Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 21 ‘Thank You’ is the kind of episode that feels like a surprise, mostly because we’d been convinced for weeks that the Chief Hopkins thing was going to carry into the finale, and then the show solved that during the penultimate hour, titled ‘Speak of the Devil.’ But that doesn’t mean the show didn’t have a few tricks up its sleeve; of course it doesn’t.
Telling the story backwards, ‘Thank You’ starts with a harrowing emergency and counts down the hours till our characters get there, all the while making us worry about absolutely everyone. About Kelly, who is now a Captain. Herrmann, who just renewed his vows. About Joe, who is about to be a father again, twice over. Even about Pascal, who is back for this episode.
Since this is Chicago Fire, we don’t get an answer. Instead, the episode ends in a way that ensures that we will be suffering until September. Cindy, Chloe, and Trudy are somewhere, waiting. Stella and Kelly are trapped in the same fire, while Isaiah waits for them. So are Mouch, Herrmann, and Joe. Well, and basically everyone but Pascal, Lizzie, and Violet, who get to watch from below as fire engulfs half the team while the other half is trapped. And us? We’re on the edge of our seats, hoping this family makes it through the hour. We can’t lose anyone else. We really, really can’t.
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LIGHTBULB MOMENT
Severide has a decision to make in ‘Thank You’ and in some ways, it’s understandable that the decision is hard, but in other ways, it kinda isn’t. At least at first. He’s never really wanted to be at OFI full-time, and when he was offered the chance to be in charge there to get out of the Internal Affairs Investigation, he turned it down because what he wanted was to fight for Firehouse 51. If he leaves now, then 51 is basically back at square one.
But there’s no doubt that Severide really does enjoy OFI. He enjoys the investigation part of arson investigations. And he’s good at it, too. Plus, there’s the Benny of it all. Not to mention, being at OFI means he wouldn’t be in the line of fire as much, which, for someone who now has a kid, is important. If the season ends with him leaning that way, we get it.
However, OFI also means not working with Stella on a day-to-day basis. And, of course, it means that Stella will be walking into danger alone, without Kelly by her side. She’s a big girl and a great firefighter, and she can handle her own. Kelly knows this. But he also loves her, and that means he feels better knowing that he can be a few steps from her in good times and bad times.
What’s the answer? We, of course, don’t know. Not yet. That’s a Season 15 thing. Who’s surprised? Not me. But I will be surprised if the decision ends up being OFI, at least for more than a few episodes. I can see us starting the season there, but I don’t anticipate it lasting. We want Severide at Firehouse 51. We need Severide at Firehouse 51.
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A FAMILY OF THEIR OWN
The undercurrent of this episode is family. The family Stella and Kelly have at 51, the one that attended that beautiful vow renewal. The family they’ve formed with Isaiah. And the family they want, the one that is not just the two of them, but that perhaps includes Isaiah, and that maybe has space for more.
What that family looks like and how exactly they can move forward has been on pause for basically the entire season. Sure, there was Isaiah. And then we had that conversation that proved they were actually on the same page. But since then, not much. And the problems still remain. The realities of pregnancy and this dangerous job are still a thing. But so is their desire to do this. To take the next step.
Surprisingly, that immediate next step turns out to be Isaiah, once again. Or perhaps, not so surprisingly. This is pretty on par for the course for the show, the expected answer. It’s not a twist. The question is, of course, what does it mean? If Isaiah stays, is that it? Is that the family Kelly and Stella dreamed of? I don’t think so. Not after the loss they suffered. Not after Stella realizing that she did want to be a mom. And not after that scene we started the season with.
Yes, families aren’t always blood. Chicago Fire has proven that time and time again. Isaiah reinforces that idea. But that doesn’t mean this should be the end of the journey for Kelly and Stella. It doesn’t mean they should give up on expanding that family. They can be parents to a teenager and a baby. In fact, that would be a pretty great storyline for Season 15. We just gotta make sure everyone lives through this particular emergency first.
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Things I think I think:
- I hate when an episode starts and then goes back in time. Hate, hate, loathe entirely.
- Yes, you are kind of complaining, Herrmann. But I get it. Sometimes it helps!
- Cindy, you angel.
- “We did that already.” LOL
- Okay, that was kinda nice, Herrmann.
- Something bad is gonna happen to him, right?
- “I’ll support you no matter what?”
- Not that we doubted it.
- Look, OFI makes no sense considering both Taylor and Miranda signed new deals. Maybe if he wasn’t coming back full-time, but since he is… it makes no sense.
- Look, we cannot lose Vasquez to PD.
- Kelly Severide “husband guy” is my favorite Kelly Severide. To be fair, he’s always husband guy.
- PASCAL!
- I’m actually kinda happy to see him.
- “Your promotion went through. Congratulations.”
- Lizzie and Violet planning this vow renewal is kinda hilarious because everyone’s acting like they know what they’re doing, but I’m not convinced they do.
- No, the gift does not carry over.
- Ok, but if Isaiah is back, that means we’re going SOMEWHERE with this family storyline at last, right? Right?
- Are twins a good thing or a bad thing, lol. Their reactions were priceless.
- Aww, the picture with Hawkins.
- Grief is indeed strange.
- I knew they were gonna let him go back to the Academy. I knew.
- Look, if I invested in this dude for a season and he leaves, I’m actually gonna be mad.
- We been knew Isaiah was here by himself!
- Am I shocked Mouch is a good romance writer? Nope.
- “This would be more than just fun for me.” Lizzie putting it all out there!
- Good vows, Herrmann. Good vows.
- It’s nice that Pascal is here.
- Stella looking at Kelly when Herrmann talks about home, I’m FINE.
- This emergency is making me WORRIED about everyone.
- Also, I thought Stella and Kelly were going to Cleveland!
- I knew this cliffhanger was coming, and still I hate it.
- We really do need to go back to the miscarriage, because I’m still mad. We never had any real emotional payoff, and Isaiah isn’t actually that! So this better be very high on the list of things to address next season.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 21 ‘Thank You’? 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.
I hated the 2016 Chicago Fire season finale. It was a hot mess from beginning to end. The temporal jumps were jarring and felt artificial. There were way too many thread lines and way too many cliffhangers. I was left frustrated and angry at poor storytelling, not eager to hear more.
By contrast, the Chicago Med Season Finale was beautiful, poignant, emotionally rich — darn near perfect writing and excellent acting. The writers from Chicago Med need to school their Chicago Fire counterparts.