‘Chicago Fire’ 11×21 Review: “Change of Plans”

Chicago Fire 11×21 “Change of Plans” is a very meta title for an episode that focuses on Carver when it should have focused on Severide — and Stellaride. It works up to a point, because Carver is a much better character now than he was when he was first introduced, but it only works up to a point. It is what it can be. And that it does work, even a little bit, is a testament to Miranda Rae Mayo’s work as a Stella Kidd that is always believable as a leader, as a woman giving it her all for her people, and as a friend who is genuinely sticking up for the guy who had her back.

It’s also a testament to the work Jake Lockett put in to turn Carver from a character we really didn’t think could fit in with Firehouse 51, to a guy that fits in with this family. He isn’t Severide, of course, but no one is asking him to be. He cannot replace him on Squad, or as Stella’s husband or partner, but he can still take his own place at 51. He can be Gallo’s friend, and he can be Stella’s too.

But the show — as I said in my 11×20 review — isn’t really sustainable in the long term without Severide and Stellaride, especially if things go where it seems like they’re going with more series regulars leaving. So, sooner rather than later (though, with the strike looking like it’s not going to end soon, maybe not as soon as they normally would have to), Chicago Fire is going to have to figure out where they stand going into next season, and what that means for the regulars they do have and the stories they still want to tell.

so where in the world is Kelly Severide?

To this point the show was still playing it in a way that made it seem like all was fine. But then, of course, because Chicago Fire loves to make us suffer when it comes to season finales, came the bombshell at the end. Kelly is not just not in Alabama anymore — but Stella, his wife, the love of his life, the one person who should have known where he was and what he was doing …didn’t know that he’d finished the program and joined some super secret investigation. Yeah, sounds just like Severide. Just like Jay Halstead before. Perfectly in character.

Look, I get that One Chicago has, in a lot of cases, had their hands tied by circumstances. Jesse Lee Soffer wanted to leave. Taylor Kinney took a leave of absence. That’s out of their control. The way they write around those absences, isn’t. Just as Jesse leaving didn’t mean Jay had to become an asshole who suddenly ghosted his wife, Taylor’s leave of absence didn’t mean Kelly had to stop communicating with his wife. Do the One Chicago writers have only one playbook? Is it drama for the sake of drama the only thing they understand? Because this is a show about first responders, there is a lot of that to go around!

The Kelly Severide we know, the one we’ve followed for over a decade, the one we’ve seen grow, fall in love, deal with his demons and learn how to communicate, wouldn’t just forget to pick up a phone and tell his wife where he was going. That Kelly Severide wouldn’t even consider making a decision like that without consulting with his wife. Not again. We’ve seen this character fail to communicate before. Hell, we’ve seen Stella do it too. We’ve learned this lesson before. Why would we be here again?

Viewers deserve better than recycled storylines that didn’t even make all that much sense the first time. Circumstances are what they are, but the writing decisions are still something One Chicago can control. This is a bad one. Again. And at some point, asking us to continue to forgive and forget feels like asking for too much.

what I want is to adopt this baby

The Sylvie storyline develops pretty much like the show telegraphed, which hey, at least something goes like we expected it to go. It’s just, of course, that adopting a baby and the sudden reappearance of Matt Casey in the finale don’t really add up to continuing at 51 for Sylvie Brett. If anything, it adds up to Matt and Sylvie getting the happy ending couples don’t really get in One Chicago.

For the cliffhanger, and the pain, we can turn to Stellaride. *

Ironically, there’s so much truth, so much emotion to the moments Sylvie gets with the baby — and to the moments she gets with Violet as she discusses what she wants, that it’s hard not to be on her side. Motherhood is not every woman’s dream, and it has never particularly seemed like it was Sylvie’s dream, but the connection she felt to this baby was deeply personal from the beginning. Sylvie saw herself in this little girl, and just as she got to live a wonderful life because she was adopted by great parents, Sylvie feels like she not only can be that for this baby, but that she is meant to. Now, the question that we will get an answer to next week is if she-s meant to do it alone.

*No, I will not forgive the show even if they make it something about the task force and how Severide wanted to protect Stella or anything of the sort. No forgiveness to be found here.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago Fire 11×21 “Change of Plans”? Share with us in the comments below!

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