated with their inability to help Boden, whose job is on the line pending an internal investigation into the crack house fire. Severide struggles to accept his smaller role and adjusts to the presence of Patterson. Dawson shakes things up on the work front. Casey attempts to find a crucial piece of evidence in the ongoing Nesbitt investigation. Herrmann struggles to keep the peace with Molly's newest neighbors.
Chicago Fire seems to be exploring the legal ramification of the characters' actions this season. Sometimes their jobs can be made more complicated because of circumstances. Other people's desires can get in the way of them doing their jobs. That's an interesting aspect of the job to highlight at the start of this season. However, the show does struggle a little bit by making its main characters right all the time. Even when they do something that can make their case so much worse, they are still suppose to be seen as the good guys the audience should root for because the people in opposition to them are so much worse. It's not a nuanced take on the story. When that has an influence on many of the individual story beats of the episode, it becomes more apparent than it usually is.The show is at its most bothersome when it comes to Molly's battling against the Portland neighbors who have filed a complaint against them for breaking the city's noise ordinance. It's not something anyone should treat seriously. Whenever Molly's is actually depicted on the show, it's a nice place where these city officials are able to enjoy themselves after a long day on the job. It's silly to believe there's anything to complain about because that has never been a part of the atmosphere there. Only when it's been brought up does something start to happen. And yet, it's hard to take the concerns of the Portland hipsters seriously because they are one-note characters who are supposed to be judged and nothing more. They exist in order to be scoffed at when the mom mentions that her child is allergic to sugar. Sure, Herrmann's response to the whole situation isn't as rousing as the episode's closing sequence thinks it is. It could get him into a lot more trouble by more than just this one family in the neighborhood. But it's still easy to side with him in this argument because of how insufferable the hipsters are. It's hard to believe Molly's will be hit with any real consequences as a result of it either. So it doesn't feel like there is much of a point to the story at all.
Similarly, it's weird that Severide is back on the job again with no mentioning of his idea of quitting the force at the end of last week's season premiere. He's simply doing the job and trying not to step on Patterson's command - but doing so nevertheless. Severide is used to being the one calling the shots. The retention rate at squad is a serious issue he should be more concerned about. And yet, this story plays solely as him getting into conflict with the man who replaced him on the job. He's not taking the time to do any soul searching of his actions. He's simply doing what he always does: find a beautiful woman and sleep with her. Moreover, he goes back to the neighborhood of the crack house fire in order to find someone to come forward to back up the firehouse's story. That seems like the reasonable thing to do and not something he should be punished for. And yet, that's exactly what happens. So the show is just really pointing out the fact that Severide is right and Patterson is wrong. So again, what is the meaning of the story?
Things are a lot more promising when it comes to Gaby transitioning over to arson in order to accommodate her pregnancy. It's not a secret for very long. First, she and Casey don't want to tell anyone. Then, they have to tell Boden in order to clear the transfer. Then, the whole house finds out. And finally, word just spreads so it seems like every city official knows the two of them are expecting. It never effects their ability to do their jobs. But it is something that is made quickly known to everyone around them. It's a smooth transition for Gaby too. Her co-workers are very nice - even though they are telling her to be patient because the realities of the job are very bleak. Plus, she will be helping with the investigation of the crack house fire. So it's a good thing that the good guys are covering this investigation from many different angles. They will need it too because it's not going away as quickly as they thought it would.
Politics are getting in the way of people doing their jobs. That seems to be the biggest enemy to the characters at the moment. The official who outranks Boden doesn't seem to care all that much about his side of the story because he's so focused on becoming fire commissioner. That's what this whole investigation is about. Internal affairs becomes involved which quickly makes everyone tense. This situation shouldn't be this complicated. Firehouse 51 is in the right and this lawsuit is completely ridiculous. The show is trying to show that the system is more complicated than that. The legality of the situation needs to be complex in order to properly handle the consequences. It's just a little too frustrating in execution. It's the new big threat to the entire house this season. It effects everyone which makes it a bit broader than some of the other (much stronger) character moments.
And lastly, things finally came to a close with Casey's investigation of Jack Nesbitt's sex trade. It's a story that keeps Casey on edge throughout this hour because he's worried about Katya's death not having any meaning. Her book that can take down the whole organization is missing which means it's a battle to find it first. But again, it's just a story where Casey is in the right and he's passionately trying to pursue that no matter what the cost. It does drive him a little crazy. But he's also right to be crazy. He knows that Nesbitt is a bad guy. But he also takes out some of that frustration on Voight, who got him into this mess in the first place. However, things are resolved nicely by the end of the hour. Casey finds the book and makes sure that Nesbitt isn't able to hide behind the FBI in order to avoid punishment. Sure, it leads to a very convoluted car chase sequence that felt more at home on Chicago P.D. than it did this show. But mostly, it's just such a relief that this story is over and now Casey can focus on pending fatherhood as well as the future of the firehouse.
Some more thoughts:
- "A Taste of Panama City" was written by Tiller Russell and directed by Sanford Bookstaver.
- That first call where everyone was called to the scene of a traffic accident was weird. It was tense when Casey was clinging onto the side of the van. But it was just awkward when the two bystanders were trying to get to whatever was being stored in the van. Again, the public seem to be interfering with the firefighters a bunch this season.
- It's very impressive that both Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. have found a way to incorporate at least one character from the upcoming spinoff Chicago Med in every episode to have aired so far. In this one, it's the return of April who pops up just to say hi to Severide again.
- Brett clearly has babies on her brain. She keeps wanting to visit the baby she and Chili delivered in last week's premiere. The fact that no family members have claimed her yet hints that Brett may be looking to become a parent as well.
- It's a very good thing that someone else pointed out just how ridiculous and immature Jimmy's brother was to him on his first day of the job. Jimmy believes it's a normal brother relationship. But it's not.
- I laughed when the girl on the beach didn't stay clear of the body in distress and got shocked as well. Plus, Brett's response to it was great too.
