Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 9 ‘A Favor’ is a very so-so episode that spends too long on the setup, to the point that it just feels like the hour is a long stretch of people acting out of character without a real explanation of why they’re doing so. Sure, everyone is acting within the confines of who they are, but everything is a little amplified without the reasons for it truly making sense, and it all makes the episode feel disjointed.
It’s particularly jarring considering this is the first episode after a significant break, and yet it doesn’t seem like too much is truly happening. Herrmann is grumpy most of the hour, but why is he truly grumpy? He passed his test! He should be happy! Cruz has a right to be worried, but he just keeps making bad decision after bad decision, to the point where it’s just hard to root for him.
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Mouch is often the heart and soul
Mouch’s storyline is the one that feels the most realistic in this hour, even if he does get a little too involved. In a way, though, I understand. There’s something heartbreaking about the idea of dying alone and part of the job of a first responder is trying to prevent things like that. Of course, you can’t save every life, and there was nothing Mouch could have done to save someone who died days before the fire, but I can understand why this one just wouldn’t leave him.
So often it feels like Mouch is the C plot on Chicago Fire, but a lot of the time, his storylines get to the heart of what the show is—of why, even when the episodes are somewhat lackluster, Chicago Fire works. It’s easy to root for first responders. It’s particularly easy when you’ve known them for as long as we have these people.
What are you doing, Joe?
The decision Joe Cruz comes to near the end, the one to say hey, you know what, do your worst, and let’s see who they’re going to believe, that’s the right one. And yet he takes too long to get there, and then when he does he just seems to think the bad guy will take it with a grain of salt, which is infinitely annoying. Joe Cruz is too smart for that.
And then, what is that at the end? Truly? To compound a bad decision with three more bad ones by not calling the police and sitting in your car crying after being shot is… again, what are you doing Joe? Sure, you might be in shock, but I’m not even close to understanding where you’re coming from. If you were, perhaps in trouble before, now you for sure are. And it’s all on you.
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Things I think I think:
- Yeah, yeah. You both sound very calm, Mouch and Herrmann.
- Oh, they both passed. And that was quick!
- An episode without Stella? I cannot do this.
- So sad that no one would have found that poor man without the fire.
- “It’s not like you can die from extreme cringe.” But can’t you?
- You’re interrupting the man and his wife texting!
- “Nothing to worry about YET.” HA.
- YET.
- I kinda get the Mouch thing, honestly.
- This Cruz storyline is annoying me.
- Brett and Casey level lol
- I trust Severide can handle it more than Cruz right now.
- Cruz, are you being serious right now?
- Pascal and Van Meter is… interesting. I still don’t know what Pascal’s endgame is.
- It WAS a whole inch off.
- She is right.
- But it’s nice to see Carver and Violet talking kinda normally.
- BABY BRO SEVERIDE.
- Look it’s good to see him, even if it’s just for a little bit.
- How did you think this was going to go, Joe?
- Me at every point of this episode: What are you doing, Joe? What are you doing?
- “You became the person that you were looking for.” I GOT FEELINGS.
- The way I missed Stella this hour.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 9 ‘A Favor’? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
