S09.E13: Don't Hang Up

[jewel21]

A mysterious caller who is in danger relies on Kidd to help save her and her brother. The firehouse helps Cruz get ready for fatherhood.

Airdate: 05/05/2021

[WinJet0819]

Of course, it just has to be Kidd who has the responsibility of saving some one. Only on Chicago Fire Anatomy.

Edited May 6, 2021 by WinJet0819

[dovegrey]

20 hours ago, WinJet0819 said:

Of course, it just has to be kid who has the responsibility of saving some one. Only on Chicago Fire Anatomy.

...except she didn't really do anything. Boden and Severide took over.

This episode was supposed to convincingly showcase how prepared Kidd is to be a lieutenant. The showrunner gave an interview about that today. But all it really demonstrated was that Kidd could be a 911 dispatcher and stare at a phone while a high schooler gives her emotional support. I don't get what the writers were thinking, given the goals they had in mind for this episode. Honestly, if she wasn’t Severide’s girlfriend, this sixth-billed character would be written like Herrmann, Mouch, and Cruz - nonexistent comic relief.

I'm pretty sure Boden would’ve called the police and let the police handle the situation. There would be no defense if the girl died and he didn’t involve the police. Also, wasn’t this the plot of 911’s pilot episode, particularly with fire truck sirens being used to pinpoint a kidnapped victim, while the dispatcher told them when they were close to the location? 

I don’t respect that Severide’s advice to Kidd is for Kidd “to go tell Casey” to go find some floater, so she can go home and stress about the exam she’s been whining about for a year. This show will be more than insufferable, if she actually makes lieutenant and somehow stays at 51. Seriously, I can’t stand Stellaride. I hope one of them leaves at the end of the season.

It sounds like Donna's home Internet went down. Is Donna not allowed in her school building to teach Zoom class? (Our virtual teachers are teaching out of their classrooms but I'm not Chicago.) Nice to see her, I guess. But I don’t understand why COVID isn’t at all a consideration on this show, except the District 4 office (where Donna taught her class) still doesn’t have any employees except for a high school temp.

Nice callback to season 1 and season 6 with Casey cooking for the house again. He really did sound and look more relaxed the whole episode. His voice was even back to normal, instead of a weird, too-low pitch. I hope this is really the end of Uptight Zombie Casey.

Wait, so Brett was capably able to kick down a solid front door, but couldn’t do the same for the sauna door? She called Squad for that? I guess I should just be happy that the sauna call didn’t turn into an investigation into the lock manufacturer taking manufacturing shortcuts and endangering rich people with clear skin.

Okay, so, much like last week… Three members of the house are mired in a situation with a kidnapped girl being threatened with a violent murder, while two others worry about dating, others take bets on swaddling, and two others entertain a bunch of high schoolers. There is absolutely zero thematic cohesion, EVER.

I so love Capp. I will never not love Capp. Dude just wants to eat and be happy.

Edited May 6, 2021 by dovegrey

[mxc90]

Congratulations Stella Kidd! You have reached Saint level. I bow to your absurd greatness!! She hasn't reached Gabby level of annoyance for me yet but that day is coming!

Her climbing the tree with ease and holding the man up was just the appetizer for tonight's Kidd special. Only part missing to witness was her touching his wound to heal him.

Was the man bouncing on a trampoline when he was hit by the cars to travel so high up and be impaled? The show delivered a good WTF with this accident! Of course they don't bother add a line later to update his condition (Cruz' swaddling/Huxley jealously story was essential to squeeze in).

If your life is on the line and you have one or two or three calls from a burner to make, each one needs to be to Stella Kidd (she rescues people... no need for the police or even the 411 operator). 

Aliyah is about to die and her only regret in life is not staying with "Girls on Fire" (I had to pause and laugh for 5 minutes!).

I have to admit: after her third call, I was hoping the gang would reach a verdict already. Stella has a test, needs to study and can't take anymore of her distractions. 

So if a call had came in for Truck 81, would Stella leave with them or stay by the phone waiting for Aliyah to call again??

Poor Severide had to take a back seat for a while. He was speechless and just standing there with a dopey look. 

If Stella had taken Severide's advice to go home, Aliyah is dead. But Stella wouldn't know as the police could never piece together her calling the station for help.

"Brett and I were never an item"......."Syvlie is in love with you". My Goodness! Does anyone want this woman????? Make a damn decision writers!

If Brett has that leg strength to kick the front door down, why not try it again on steam room door?? 

Such a nice, thoughtful gang to let their prisoners leave the house during a gas leak and not lock them in the basement to get blown to bits.

For the head gang member to be arrested, wouldn't Aliyah and her brother need to make a statement and testify? Something tells me: it will not go well for the siblings.

I think some of the other gang members are still running! Someone should tell them they can stop now. The leak is over and the show too!!!!

I'd rather see Aliyah thanking Stella, Severide and Boden at the station (not just Kidd at the loft).

No "Good luck on your test" from Kylie and Aliyah???!!! Show a little respect to your boss!

Edited May 6, 2021 by mxc90

[FnkyChkn34]

Brett watched the guy standing at the window of the sauna door then collapse.  She knew that he was right behind it; kicking it in would have injured him worse than he already was.  For once that actually made sense to me... what didn't make sense was how she was able to do it the first time and kick in the front door.  I guess Lindsey could do it on CPD, so Brett learned too...

Casey still has something wrong with his brain, that's for sure.  I enjoyed Grainger telling him that he just doesn't get it.

I'm indifferent towards Stella at this point, but it is getting to be a bit too much.  I hope her recent story arc ends next week and the show moves on to something else.  Maybe more Herrmann or something, we haven't seen him featured in a while.  I don't know, but please just anyone else for a few episodes.

[mxc90]

21 hours ago, dovegrey said:

Is Donna not allowed in her school building to teach Zoom class?

I'm losing it. There was a moment when Donna arrived and thought she was going to use the room to teach a Zumba class.

Edited May 6, 2021 by mxc90

[Dowel Jones]

Nice of Squad to remove the ladders from the tree after the victim was lowered down.  Guys, did you remember that Stella was still up there?  And then, did they have some magical way of removing that chunk of wood from the guy's thorax so that they could fit him in the ambulance?

I didn't even watch the ending with the swaddling competition, or even if it took place.  So much misplaced testosterone. 

I for one would like to see a Western night at Molly's.  Maybe they can squeeze in some second rank Nashville Cat to sing a few songs.

I remember reading an anecdote about two baseball players discussing how to put on a diaper (pre-disposable era) on a baby.  One explained, "It's easy, Joe.  Just lay the diaper on the table in the shape of the diamond.  Take 2nd base and fold it over so that it's touching home base.  Now put the baby on the pitcher's mound.  Fold first, third and home base up over the top of the baby and pin them all together.  Easy!"

[leslieo54]

On 5/5/2021 at 6:35 PM, mxc90 said:

I'm losing it. There was moment when Donna arrived and thought she was going to use the room to teach a Zumba class.

Oh my goodness, I totally heard this too and then was confused as to why they were bringing her the standing desk… And even then, I just ran with it and figured she was going to do some other work once it was over. Don’t judge me, it’s been a long week 😆

Edited May 7, 2021 by leslieo54

[Guildford]

So really, what this show is telling us is that if it doesn't involve someone from Intelligence, then CPD is non-existent or totally useless? I mean they called Ruzek to sort out the muffin man, but this they decide they can totally handle themselves.  

Glad Stella can just scale a tree, no harness or safety gear, if she fell that would be on Casey. It was just cringeworthy and pointless, but I guess they chose this shite to again beat us over the head with how spectacular Stella is. You know when she turned up she was a bloody good character and firefighter, they have devolved her character into a weird mix of st Gabby of the flame & a Wife from the Handmaid's Tale.

 I know they need to take some dramatic license but damn if this show hasn't totally jumped the shark. They need to put it out of it's misery or find new writers and get back to focussing on actual fire and rescue. If you don't have the budget to do the show properly, then don't do it at all. 

I understand that they are probably hampered by COVID this year, but this FireCop shit has been going on long before that became an issue.

[jabRI]

9 hours ago, mxc90 said:

Congratulations Stella Kidd! You have reached Saint level. I bow to your absurd greatness!! She hasn't reached Gabby level of annoyance for me yet but that day is coming!

You beat me to this.  Even the kidnapped girl had time for 'you are always so brave... you save people' nonsense.

[FnkyChkn34]

I think the girl said something about involving the cops - if they called the cops then they would surely kill her, or something like that?  Maybe I just made that up to help the story make one iota of sense... 

Nice to see that a new iPhone 12 will read natural gas levels.  Is there anything it can't do!? 🙄

[dovegrey]

6 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I think the girl said something about involving the cops - if they called the cops then they would surely kill her, or something like that?  Maybe I just made that up to help the story make one iota of sense... 

Nice to see that a new iPhone 12 will read natural gas levels.  Is there anything it can't do!? 🙄

I think Severide made that up to fool the gangsters. The whole thing was inane. 

They still should have called the police. There are gang units for this with intelligence on gang activity/hangouts, CIs, and undercover officers. The girl was more likely to die when the gangsters heard Boden’s sirens. 

[FnkyChkn34]

54 minutes ago, dovegrey said:

I think Severide made that up to fool the gangsters. The whole thing was inane. 

Oh, he clearly did.  I'm sorry that my sarcasm didn't come through. 😉

[dovegrey]

42 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Oh, he clearly did.  I'm sorry that my sarcasm didn't come through. 😉

On second read, it definitely came through, haha. :) It’s been a day. (And maybe it also speaks to the absurdity of this show, where maybe they WOULD try to use an iPhone to detect gas levels, just like a couple people legit thought that Donna was going to teach Zumba at the house, because OF COURSE these writers would. Remember Cruzumba...?)

In other news, I saw another interview where Derek Haas said he shoehorned in the swaddling plot because he realized there wasn’t a “funny c-plot” and that’s a requirement now. Guess what, ding bat, there STILL wasn’t a funny c-plot but your a-plot was pretty laughable...and a primetime drama shouldn’t have a sitcom element. This show is absolutely screwed with him as the showrunner. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Congratulations Stella Kidd! You have reached Saint level. I bow to your absurd greatness!! She hasn't reached Gabby level of annoyance for me yet but that day is coming!

She has surpassed Gabby levels of saintliness and heroism. Not a week goes by that she isn't played up as some sort of savior. This is ridiculous. Look, I'm all for female empowerment but they keep hitting this same note over and over again, it's like water torture. The show needs to back off and quit hitting us over the head with how spectacular Stella is. 

It's a shame because other supporting characters like Mouch, Herrmann and Cruz are relegated to comic relief antics every week. 

How on earth did that guy wind up impaled on the tree? I missed something. Was he thrown from his car or was he a pedestrian? Wouldn't he have landed facing the tree?

[AnnA]

I agree with everyone's opinion of this episode, Saint Stella and how ridiculous the "rescue" was.  I never liked Stella so Fire is getting harder and harder for me to watch.   They can't keep this up forever so I'm hoping they switch focus soon.   I'm also sick of the Stellaride nonsense we're forced to watch every week.  They have zero chemistry.  

I know there's a lot of support for Brett and Casey but I think Grainger is better looking and sexier than Casey so I was sorry to see him go.

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by AnnA

[LittleIggy]

5 hours ago, AnnA said:

I agree with everyone's opinion of this episode, Saint Stella and how ridiculous the "rescue" was.  I never liked Stella so Fire is getting harder and harder for me to watch.   They can't keep this up forever so I'm hoping they switch focus soon.   I'm also sick of the Stellaride nonsense we're forced to watch every week.  They have zero chemistry.  

I know there's a lot of support for Brett and Casey but I think Grainger is better looking and sexier than Casey so I was sorry to see him go.

 

If Eamonn Walker left, that would be it for me. I have the hots for that man and his sexy growl of a voice. I need him whispering sweet nothings in one of my ears and Jason Statham doing the same in the other! 😏

[leslieo54]

8 hours ago, AnnA said:

I know there's a lot of support for Brett and Casey but I think Grainger is better looking and sexier than Casey so I was sorry to see him go.

 

I was (am? hmmm…) all for Brett and Casey, assuming they ever actually did it - hey, I could dream that it meant no chance of Gabby ever coming back - but damn, yes… They needed to hire someone less attractive to play Grainger and also make him less understanding, because he definitely looks like the better choice.

[mxc90]

22 hours ago, iMonrey said:

She has surpassed Gabby levels of saintliness and heroism. Not a week goes by that she isn't played up as some sort of savior. This is ridiculous. Look, I'm all for female empowerment but they keep hitting this same note over and over again, it's like water torture. The show needs to back off and quit hitting us over the head with how spectacular Stella is. 

There is a very very small chance it will happen: I am holding hope the writers throw a curve and she's humbled after failing the exam. 

Edited May 7, 2021 by mxc90

[dovegrey]

12 hours ago, leslieo54 said:

I was (am? hmmm…) all for Brett and Casey, assuming they ever actually did it - hey, I could dream that it meant no chance of Gabby ever coming back - but damn, yes… They needed to hire someone less attractive to play Grainger and also make him less understanding, because he definitely looks like the better choice.

Appearance aside (he looks like a poor man’s Gallo LOL), Grainger is a lot of how Casey was before Hallie was murdered, he lost two children, and his wife left him in the span of six years. I hate how Casey has been since season 7, but he’s just about the only character who’s been allowed to develop in a real way. He’s got baggage.  I hope gets the win here and a hundred more. 

[AnnA]

On 5/7/2021 at 4:42 PM, icemiser69 said:

Given how much I hate the character, I was hoping she would get stuck in the tree.  She is obnoxious.

Thank you!  Your post made me laugh.

I'm not a Stella fan either and this is going to sound really petty and extremely mean girlish but why do they insist on pulling her hair back behind her ears?  Her ears stick out so much and really need to be covered.   They could pull hair over her ears and then braid it.  Sorry...........I'll shut up now.  

Edited May 8, 2021 by AnnA

[jabRI]

Regarding the ears. Mireille Enos (the Killing) was the same.  Maybe they see it as a distinguishing feature and not a flaw? I don't know, just wanted to mention she's not the only actress to do that.

[FnkyChkn34]

I actually never noticed her ears.  I'm not a fan of the harsh center part though, if we're going to critique their hair...  I think they should just pull her hair straight back into a ponytail or bun rather than always part it down the middle.  Or try a side part?  Whatever issue it is that millennials have with "requiring" a middle part instead of a side part is just... wrong.  Every person is different.

[WinJet0819]

This, without a doubt, has to be the most boring of the show's 9 seasons.

It was hard just to keep focus trying to get through this episode of Chicago Fire Anatomy. This episode only further cemented why I can't take Stella seriously as a firefighter anymore. We had Gabby-Sue. Now, it's time for Stella-Sue. About to take the lieutenant's exam, and still shows no semblance of self-confidence. Still needs Severide to give her positive reinforcement. What an embarrassment to female first responders. She has to be the one to maybe save an impaled man in a tree. She's lauded for her quick thinking to possibly have given the guy a chance to live. More PDA with her Lt boyfriend on the apparatus floor, in front of colleagues. And then tell's Mouch to forward any calls for her to Severide's office. Wow, so important.  A trapped girl just has to call Firehouse 51 to speak to Stella, when any firefighter could have helped. But it just has to be Stella because her Girls on Fire made such an impact. Every scene with Stella made me want to gag.

Boden and Severide driving around looking for "gang activity" is just funny. Firefighters now know what gang activity is? But should we expect from Super Severide and Super Boden. Sure is a good thing the house didn't receive any calls while those two weren't at their posts. And there is a minor in imminent danger from a gang, but let's not call the police, like the patrol officers who took Goodwin's statement at Med. Let's have two unarmed fireman try to save the day against likely armed gang members. The writing continues to get more and more incredulous.

And Casey says his head injury has fully resolved? May want to check that considering he's saying his head injury was 5 years ago. In real time, that head injury occurred 7 and a half years ago. Based on the show's timeline and the CT scan Casey was looking at, it happened over 9 years ago. Yes, writers, people are paying attention to the fine details, and the lack of continuity is becoming more and more noticeable, to the point where we think you don't care to be accurate. And more tension between Brett and Casey. Sigh.

Nice to see an appearance from Donna. But using another COVID-type storyline on these shows is just plain hollow at this point, when it's not even being represented properly. With the interactions and lack of masks we see on the show, I'm shocked the kids and Donna aren't back in school by now.

I wound up being more intrigued about why a 911 dispatcher was run over and almost killed in 9-1-1, than with anything that was in this episode. That show has surpassed Fire by leaps and bounds.

Edited May 12, 2021 by WinJet0819

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'm not a Stella fan either and this is going to sound really petty and extremely mean girlish but why do they insist on pulling her hair back behind her ears?  Her ears stick out so much and really need to be covered.   They could pull hair over her ears and then braid it.  Sorry...........I'll shut up now.  

I don't know how it works in Chicago but in my city there is a strict code dictating hair length, for obvious safety reasons. Stella would have to have her hair above her collar, meaning if they don't make her cut it that short she would have to keep it pulled tight into a bun.

[Leeds]

 

On 5/5/2021 at 9:35 PM, mxc90 said:

I'm losing it. There was a moment when Donna arrived and thought she was going to use the room to teach a Zumba class.

Me too.  It's a sad reflection on the writing that I didn't have any problem believing the show would go there.

On 5/8/2021 at 9:53 AM, AnnA said:

Thank you!  Your post made me laugh.

I'm not a Stella fan either and this is going to sound really petty and extremely mean girlish but why do they insist on pulling her hair back behind her ears?  Her ears stick out so much and really need to be covered.   They could pull hair over her ears and then braid it.  Sorry...........I'll shut up now.  

 

Don't worry, you're not the only mean girl!  I posted months ago that Stella should wear her hair over her ears not behind.

The actor playing Aliyah sounded like she was chatting to a friend about Buffy (or whatever crap teenagers talk about) rather than someone in fear for her and her brother's life.  There was no sense of fear or urgency in her voice.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Leeds
Because you'd think by my age I'd be able to spell believing.

[AnnA]

7 hours ago, Leeds said:

 

Don't worry, you're not the only mean girl!  I posted months ago that Stella should wear her hair over her ears not behind.

 

Thank you.  That's good to know!

[SnarkySheep]

On 5/5/2021 at 10:05 PM, dovegrey said:

It sounds like Donna's home Internet went down. Is Donna not allowed in her school building to teach Zoom class? (Our virtual teachers are teaching out of their classrooms but I'm not Chicago.)

Not to mention, where is that non-existent little boy of theirs? If his mom is normally teaching from home, wouldn't he be homeschooling? But Donna arrived without a single word about him or where he was that day.