There’s a lot we love about One Chicago shows beyond ships but, let’s face it, we can’t live without ships! And couples are important to the emotional development of the characters in Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med, so we’re going to analyze the progress of our beloved ships each week in a roundtable.
All our feels about these ships will be summarized here and we’re only going to dedicate ourselves to them for, you know, reasons … but you can check our full reviews if you want much more. And now, let’s take a look at the love lives of our favorite firefighters, cops and doctors!
CHICAGO FIRE
On Chicago Fire we finally get Brett visiting Casey! So… the ship is alive! But then there’s Stellaride to worry about, and everything is in a kind of strange calm now…do you think there are many problems to come? Did you like how they handled this story? Does it make sense with Stella’s character? What would you have changed?
Lizzie: I was never really concerned that Brettsey was dead. On TV, quiet is usually better than drama for the sake of drama, which is apparently what we’re not getting with Stellaride, oh yay?
I went over this in my review, the way this has been handled makes no sense. I appreciate that maybe there’s an attempt to give more depth to Stella by having her explore what are normal, human fears, particularly considering her history. But viewers can’t — shouldn’t — be filling in so much of the blanks. Stella started the season concerned about 51 without Boden and clearly would have given anything to get preserve her found family, to get that position at 51. And then …a few episodes later, she just …doesn’t want to be a Lt? Doesn’t want the position at 51? I mean, even if the issues with Severide and a possible fear of commitment could have a basis, her professional decision not only make no sense, they contradict who Stella is.
There was no reason to add drama to the decision of Casey’s replacement, even if it coincided with Miranda taking a break. Particularly as the professional drama doesn’t serve Stella’s story, or anyone else’s, really. And even if the show wanted to use relationship drama to delve deeper into who Stella Kidd is and her relationship with Kelly Severide, there were better ways.
At worst, she could have come back before Boden made the offer to Pelham. It would have still provided some drama with Severide, but the profesional part wouldn’t have been so nonsensical. At best, Stella have been kept away from the Firehouse for some other reason than a lack of desire for a job we know she should desperately want. I get that it being her “decision” brings up the relationship issues they clearly wanted to explore, but it’s possible to explore couples having doubts and fears without contrived drama, I promise, it is.
Now, as I said in my review, they need to make sure to give Stella a voice as this storyline progresses. If it’s a storyline about her, let her thoughts be the ones centered. And let’s not bring in Wendy Seager just as a way to add more drama, please.
Raquel: Brettsey is alive and I’m happy about it! But focusing on Stellaride, yeah, I think there are a lot of problems to come and I didn’t like how the show handled this story with Stella. The way they explained things about her, without giving her a real voice in the whole thing is…weird.
I also don’t think everything fits with Stella. Of course, she may have doubts about her and not handle them well because she is human but the Stella we know…I’m not sure she would have acted exactly like that, with or without a doubt.
The first thing that I would have changed would be to have given Stella more voice. I mean, see things more from her perspective, we get into her head in a way that Chicago Fire hasn’t done yet. I would have explored the why of those doubts, her fears, her past … I would have explored Stella in every way. Not just firefighter Stella or fiancé Stella but all sides of her character. The show still has time to do it and I hope they do. It’s what the fandom deserves but, above all, it’s what Stella Kidd deserves.
Lyra: On the Brett and Casey side of things, it’s nice to see that this couple isn’t going anywhere. Yes, things might be a little strained because long distance is a bitch. But they’re taking the time to make it work because they care for each other. And it wasn’t the kind of visit where it’s the only thing that will salvage the relationship. It was one where things were regular and a partner was going to visit their loved one. That shows strength in their relationship.
Then there’s the Kidd and Severide of it all. Like…you wanna focus on what’s happening with the ship. But the thoughts stray to how OOC she’s being. Have we met this version of her before? And if she has changed, if she has grown, how come we’re not seeing it and the steps that took her to where she is now. Until that is fixed, none of us can really take an accurate look at the ships relationship and where it goes from here on out.
CHICAGO PD
Chicago PD is finally focusing on Burzek…or something like that. Were you expecting more about Burzek in this episode? Do you think the whole issue with Makayla will lead them to *really* focus on Burzek? How much did you drool with Daddy Adam?
Lizzie: I adore Makayla and the Burzek family dynamics have been one of my favorite things this season, so I hope the show really gives that storyline the love and attention it deserves. Storylines about found families are my kryptonite, and this one makes me weak every time they focus on it. This was especially true in this hour with Adam and Mak, because they are proof that love makes families, not blood. Adam is Makayla’s dad, period. And his heartbreak, his fear, his love shined through this episode.
But boy, is the Burzek thing frustrating. Particularly as the undefined thing it is. Have they really just …not talked about it? Last time they did we were led to understand that Kim wanted more than Adam was willing to give. Except now Adam wants everything, and so instead of just talking about it now that they’re on the same page …they do nothing? It makes no earthly sense. Why get a three bedroom apartment when you can just talk about the fact that you guys clearly want to get back together?
Oh, yes, because the show wants to save the Burzek resolution for later. That’s it. There’s no plot reason to not have this conversation. It goes against common sense, even. It’s all about …saving the moment for when ratings require it. And that’s never the best way to tell stories, if you ask me.
Raquel: Chicago PD was never known for its balance but I certainly expected more Burzek here (and for someone to realize that Upstead is married since we’re talking about it.) There are so many unspoken feelings, so many muted conversations between them that we could write a book – and it would be very long.
Don’t get me wrong, I love every Burzek moments the show wants to give me but it’s time they had at least one of as many conversations that are due. At the moment, they have made it clear that they are Makayla’s parents, no matter what, but that is only one of the minor conversations that are due. That is, that was clear from before, maybe they had not had to do anything concrete about it but it was something that they both already knew.
Now, where does that leave them with their relationship? That is the truly important conversation that fans are dying to see. Do I think the whole Makayla thing is going to bring them even closer and make them face their pending conversations? Of course. That’s why I think the show introduced this story in the first place but… do I like that they did? Not at all. I would have preferred that the pending conversations between them happened before but that rarely happens on TV and much less in Chicago PD.
This show often causes characters and ships to go through a lot of trouble to reach an important emotional fulfillment… right in the season finale. So I expect the same with Burzek. And yes, I still think that this is their season and they are going to be together again.
I neither confirm nor deny that I filled two buckets of slime with Daddy Adam. I mean, Daddy Adam is too hot!
Lyra: Like Lizzie said, found family is my kryptonite too. Bring two very different people together and throw a kid at them (not literally) and it builds an interesting journey where they must learn to work together for the sake of someone else. But when are they going to talk about it all? And when we mean all, we mean alllll. Because they’ve been circling each other for ages, on the cusp of something, and they haven’t taken the leap. I respect that they both want to care for the kid. There’s absolutely no doubt about that. But is the show really going to just have them co-parenting? Which, revolutionary and people actually do that. But when they have a history like these two do…it’s a bit more difficult and we all know it.
CHICAGO MED
At Chicago Med, the consequences feel real for what it feels like the first time. Stevie is angry, why do you think that’s so? Is it fair that she is? After this episode, do you think this is the beginning of something with these two?
Lizzie: I think the setup has been clear since the beginning. I think the setup in this episode, however, turns to romantic for the first time, as Stevie inquires about Jessa. Now that’s a hard one to spin any way other than romantic, Stevie. Subtle it was not.
As for the rest, Stevie has no reason to be mad. She and Will aren’t even that close. Sure, they’re getting there. And it was obvious Will would have wanted to confide in someone, and maybe she would have been the first choice. But she’s got no reason to be mad he didn’t. He did what he thought was best and he didn’t owe her anything. But her feelings aren’t meant to be rational. She’s reacting out of fear and out of a desire to be part of something she didn’t even realize she wanted to be part of. And I’m not talking the undercover operation here, I’m talking Will’s life.
That’s a big step, particularly considering she was always the tougher nut to crack between these two. And it’s got me excited for what’s to come.
Raquel: Med is surprising me for the better. It is something that I would not have bet on just a few months ago but yes, it is true. I love the way they are handling this ship. It’s like they haven’t done anything specific with them but they have. They are leaving subtle clues here and there, points that weave together the history of this ship and that will later come together when we see them together.
Stevie’s anger is one of these points. To be fair, her anger is somewhat exaggerated. That is to say, it is understandable that she feels in some way betrayed the trust that it was beginning to have between them but, looking at it coldly, Will could not allow himself to say anything about what was happening. So why is Stevie so upset? Because trust, the friendship that was beginning to emerge between them is important to her. It’s more.
At this moment Stevie doesn’t know what is more for her but it’s what she feels. And Will doesn’t trust her with something so big that disappointed her and made her doubt whether what she feels is reciprocated or not. At the moment Med is moving slowly but surely on this and they have planted a seed here that will bloom later.
Lyra: Stevie’s anger is a hard pill to swallow. Like…we want to understand it. You can see that Lizzie and Raquel are really going for it when it comes to understanding these two. But in real life, would this actually fly? The answer feels like a no. But this is TV we’re talking about; a drama nonetheless. So we have to set aside some feelings and dig a little deeper as to why this show is going in the direction it is. Basically, I want to agree with what Lizzie said above.
Maybe Stevie didn’t know what she wanted. Maybe it hit her a little too late. Hell, maybe this is the lightbulb moment she needed to jumpstart her next journey. Whatever it is, it’ll be an interesting facet that we’re looking forward to, especially when you take a look at these two characters and how different they are. Those are always the most interesting of stories.
One Chicago airs Wednesdays on NBC.