Severide's side project of fixing the boat for a wealthy acquaintance turns complicated and personal. Meanwhile, his relationship with Kidd is at a crossroads. Brett helps Casey search for a new apartment. Firehouse 51 decides to enter Tuesday in a dog competition.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. Premieres and finales may feature longer reviews. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of NBC's Chicago Fire.
"You Choose" was written by Jamila Daniel and directed by Paul McCrane
Severide and Kidd reached their breaking point as a couple in the previous episode. Despite everything they have been through together over the last few seasons, they no longer worked together. That was a decision Kidd was more than confident making. And yet, the show is still playing things as if there is hope for a reunion. Sure, it's understandable that things are awkward around the firehouse because they still have to work together. Everyone else is on edge a little bit while trying to offer some lame therapy to both of them. That doesn't work. Of course, Severide and Kidd are both trying to distract themselves by focusing so intently on side projects. For Kidd, it's entering Tuesday into a dog competition. She believes she has a massive breakthrough in getting him to do tricks with the incentive of peanut butter if he does them well. And yet, it all ends in silly disaster when he doesn't perform well at the competition because a kid in the audience also has a candy with peanut butter in it. That's light-hearted fun while still masking some personal pain for Kidd. Herrmann is trying to get her to open up and accept that she's not doing well in the aftermath of the breakup. And yet, that's something that she needs to deal with on her own and only ask for help when she needs it. No one ever crosses the line of being too forceful with her though. They are all just looking out for her because they care. That's the same thinking that Casey has with Severide. He sees that he isn't doing well. He has lost so much lately. His father died. Kidd broke up with him. And now, the job restoring a boat is no longer working out. The guy who hired him is a total prick who isn't a good parent to his son at all. It's so bad that the kid actually burns down the garage in order to get back at him. He's fortunate that no one got hurt because of that incident. It just means there is a brief stretch of the episode in which it seems like Severide is being looked at with suspicion because he could have started this particular fire. That's not like him at all. He knows that it was probably the kid who did so. That once again proves he is a fantastic role model who can speak to kids in a way that respects and uplifts them. Of course, he doesn't have all of the answers either. He doesn't know how to be the emotional support for other people in his life. That's what fuels Casey's decision to keep living with Severide. Even though he tasked Brett with finding a new apartment, he ultimately says he doesn't need it right now. Sure, he comes to that realization after Brett commits fully to the search. She even finds a nice apartment that she and Kyle love so much. That relationship also may be developing too quickly with too much of it apparently happening offscreen. And yet, they are fairly charming together and represent something new that is delightful to watch. The same is also true of Foster's continued presence in the ensemble. She has been a fine addition to the show this year. She is also a paramedic who speaks her mind when she sees something wrong. It just means Brett is once again being yelled at by her boss. And yet, Foster's instincts allow a doctor to see that his new patient has been prescribed too many medications. It's because of that that everyone sees just how strong Foster is. That brings value to this world. But it's also unexpected when the doctor then promptly asks her out.
