Chicago Fire 12×06 Review: “Port in the Storm”

Chicago Fire 12×06 “Port in the Storm” is a final (for now), full-circle moment for Brettsey and Kara Killmer’s Sylvie Brett. Rarely has this show provided a better send-off for a character than it does for Sylvie Brett, the paramedic who came in almost a decade ago to fill the spot left after the death of Leslie Shay.

Because just that reminder gives us a taste of how some other characters have left this show. And it’s not only Shay, it’s Otis too, it’s Evan Hawkins. Hell, we started with Andy Darden. So to see Sylvie leave not just happy, but for fans to get to experience that final moment of happiness on screen is something that should be cherished. Sure, Sylvie is gone and it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to characters, especially characters fans have grown attached to. But if you truly love the character and they’re going to go, well this is the way.

This is the way.

So let us talk about Brettsey, on this, their wedding day, about Sylvie Brett and the impact she’s made on Firehouse 51, and about the couple that will still be around — Stellaride, and what we can expect from them going forward, as we discuss Chicago Fire 12×06 “Port in the Storm”:

AS LONG AS IT’S YOU AND ME

Episodes need a dramatic arc, and Chicago Fire 12×06 “Port in the Storm” revolves not just around the Brettsey wedding, but around where Sylvie and Matt are getting married. Because yes, no one should trust Tony with wedding prep, and the fact that Sylvie did means they’re getting married in a fish store. The show plays this off for laughs (somewhat unnecessarily), but the point of the entire storyline is really that it doesn’t matter where Sylvie and Matt get married. It only matters that they’re getting married.

And that’s a sentiment I can fully get behind. Marriage isn’t about the pretty dress or even the momentary celebration, though those are indeed nice because they are about celebrating with the people you love. But when that’s over and done with, you still go on to the life you chose with the person you chose. And that’s about more than where you decided to celebrate and what you were wearing. If anything, the people you choose to surround yourself with matter more because they are the people you want by your side throughout the ups and downs. The place is just that, a place that you might remember if you look back at the pictures.

Brett and Casey have chosen each other. And marriage is that, choosing not just a partner, but a stopping point. The port in the storm the title refers to and what Matt specifically calls Sylvie in his wedding wows — which he also is for her. And let’s be fair, Sylvie and Matt didn’t choose this now. Now is just the moment where they get to say it out loud to everyone who knows them.

In a way, marriage is just the equivalent of taking out an ad and proclaiming your love. “I’ve chosen this person forever,” saying. “And they’re my choice every day from now on.” It’s a commitment you’re making, not just with yourself, but with the world at large. To love, to cherish, to honor, and all of those things the wows say, but mostly …to be there for each other.

The rest you take one day at a time and trust that you can deal with, together.

ONE IN A MILLION

Chicago Fire 12×06 “Port in the Storm” tries to give Sylvie a final episode that’s about her achievements — and it puts her in a situation where she has to save herself, which she very much does. Season 12 of Chicago Fire has, in general, given Sylvie good storylines outside of romance. But the thing that doesn’t compute is why the show abandoned the one storyline for Sylvie outside of her relationship with Matt that made the most sense: paramedicine.

It was right there! It’s presumably been going on in the background. So why hasn’t Sylvie been involved with it? Why was it a big thing that took so much of her focus and involved Mouch and Hawkins, not to mention everyone else for a little bit ended up as a background thing no one remembers? It was a great idea! It seemed to be making a difference. So what gives?

At this point, there’s nothing that can be done. Sylvie’s final episode works, even if the show could have done more to give her some focus in the lead-up to her exit with the storyline they built around her. Hopefully, Sylvie can bring her paramedicine ideas to Portland. Who knows, what works in Chicago …

I WANTED TO LOOK YOU IN THE EYES

The final “dramatic” arc of the episode involved, of course, Stellaride, and the question of whether Kelly would return. Why he and Matt both cut so close for the wedding I will never understand. But return Kelly does, and we don’t just get a Brettsey wedding this episode, we get a memorable Stellaride reunion that we will be playing back over and over.

It was only ever a question on Stella’s mind, and for the viewers. As Severide makes it clear during his conversation with Stella, there was no doubt in his mind — not this time. The thought that he might lose Stella made everything clear. Because Stella Kidd is Kelly Severide’s one true North. His port in the storm. She’s the one he comes back for. She’s home.

And that means that, whether his home is truly Firehouse 51 going forward, or it ends up being OFI, Stellaride is solid. They can move on to the next stage of their life if that’s what they want. This show doesn’t really have a great track record when it comes to families, but Stellaride is at the center of what Chicago Fire is and what they can and need to be going forward. Without them working, the show doesn’t work. It’s as simple as that.

So, whatever comes next, let’s hope Chicago Fire remembers that this is it. They’re setting up a lot of other things we might be invested in, like Violet and Carver (how adorable are they?), but that is still developing. We love a lot of the characters and the ensemble. But romance-wise, this is now the main attraction. The ship of the show. Let’s bubble-wrap them and make sure they’re hydrated and safe so nothing happens to them, okay? Okay.

Things I think I think:

• “I don’t like the way you keep saying fish store.”
• STOP OGLING THE MAN, Violet.
• “You can’t, I have free will.” Kylieeeee.
• Soooo Gibson and Kylie?
• Matt fixing it all with kisses, lol.
• “I don’t care where we get married, Sylvie. As long as it’s you and me there, it’s all good.”
• Of course, he wouldn’t care. I’ve rarely met a man who cares.
• Violet as the PIC is well-deserved.
• SOMEONE HUG STELLA. I volunteer.
• “The bride gets what the bride wants.”
• Yes, where IS the Best Man?
• Carver, you’re easy.
• Gibson, you just got here. I just learned your name! Why are you planning your goodbye?
• I GOT MY STELLARIDE REUNION.
• And them cuddling later!
• “I’m just glad you came home.”
• “I wasn’t sure.”/”I was.”
• How the cigar chats have changed. How Kelly and Matt have grown.
• “Sylvie and I will always come back to 51.”
• Violet’s desperation is KILLING ME.
• “Please, she is my partner.”
• Then Matt gets to save the day, which is fine. Him and Boden and all, that’s okay. I’ll accept it. However, let’s remember that Sylvie got away first. She wasn’t going to miss her wedding.
• And the guys thinking on their feet re: the wedding expo. PROUD.
• Stella with Julia! I cannot.
• Okay, Darden boys sighting! Thank God.
• “51 will always be home.”
• The wedding reception scene looks so damn fun.
• “So, you really care about me?” That’s what you got out of that? Smart man.
• These two are going to make me suffer, right?
• It’s okay, I’m in.
• WHAT IS OUR SHIP NAME, PEOPLE?
• THE WAY TRUDY GAVE THE BABY TO STELLA AS SHE AND SEVERIDE WERE DANCING.
• COME ON CHICAGO FIRE.
• COME
• ON.
• The women saying goodbye.
• The men saying goodbye.
• Nah, I’m not emotional.
• I AM.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago Fire 12×06 “Port in the Storm”? Share with us in the comments below!

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