Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 7 ‘Pierce the Vein‘ is a so-so midseason finale that doesn’t really deliver the kind of punch this show can. It’s not a bad episode, but the Severide fire investigation is nowhere nearly as interesting as any scene Taylor Kinney and Miranda Rae Mayo share can be, and we might have warmed up on Vasquez, but he cannot carry an episode yet.
Lizzie Novak and Violet Mikami, however, can, and the two of them are the reason this episode doesn’t drag as much as it could. The glimpse at Lizzie’s sister, and what that means for her are engaging, and the dynamics between Violet and Vasquez work really well—up to and including that weird interaction with Sal’s dad, who, to the shock of no one, is now out of jail!
Still, the episode feels more like just another hour than a true midseason finale, even with the cliffhanger at the end. We still have a lot of things we want to know about these characters, these dynamics. We just won’t be waiting with bated breath until January.
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A PAINFUL BACKSTORY
‘Pierce the Vein’ takes Lizzie Novak away from the Firehouse 51 action and instead gives us a glimpse of how she became the person she is today. We get to meet her sister, and learn that her mother either commited suicide or once overdosed, which in a way explains so much about why Lizzie is the way she is. Why she always goes the extra mile, not just to treat symptoms, but people.
But this also feels like just the beginning, as we learn she doesn’t have a relationship with her sister (or brother) and hasn’t had one in a long time, and that she had to step up and be the parent in a way, when her mother died. It’s a hard role, and it doesn’t seem like her siblings took it well, but in this hour we see Lizzie realize that, perhaps, her siblings just needed someone to ask them what they needed instead of someone to make decisions for them.
It’s little crumbs, which help us have a clearer idea of the character, and the hour ends with Lizzie trying to make amends. But this still feels very much like an open storyline, particularly because we’ve yet to meet the brother. And he doesn’t exactly have to react the same way as her sister did.
This is often how procedurals work. You get a crumb here and there, and at some point it all starts to click together. This is a little more than crumbs, it’s the biggest piece of Lizzie lore we’ve gotten. But there’s still a lot to discover with her, and if we’re being honest, she’s the new character we most want to learn things about.
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STELLA, YOU ARE MISSED
Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 7 picks back up after the decision made in Episode 6, which means Stella is with Isaiah in Cleveland, and Severide is at 51 by himself. We get an establishing comment by Severide that suggests Stella should only be gone for two weeks, which probably means she’ll be back for the midseason premiere, or if anything, she’ll miss just one more episode after that.
We already kinda knew this was going to be the case with budget cuts, so even though it’s not great timing, it kinda works within the universe. The reason it’s not great timing, though, it’s that this means we’ve gotten to the midseason finale without really advancing the storyline that the opening scene of Season 14 set up, not to mention the last scene of Season 13.
But it’s not that we don’t have an answer, because in this case, a season-long arc is not a bad thing: it’s that we have no clarity on where this is going. Presumably, Isaiah’s mom is going to get better. She already seems to be improving! So this Isaiah storyline was always just meant to be a way for Stella, especially, to learn a lesson. What lesson could it be other than that she actually does want to be a mom? We don’t know.
If it’s that, though, the problem is that she seemed that she did want to be a mom last season! She seemed like she was actually sad when she had a miscarriage. If she was still having any doubts, she has not externalized it at any point this season. So why is this lesson needed? We cannot and should not be learning lessons without the show making clear what the problem is.
Of course, we’re far from the lesson yet. Right now I’m just speculating. We haven’t even gotten to the problem. But that, seven episodes in, is not exactly good. Stella (and Kelly) have had good moments this season. It just feels like Chicago Fire continues to push dealing with the family storyline it set up until further down the line, and at this point, it feels like we’re way overdue.
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Things I think I think:
- Oh, he got stood up. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Is he ready?
- “I may not be the first, but I plan to be the last.” I support you, Mouch. But…
- Suddenly like Vasquez so much more.
- Violet is so good at explaining. I mean, it’s hard! But she’s a very good teacher.
- Well, I’d say yes to Annabeth Gish.
- Kelly really be tasting gasoline as soon as Stella is gone, I swear to God.
- “I’m not mom, okay?”
- Did Pascal run away or…?
- Okay, Vasquez, I’m starting to like you here. Don’t let me down.
- “See you in another six months, I guess.”
- Oh, they’ve got a brother.
- And Pascal just left the food there, like a heathen!
- Oh, damn, Vasquez’s dad is out. I had a feeling. Ups the drama a fair bit.
- Pascal is giving me whiplash. I guess it’s normal.
- Lizzie confiding in Violet!
- “A good kind of messy.” So, what happened?
- “Until after my mom.”
- She had to be the mom. I’m gonna cry.
- “Never really occurred to me to ask what anyone else wanted.”
- HER SISTER WAS WATCHING THE SAME SHOW.
- Look, I’m getting zero romantic vibes from Violet and Vasquez. But please let this not be a love triangle you’re setting up here, Chicago Fire.
- Lizzie is already in the middle of ANOTHER love triangle over on Med.
- Oh, they want to get rid of 51 for good? Nooo Mouch.
- So, we get a cliffhanger, but it’s not even a good one!
- I mean, sure I’m a little worried about Severide, but not that much.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 7 ‘Pierce The Vein’? Share with us in the comments below! And if you have your own opinion on the show, leave a review/rating on our Chicago Fire hub!
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
