‘Chicago Fire’ 11×15 Review: “Damage Control”

Chicago Fire 11×15 “Damage Control” is about just that, damage control for a show that feels very different from what it once was. Ironically, despite Severide’s absence — which is very much felt — this is a pretty good episode of the show, one that does a great job of balancing the sillier stuff with the more emotional aspects, and that makes the right storytelling decisions in some storylines we weren’t sure we could trust the show on.

Starting with Kelly Severide’s absence. We won’t speculate on personal matters, but the only thing we want out of this storyline is for it to be treated as …just what this episode told us it was, a leave of absence. Sure, Stella misses him, and we miss him, but he’s not gone for good, he’s just taking some time away and will return, sooner rather than later.  Hopefully, he can do that while, you know, communicating with his wife or any added drama for the sake of drama.

Then there’s the Vallo storyline, and again …I’m not naïve. I’ve seen the writing on the wall. I know this is where the show wants to go, and though I have my issues with the way it got here, one thing was so clear that even Gallo could see it – this is not the way or the time. Whether the ship ends up working in the future, whether we can one day root for them, that’s likely a problem for another season. For now, Violet deserves this part of the journey to be about her, her grief, and her healing.

Because grief is a process, and it has its ebbs and flows. Sometimes you feel fine, and some days you’re ready for everything, but there’s no constant to it. And that Gallo could not just understand that Violet’s feelings might not be about him, but be the person she needed at that moment, which was the friend who could stop her before she made a mistake …well, that actually gives me more hope for a possible future together than anything else ever has.

Not now, but we will see. It’s not like the show will let us ignore it.

Finally, there’s Herrmann and he’s falling apart. Of course he is. How could it be any other way? He’s going through a hard thing, and Cindy has always been the rock of the family, but now he’s gotta be the rock. And Herrman can be that, he is that. But you can never be the rock one hundred percent of the time, and most importantly for Herrman, he doesn’t have to. He’s got a Firehouse full of people he can turn to when he needs help, so he can then be there for his kids. That’s what family is. Sometimes you take turns being strong at different moments.

Is this all enough to keep the show going without Severide? For now, it seems like it is, but it’s only been one episode. Chicago Fire 11×15 “Damage Control” was a good start to this momentary break, but it’s hard to imagine the show is sustainable without its main actor and main ship for too long. We’ve already lost way too much.

Things I think I think:

• Stella leaving the apartment alone got me, okay?
• He just …went to …train …arson investigation training?
• The show goes from 0 to 57 to 145 with Sylvie …a long-distance comment AND Dylan in the same convo. Will they, at some point, figure out what to do with her?
• I want Gallo to be okay as much as the next person, but this was emotional manipulation at its finest.
• No, but if this show kills Cindy, I swear…
• Ritter notices a lot more than most people.
• I do like Seager’s new look.
• But hey, Seager and Stella should have always been friends.
• Can we ship Seager and Carver? Because hey, why not?
• Herrmann is killing me. This storyline is killing me. Cindy is killing me.
• Oh, apparently we CAN ship them.
• I never doubted Kylie, not for one second.
• Look, I agree with Mouch, they DO run into burning buildings. They at least deserve the good toilet paper.
• Violet kicks ass, yes, but we did not need Gallo’s puppy dog eyes. The definition of too soon for this.
• Ritter and Herrman MY HEART.
• The good toilet paper!
• Good on you, Gallo. Good on you. This is you being a good friend.
• Am I supposed to be feeling Sylvie and Dylan?
• I maybe cried more at the last scene with Herrmann than when he was actually breaking down.