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!
In Chicago Fire Hawkami gave us a good dose of angst… but it was all worth it. What are your feelings after that scene outside of Violet’s apartment? Stellaride is still perfection! Are you looking forward to their wedding?
Raquel: OMG THAT SCENE!!! The whole time I had a lump of anguish in my throat and when I saw this scene it was like…THE BEST! “Maybe it’s because we shouldn’t be apart.” The scene is romantic, sweet, magical, and perfect. It’s the essence of Hawkami and also a Chicago Fire’s declaration of intent. Could they be clearer than this? I love this couple!
But my OTP on the show is Stellaride. I’m dying to see their wedding because they fit together so well…they’re like two puzzle pieces made to go together. And honestly, Kelly Severide sets the bar really high, men in real life can’t get to it, that’s a fact.
Lizzie: This was a very good episode for Hawkami, not just because Hawkins continues to prove he cannot stay away from Violet, but because Violet was also very categorical about what she wants. He’s choosing her, above everything, and she’s doing the same, choosing him. This has never been about running from Gallo, or anything else. This is a choice they’re both making, and they’re going to brave through the obstacles together. If you add that to the scorching chemistry, it’s hard not to root for them.
I’ve been a Violet fan since Day 1, and I’ve been a Hawkins fan since early on too, and I cannot believe how perfectly these two came together, but again, as I’ve said before, what we need right now is for the show to confirm Jimmy Nicholas is staying for good. The results — and the reaction, speak for themselves.
As for Stellaride, ah, I adore Stella. Like, adore her. But I really loved the Stellaride of this episode, too, Kelly’s quiet support, the way he looked ready to kill someone when Stella recounted her past abuse, but still let her take the lead. He was just there for her, when she needed him. Once, long ago, he promised to be the man she needed him to be, and he has definitely lived up to that. Which is why I desperately need to see their wedding happen this season.
It doesn’t need to be a big thing, let me be clear. I didn’t want that, and maybe Stella doesn’t either. But it does need to be a moment that’s about them, a celebration of their love, and a chance for the people closest to them to raise a glass to the two of them and how far they’ve come, not to mention how perfect they are for each other.
Lyra: Personally I feel like this was the perfect simmering of angst for Hawkami. The kind of angst that leave you feeling like the development that you’ve been aching for has finally arrived and everything is going to be right in the world. That I can handle above everything else. So yes, give it to me. Stellaride on the other hand…PROTECT THE BABY AND LET A PERFECT WEDDING HAPPEN! Do you hear me?!
On Chicago P.D. Burzek had some problems and tough decisions were made. What do you think is really coming for the two of them? What do you think is the best in this situation?
Raquel: I think Chicago PD is frustrating. All the decisions that Burzek is making now come from fear. Kim, after the trauma she suffered and still hasn’t overcome, can’t stop thinking about the future and who she sees with Makayla in it. That future is so important…she’s afraid to leave it in Adam’s hands.
Adam promised her a future together once and he backed out. And now there’s Makayla, she can’t risk Adam hurting her if he does the same thing again. So she includes Adam…but she doesn’t really include him. She leaves him there, on the edge, waiting, watching…but not really participating in Makayla’s life or planning for the future.
Kim is scared that Adam is leaving again and he’s not ready for this kind of commitment. Adam proved to Kim that he is no longer that man who was scared of commitment. So Kim’s fear is irrational but that’s fear for you, it’s not meant to be rational.
Adam, on the other hand, is totally set and just wants Kim to notice. He’s hurt that she doesn’t. But he allows her to do what she thinks is best for Makayla, even though it’s tearing him apart, and the fact that he puts Makayla first shows how deep he is in this commitment.
That brings us back to the beginning. This kind of fear would be fixed with just a heart-to-heart Burzek conversation. The problem is that the show is ridiculously delaying that. I mean, there’re a lot of unspoken feelings and it feels forced. I bet that they’re trying to delay this conversation and Burzek reconciliation until the season finale.
Lizzie: I actually disagree with Raquel, not on the fact that Burzek is making decisions out of fear, I think that’s obvious, but about the reasoning for both Kim and Adam. I don’t think Adam is letting Kim do anything, or that he even thinks of what he’s doing as a sacrifice. He was told this was the best for his kid, and that’s it. He loves his kid more than anything, and he’s going to try whatever is best for her.
Now, do I think that’s what best for her? No. I think whatever it is they’re seeing is probably less about Adam being around and more about the tension between Adam and Kim when he IS around. Well, and also the fact that she’s a little girl who’s gone through a lot of trauma, and almost lost her new mom and her new dad in quick succession. She needs time and for the people who love her to be there, that’s all.
Then there’s Kim, and though I think there’s inconsistent writing with Burzek in general and both Adam and Kim in particular, as I said in my review, the issue with Kim isn’t fear that Adam is going to change his mind, it’s not anything that would be so easy for her to articulate.
Her issue is repressed trauma and the fear that goes with it. When asked to put into words what she wants, she does. She wants to fix things. She just doesn’t know how to, because she doesn’t know how to stop feeling the way she does. Trauma does that to you, particularly when you just let it sit.
And she does want what’s best for Mak, just as Adam does. Perhaps a part of her does believe some time apart would be, as unfair as that is. But she’s also just …trying not to drown, and it’s hard to blame her for that. The problem is, of course, it’s hard to blame Adam for anything in this episode, either.
I also disagree with Raquel on the timeframe for this resolution. There’s likely one more episode where the Adam/Kim/Burzek resolution can come, 20, since the last few episodes are going to be Voight centered. And I just don’t think they go from this hour to okay, just like that. So I think we’re going to go into Season 10 with this hanging over our heads, and honestly …that’s just not what anyone wanted.
Shana: I’m still…Just make something happen, or don’t. Stop dragging it out. Adam clearly wants to be here, is clearly showing up and showing he wants them to be a family, and getting pushed away for his trouble. Which, considering how he’s behaved in the past, is understandable — to an extent. But if the decision is that it “works best” for them to spend some time apart, then either that time needs to show some real strengthening of the relationship, or it needs to be permanent. Why keep toying with people?
After the disappointing latest news about Chicago Med, how do you feel about the show? Do you think the series is trying to replace Stevie with Hannah? What do you think of Pamela’s decision? And of the new couple that was formed?
Raquel: To be honest, it’s hard for me to continue watching Chicago Med after this news. I invested too much in Stevie and Hamstead for it to be the same…that, coupled with some decisions the show made recently,…well, let’s just say the show went back to what it was for me: the most expendable One Chicago show.
That said, yes, I think the intention is to replace Stevie with Hannah, in all respects (she and Will stared at each other longer than necessary) and, right now, I don’t like it at all. We will see…
I don’t like Pamela’s decision either. Many things can be forgiven, what Marcel did to her is not one of them. And I don’t think it’s a good thing that the show establishes that Pamela’s safe place is Marcel, not at this time when it all happened so recently. And the new couple…can be interesting. I’ll sit here and see what happens.
Lizzie: Even though my love for some characters on this show remains steadfast: Maggie, Sharon …and yes, Will, I’m more than a little bummed. Hannah Asher herself isn’t the problem — though boy, her storyline has been messy since day one and they have a long way to go before they make me like her, and I still think it will be a cold day in hell before I can root for her and Will — it’s that I just really loved Stevie. So now I’m sad/mad and I’m not getting over it anytime soon.
As for the rest, Dr. Too Pretty For His Own Good is still somewhat getting on my nerves, but I also kinda …want good things for Pamela Blake. Mostly because, Sarah Rafferty. Any chance we got to keep Sarah on my screen, I’ll take. And though I was very against it at first, I do see how they could end up being good for each other. It all just needs time.
Shana: It really does feel like someone at Chicago Med was like, “oh, let’s let this one blonde lady with a certain dynamic with Halstead disappear without an explanation and just…replace her with another blonde lady with a history with him. Nobody will notice. Womenfolk, especially the blondes, are totally interchangeable. Nothing to see here.” And, obviously, that’s both stupid and offensive.
I’m still going to show up for the series at this point because of Sarah Rafferty, and because of some of the other characters I’ve become attached to, but just know that I’m side-eyeing that whole messy situation right now.
As far as Dr. Blake’s relationship with Dr. Marcel goes, I’m still squicked out by how it all began. But he remains too pretty to be legal, and for whatever reason, this relationship is clearly being used as a vehicle for teaching us about who Pamela is. There’s some sort of pull there that makes them both show each other their vulnerable parts, and I’m not generally one to argue with someone finding a safe place.
So, I have to be here for it and glad she decided to go on a date with Dr. Inappropriately-Attractive-For-Anyone-Not-Played-By-Clooney-On-ER.
Also, for the record: Nobody does it like Sarah Rafferty. In case I’ve not yet been obvious enough about that.
One Chicago airs Wednesdays on NBC.
I agree with a lot that has been said. However, I disagree with the idea that “Adam promised her a future and backed out.” It was Kim who broke off their engagement, not Adam. Kim was justified in doing so at the time. She felt that he wasn’t taking their wedding seriously and that he was taking her for granted. Adam was also very immature in the early seasons and she probably felt that he wasn’t ready to get married. Something is holding Kim back from committing to Adam and in my opinion, it hasn’t been addressed. Is it that she cares for Adam, but doesn’t love him? Is it that she hasn’t really dealt with the trauma she suffered from Roy and that is affecting her in ways that she doesn’t even realize? Taking what we have seen from this episode, it appears that they have not talked about how the events from Gone (S9, E15) have affected them individually and as a couple, but have only addressed the issues as they have affected Makayla and placed her in therapy. No one can fault putting Makayla’s needs first. That said, they should have been able to address their relationship while taking care of Makayla.
As for Med, I am sorry to see Dr. Hammer go, but her exit may be because of her real life pregnancy. The show runners have not closed the door on her coming back, so maybe we will see her again. I did not mind Dr. Asher coming back. Television does not always do a good job with addiction. Too many times someone has a problem and poof the problem is magically solved with no relapses or it’s never mentioned again. Cagney and Lacey, Rescue Me and Mom are notable exceptions to this. Seeing Dr. Asher deal with her addiction could be interesting. Having her talk to Dr. Charles could be a very good way to go. I would like to see Dr. Charles treat someone we know and whose problems we have seen. I think it would be a nice change from a patient we see once and never again. I could also see good cross-overs with him treating Kim or Hailey, but I digress. Putting Will together with Hannah I have some mixed feelings about, in part because of all the One Chicago shows, Med has had some God awful relationships. Nothing else in One Chicago even comes close to how bad Natalie and Philips’s relationship or Eva and Connor’s relationships were. Those relationships were so bad that the way Dr. Blake and Dr. Marcel’s relationship started doesn’t even phase me.