NJRadioGuy

This. Plus an interesting factoid about firefighters for those who don't know. I can't speak for California, but in my part of the universe, when a brother (or sister) shows a weakness or does something dumb they're often subject to relentless taunting or even given lifetime nicknames. Tell someone you don't like lima beans? Guess what's going to be served with every meal. You can bet there will be Rebus puzzles all over their respective firehouses, taped to their bunks or turnout gear, etc.

That was pretty enjoyable. Vince and Sharon are the only reason I'm sticking with this glorified train wreck of a soap opera. And in a nice nod to Twister, I love how they were all in a shed with dangling, swinging implements of potential impalement and destruction. At least they weren't saw blades and scythes, though, so there's that. In all fairness, the Engine is diesel powered and it's hard as hell to get that fuel to combust. Not impossible, but not exactly easy either. You can drop a lit match into a drum of diesel and the match will just go out.

I wasn't expecting to read the word "heart" in that sentence. Just sayin'. Damned near killed him.

I always enjoy stories where a central character has issues with faith/religion, and I have to say this episode was very well done. Two excellent actors pulled it off wonderfully. But with that said, nothing will ever beat the Jesuit-raised Det. Pembelton's issues with Catholicism in Homicide: Life On The Street. Those scenes in specific cemeted Andre Braugher as one of my favourite actors of all time, and it was also some of that show's best writing as well. I'm really hoping this show can occasionally explore these themes since Ramón has the chops to pull it off.

Good question. I hope she wasn't a permanent victim of NBC's budget cuts. There's clearly more story to tell there.

And I call shenanigans on tools not being able to pop that door. Plus a K12 would have been quicker and safer for all involved. I hope they didn't.

Probably a subtle dig on a certain press conference at the Four Seasons...Landscaping offices. And/or the show couldn't get permission to film inside the actual Shedd Aquarium.

At least they paid lip service to HIPAA laws this week, so there's that. Definitely enjoying this season more than that past few, but Zola can go away any time now. However talented she is as a physician, I wouldn't want her treating me or having anything to do with my family.

Blessing, no. But support and recommendation absolutely. A respected boss going to bat for you opens a lot of doors.

IIRC the franchise is crazy-expensive to produce, but it's also their highest rated scripted block. If they can keep the production costs down it can still work in their favour. So we get cheesier VFX and probably more character-driven episodes than before but the show's still a winner. For now.

Speaking of turnout coats, the writers flubbed one here big time. Mouch's coat has always said McHolland on the back from the beginning. It's a requirement, in fact. Just go back to any episode in the past and it's plain as plain. Also, a nickname will never go away. Especially if the person wants it to. The props department went super-cheap with the alleged e-bikes. Obviously the real things are far too dangerous to mess around with, but they could have tried a wee bit better, maybe? They just looked like regular pedal-powered bicycles with a road flare under the center bar. The rotating tire on fire did look cool, though, so the DoP got a great shot there. Well, he's got his card so he's both. Just like in Emergency!, where FF Mike Stoker (the chauffeur of E51) was a real-life chauffeur of LA County FD Engine 69, and Marco Lopez was also a firefighter with the County. Both used their real names in the show. Not implausible, really. There are always multiple trucks and engines at a working fire, and the bigger it is the more they call out so the chances are good that if she had been on the same shift she'd be there. Unless she got assigned to a firehouse on the other side of town, of course. Boden, as DDC, could easily have made sure she got assigned to a house under his jurisdiction; remember, his position in the show would put him in command of a handful of houses, although they never show him in that role. So if Cruz gets a bugle, I guess he's going to have to learn how to command an engine company, since Hermann could be put out to pasture. If Severide leaves the show I guess they could put him on Squad. But we're getting a lot of officers now and fewer and fewer places to put them. But here's another problem I'm having now with both Mouch and Herrmann. The actors are presently 61 and 59 YO, respectively, and their characters' careers would likely be well beyond the 25-and-out typical career path for such a physically demanding job. I can easily see either or both actors leaving the show in the next year or two.

Ditto. I can't really watch anything without it.

Call me the odd-man-out here, but I always liked Stellaride. Until now. When Van Meter expressed surprise that he gave up an extremely prestigious career at a national level because SWMBO* didn't approve? Nope, nope and more nope. And you could clearly see the resentment in his face in that scene too. Is this setting the stage for Taylor's exit down the road? I recall that pre-strike they were saying the One Chicago shows had to reduce production costs by a fairly significant amount, and cast members would have limited numbers of episodes, so expect more leaves of absence/training assignments/etc, and fewer complicated rescues, I suspect. Not gonna lie, I'm going to miss Brett. But it was inevitable after Jesse decided to leave the show. Glad to see Kylie is thriving as a candidate. In a way I'd have liked to see her get assigned to E51 to keep her on the show, but I guess cast budget issues put paid to that. They could have gotten a lot of mileage out of having her stick around. Also going to miss Gallo, but he's been more comic relief/Greek Chorus with Cruz than anything else lately. So now we're going to need a new truckee to replace him, and a new paramedic to replace Brett, the downsides being a lot of character development episodes to come, which can really throw off the momentum of a show. Not a good thing when hoping for decent ratings in old/expensive shows. Still not a fan of Carver, to be honest, and I'd rather they'd lost him than Gallo. Carver always seems to suck the oxygen out of the room in his scenes. Removing oxygen is a good thing in fire chemistry, but not in Chicago Fire chemistry. *SWMBO: She Who Must Be Obeyed. </rumpole>

The way they were focusing on Hermann at the end makes me think he suffered some injuries-to-be-determined-later during that incident. Dumb question, but when you roll up on a fully involved vehicle fire where the cargo (not the fuel) is burning that ferociously with oddly-colored smoke, why in the hell weren't the crews fully masked up, at the very least? Roll Hazmat to the scene, have PD close off the overpass and let it burn until personnel are fighting it in a fully safe manner. My first thought was it was transporting Lithium Ion batteries or it was an electric truck whose battery pack was in thermal runaway, very real and extremely hazardous fires that urban departments now face daily; usually from e-bikes stored/charged in apartments but also cars on occasion.

it's really noticeable when a Chicago PD or Chicago Fire story brings them to Med in their respective shows, and the lighting is completely different (bright). My two pet peeves for modern television is that the lighting is so dark, and voices are muffled. Not a good combo for older viewers whose vision and hearing aren't what they used to be.