Chicago Fire 12×11 Advanced Review: “Inside Man”

Chicago Fire 12×11 “Inside Man” is both a great Kelly Severide episode and a great Stellaride episode, something this shortened Season 12 of Chicago Fire had sorely been lacking. Sure, Stellaride has been strong in the background of the season, but it’s increasingly felt like we needed to see more than just the casual touches and the sure domesticity as a backstory, particularly considering the uncertainties surrounding Kelly leaving at the end of last season, and then again during the early part of this one.

For fans of Severide, and particularly of Stellaride, this episode feels a little bit like a reward for all the time we’ve waited. And though the characters also feel, at this point, like they’re ready for other kinds of adventures, that doesn’t mean we will say no to a well-told one, with great moments such as this one.

Here are some teases about Chicago Fire 12×11 “Inside Man”:

• Kelly Severide gonna Kelly Severide. And I don’t even say that like it’s a bad thing, I truly don’t. This is a great episode of TV, even if it’s really not a regular hour of Chicago Fire. But every once in a while, it’s good to do something different.
• I only know Stella Kidd and I only care about Stella Kidd is my favorite Kelly Severide. 😂
• Taylor Kinney is action-movie good in this episode, but this is also an hour that underscores how exceptional he is at playing both those moments and the soft moments of Kelly Severide.
• It should come as a shock to no one to hear that Miranda Rae Mayo gives a masterclass in acting, as well. The range of emotions she can convey without Stella even moving an inch is amazing. Why is it that awards shows always ignore procedurals again?
• Look, I know these things are a matter of opinion, but Kelly Severide does a thing this episode that, as a married woman, might just be at the top of the list of “most romantic things your husband can actually do.” And I’m not talking about flowers and candlelight dinners romance, but everyday things that make you go “ah, that’s love.”
• The tension in this episode is very well done, at times it feels like you’re watching an action movie. Or hey, at least a McGyver episode.
• Violet and Stella! I repeat, Violet and Stella!
• As much as this is a Severide episode and a Stellaride episode, it’s also an episode about how, as Boden has said so many times, Firehouse 51 is a family, and they always have each other’s backs.
• I rewatched the last like, 10 minutes of this episode, about …37 times, before I wrote this.
• Do we give Christopher Herrmann enough credit for his leadership qualities? I don’t think we do.
• This time the scene that got me wasn’t at the beginning of an episode, nor at the end, but in broad daylight, near the end of the episode, just a quiet moment between two characters. I think you might guess once you see it.
• Sometimes Ritter gets to save the day, and not the way you think.

Are you excited for Chicago Fire 12×11 “Inside Man”? Share with us in the comments below!

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