Written by Jennifer Amato
The first five minutes of the Season 4 premiere of Chicago Fire made me forget I have been waiting a long five months for my favorite TV show to return.
The second five minutes made me say aloud, “What???” followed by the same outburst every few minutes throughout the show.
The plot thickens as Lt. Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) is entangled in the strip club debacle, causing him to have flashbacks much the same as the firehouse had after Shay died. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) was inexplicably stripped of his rank because of a high rate of turnover – something that needs to be delved into deeper. With the arrival of new candidate Jimmy Borelli (Steven R. McQueen of Vampire Diaries fame) in bubble wrap and replacement Captain Dallas Patterson (Brian White), there is bound to be a shakeup of the dynamic inside of Firehouse 51.
I have to admit, my least favorite scenes are those involving any of the female protagonists. They aren’t great actresses, and I feel their plot lines pale in comparison to those of the men. I think there may be more to the story of the baby being delivered in the ambulance to a mother who dies of a gunshot wound and the way it affects the girls, but for this episode alone, I think the scene was unnecessary.
Of course, the first fire under new leadership proves to be a difficult one. The neighbors block the street to a house on fire because they want a drug addict to die. One point of contention lies in Severide calling the group his squad, which Patterson obviously has an aversion to. Another point of contention lies in Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) screaming at the neighbors that they make him sick because they let a human die. This leads into the firehouse being accused of bulldozing a low income neighborhood – which will question the authority of Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker).
I’m also very interested to see how Severide’s love life plays out this season. Although I’m not crazy about him having to attend what seems to be a fancy anger management course, I am intrigued by the woman he meets at the workshop and the potential it has for him to have a substantial relationship in his life.
As for the last five minutes of the show … YES YES YES to Casey finding his way back to former girlfriend and fellow firefighter Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund) and YES YES YES to his happiness at finding out she is pregnant. Who knew it would take a dead stripper and a turncoat FBI agent to knock some sense into Casey.
I am already counting down the minutes until next week’s episode.
Rating: 9/10
