‘Chicago Fire’ 10×03 Review “Counting Your Breaths”

Chicago Fire 10×03 “Counting Your Breaths” continues to hammer home the theme of family. Firehouse 51 is a family, ten seasons in that’s no longer under discussion. But families aren’t always just about the good moments. They aren’t always just about the support, and the love. Sometimes, families are also about calling you out when you need to, and about making sacrifices for each other. Even if that sucks.

Especially if that sucks.

Trust isn’t an easy thing to build, and it’s, sadly, a very easy thing to lose. But when Severide benches Cruz, it isn’t about Cruz having issues – it’s about Cruz lying. And it’s also about Severide doing his job as Cruz’s superior, and more importantly, as his friend. Severide risked his own life to save Cruz’s not that long ago, and the last thing Severide wants is for Cruz to be putting himself – and the rest of the team – at risk when he cannot handle it.

Making the tough decisions is also being family.

And this is the exact reason why Casey stands there, in front of the house where Andy Darden died, and tell Andy’s son Griffin the truth. Every second of it. The uncomfortable part, the sad part, all of it.

It’s not just about the fact that Griffin deserves to know about the father he barely knew, the hero who risked his life for others, it’s that Griffin deserves to hear it from Casey, who was there and who loved his father. The good stories, those are amazing. But somehow, the last moments, those are important too. And without understanding how his father died, I’m sure it’s been hard for Griffin to properly grieve.

Not that grief is linear, or that the knowledge will make the ache better. Nothing will. The truth is, Griffin lost his father and Casey lost his best friend and nothing, absolutely nothing, will change that. Nothing will make it better. And yes, time makes the wound into something different, more manageable, but the wound of losing a parent never truly heals. It just …scabs over a little bit, the kind of scab that falls at the first sign of prodding.

But Griffin isn’t alone. Maybe he hasn’t had the stability he deserves, but the thing about Griffin is that …he’s part of this family, the one these people have created. That’s just the thing about families, they don’t end – and once you’re a part of you, you stay that way. And though it’s likely Griffin was only letting off steam at the end, as he shared his problems with Casey, that doesn’t mean Casey’s gonna leave him alone. That doesn’t mean Firehouse 51 is.

Just as Cruz isn’t alone. No matter how angry Severide was, or how much a part of him was telling him he needed to let Cruz have some time, in the end, Severide does very much the opposite. We could say it was because both Matt and Stella told him to do it, but truly, it was because that was the right thing to do, and Severide knew it. He never wanted to leave Cruz alone in his time of need, and he obviously didn’t want Cruz to feel like he wasn’t supported. He just thought space was the right answer, and then – when faced with Matt’s hand-on experience, he realized that, perhaps, what he thought was the right answer just …wasn’t so.

In a way, Matt and Severide are …lucky. Joe Cruz also has a loving partner at home, but he doesn’t have someone who understands the ins and outs of what he does, not like Severide and Casey do in Stella and Sylvie. But that’s the thing about family, you don’t have to do everything or be everything for every other person – because you’re not alone.

Griffin isn’t. His brother isn’t. Joe isn’t.

And whatever comes next, Matt isn’t, either. Sylvie’s with him. So are Severide and Stella. Firehouse 51 is a family. In this episode they showed that they could be that in the bad moments, not just in the good moments. But family isn’t just one or the other, it’s a combination. It’s about balance. And if we’re being honest, few shows, few families, do that as well as Chicago Fire.

Things I think I think:

• A LOFT SCENE.
• Also …is Matt eating avocado toast? Really? I just don’t know why I didn’t see that coming.
• The people Boden is speaking to really, really don’t seen to be buying what he’s selling. I sense trouble and I kinda like it.
• I like this side of Gallo, the one looking for alternate solutions. That’s the sign of someone who cares.
• “Do me a favor, Gallo. Wait till my body’s cold.”
• THAT HURT ME.
• Boden’s like …casually, just …stopping by. Super casual.
• Sylvie and Stella scene! And the support from both Stella and Mouch to Sylvie’s idea.
• Well, okay, and the making fun of how bad Sylvie is at lying.
• These little moments are so important, as they inform the friendship we know these women have. And like, we’d tease our friends like that too.
• It was obvious what Griffin wanted.
• That was a very straight up “no” for Sylvie. And since this storyline is OBVIOUSLY not done, I wonder where it’s going.
• Casey retelling the story of Andy Darden made me EMOTIONAL.
• I love Herrmann.
• This loft scene is literal perfection. I’d watch a 40-minute episode just made of this.
• “I had Sylvie. She was with me every step of the way. Only reason I stayed sane.”
• HOLD ME WHILE I CRY.
• “It wasn’t the injury that almost got me. It was trying to get through it alone.”
• STILL CRYING.
• When they were on that call and they focused on the phone with the mom calling? Tears. Real tears.
• When Gallo said “Captain, I still have a lot to learn from you,” THAT got me emotional too.
• This episode, I swear.
• Brett and Mouch are gonna work together on this project, right?
• Just say you’re gonna adopt these boys, because we know you’re gonna adopt these boys, Matt.
• Mouch going to bat for Brett is A+.
• So is the last scene with Squad.
• Hahahaha Griffin really did think saying “you don’t have to worry about us,” was gonna work on Matt Casey?

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago Fire10×03 “Counting Your Breaths”? Share with us in the comments below!

Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.