Chief Boden becomes increasingly skeptical of Assistant Deputy Commissioner Gorsch's motives. Severide gets wrapped up in a difficult situation following the rescue of a child from a car wreck. Trying to fit in with the rest of the firehouse, Foster is tasked with doling out some personal advice to Cruz.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of NBC's Chicago Fire.
"Thirty Percent Sleight of Hand" was written by Michael A. O'Shea and directed by Eric Laneuville
There appears to be no ongoing issues from last week's three-show crossover event at all here. Kidd's life was in serious jeopardy. Part of her lung needed to be removed. And now, she is already back to work. In fact, that moment makes it easy to side with Gorsch who is skeptical of the doctor's already giving her the all-clear to return to work. It just doesn't make sense. But it continues the show's trend of always having its characters heal quickly from serious injuries. Meanwhile, there's no further exploration of Otis have PTSD. Instead, he is just teasing Cruz about a woman flirting with him while complaining about how technology is ruining magic. Neither of which are all that amusing or even necessary. They give the episode its title. But they aren't really the focus of anything that really occurs here in a significant way. However, it remains so inspiring to see Severide in action as he continues to go above and beyond to help the families he saves in this job. He is there on the scene of this car accident to rescue a father and son. He is helpful to the investigation when it seems like a murder-suicide attempt. But he's also sympathetic to the man driving who has a crazy story for what caused the accident. Sure, it's ridiculous that everyone just assumes that the figure he saw on the bridge and swerved away from hitting was a deer. There is no reason for a deer to be that far into the city. And then, Severide and Kidd find a deer not far away from the scene of the crime. It's confirmation that this was just an accident. And yet, it's a little too manipulative of the audience in order to ensure a happy ending where everyone feels satisfied with what has occurred. Elsewhere, it seems inevitable that Mouch will be able to get Ritter as a candidate at Firehouse 51. The crossover also introduced that newcomer to the fire department. It established a connection where Mouch was able to help him out. He was alienated at one house and his career is suffering because of it. Right now, the show is making it into a much bigger story than it probably has to be. It would be so easy just to have him transfer to 51. Instead, it's a story where Mouch has to fight to prove that this is something that Ritter deserves. He shouldn't be punished for being afraid of the things that occur on this job especially with the fire from the crossover. It just risks him being seen as a white savior though. And finally, is Boden making the right decision in promoting Herrmann to lieutenant just to annoy Gorsch? It didn't seem like a bad idea to just promote Gorsch's brother-in-law to this position in order to make him happy. Herrmann even pointed out that it could ease tension at the firehouse. Plus, Herrmann wasn't angling for this promotion at all. He was intrigued by becoming a lieutenant in the past. This is a story that has already been told. It didn't work out the first time because he wasn't a capable leader in the field nor did he want to change his position in life. He was happy where he was. Moreover, Herrmann has become more tiresome as a character over the years. And so, this could ultimately become nothing more than a story where a white guy flails around not knowing what he's doing but dealing with no major consequences because of it. If so, then that could be really annoying.
