S08.E08: Seeing Is Believing

[jewel21]

Severide starts off on the wrong foot at his Office of Fire Investigation assignment when, despite orders, he reopens an old case. Herrmann is on a mission to discover what caused an apartment fire. Kidd finds herself burning the candle at both ends.

Airdate: 11.13.2019

[mxc90]

Is it for budget reasons we don't know the other members of Engine 51? Just Herrmann and Ritter.

The guy that turned on the water for Herrmann (Daugherty), why wasn't he wearing fire gear?

With Severide gone, the torch has been passed to Herrmann to conduct investigations and bring the mattress king down to his knees. At least this CEO didn't try to kill Herrmann, unlike the people from the stove company(?) that tried to kill Casey and the reporter.

That PR lady was a well trained robot!

It would have been funny if CPD (lead by Herrmann's favorite from last week) had to be called and remove him and the others.

Did CFD pay for the couch they burned? 

Van Meter wants Severide to just rubber stamp? He just sealed his fate with that order. Now it's a matter of time until Severide takes his job.

Is Wendy wearing a wig?

All those people standing around the guy, you would think someone would put a cloth around his head to stop the bleeding or maybe a few would be courageous and try to lift the sign up and pull him out.

Did Stella space out due from training at the academy? As soon as she is lauded for her leadership, she under performs on a call. I have feeling she is going to get some one hurt or killed.

If Casey has to put in the report "Mouch was quicker than Kidd", if that isn't a wake up call for her.. I don't know what is.

Take away the verbal beating.... I would appreciate a class like that from Foster (shows that Olivia was way too easy on them). Although most of the people leaving the room weren't sweating.

I'm a little surprised Cruz jumped Capp and Tony as acting captain of squad (they were there before Cruz joined).

I can't see a Casey/Wendy romance.

Oh great! Gabby returns next week! Don't take her back Casey! I hope by the end of the episode someone is giving her a ride back to the airport.

Edited November 14, 2019 by mxc90

[preeya]

1 hour ago, mxc90 said:

Oh great! Gabby returns next week! Don't take her back Casey! I hope by the end of the episode someone is giving her a ride back to the airport.

I'll do it.

[Brookside]

Please tell me this isn't going to be another show full of boobs.

[The Ringo Kidd]

45 minutes ago, Brookside said:

Please tell me this isn't going to be another show full of boobs.

Why do you say that? Herman is in every episode.

[Dowel Jones]

4 hours ago, mxc90 said:

Oh great! Gabby returns next week! Don't take her back Casey!

It's Gabby v. Wendy over Casey!  Hair pulling! Mud rasslin'! Makeup smearing!  To the death!

So, let me get this straight.  The grocery store owner apparently has a fire insurance policy that pays off only in case of accidental ignition.  The private inspector rules it "suspicious", so they don't have to pay.  This doesn't make sense at all.

Is Kidd totally assigned to the academy, or is she there only a day or two a week for the physical fitness portion of the academy?  Either way it's costing CFD a ton of money for OT to fill her slot.

[mxc90]

4 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

So, let me get this straight.  The grocery store owner apparently has a fire insurance policy that pays off only in case of accidental ignition.  The private inspector rules it "suspicious", so they don't have to pay.  This doesn't make sense at all.

It has to end with Kelly getting a hug, thank you and confirmation he belongs. If it made no sense getting there, that is no concern to the writers.

[Waterston Fan]

Meh, didn't care for this episode but I wonder if doing the academy with Stella is a bit too much. 

I would think you should ask someone if they want to do something instead of suggesting it then they have to say yes. The way they are acting, they are going to run Stella to the ground. 

Not excited for Gabby next week. ugh.. 

[mxc90]

8 hours ago, preeya said:

I'll do it.

Thank you!

I am wishing you no traffic or never having to stop for a red light (all green )on your journey!

Edited November 14, 2019 by mxc90

[Dowel Jones]

Another thing that irks me.  Twice now they have shown the firefighters wearing backwards ball caps, once at the incident scene.  I know this is intentional on the part of the showrunners, but, please.  You may think it looks edgy and hip, but these are supposed to be grown men, professional firefighters, and it reflects on the Department.  I know the conversation I would have been having with my battalion chief if I showed up to a scene looking like that.

[preeya]

24 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Another thing that irks me.  Twice now they have shown the firefighters wearing backwards ball caps, once at the incident scene.  I know this is intentional on the part of the showrunners, but, please.  You may think it looks edgy and hip, but these are supposed to be grown men, professional firefighters, and it reflects on the Department.  I know the conversation I would have been having with my battalion chief if I showed up to a scene looking like that.

That fad was over a long time ago (it's so 80s & 90s). Many jocks did it back then.  I was surprised when I saw Casey do it.

[iMonrey]

I thought the whole furniture plot was a bit didactic but I bet a lot of people are checking to see what their sofas are made of now, so I guess it's OK.

I'm not sure I get where they're going with Stella and the recruit training. The guy at the academy asked if she had come straight from shift and she said yes, and then when she got home Severide was there wishing her a "good morning." And then he urged her to miss a shift and rest but she said she just needed a power nap. WTF. If she had just come from shift she should have 2 days off. Did she work two 24-hours shifts in a row?

Quote

Is Wendy wearing a wig?

I don't know but her hair is all kinds of wrong.

Quote

I'm a little surprised Cruz jumped Capp and Tony as acting captain of squad (they were there before Cruz joined).

Good point, I hadn't noticed. Yeah, Capp and Tony are glorified extras so they can't be captain even if they have seniority.

Oh goody look who's back next week.

[Josh371982]

18 hours ago, mxc90 said:

Is it for budget reasons we don't know the other members of Engine 51? Just Herrmann and Ritter.

The guy that turned on the water for Herrmann (Daugherty), why wasn't he wearing fire gear?

With Severide gone, the torch has been passed to Herrmann to conduct investigations and bring the mattress king down to his knees. At least this CEO didn't try to kill Herrmann, unlike the people from the stove company(?) that tried to kill Casey and the reporter.

That PR lady was a well trained robot!

It would have been funny if CPD (lead by Herrmann's favorite from last week) had to be called and remove him and the others.

Did CFD pay for the couch they burned? 

Van Meter wants Severide to just rubber stamp? He just sealed his fate with that order. Now it's a matter of time until Severide takes his job.

Is Wendy wearing a wig?

All those people standing around the guy, you would think someone would put a cloth around his head to stop the bleeding or maybe a few would be courageous and try to lift the sign up and pull him out.

Did Stella space out due from training at the academy? As soon as she is lauded for her leadership, she under performs on a call. I have feeling she is going to get some one hurt or killed.

If Casey has to put in the report "Mouch was quicker than Kidd", if that isn't a wake up call for her.. I don't know what is.

Take away the verbal beating.... I would appreciate a class like that from Foster (shows that Olivia was way too easy on them). Although most of the people leaving the room weren't sweating.

I'm a little surprised Cruz jumped Capp and Tony as acting captain of squad (they were there before Cruz joined).

I can't see a Casey/Wendy romance.

Oh great! Gabby returns next week! Don't take her back Casey! I hope by the end of the episode someone is giving her a ride back to the airport.

Praying she sees Casey and Brett hooking up then bolts for Puerto Rico again 😂

[jabRI]

Kidd's probably pregnant, the usual (TV) reason for a woman to show any fatigue

[Guildford]

Well blow me down with a feather...Hermann was actually likeable this week. 

[preeya]

13 hours ago, Guildford said:

Well blow me down with a feather...Hermann was actually likeable this week. 

I disagree. His voice & mannerisms along with his usually negative attitude just grates on me.

Edited November 15, 2019 by preeya

[dovegrey]

Kidd's storyline made little sense. Boden said she would be at the academy immediately after shift, and the chief at the academy said Kidd was teaching two back-to-back classes that morning. So, that would mean that she spends Day 1 on shift, Day 2 teaching a class (maybe an eight-hour shift maximum at the academy?) and probably working at Molly's that night, Day 3 off to relax and rest up, and Day 4 back on shift. Work/life balance notwithstanding, I'm not understanding why she was so intensely fatigued and exhausted. It's manufactured. Or the writers don't understand the CFD 2-off-1-on work schedule.

There's been talk on Twitter that Severide could be getting an OFI spinoff. After this episode, I don't see how he believably ends up back at 51, unless Van Meter gets rid of him. OFI has need, he is Marty Suing the hell out of the job (five minutes on a case and it's magically solved by poking at a wall!), and they're building his partner a storyline by having her interested in Casey and hanging out with 51. It's reminding me of the slow build into the Chicago Med backdoor pilot. 

The thing where 51 happens onto a convenient issue, puts on their white hats to be common good investigators, and accomplishes magical institutional change out of thin air is really, really bad. This kind of shit belongs on the CBS Saturday morning Dream Team lineup for kids. Plus, Casey and Herrmann looked impossibly stupid for walking into a corporate office and demanding to see a CEO on a whim. Herrmann would do that; Casey actually has a brain and self-regulation. WTF. At this point, I'll take Gabby, if it means one less episode that revolves around an out-of-bounds investigation or magical soapbox.

With Severide officially detailed out of 51 until Van Meter gives him the all clear to leave OFI, Boden or Firehouse Captain Casey (who's supposedly in charge of personnel) should be bringing in an official relief lieutenant, to ensure the elite Squad 3 has qualified leadership and an adequate number of firefighters. 

Why am I watching this show.

[Guildford]

5 hours ago, preeya said:

ITD. His voice & mannerisms along with his usually negative attitude just grates on me.

He will be back being annoying git next week, but surprisingly this week I didn't hate him.

[The Ringo Kidd]

I see Gabby is back and she is pissed.

She wants to know why there isn’t a monument to her instead of Otis.

[limecoke]

Quote

She wants to know why there isn’t a monument to her instead of Otis.

I came to read this thread with no intention of commenting but really need to acknowledge how epically wonderful this comment is.  Thank you, The Ringo Kid.

[marionette]

Ok.  Those girls in the firehouse are getting more immature every week.  What was that pattycake game that Stella and the paramedic (sorry, can't remember her name) were playing?  What 30-40-ish women would be doing that at work?  They are really giving females a bad name by writing this garbage.  It just makes them look foolish.

[dovegrey]

43 minutes ago, marionette said:

Ok.  Those girls in the firehouse are getting more immature every week.  What was that pattycake game that Stella and the paramedic (sorry, can't remember her name) were playing?  What 30-40-ish women would be doing that at work?  They are really giving females a bad name by writing this garbage.  It just makes them look foolish.

I rewatched the episode yesterday and that scene was terribly immature, especially in context of Kidd then being so tired she endangered a victim on a call. She has time to play pat-a-cake one shift but no time to take a nap the next shift. It's appalling, and they are writing her into the ground.

I loved when Truck had two female firefighters in season 4 and barely one word was said about it. I loved when Ambo had a male EMT, like Mills or Borrelli. It's way too segregated now, especially with Kidd only hanging out with the female EMTs and getting up to overtly female shenanigans (the lounge...). Relatedly, I'm getting the sense that a lot of writing or directing decisions are based on what the cast gets up to BTS, and I could totally see the pat-a-cake scene being Miranda and Kara rather than Kidd and Brett (just like Casey/Brett is really Jesse and Kara getting along, and now two characters who had barely any interaction for five seasons are supposedly good friends who are secretly crushing on each other). Write the characters, not the cast, please.

[MsJamieDornan]

Has the acting always been this bad ?

[dovegrey]

4 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

Has the acting always been this bad ?

The storylines are juvenile, and the writing is erratic. One minute it's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the next minute it's a sitcom, and the next minute it's a soap opera. How does an actor even approach that? (But I've never been impressed by Taylor Kinney, and I feel like Jesse Spencer only learns to smoothly say his lines when Casey has a real storyline.) 

[MsJamieDornan]

9 hours ago, dovegrey said:

Jesse Spencer only learns to smoothly say his lines when Casey has a real storyline.) 

He doesnt have any lines when he isn't the main focus.  lol

[Kfir]

On 11/14/2019 at 7:21 PM, Dowel Jones said:

It's Gabby v. Wendy over Casey!  Hair pulling! Mud rasslin'! Makeup smearing!  To the death!

So, let me get this straight.  The grocery store owner apparently has a fire insurance policy that pays off only in case of accidental ignition.  The private inspector rules it "suspicious", so they don't have to pay.  This doesn't make sense at all.

Is Kidd totally assigned to the academy, or is she there only a day or two a week for the physical fitness portion of the academy?  Either way it's costing CFD a ton of money for OT to fill her slot.

How qualified is Stella for that training role anyway? You would think you would have to be trained to be a trainer first? And maybe I am just losing interest with the show but isn't she still pretty new to the whole fire fighting caper?

[dovegrey]

3 minutes ago, Kfir said:

How qualified is Stella for that training role anyway? You would think you would have to be trained to be a trainer first? And maybe I am just losing interest with the show but isn't she still pretty new to the whole fire fighting caper?

She was at the house with the abusive captain for two years (per the stupid season 5 episode where everyone got reassigned), then went to 51 in mid season 4, so she's been a firefighter for at least 6 years. For comparison, Casey made lieutenant after 7 years (per his fake funeral in 6x1). 

[Kfir]

8 minutes ago, dovegrey said:

She was at the house with the abusive captain for two years (per the stupid season 5 episode where everyone got reassigned), then went to 51 in mid season 4, so she's been a firefighter for at least 6 years. For comparison, Casey made lieutenant after 7 years (per his fake funeral in 6x1). 

Thanks for the background. But it still seems like she has just been thrown into the training role, you would think the trainers need some kind of course and qualifications on that themselves. 

[Ailianna]

She's basically the PE teacher, which is why she doesn't supposedly need any training and why she is physically tired, since the chief made it clear he wants her to do all the exercises too (as opposed to being able to see what the students are doing...) and she had two classes with a 30 minute break.  WHen she went to the furniture company, she said her legs were dead tired.  I'm not justifying the lot, but it's not quite as awful as it could be.  (That is not a challenge to the writers.)

[SnarkySheep]

My main question - who paid for that couch that Hermann set on fire??

He said *he'd* been shopping. He later said the couch retailed for $600. Are we to assume that Hermann paid for it himself? That Boden gave them funds from the firehouse budget? Ugh.

[Dowel Jones]

They undoubtedly used ChicagoFireBucks, just like they do for the production of the Slammigan, and the gear the station bought from Boden's brother in law, etc.